Audiobooks

It is amazing to me how often the experience of reading a book can be different from listening to one.  Unless the audiobook is abridged, it's the same material.  Why then should the two experiences frequently be so completely different?  A question for the ages, surely.  A great thesis topic perhaps?

So, today we talked about all things audiobook and collectively we ended up with what I consider to be a spectacular list!

Life by Keith Richards
Read by Johnny Depp and Joe Hurley, featuring Keith Richards
Even if you have never had any interest in The Rolling Stones or their lead guitarist, Keith Richards, this audiobook is a fascinating read.   The book is introduced by Keith, then long-time friend Johnny Depp takes over for a few CD’s.  The reading continues by Joe Hurley before ending up with Keith Richards again.  Starting with Keith’s early musical influences and childhood in England and covering his youth, his obsession with American blues, and his complicated relationships with band mates, this book reveals a hidden side of this music legend.   If all you know about him is that he did a lot of drugs, wrote Satisfaction in his sleep and was the inspiration for Captain Jack Sparrow, you’ll come away convinced that no one else could have survived and produced his body of work.    Yes, he discusses his drug use, his legal problems, and his hostile relationships with both Mick Jagger and Brian Jones, but the most surprising revelation is what a lovely and family oriented person he’s become in later years.   Shy, thoughtful, bright, well-read (he once said he wanted to be a librarian and has an extensive personal library), and one of the most respected guitarists in the rock world, his passion is, and always has been, the music.  If you have any curiosity about his life, the music culture from the 60’s on, or the times he’s lived through, read this book!  By the by, The Rolling Stones celebrated the 50th anniversary of their first gig in July, 2012, and they’re still alive and rocking!
Kelly, Springville Road

The Scent of Rain and Lightning by Nancy Pickard
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns
Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces that Shape Our Decisions by Dan Ariely
Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach
Mondretta, Leeds

Soon I Will Be Invincible by Austin Grossman
Throw back your head and proclaim in a resonant baritone, “Soon I will be invincible!” Follow with a thunderous evil laugh and you will have entered into the proper spirit of Austin Grossman’s affectionate tribute to the world of comic book villains and heroes. The novel has two narrators: one is the supervillain Doctor Impossible, who comes across like a blend of Lex Luthor, Doctor Doom, and Magneto. A child prodigy, Doctor Impossible claims that he suffers from Malign Hypercognition Disorder, AKA “Mad Scientist Disease,” a mental illness that frequently accompanies gigantic intellect. As the story of his early life unfolds, you can hardly help feeling a bit sorry for him, even though he’s out to take over the world. What else would he do---he’s a supervillain! The alternate viewpoint character is a woman known as Fatale, an NSA-engineered supersoldier akin to the Bionic Woman---she weighs nearly 500 pounds with all her implanted weapons and shields; naturally, this plays havoc with her self-image as a woman. Unsure of her place among other better-known heroes and heroines of the Champions, Fatale gives us the insider’s perspective of what goes on behind the walls of their secret headquarters. Comic book fans would enjoy this novel and have great fun playing Spot the Reference, but readers who have never touched a comic book would enjoy it as well. The audiobook features Coleen Marlo as Fatale and J. Paul Boehmer as Dr. Impossible, both a treat for listeners with their fine characterizations.
Mary Anne, BPL Southern History

The Magicians by Lev Grosssman
Quentin Coldwater, angst-ridden teen prodigy suffering from a bad case of “There must be more to life than this,” has been obsessed since childhood with a series of novels about a magical land called Fillory. But Fillory isn’t real, and magic isn’t real . . . or is it? When Quentin finds himself admitted to Brakebills Academy, a secret magical college, he has to re-assess everything he has ever believed. If this sounds like a cross between The Chronicles of Narnia and the Harry Potter novels, read on; though Grossman pays tribute to the work of C.S. Lewis and J.K. Rowling along with dozens of other fantasy authors, what he delivers is still a startlingly original novel, by turns satiric, suspenseful, and laugh out loud funny. The author does not hesitate to raise all the hard questions that would arise if magic were real and humans could wield it. Would it make your life better? Could you be trusted with such power? Would you really want to leave this world behind and live in another, and are you willing to pay what it would cost? Audio fans will enjoy Mark Bramhall’s interpretation of the text; his smooth pacing and skill at characterization will keep the listener mesmerized chapter after chapter. There is a sequel entitled The Magician King and Grossman is working on a third novel, The Magician’s Land, slated for release in 2013.
Mary Anne, BPL Southern History

A Grown-Up Kind of Pretty by Joshilyn Jackson
A Grown-Up Kind of Pretty is a powerful saga of three generations of women, plagued by hardships and torn by a devastating secret, yet inextricably joined by the bonds of family. Fifteen-year-old Mosey Slocumb-spirited, sassy, and on the cusp of womanhood-is shaken when a small grave is unearthed in the backyard, and determined to figure out why it's there. Liza, her stroke-ravaged mother, is haunted by choices she made as a teenager. But it is Jenny, Mosey's strong and big-hearted grandmother, whose maternal love braids together the strands of the women's shared past--and who will stop at nothing to defend their future. Suffused with humor, while plumbing depths of family secrets, betrayals, and growing up.  Joshilyn Jackson should never let anyone else narrate her books…she is a former theatre major.  Fantastic fun!
Leslie, Homewood

The Shoemaker's Wife by Adriana Trigiani
The fateful first meeting of Enza and Ciro takes place amid the haunting majesty of the Italian Alps at the turn of the last century. Still teenagers, they are separated when Ciro is banished from his village and sent to hide in New York's Little Italy, apprenticed to a shoemaker, leaving a bereft Enza behind. But when her own family faces disaster, she, too, is forced to emigrate to America. Though destiny will reunite the star-crossed lovers, it will, just as abruptly, separate them once again—sending Ciro off to serve in World War I, while Enza is drawn into the glamorous world of the opera . . . and into the life of the international singing sensation Enrico Caruso. Still, Enza and Ciro have been touched by fate—and, ultimately, the power of their love will change their lives forever. A riveting historical epic of love and family, war and loss, risk and destiny, this story was inspired by the author's own family history. My book club loved it. The narration was done 2/3 by an excellent narrator, then abruptly changes for the last 1/3 of the story to the author.  I enjoyed the book, but Trigiani should have let the original narrator finish the narration.
Leslie, Homewood

Going Postal by Terry Pratchett
Going Postal is about Moist von Lipwig taking over the post office of Ankh-Morpork. Moist, an infamous scoundrel, liar, thief, and conman, begins by being hung for his crimes as Mr. Spengler but ultimately being saved by Lord Vetinari, the Patrician. If you haven’t read a Disc-World novel, then they’re all about parody. Moist encounters many characters and situations that will make you laugh.
Samuel, BPL Business/Science/Technology

Making Money by Terry Pratchett
Making Money again involves Moist von Lipwig as he grows bored being Postmaster General he is “persuaded” to take over the Royal Bank of Ankh-Morpork. He introduces the city to paper money and general mayhem ensues. Both these books (Going Postal & Making Money) involve Moist tricking and communicating and miscommunicating with the citizens of the city.
Samuel, BPL Business/Science/Technology

Persuasion by Jane Austen
Anne Elliot is the heroine, 27 and unmarried. Her story dealing with her family and old flames mirrored my own story when I read this story. The character of Anne is Austen’s most mature heroine. Anne Flosnik does a good job conveying the story, though the audio quality left much to be desired.
Samuel, BPL Business/Science/Technology

Moby Dick by Herman Melville
I just got a random compulsion to read this classic last year and I decided to listen to it since I have a 2 hour commute to work round trip every day.  You can listen to an audiobook in no time flat with that kind of driving time.  I checked out the version narrated by William Hootkins.  What an experience!  The narrator was FaNtAsTiC and the story was so compelling told through his voice.  I tell everyone, it was some of the most violent, bloody, and brutal scenes interrupted by some of the most beautiful, lyrical, and poetic language interrupted by some of the most boring lists I've ever listened to.  Quite a study in contrasts as you can see.  I can't in all honesty say I would be able to make it through reading this book on my own but as it was narrated by Mr. Hootkins, I was hooked in from start to finish.  I now count this book among my favorites in classics!
Holley, Emmet O'Neal

The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh
What a complex character Victoria is!  At 18, she has now aged out of foster care and is being moved to a transitional home where she may stay for only a short time rent-free.  She must find a job and pay rent, or she'll be turned out to the streets.  Victoria doesn't cultivate friendships, deep or shallow, and it's not long before she has made a home for herself among the bushes in a nearby park, tending the small garden she has planted.  Through an impromptu meeting with the owner of a tiny flower shop, Victoria begins the laborious process of beginning her life.  It's hard to like Victoria, but I just couldn't help myself.  She really reminded me of a less socially functional version of Lisbeth Salander from the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo books.  Victoria makes her point in life with plants and flowers rather than computer hacking.  She is such a study in contrasts.  Great book group selection.  The audio was great.  The narrator managed to convey Victoria's unemotional nature without sapping the life from the book.  Simply wonderful!
Holley, Emmet O'Neal

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
Remember Me by Sophie Kinsella
The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling
Dasha, Pinson

The Long Earth by Terry Pratchett
Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed
Gina, Gardendale

GENERAL DISCUSSION:  By general consensus, it was decided that authors should be *very* cautious when considering narrating their own books.  Leslie says Joshilyn Jackson, theater-trained during her college years, has the skills, as does Rick Bragg.  Kelly mentioned Sarah Vowell also has some narrating chops.  For my part, the narration director should have stopped Ray Bradbury on Fahrenheit 451 after the first five minutes of recording.  Perhaps he/she was star-struck, who knows?  Leslie mentioned Bill Bryson as another author who would have benefited from a more firm critique before beginning.

That's what we read.  What are YOU listening to?

Meeting next week

The RA Roundtable meets next Wednesday, October 10th at 9am at the Emmet O'Neal Library to discuss audiobooks, so mark your calendars and plan to attend!
htw