BehrItAll

Yea, doing all those voices and changing the tone based on the action or inaction.
It is not easy at all.

LilMouse

Was it Mark who said he would record the accent he chose to do on his phone so he could remember it?
Because I always wondered how the narrator would remember what the accent they did sounds like.

BehrItAll

Yes, Marc Thomson said he recorded voices on his phone to the reference later.

LilMouse

Smart guy.

BehrItAll

Imagine the old days of recording it on a cassette tape?
Carrying a clunky tape recorder.

LilMouse

Oh Gosh, and then having to rewind or get a brand new tape when a person messed up

BehrItAll

The struggle was real!

Smaug

Don't know if resurrecting an old thread is a faux pas any more BUT I just wanted to get the discussion going again as this thread was linked in the main Intro post!

My adventure through Audio Books started bumpy - I really wanted to listen to some David Eddings books while I did work but the narrator was horrifiiiiccccccc. Then I thought about having a stab at Robert Jordan's epic - The Wheel of Time (I found it a tough read). Then I fell in love with Michael Kramer and Kate Reading. Seriously. The only audio books I have managed to listen to have been narrated by them. I have gone through all Brandon Sanderson's work (most of it as I think his newest books are narrated by someone else). I follow the pair on FB and whether it's my genre of choice or not I will go out of my way to listen to them.

Ankatje

^ I can imagine the impact, both positive and negative, of the narrator. What made you fall in love with Michael Kramer and Kate Reading?

I haven't listened to any audiobooks, kind of scared I won't like them so I don't really want to pay for them. I tried listening to some free ones on spotify but I couldn't get into it. I get more easily distracted I guess. Although the narrator wasn't particularly good, so that might have had something to do with it. Maybe I should give it another try!

Smaug

Those two specifically have very dynamic voices. They also read the punctuation! That sounds odd but one of my favourite fantasy series has been narrated by someone who adds their own pauses for effect, or emphasises words they think should be brought out. Changing character intonations and meanings completely.

Kate and Michael have these warm, deep voices (though Michael could do some work on his Irish accent ). They add a lot to the listening experience and I am kinda feeling at a loss not having any more of their books to listen too!

If you have friends that use Audible, even if you're not a subscribed member (I think!), they can send you books for free to listen to. I would recommend going into autobiographical works. They are often read by the person who wrote the book. I highly recommend Trevor Noah - Born a Crime as a great stepping off point. I listened with a friend on a roadtrip from Florida to North Carolina last year. So good!

Ankatje

That makes sense

I'll have to check out Audible. Maybe my local library has a format for listening to audiobooks as well. It's not that popular yet here in Belgium, unlike e-readers. If I can find a (cheap) way I'll definitely check out Born A Crime, it's already on my TBR list

BehrItAll

The narrator makes ALL the difference. I started listening to The Count of Monte Cristo by one narrator and he was so boring I did't get very far. Then I switched to a narrator names B.J. Harrison and suddenly The Count of Monte Cristo became unstoppable! He did a great range of voices and was so engaging.

LilMouse

I just finished listening to the My Lady Jane audiobook narrated by Katherine Kellgren, and she was sooooo good. I looked her up because I was curious what she looked like. I found out she died and she wasn't even English, which blew my mind. She sounded so natural doing an English and a Scottish accent. There were parts where she spoke fast and had to yell and she kept the accent up. It's so sad she died. The world and audiobook world lost a mega talent.

BehrItAll

What a shame RIP

LilMouse

She was young too