Originally Posted 3/31/09
Cheeky Girl Loves Audio Books!
I admit I devour books like candy, but never thought I would enjoy having someone else – anyone other than the voices in my head that is – bring the characters to life for me. With an hour or so car commute each way to work, I decided to give audio books a try and I discovered a prefect way to pass the time and get some "quality" time in with my feisty girlfriends and those hot leading men!
I was very lucky that the very first audio book I tried was excellent – The Good, The Bad, and The Undead by Kim Harrison- which introduced me to the amazing Hollows world and I highly recommend the series both in audio and printed versions! I've since learned that audio books can be hit or miss – the success or failure hinging on the person reading and how well they handle the various characters.
You can usually tell within the first few tracks if the voice will connect with you or if you feel it paints the perfect world for you. My experience has been that most of the audio books are very well done. There have been only a few that were so bad I had to stop listening before I got through the first disc. I remember one distinct book that I really struggled to keep listening, since the first few tracks were just annoying! For some reason I hung in there and was rewarded with a light-hearted romp through France and a new series to follow!
Some great perks with Audio Books:
- Car Commuting - Put your time behind the wheel to good use!
- Great for putting on your iPod while you clean the house
- You can download Audio Books just like eBooks - Look for upcoming posts on the various different Audio Book retailers
- Great for travel when you don't want to carry paper books or have light to read by (I hate when they turn off all the lights on the plane and then my seatmate wants to sleep!)
- When you want the excitement of having a book read to you like when you were 5 (only obviously now your book selections have changed) :)
- Your local library already has a selection of Audio Books waiting to be discovered
- Too many more to list!
In the upcoming days and weeks of June, I'll be posting audiobook reviews, giveaways, audiobook publisher spotlights and hopefully some cool interviews. I hope you'll check back every day to see what's new on the blog! (I'll still be including regular book reviews as well.)
- Happy Reading From Cheeky Reads -
Cheeky Girl Sabrina
Hooray for audiobooks!
ReplyDeleteI haven't listened to an audiobook for a long while, but you've convinced me I need to give it another try. I think I had listened to one a long time ago that didn't have the right voice or something. Of course, I might have to start with one by Richard Armitage reading Georgette Heyer. LOL His voice is SO wonderful. :)
ReplyDelete@Donna Cummings OOOH- He would make a good narrator! Just the thing to tempt you back into the AudioBook waters!
ReplyDeleteI'll be doing a post later this month on some of my favorite narrators and why I seem to prefer females to males. :)
I haven't listened to an audiobook either, but I have used the text-to-speech option on my kindle. I know it's not the same as an animated narrator, but it does cover some of the issues with lack of light, etc. Granted, a kindle is kind of large to carry around (I had to use a fanny pack when I went walking), but it was nice to listen to a book while I walked.
ReplyDeleteHave you tried the text-to-speech function? If so, I'd love to hear what you think of it.
Hi! I have your live feed on my gadget of blogs I follow and I just saw your post about audiobooks, I personally love them!! I have listened to a least 400 audiobooks, most of them romance, so if you ever need an opinion just come and check me out, keep in mind these are not professional reviews, but I will tell you if the narrator sucked!! LOL. :)
ReplyDeletehttp://lupdilup-hotlistens.blogspot.com/
I loved!! the entire Hathaways series, my favorite is Married by Morning, I love the way Rosalyn Landor narrates these books. What do you think so far about Love in the afternoon?