Ellen Archer was also at the luncheon we had in New York In May. Audio book listeners may know here from her work on audiobooks such as ROOM by Emma Donoghue, Sunday’s At Tiffany’s by James Patterson, The Penny by Joyce Meyers, and more. Please welcome Ellen to Book Journey.
My name is Ellen Archer. I am a New York City based actor and voice – over artist. I’ve been narrating books for over 12 years and have recorded somewhere around 175 titles. I say “somewhere” because I used an alias for some of my earlier raunchy titles and I’ve “forgotten” what the alias is. Now I’m on the straight and narrow and use my own name. I recently finished MIRROR SIGHT, the latest book in the GREEN RIDER series by Kristen Britain. These fantasy books are seriously good. She’s a wonderful writer. ROOM by Emma Donoghue and WHEN WILL THERE BE GOOD NEWS by Kate Atkinson are also great books, and I loved recording them.
How are the books chosen?
About half the time, my agent sends me auditions for specific titles that I have requested to audition for by the publisher or the producer. These days, more often than not, the author chooses the narrator from the auditions submitted to him or her. Other times, publishers call my agent and offer me a book or series without my having to audition. I think I’ve only turned down 3 books in 12 years. That either reeks of desperation or is a testament to how well publishers and producers know me.
These days, more often than not, the author chooses the narrator from the auditions submitted to him or her.
When I am given a copy of a book, usually it is in a downloadable PDF so I can save a tree and work off my iPad. It took me a while to get the hang of not having the actual hard copy in my hands, as I like to write little notes in my horrible handwriting, replete with scribbles and arrows and different colored highlighting. I also like to write “to do” lists and funny things my kids says. I’ve found that the iAnnotate app, is not the enemy – now I can actually read the notes I make. Bonus!
This pic is just a silly one of the various drinks, lip balm and candies I have in the booth with me
I always read the book before recording. I try to read it as I would a book for pleasure. I don’t stop to make a slew of notes in a separate notebook or stop to look stuff up – I just read. I’ll underline passages that I think are important, put a question mark next to something for which I need clarification, make a quick note about a character to jog my memory later (maybe underline a particular line they speak). After I finish the book, I’ll go back through and look over all the pages on which I made notes and (try to) decipher what I meant. I’ll make a list of the characters and something to describe them/their accent or voice/their story. If they remind me of someone I know, or a celebrity or even another character I’ve done, I’ll make a note of that. Then, for that gem of a book for which I get a director, I make a list of questions for him or her (usually pronunciations for character names, but sometimes for regular every day words that big time smarty pants use, and I don’t know how to say). The director calls the author to get pronunciations on character names or places they’ve made up and then looks up the rest of the stuff. When I don’t have a director, (which is more than half the time) I do all that stuff myself. The more complicated the book is, the longer the process. Non fiction is way easier to prep, while a 27 hour-long fantasy book with 73 characters takes a bit more work. I also do a fair number of books that have long passages in other languages. Fortunately, the fine folks at the Boston Conservatory of Music required I take French, Italian and German to complete my degree in Opera and Vocal performance. I’ve been tempted to write the alumni committee a check more than once. They must know that somehow, because they send me a donation envelope every year.
What I enjoy most about narrating a book is getting lost in it. It is such a great feeling. I love the excitement of finding a character’s voice and it feeling completely right. I know I’ve gotten it right when I’m sad to read the last few lines and it’s over. I remember reading an amazing and deeply personal memoir called THE ORCHARD by Theresa Weir. It was beautifully written in first person. The director, Suzanne Torn, the editor, Tommy Harron and I called the author to ask her a few questions before we got started. It was a lovely two-minute conversation. When we finished the book four days later, I had the strongest urge to call Theresa and talk about what happened to “us” — ask how everyone was doing, how she was doing. I nearly picked up the phone before I realized that I actually don’t know Theresa. At all. I knew it would be completely inappropriate to ask her such intimate questions…but after reading her story for four days, it felt like we were friends. I was that invested. I did “like” her page on Facebook so, I guess we’re kinda friends now, right?
While recording my very first audiobook, I kept stumbling over a word. This was a very easy and unfunny word that I couldn’t say – something like “donut.” I’d get as far as “Let’s go grab a coffee and” (wait for it….) “BWHAHAHAH.” Then the engineer, Kay Ells, started laughing. It was that same feeling you get when you start to laugh in church and it just gets worse and worse. I simply could not get through the sentence without hysterical laughter. This went on for several minutes, as I, red-faced and gasping for air, tried to explain to the director why “donut” is so damn funny. She was unmoved. In the end, I had to read the line with my eyes closed so I couldn’t see Katy’s shoulder’s shaking. And, hey, they hired me back!
You can check out more about Ellen Archer at her website: ellenarcher.com
Please watch this site for June audio book related posts like this one. For every post you comment on in June that has this audio book symbol:
I will put you into a drawing for a $25 book certificate for each comment (Barnes and Noble or Amazon – your choice). Winner will be drawn in July.
When the Khan’s family home burns to the ground, Saba Khan’s high school teachers and classmates come to the rescue by planning a fund-raiser to help the family get back on their feet from this devastating loss. When a piece of art is found abandoned in an alley way and donated to the fund-raiser, later to be found out to be rare and worth thousands, battles begin…
who should receive the money raised from the art piece?
The finders of the piece?
The school?
Or does it go to the Khan’s?
When the art turns up missing from the gym where it was being stored, fingers are pointed and tongues accuse.
Written at a middle grade perspective, Saba Khan, our main protagonist goes through all emotions while in the midst of the fire crisis including hurt and including love when a popular boy turns his attention to her.
With the story being told from different perspectives including the Principal of the school, Saba’s boyfriend, and classmates this book in audio format is a delight to the ears.
I didn’t love this story, but I did enjoy it.
Please watch this site for June audio book related posts like this one. For every post you comment on in June that has this audio book symbol:
I will put you into a drawing for a $25 book certificate for each comment (Barnes and Noble or Amazon – your choice). Winner will be drawn in July.
It is Paris in the summer in 1926. Ernest Hemmingway along with wife Hadley are enjoying time in the villa in southern France. They laugh and flirt and receive admiring glances from strangers, yet they are not alone. Fife, the woman who caught Ernest’s eye at a party awhile back is there as well. As much as Hadley wishes she could hate her, she finds Fife’s laid back easy-going ways to be appealing. It is easy to see what draws Ernest too her,and Hadley herself has come to know Fife as one of her dearest friends even thought she occasionally gives Ernest an ultimatum – end it now.
Eventually, Ernest does end it. But not with Fife. He ends his marriage to Hadley and marries Fife who is overjoyed as she has won the man of her dreams, even at the cost of Hadley. Together, Fife feels, they were go into their golden years hand in hand.
As years go by, Fife starts to see Ernest giving an appreciate eye to a younger, perkier woman named Martha. Fife suddenly know what it feels what it must have been like for Hadley as she watches, helpless as her husband finds ways to go away with Martha. Heart sick, Fife watches her marriage crumble before her.
But – if Martha thinks that she is the last of the Hemingway wives; she had better think again….
Woo this was good! I listened to this on audio and Kate Reading did a wonderful job narrating the voices of Ernest’s four wives as well as Ernest and an assortment of friends along the way. (Kate Reading’s rendition of Fife was exactly as I would have pictured her sounding, a distinctive smooth self-assured voice.
This was one of those audio books you hate to turn off. I love historical fiction! This audio was filled with real letters and telegrams of conversations that just added to the intrigue of Ernest Hemingway. I had no idea about Ernest’s life or loves, or even his untimely surprising death.
The book is told in alternating chapters by each of the four wives (talk about hearing “her side” of the story!), this fictional story unfolds as though you were right there. It has left me wanting to know more. I have never read Hemingway, but I plan to give him a try after feeling that I now… kind of know the man, and am now curious between all that time of having an unsettled heart… what did he write about?
Audio book month continues and so do the narrator posts and audiobooks and of course, the giveaway that goes along with it. Please welcome narrator Patrick Lawlor. I did not have a lot of time to chat with him in New York but now he will share his narrating life with us:
My name is Patrick Lawlor and I have been narrating audiobooks since 2001. Full-time since 2004. This is what I do, this is my job. How lucky am I that I have a job that combines two of my favorite things, reading and talking?!
I have recorded over 325 books. in every genre. Some of my favorites include Merle’s Door, Lessons From a Free Thinking Dog, by Ted Kerasote, Adam Canfield of the Slash, by Michael Winerip, Timecasters by Joe Kimball (J.A. Konrath), The Troubleshooters series by Suzanne Brockmann, The Darwin Awards series by Wendy Northcutt and the controversial Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson.
I was very lucky to get into audiobooks at a time when there were a lot fewer people trying to do this for a living. The Audio Publishers’ Association held a yearly job market, which was, in essence, a chance for prospective narrators to audition for a bunch of publishers at once, and then have several opportunities to socialize with them and start to get to know them. I was able to make several lasting relationships and got my first gig halfway through the day!
I completed 5 books my first year, 9 my second year, and about 12 my third. Since then, I average between 25 and 30 books a year. This has become my full-time job and I couldn’t be happier about it. I still do theatre when I can, that’s where my roots are, and that was my primary focus before audiobooks, but mainly I record. I have a studio in my home, and these days, record most of my work there. This is probably the biggest change in the industry since I began. There is a huge movement toward narrators recording themselves at home. Digital technology has made it relatively easy to get professional-quality results at home for relatively little money. The internet and things like ISDN and ftp sites, make remote recording and moving around sound files quite do-able. There is a certain, undeniable convenience about recording at home, to be sure, but I do miss going into the studio and working with a director and an engineer. I am, after all, a performer, and I enjoy having others around. Books DO still get done in studios, and I go in every chance I get, but the market being what it is, and the sheer number of narrators entering the business each year, means I need every advantage I can get, and home recording is a big one.
This is probably the biggest change in the industry since I began. There is a huge movement toward narrators recording themselves at home.
Through the years, as I have been exposed to more and various material, I have gone through a process of discovery. For the most part, I have been making this up as I’ve gone along. I have had some wonderful directors who have guided me in the right direction, but I am definitely a work in progress. I have matured, certainly, and learned many techniques that have made me a better story-teller. I generally read slower and more clearly. There was a tendency in earlier books to speed up. My voice also had a tendency to get a little high-pitched when excited. I have much more control these days. At the same time, I am getting older, and so is my voice. I like to think it’s getting better, richer, but those female characters are certainly having to evolve a bit! Altogether, I think I’ve remained pretty consistent, though along the way, I have experimented quite a bit with how to narrate a book, sometimes successfully, sometimes not. Sometimes REALLY…not. It has been a challenging and thoroughly enjoyable ride!
My first audiobook recording gig will always be one of my more fun memories, no matter how many books I record. I was attending the APA Job Market in New York, in early 2001, and I had just auditioned for a room of publishers and producers, when one of them, a producer named John McElroy, caught me in the hall and said he had a short project I would be perfect for. Was I interested? “Of course”, I said and he promised to get me the script by the end of the day. It would require extending my stay in NYC by a day, so I would basically break even, but I was getting my start! And in New York City! (I lived in Los Angeles at the time.) I was ecstatic! I continued the day on a cloud.
When I read the script later in my hotel room, however, that cloud did that little “poof” disappearing thing you see in cartoons. What I had was a chapter from a book of erotica. It resembled nothing so much as a 30 minute Letter to Penthouse. I am certainly not prudish in the least, and I have nothing against erotica, and this wasn’t especially hardcore or anything, but I DID start to wonder about the ease with which I got this gig. And what, exactly in my audition made John consider me ‘perfect” for this? Well, maybe this was normal. What did I know? I had never done a book before.
The next day I went downtown to “the studio.” When I arrived at the address, it was a small, unmarked door between a Bodega and a nail place. I went up to the 3rd floor and entered what seemed to be a travel agency, where Russian seemed to be the primary language and a lot of big, swarthy gentlemen looked dully uninterested in my arrival. I had flashes of that scene in the movie FAME, where the girl goes to her first on-screen gig.. A good quart of flop-sweat released itself into the sleeves of my shirt. After ten minutes or so of trying to get the receptionist to understand what I was looking for (words like “recording,” “audiobook” and “studio” were not among the dozen or so words of English she knew, and that angered her), I decided to call the studio. Outside. At a pay phone. It turns out I had transposed two numbers in the address, and the beautiful, professional studio was across the street!
I had a nice conversation with the director John. In the end John said very nice things about my work and handed me a check and that was that. I was a paid audiobook narrator! I had done my first project! As it turns out, the first of many to come. And no, they have not all been like that.
Please watch this site for June audio book related posts, like this one. For every post you comment on in June that has this audio book symbol:
I will put you into a drawing for a $25 book certificate for each comment (Barnes and Noble or Amazon – your choice). Winner will be drawn in July.
I have heard Simon Vance narrate before and I am well aware of how others have gushed over his narration. While in the past I found him good, I had not found him exceptional… until now. Simon Vance’s narration of The Other Story totally turned me into a Vance fan! ~ Sheila
Best selling author Nicolas Duhamel (Kolt) is staying at a beautiful Tuscan Island Resort with his girlfriend, working on his second novel highly anticipated by his huge fan following and his editor. His debut book, The Envelope, stemmed from his finding out something about his father’s past and the book just flowed….
now..
he doesn’t have crap.
Lying to his editor, his girlfriend, and his many fans who all assume he is on the island fiercely tapping out something amazing, Nicolas instead is spending his time on Facebook posting pictures and watching the “likes” work their magic into the hundreds. He is hanging on Twitter basking in the attention he receives by typing in anything into that 140 character slot what he is eating, profound (so he thinks) thoughts on anything… and watching people… especially the beautiful girls who find him a temptation as a famous author.
And now, years later, as Nicolas feels on the brink of self-destruction, he discovers that there is more to his family history then he had even uncovered… and within that… is,
the other story.
I listened to this book on audio because 1) I have enjoyed Tatiana De Rosney in the past, 2) it’s the story of a best-selling author and 3) Simon Vance narrating is something I did not want to pass up.
My thoughts…
Nicolas Duhamel is an ASS. He is a walking ego having lived off the success of his first book and then making himself a social media icon. HIs ego is so big that it overpowers the book. On Facebook and Twitter he can be a God… when in real life he is a life sucking worm (my words) who leaves destruction in every life he touches.
*whew*
*Dusts off pants.* *stretches*
Ok. Now that I got that out-of-the-way. Never underestimate the power of writing a story about an author… or a book store…. or a book lover… or a book thief :). Many of us readers… LOVE the literary topics. And, as I mentioned above, that was one of the draws to this book.
Narrator Simon Vance ROCKED this audio. He was so engaging, as he discussed the puketastic (my word) Nicolas that I became quite engaged in the story line… probably mostly because I wanted to know
what would happen?
would he write another book?
what would it be about?
My gosh… am I so infatuated with authors that I will forgive them anything? No. In fact, if I would have went the book route with this one, I probably would have given up on it. While beautifully written and descriptive, it felt L O N G. There is a whole lot of story…. and I did not feel a decisive plot. Is the plot the writer’s block? Or something else? Even as the book closed I found myself questioning if there was a set plot.. .or was the whole book a plot?
If I say it enough.. the word plot loses all meaning. And that sounds about right.
There are some good qualities to the read, I would rate it a 3 out of 5, and certain do not rely on my opinion alone on this one.
*Note – this book has some crude, highly sexual chapters that may not be appealing to some readers (including this one)
Please watch this site for June audio book related posts, like this one. For every post you comment on in June that has this audio book symbol:
I will put you into a drawing for a $25 book certificate for each comment (Barnes and Noble or Amazon – your choice). Winner will be drawn in July.
I admit, there are not a lot of narrators that I recognize by name on the audiobooks I listen to. Xe Sands is the exception. Xe Sands is also (so far) the only narrator that I have looked up and picked audio not by book title or author… but because she narrated it. Please welcome to Book Journey, Xe Sands. ~Sheila
Hello! My name is Xe Sands. I started narrating in 2010 and just passed the 100 audio books I have narrated mark. Oh gracious! Let’s cull that a bit. LOL!
Most recently I have worked on literacy and historical fiction including Wonderland, by Stacey d’Erasmo, Euphoria (with Simon Vance) by Lily King, The Transcriptionist by Amy Rowland, and The Witch of Truro (from Blackbird House) by Alice Hoffman. I have also just completed Vision in Velvet (6th in the Witchcraft Mystery Series) by Juliet Blackwell, Motherless Child by Glen Hirsberg, Something Sweeter by Candis Terry, Forged by Jacqueline Frank, and Never Marry a Viscount by Anne Stuart.
I do also enjoy listening to audio. I spent years listening to them with my daughter during our morning/afternoon commute. These days I find them especially wonderful to listen to while I am doing something I *really* don’t want to do, such as dishes, exercise, folding laundry… well, CHORES of any type actually. 🙂 I find them incredibly distracting in the very best of ways. There have even been times that I’ve dragged a chore out just so I could finish a particularity well-delivered scene.
I find audiobooks incredibly distracting in the very best of ways. ~Xe Sand
My topic today – is to tell you what I think a listener should pay attention to when choosing audiobooks.
First, I think a listener should figure out what type of storytelling they enjoy. Do they enjoy a full storytelling experience, with differentiated characters and appropriate rise and fall in emotion, or an “audio theater” type of experience with sound effects and different voice actors, or perhaps a more straight forward read, naturally delivered, but with little variation of voice?
Then, within that preferred type of experience, they might think about how enunciation is to them vs. a very natural delivery, whether or not they can tolerate shifts in volume, etc. For example, Neil Gaiman, one of my favorite authors and narrators, tends to be a fairly quiet and intimate narrator, and that suits his books perfectly. So although I might fiddle with my volume control while listening, I wouldn’t have him deliver it any other way – it’s perfect for the material. However, having to tweak the volume can prove frustrating for some listeners and adversely affect their experience. Good to know what you can tolerate going in.
Sometimes it is also helpful to consider whether the material is going to be appropriately served in audio. There are books that simply work better in print, or that lose something in the translation to audio… books with extensive charts, graphs, etc., or those with very clever or entertaining illustrations or maps. Those types of books are excellent candidates for a tandem read – having the print version handy for reference as you move through the audio.
Next, listen to the first chapter (or at the very least the full sample available – better yet, several) to get a feel for the delivery style and cadence of the narrator. Are you able to sink into the story and essentially forget the narrator, as a separate entity? Do you find their voice pleasing (you’ll be spending a good number of hours with it!). If yes, then it is a good sign that you’re in for an enjoyable ride. Basically you are listening for a delivery that melts away and leaves just you and the story.
Basically you are listening for a delivery that melts away and leaves just you and the story.
If you have a few narrators who have led you into amazing journey’s in the past, you can always start to look for books based on the narrator.
Sheila asked me what makes for good (and great) listening. That’s such a tough question to answer in a broad sense because each listener brings their own preferences to the listening experience. So I’ll just offer what makes a listen compelling to me. Here’s what I’m looking for: a natural delivery. I want narration that makes me believe that if I closed my eyes, it would be just me and the narrator, sitting somewhere, them telling me this really odd/cool/weird/amazing series of events that happened. Just that. I don’t give a fig about their enunciation – I just want them to sound like they do when they’re talking to me in person, telling me a story, with dialog that sounds as if I was in the room when it was originally exchanged, and with emotion that feels real to me, as if I was witnessing the scene myself. That’s what makes great listening for me – natural, connected to the emotion, PRESENT. The rest, such as enunciation or consistent volume, etc? That can all go by the wayside if the storytelling is solid and they are truly present with it.
Please watch this site for June audio book related posts, like this one. For every post you comment on in June that has this audio book symbol:
I will put you into a drawing for a $25 book certificate for each comment (Barnes and Noble or Amazon – your choice). Winner will be drawn in July.
So…. you probably know that this is audiobook month. I am having a blast sharing with you audio reviews, narrators thoughts, and now – I will let you know how I do like to do audio.
In my car…
Some people think that you do not listen to audio in the car unless you have LONG commutes or on road trips… not true. Audiobooks actually work on short commutes as well… it’s true. They don’t blow up in your cars CD player or anything if they play for less than 30 minutes. Urban legend people… its not true.
I listen to audio in my car almost everywhere I drive to. Work may be only ten minutes away – but round trip that is 20 minutes more into a book than I was before. I love turning on the car and getting into the story. When choosing car audio, I like the book length to be around the 7 -9 hour mark. I reserve longer audio books for longer road trips so I can listen to it in large chucks of time.
In my CD player in the house…
This is probably the “old school” version of audio listening but when you have many delicious audio’s on CD around and you want to listen to them, you do what you have to do. I have trouble downloading audio onto my computer, so instead I listen to the DVD’s. This is great for when I am working on a craft project, cooking, folding clothes, painting.. I love listening to audio in the house while I am doing other things that require use of my hands.
On my Phone…
What has turned out by fr to be my favorite way to listen to audio, is my phone. I use Audible.com which I LOVE LOVE LOVE for downloading great audio directly to my phone. I have used Audible for three years now and yes I am kind of a living breathing walking advertisement for them. The audiobooks are reasonably priced, they have great sales a few times a year, and your first one is free. If you try an audio and don’t like it you can exchange it. No kidding.
When mowing the lawn or gardening, or even biking – I pop my ear buds in and can listen to my Audible audiobooks. My phone is easier to move through the house then the CD player so I use it when I am on the move from one area to another. I even use it at work when I am alone and working on filing. I sit it on my desk and listen as I work.
My brilliant purchase that I made about 6 months ago to go with my listening to books on my phone was:
An external speaker. This, when turned on will pick up the Bluetooth in your phone and amplify the audiobook. This makes it easier to move around an area and say, leave the phone on the counter and still be able to hear it.
These cute little external speakers come in all shapes and sizes and start around $9.96 and can go up to $99. Don’t knock yourself out. Mine was $14.96 and works wonderfully. It’s cute, shaped like a clam shell and its orange. What’s not to love?
I usually have three audiobooks going at once and that works for me. For you – If you are new to audio I recommend audible’s free trial. You have seen many posts on great audio here this month – choose wisely and enjoy. I absolutely want to hear about your experience.
For those of you who do do audio (yes… I said do do), please share here what ways you like to listen. Remember, this is an audiobook post so comments qualify for the giveaway for this month.
Please watch this site for June audio book related posts, like this one. For every post you comment on in June that has this audio book symbol:
I will put you into a drawing for a $25 book certificate for each comment (Barnes and Noble or Amazon – your choice). Winner will be drawn in July.
I began narrating in the fall of 2007, so I’ve been a full-time narrator for almost seven years and have recorded close to 300 books. I have so many beloved projects, including Let Me Stand Alone — the journals of Rachel Corrie, many books of non-fiction by the brilliant Annie Dillard, several wonderful Carlotta Carlyle mysteries, Kate Christensen’s memoir, thrillers by Allison Leotta, science fiction by John Scalzi, young adult fiction by Katherine Paterson, children’s stories like The Wizard of Oz and the Velveteen Rabbit...and more. If you visit TaviaGilbert.com/full-audiography, you’ll see my complete audiobook listing, with my personal favorites highlighted in blue. I’m fortunate to have been given great books to voice throughout my career the years, and have some more fantastic book projects on the horizon.
Five amazing audiobooks? It’s very hard to choose just five, but here’s a list of a few favorite audiobooks!
The Fault In Our Stars, by John Green, narrated by Kate Rudd (young adult)
Kate inhabits this story, which has been such a smash hit in the last couple of years. I couldn’t stop listening to this book, and at the same time I couldn’t bear for it to end. I’ve never listened to an audiobook twice, but this might be the first multiple-listen experience. Kate was exceptional in her performance, fully bringing the characters to life, capturing every bit of wry humor, creating such a nuanced reading that I was absolutely captivated.
Rise & Shine, by Anna Quindlen, narrated by Carol Monda (contemporary fiction)
I love listening to Carol Monda’s narration, and this is a great performance of a compelling story. I’ve told Carol how I feel when she begins a story — I totally and completely trust her. I relax in her masterful presence, because I know that she will not make a wrong turn anywhere along the path. Her pacing is perfect, her characterizations spot on, her dialogue true to life, her heart completely open and her work completely in the moment. I’m a better narrator because I’ve listened to her work.
The Sunday Philosophy Club Series, by Alexander McCall Smith, narrated by Davina Porter (literary fiction/philosophy)
I adore Davina Porter’s narration of Isabel Dalhousie’s stories. Alexander McCall Smith is a captivating, charming, contemplative writer, and this series is just fantastic. Davina creates soulful, heart-felt, fiercely intelligent voice performances — she’s the perfect medium for the compassionate and thoughtful characters Smith writes. This team of writer and voice actor is unparalleled, and I luxuriate in the listening experience.
Call the Midwife, by Jennifer Worth, narrated by Nicola Barber (memoir)
I fell in love with the British television series, Call the Midwife, and later equally delighted in Nicola Barber’s narration of the memoir by Jennifer Worth. Nicola’s characterizations and accents are spot on, and I was riveted by the story. Call the Midwife fans will be pleased to hear story lines that they recognize from the TV show, but those unfamiliar with the series will quickly become devotees of the young British midwives and Catholic sisters whose lives make this a wonderful listen.
The Millennium Trilogy, by Stieg Larsson, narrated by Simon Vance (thriller)
You cannot go wrong with a performance by Simon Vance, and the dark, terrifying, thrilling Swedish series is excellent. Simon is a master story-teller, and he was perfectly cast for this series. His characterizations are never over the top but always differentiated, the suspense horrifying with his subtlety and nuance, the timing and delivery impeccable. These books are not for the faint of heart, but they’re even better with Simon’s performance.
And a bonus question….
And this isn’t a funny narration story, but a sweet one:
Years ago, years after I graduated from Seattle’s Cornish College of the Arts, one of my most beloved college voice and speech teachers, Stephanie Kallos, left full-time acting and teaching to concentrate on her writing.
Her first novel, Broken For You, was beautifully narrated by Anna Fields, one of the best narrators in the history of audiobooks.
Anna died tragically when she was trapped in her Seattle recording studio during a flood; the loss to the audiobook community was enormous.
When Stevie’s second novel, Sing Them Home, was published, I was very new to the narration art-form, but because it was the novel of a dear friend, I wanted the opportunity to do the project, and I campaigned for it.
Being told that the novel was mine to voice came with a feeling of great responsibility, because I so wanted to make Stevie proud, I wanted to reach the bar that Anna Fields had set, and the story was long and complex and crazy challenging — multiple dialects, Welsh language, and singing, as well as several distinct main characters and about 100 characters in total, including a very young child, and a 100-year-old man — who sang in Welsh!
It was a daunting project then, and it would be a daunting project now, six years and hundreds of books later.
But I had a fantastic director, and we worked very slowly and carefully on the performance, and it won my first Earphones Award.
Most importantly, Stevie loved the work, and I felt that I had, in fact, honored Anna Fields by taking everything I’d learned from listening to countless books she’d narrated, and doing the very best work I was capable of.
Stevie is publishing her third novel next year, and we are both so hopeful that I will be invited to narrate the project. Her writing is extraordinary, and it’s so special voicing a story that someone I love carefully crafted, so I’d be thrilled to work with her again. Our fingers are crossed!
Please watch this site for June audio book related posts. For every post you comment on in June that has this audio book symbol:
I will put you into a drawing for a $25 book certificate for each comment (Barnes and Noble or Amazon – your choice). Winner will be drawn in July.
Susan Powell, A pretty blond young mother in Utah disappeared in December of 2009. Friends and family were baffled with the sudden and complete disappearance of Susan who would never have abandoned her two sons.
The only one who did not seem distressed with her disappearance, was her husband, Josh Powell.
As details unfold those who have not followed this event will be shocked at the level of dysfunction involved within a family that carried beyond the first generation.
Over the next three years, the police and investigators would uncover disturbing evidence involving a loveless marriage, and a father-in-laws obsession with his beautiful daughter in law. Most disturbing of all was Josh’s decision that when his boys were no longer allowed to stay with him, then no one would be allowed to have his sons.
If I Can’t Have You is a powerful and disturbing true retelling of the disappearance of Susan Powell and the eventual murder of her two young sons. It is always hard to put into words what I think of a true crime read. Bizarre, engaging, the human psyche occasionally blows my mind.
True Crime authors Gregg Olsen and Rebecca Morris did an amazing recollection of the details of this sad senseless occurrence of not that many years ago. I listened to this on audio and narrator Kevin Pierce handles this difficult subject matter with a professional and appropriate tone.
Readers/listeners of true crime will find If I Can’t Have You to be an accurate retelling of a heartbreaking event of modern time.
Please watch this site for June audio book related posts. For every post you comment on in June that has this audio book symbol:
I will put you into a drawing for a $25 book certificate for each comment (Barnes and Noble or Amazon – your choice). Winner will be drawn in July.
It is no secret that I ♥ LOVE ♥ audio. I know many of you who comment here fall into one of the following categories:
You also LOVE audiobooks (listen whenever and WHEREVER you can)
You have dabbled a bit with audio and occasionally listen (long car rides, etc…)
New to audio… curious about it but no idea where to start, how to choose it,or where to choose…
Been there…tried that.. not for me, but since you are reading this post you will skim what is said here. 😉
Whatever category you fall into, please allow me this indulgence of a little “audio gush”. As I mentioned earlier this month, I am a fairly new audiobook listen around the 3-4 year mark. In that time I have found audio that I have just loved, not wanting it to end, and those are the audio books I want to share with you today – and I want you (audio book listeners) to share with me and the readers here as well so we can build a fun “fortress of audio LOVE” here.
Ready?
Let’s do this!
Ready Player One is one of my all time favorite audio. Wil Wheaton does an amazing job of narration. Seriously, the guy could come over and read me the back of the cereal box and I would be happy 🙂 This guy narrates so well that I have looked up books narrated by him just to get more. (True story!)
Yes -you have a good chance having read these books…or at least you much have seen the movies. Now – I challenge you, try these books on audio for an AMAZING experience! There are two narrators in the audio books of Harry Potter, Jim Dale and Steven Fry are fantastic narrators and I could not recommend one version over the other. Do it. Listen to these books!
R C Brays narration of The Martian is fantastic. I was delightfully surprised when protagonist Mark Watney comes off as a smart witty astronaut in this great novel.
Authors narrating their own books does not always work out ell but Rob Lowe is an exception. He has a wonderfully paced voice of a natural storyteller. I enjoyed both of his memoirs telling of his childhood, his movie career, and his life as an 80’s child star.
Liane Moriarty’s books are fun and in audio – a blast! Read by narrator Caroline Lee – this is another great listen.
Suspense lovers treat yourself to a Dan Drown audio book. Inferno is a wonderful audiobook with narrator Paul Michael.
I could go on and on but I really want you to share with me the top audio books you LOVED. Not only does this add to my audio wish list (picture a candy store but instead it is filled with beautiful shiny colorful mouth watering audio books!), I want to create a list of GREAT audio for all levels of audio lover-listeners- novices – newbies – and dabblists.
According to Sheila…. A Dabblist is one who partakes in the act of dabbling… “Jimmy was quite the dabblist when it came choosing just the right steaks to grill.”
Please share in the comments below the great audiobooks that you would recommend. This post is part of the June giveaway:
Please watch this site (Book Journey) for June audio book related posts. For every post you comment on in June that has this audio book symbol:
I will put you into a drawing for a $25 book certificate for each comment (Barnes and Noble or Amazon – your choice). Winner will be drawn in July.
Book Journey 