Hi friends, Welcome readers! There’s been an influx of many new readers in the last couple of weeks. I’m excited that you’re here and you can catch up on any of the previous newsletters here. Most of the newsletters are evergreen; still interesting and relevant and just waiting for you to spend some time with.
Hi!! Ok first of all, I love audiobooks and I’ve found that a bad audiobook narrator will make me dislike a novel that I might have loved otherwise on paper. I highly recommend listening to the audible sample first and see if you connect to the reader’s voice/style. I just finished the audiobook of Hernan Diaz’s Trust, which had a cast. The voices were very different and kept you listening but it might have been a more powerful story on paper. Two fantastic audiobooks that I finished recently were Sarah Penner’s The Lost Apothecary and Catherine Steadman’s There’s Something in the Water. Both really really good. Oh and if anyone has been considering reading Lessons in Chemistry, it’s a fantastic narrator. I’ll check out some of the ones above, too!!
Thanks for the recommendations Brooke. I agree, the narrator can make or break a listening experience. I listen to samples all the time and I'm glad I do as I would have purchased some I wouldn't have liked, if I hadn't listened.
I agree that they are hit and miss. I think listening to audiobooks is an acquired taste for a lot of people, and for me, I'd rather read. If I had a longer commute I'd probably listen to more audiobooks, but at this point, I don't have much opportunity to when it doesn't take away from my podcast listening, as that is what I enjoy listening to the most.
i've recently started listening to audiobooks myself and realized that poetry might be more enjoyable for me when i listen to it instead of reading it. i just listened to Homie by Danez Smith, read by the author, and i just know it would not have hit the same if i had read it. listening to poetry seems to give it a spoken word quality that makes it more impactful for me!
i haven't listened to the audiobook, but i loved The Final Revival of Opal & Nev. i also haven't read Daisy Jones & the Six yet but i have seen many people say that if you like one you'll probably enjoy the other, so i'm looking forward to reading that, and i hope you enjoy Opal & Nev!
I can see that poetry read by the author might be the way to read/listen to poetry, that's a good idea. I'm torn about if to keep reading Opal & Nev or switch to the audiobook. I'd like to listen to it after I read it, but I'm afraid that I won't want to then. lol. I could finish the book and then sometime in the future on a long drive, listen to the audiobook.
Yes, definitely listen to the audio version of The Final Revival of Opal and Nev. I've listened to hundreds of audiobooks and it immediately catapulted into my "top five." George Saunders' Lincoln in the Bardo is another ensemble cast, but it was a bit confusing as an audiobook.
Thanks forthe input Julie, I know I should probably just stop reading it now and listen to it, but I'm enjoying it and want to finish, and I don't know when I'd listen to it. Such decisions us readers have to make. lol
I read a full cast audio book of Gaiman's American Gods. Also, Turn My Heart to Five. Though not a full cast James Marsters does a great job on Dresden Files novels.
I've heard that American Gods is a good one to listen to, but I struggle with Gaiman's books, so that has kept me away from it. I haven't heard of the other two. I'll have to check those out.
I too love audiobooks, especially during long car rides. One of the best is the autobiographical novel by Pat Conroy called The Death of Santini which I found riveting. It's great for adults, but not recommended for children.
A terrific audiobook for families is Night Magick by Suri Rosen, which is an Amazon Original. Parents and kids will find it delightful!
I have heard that Conroy's books are really good, but I haven't read any. I'll have to check Night Magic out too. I've enjoyed the originals I've listened to so far and I've also enjoyed reading the Originals too.
Thanks for the recommendations, Gayla! I’m a devoted audiobook listener, but I haven’t listened to many with multiple narrators. I started by listening mostly to mysteries, but have added nonfiction, including biographies. Lately, since reading more recommendations from newsletters like yours, I’ve started adding more contemporary fiction. I haven’t read much YA, so perhaps that’s a new possibility for me. I’m finding the Libby library AP to be an incredible boon to my reading life.
The Libby app is the greatest invention since "sliced bread." I can see that mysteries and biographies/memoirs would be good on audio. I couldn't have a steady reading diet of YA, but I do enjoy reading several YA during the year. Since you write "RuthTalksFood" you might enjoy a "food" based YA novel. If you haven't already read/listened to it, Elizabeth Acevedo's, With the Fire on High might be a good one to listen to. Food is at the center of the story and listening to Acevedo narrate it is wonderful. There are a bunch of YA novels that aren't all "teenage angsty" and those are the ones that I really enjoy reading.
Audio books are surprisingly HUGE these days. I think I get more email from the audio editions of my books than the actual books. I don't quite understand it -- I get way too impatient listening to someone read me a book. But it's definitely big!
They are huge, and sometimes I wonder why as I prefer to read. And I agree, I get too impatient as I do skim some when I read. I know the listener can speed up the audio, but then the narrator doesn't sound right.
I just heard an interview with the late Octavia Butler (it’s on the excellent Substack “Noted” by Jillian Hess this week) and she was a great fan of listening to audiobooks. I am, too. :)
Hi!! Ok first of all, I love audiobooks and I’ve found that a bad audiobook narrator will make me dislike a novel that I might have loved otherwise on paper. I highly recommend listening to the audible sample first and see if you connect to the reader’s voice/style. I just finished the audiobook of Hernan Diaz’s Trust, which had a cast. The voices were very different and kept you listening but it might have been a more powerful story on paper. Two fantastic audiobooks that I finished recently were Sarah Penner’s The Lost Apothecary and Catherine Steadman’s There’s Something in the Water. Both really really good. Oh and if anyone has been considering reading Lessons in Chemistry, it’s a fantastic narrator. I’ll check out some of the ones above, too!!
Thanks for the recommendations Brooke. I agree, the narrator can make or break a listening experience. I listen to samples all the time and I'm glad I do as I would have purchased some I wouldn't have liked, if I hadn't listened.
My wife digs audiobooks! But it is hit and miss with narrators and their voices / accents / sound quality, haha.
I agree that they are hit and miss. I think listening to audiobooks is an acquired taste for a lot of people, and for me, I'd rather read. If I had a longer commute I'd probably listen to more audiobooks, but at this point, I don't have much opportunity to when it doesn't take away from my podcast listening, as that is what I enjoy listening to the most.
i've recently started listening to audiobooks myself and realized that poetry might be more enjoyable for me when i listen to it instead of reading it. i just listened to Homie by Danez Smith, read by the author, and i just know it would not have hit the same if i had read it. listening to poetry seems to give it a spoken word quality that makes it more impactful for me!
i haven't listened to the audiobook, but i loved The Final Revival of Opal & Nev. i also haven't read Daisy Jones & the Six yet but i have seen many people say that if you like one you'll probably enjoy the other, so i'm looking forward to reading that, and i hope you enjoy Opal & Nev!
I can see that poetry read by the author might be the way to read/listen to poetry, that's a good idea. I'm torn about if to keep reading Opal & Nev or switch to the audiobook. I'd like to listen to it after I read it, but I'm afraid that I won't want to then. lol. I could finish the book and then sometime in the future on a long drive, listen to the audiobook.
Yes, definitely listen to the audio version of The Final Revival of Opal and Nev. I've listened to hundreds of audiobooks and it immediately catapulted into my "top five." George Saunders' Lincoln in the Bardo is another ensemble cast, but it was a bit confusing as an audiobook.
Thanks forthe input Julie, I know I should probably just stop reading it now and listen to it, but I'm enjoying it and want to finish, and I don't know when I'd listen to it. Such decisions us readers have to make. lol
I read a full cast audio book of Gaiman's American Gods. Also, Turn My Heart to Five. Though not a full cast James Marsters does a great job on Dresden Files novels.
I've heard that American Gods is a good one to listen to, but I struggle with Gaiman's books, so that has kept me away from it. I haven't heard of the other two. I'll have to check those out.
I too love audiobooks, especially during long car rides. One of the best is the autobiographical novel by Pat Conroy called The Death of Santini which I found riveting. It's great for adults, but not recommended for children.
A terrific audiobook for families is Night Magick by Suri Rosen, which is an Amazon Original. Parents and kids will find it delightful!
I have heard that Conroy's books are really good, but I haven't read any. I'll have to check Night Magic out too. I've enjoyed the originals I've listened to so far and I've also enjoyed reading the Originals too.
Thanks for the recommendations, Gayla! I’m a devoted audiobook listener, but I haven’t listened to many with multiple narrators. I started by listening mostly to mysteries, but have added nonfiction, including biographies. Lately, since reading more recommendations from newsletters like yours, I’ve started adding more contemporary fiction. I haven’t read much YA, so perhaps that’s a new possibility for me. I’m finding the Libby library AP to be an incredible boon to my reading life.
The Libby app is the greatest invention since "sliced bread." I can see that mysteries and biographies/memoirs would be good on audio. I couldn't have a steady reading diet of YA, but I do enjoy reading several YA during the year. Since you write "RuthTalksFood" you might enjoy a "food" based YA novel. If you haven't already read/listened to it, Elizabeth Acevedo's, With the Fire on High might be a good one to listen to. Food is at the center of the story and listening to Acevedo narrate it is wonderful. There are a bunch of YA novels that aren't all "teenage angsty" and those are the ones that I really enjoy reading.
Audio books are surprisingly HUGE these days. I think I get more email from the audio editions of my books than the actual books. I don't quite understand it -- I get way too impatient listening to someone read me a book. But it's definitely big!
They are huge, and sometimes I wonder why as I prefer to read. And I agree, I get too impatient as I do skim some when I read. I know the listener can speed up the audio, but then the narrator doesn't sound right.
Thank you, Gayla!
You're welcome, Jolene. I'm glad you're here.
I just heard an interview with the late Octavia Butler (it’s on the excellent Substack “Noted” by Jillian Hess this week) and she was a great fan of listening to audiobooks. I am, too. :)
I'll have to check it out, thanks Jolene.