AUDIO BOOKS... THE WRITTEN WORD VS THE NARRATED WORD

I LUV AUDIO BOOKS...

For those people on the road a lot, on the plane a lot, or who just don't have the time to sit down and read anymore, I urge you to give the audio book a try (if you have not already done so).

I know audio books have been around for awhile, but I didn't like the medium. I'm talking about cassettes. YUCK. However, now that a lot more books are being released on CD, I've really taken to listening rather than reading.

Audio books are a great diversion from music. We all have our IPODS (or MINIDISCS) filled with our favorite music, but even that gets boring sometimes. Thus, I turn to the audio book. Whether I'm stuck in traffic or shopping at Vons, I've usually got at least one audio book with me. They make housework (cleaning, doing laundry, folding laundry, cooking, etc.) more tolerable. I'm usually listening while I prepare my breakfast in the mornings. However, unless you've got a fairly powerful volume (and quality earphones), listening as you shred paper or vacuum are kind of iffy.

The Narrator / Reader
The narrator is oh so important. It's great if he/she can put some emotion into the reading, some feeling. I've listened to some books where the reader just read. No emotion, no feeling, no nothing. UGH. In fact, I'm trying to get through one right now. I like the premise, but the reader is driving me crazy. I find myself checking the display on my player to see how many more hours are left before the end. I will finish it, though. I WILL. But the narrator has actually detracted from the story. I probably would enjoy the story more if I read it myself. There are probably 2-3 audio books that were done so poorly that I had to stop in the middle. Either they were poorly written to begin with, or the reader crucified the work, or there were weird and idiotic sound effects in the background, or some combination of the previous three. Really, it's up to the narrator to bring the story to life. There are many good readers out there, but the best books I've had the pleasure of listening to are the Harry Potter ones. Absolutely astounding. Jim Dale just doesn't read, HE PERFORMS (credit to kilatzin). If Harry Potter's not your cup of tea, so be it, but you'd be missing out on an incredible performance. Dramatizations are a slightly different flavor, with various characters/voices and such. I enjoy these too, if they're done right. Voices have to be unique, and the names of characters are usually said more often than if it were a visual story. (BTW Mulysa, I think you're a great story-teller)

What's Wrong...
But, as with all things I consider "good" and "worthy" of my attention, there are little things that annoy me. There are things that they're just not doing right. One of the things is recording a CD with 1 (one... ONE...ONE!!!) track that is 70+ minutes long. That is ridiculous. That is utterly imbecile. I mean... COME ON!!! A 70 MINUTE TRACK?!!! On the other side of the spectrum, I've listened to CDs that have 99 tracks. 99 TRACKS!! It is ludicrous to have to search through 99 tracks of audio. And each track is only 30-35 seconds long. HRRMMPH!! I just don't get it. On top of that, I've heard of MP3 files that are 5+ hours long. WTF!!!

What's Right...
Tracking every 3-5 minutes makes it convenient and easy to scan thru.

Reading vs Listening...
Some people look down on audio books, and I don't know why. Obviously, it IS a different experience. You're using different body parts, etc. etc. But the essense of storytelling remains the same. The author has constructed a world for the reader/listener to enter and enjoy. Also, for those who are too high and mighty to listen to a story, let me remind you that before paper and pencil, before the printed word, stories (and legends and myths and knowledge and culture and history) were passed down ORALLY. So please... get off your high horse. Listening and knowing how to listen well are skills that a lot of people think they have, but truly don't.

Abridged vs Unabridged...
I DO NOT BELIEVE IN ABRIDGED VERSIONS. I don't care to do the research, but if someone else knows why there are abridgements, you can enlighten me. For now, I'll just assume that the abridgement is the creation of some idiot(s) who felt maybe a story could do without certain chapters or sections. Perhaps that's true. But who are these people to decide what gets cut? (On another note, it annoys me to no end to watch a movie, and then later find out that there's a "Director's Cut" out there. AAARRRGH!) I can't stand abridgements. I CAN'T STAND ABRIDGEMENTS. Makes me feel like I'm missing something. I don't understand the logic behind abridgements. Are they for people who don't have time to read? Abridgements are usually still pretty thick, so it doesn't make sense. Why don't they let ME be the judge. Why tamper with an author's work? Let the masses be the judge. Let us determine if the story was good or not, if it dragged on too much, if it went off on too many tangents...

ScregMan... The Reader...
ScregMan... The Listener...
Reading has always been an on-and-off thing for me. I'd read for several years, then stop, then get back into it again. Having majored in English, I did my share of reading. [Thank you, Cliff's Notes.] I can remember taking 3-4 English classes per semester and having to speed read through 7-10 rather thick novels in one semester. (Dare I say that entire novels have been read in the bathroom [that one's for you, mulysa].)

But sitting down and reading for 1/2 hour or one hour has become more and more difficult. In fact, I can't remember the last time I did read for 1/2 - 1 hour. Maybe I'm just tired or I'd rather be doing other things. Sure, there are 24 hours in a day. Sure, if I can find time to brush my teeth every night, then I should be able to find time to read. All those great people, those great leaders, those inventors, those writers, those painters... they all had 24 hrs a day just like we do. Rather than watch 1/2 hour of TV, I suppose I could read instead. [But I've got so many movies in my Netflix queue...]

I've thought about this for awhile, and the earliest audio story I can remember came from a cassette I'd checked out (years ago) from the library. It was a ghost story... one of those "Things That Go Bump In The Night" deals. Don't even remember the whole story. Something about a creature attacking people. At one point, a man is struggling in the dark with this creature. When he finally subdues it and turns on the lights, he beholds... NOTHING... Eventually, they encase the creature in something like cement in order to determine its shape, etc. Of course, it dies in the process. They determine it to be a goon. Humanoid, but feeding on human flesh. Anyway, that's my earliest recollection of an audio book.

During my Spain trip earlier this year, I'd brought several audio books. Ironically, I found it hard to listen to them. On the plane or on a bus, I'd drift off (sometimes to sleep) and find that several chapters had gone by. So, for the most part, I just listened to music.

I went through a Stephen King phase years ago. If you ever want to read just one of his stories, I recommend The Stand. And don't rely on the TV adaptation, read the damn book. Went through a Star Wars phase. Have read the Chronicles of Narnia 3-4x. Currently re-reading my comic books from years ago. I'm also slowly making my way through a Sociology textbook.

I'll read or listen to just about anything: horror, sci-fi, fantasy, biography, history...

For now, though, it is the audio book that takes precedence...

[linestepper... once I see your list on-line, rest assured I'll be hitting you up for more listening material...]