Recently I've seen a bit of discussion on Twitter, and I think I've also heard it on a couple of podcasts, about whether listening to audiobooks counts as reading. I mean, let's be clear, it absolutely does - in my humble opinion - but that would make for a very short blog post, so I thought I might write about some of the audiobooks I've listened to / read lately, and what differences I find between listening to a book and reading it on paper.
So, to start with, some audiobooks I'd recommend:
The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom
I heard about this one when Kathleen Grissom was a guest on the What Should I Read Next podcast (episode 78). Although she has a very... let's say *interesting* writing process, the subject matter (the lives of domestic slaves on a plantation, as opposed to the ones in the fields) seemed interesting, and I happened to have an Audible credit free, so audio it was. That turned out to be an excellent choice, because the chapters alternate between Lavinia, a white girl raised by the black slaves, and Belle, one of the slaves, and they are rather brilliantly narrated by two different women (Orlagh Cassidy and Bahni Turpin), meaning you get a real sense of their voices and who is narrating at any one time. This is the first audiobook I've ever had to binge-listen to, because I was desperate to find out what happened at the end! Highly recommended.
Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman
This is just excellent, in no small part because Neil Gaiman narrates it himself and I'm not convinced that a professional audiobook narrator would be brave enough to put that much sarcasm into Loki's voice. The characters really come alive so that the stories stop being oft-repeated legends and instead seem almost modern.
Storm in a Teacup - The Physics of Everyday Life by Helen Czerski
I love Helen Czerski's TV science documentaries and her particularly brilliant, everyday way of explaining physics, which let's be frank is not my best subject. This book was absolutely fascinating, with clear explanations and loads of examples that my brain could hook into, and Chloe Massey did a great job of getting across Czerski's enthusiasm in the narration. I really need a paper copy of this book so I can re-read bits! I listened to a lot of it in the car, and kept turning up to places enthusing about the latest thing I'd learned. Definitely a book to make you say "Oh my god, did you know...?"
The Wayfarers Series by Becky Chambers (The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet and A Closed and Common Orbit)
The second book in this series
was brilliant on audio - another one where I was desperate to find out
what happened! The two books have a character and the world in common
but are otherwise completely separate. I wasn't convinced by the audio for the first one, and ended up alternating between listening to it and reading the paperback, which made for some amusing skipping and skimming when I changed over. (This is why they invented Kindles and WhisperSync!)
Last week, though, I realised that that was probably an excellent way to read that book, because there is at least one scene in it of a more... adult... nature (although pretty mild), and last week I discovered that having a sex scene read out loud to me in the first person is really not what I'm into, book-wise. That particular teachable moment came from Uprooted, by Naomi Novik, which up until that point had been excellent - dramatic, with a well-built world. However, I'm going to have to borrow it from the library and read the rest on paper, because now I've heard the narrator say those things, there's no going back! The odd sex scene doesn't usually put me off a book, but out loud... just no. I'm obviously a terrible prude.
How about you? What's the best / worst book you've ever listened to? Is there anything that would make you stop listening to an otherwise good audiobook? Are there particular genres that you have to read on paper instead of listen to? (I don't read very much horror - see previous posts about anxiety! - but I can imagine that listening to Stephen King would be even more terrifying.)
Next time: a September wrap-up, both of books and in yarn!
Miss C
