I have never really attempted the audibook medium, and have not yet listened once to an example from beginning to end. Is it possible to appreciate a book fully only by listening, without having the written sentences before you, to peruse?
But anyway, it is closer in form to the ancient times before books, when tales were told around the hearth and campfire.

Most modern audiobooks I have started listening to, are read by young adult pretenders lacking mental maturity, overdoing it to sound dramatic, without real sense of rythm, pause, and emphasis. And I find them unbearable to listen to.
But there are rare excellent readings, like those I posted earlier in the Philip K. Dick thread.

Here, for those with tired eyes, is a very good, functional reading of W. H. Hodgson's The Ghost Pirates. (When I read this novel some years back, I thought it dragged all through most of it; but the striking end was all worth it.)
[www.youtube.com]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 14 Jun 17 | 04:21AM by Knygatin.

The whole point of reading (well, maybe not the whole point) is that you do it at your own pace. Unlike, say, watching a film or listening to the radio, where you are at the mercy of somebody else's idea of what is worthy of attention.

I love audio Shakespeare and Scripture, but after a while the sound of vocal language becomes hypnotic and produces slumber. I have a strange preference for British readers, finding many American readers harsh-sounding and boring. Most of my Henry James audio books are read by Americans, which is understandable being that James is an American author. It can be annoying when a bad reader tries to "act out" the story's prose--they are usually very poor actors. There are numerous audio readings available for free listening on YouTube. I wish I could find the Emma Thompson/Richard Armitage reading of "The Turn of the Screw" on cd disc.

"I'm a little girl."
--H. P. Lovecraft, Esq.