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Books on Tape

calebprime

Penultimate Amazing
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I'm hoping that this thread could be for our little reviews and comments on books on tape, much like the What Book is Everybody Reading thread.

I listen mostly when I practice. Hearing a voice reading to me keeps me from getting too lonely.

There seem to be some differences between having a story read to you and reading it yourself. Pace is fixed at medium tempo when it's on tape. You can't skim or dwell. The personality, voice, and acting ability of the reader are really important.

Some things seem better when read aloud -- I'm thinking of _The Master and Margarita_.

Some things -- like Nietzsche -- just sort of wash over me when they're read aloud. I need to slow down with his work and read each sentence over several times.

I like Graham Greene, but the man reading _The Power and the Glory_ sounded like some priggish martinet neo-Nazi -- all clipped and sneering.

But the opposite has been true, too. I've enjoyed some Chuck Palahniuk that I would have found a little too blank on the page -- maybe partly because he deliberately writes with simple vocabulary and syntax.

One other random observation: When I think I'm multitasking, I'm really just missing huge chunks of what's being said. It's as if it never happened. So practicing while listening is only partly successful.
 
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Current listening: _The Disappointment Artist_ by Jonathan Lethem. Read by the author.

He talks about his formative influences -- comic books, music -- and his bohemian upbringing by his painter father.

Not unpleasant, but too lightweight to be satisfying for my taste. Better on tape, I think, than reading the text, because he reads well, and because it's all rather moderate.
 
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calebprime said:
I'm hoping that this thread could be for our little reviews and comments on books on tape, much like the What Book is Everybody Reading thread.

I listen mostly when I practice. Hearing a voice reading to me keeps me from getting too lonely.

There seem to be some differences between having a story read to you and reading it yourself. Pace is fixed at medium tempo when it's on tape. You can't skim or dwell. The personality, voice, and acting ability of the reader are really important.

Some things seem better when read aloud -- I'm thinking of _The Master and Margarita_.

Some things -- like Nietzsche -- just sort of wash over me when they're read aloud. I need to slow down with his work and read each sentence over several times.

I like Graham Greene, but the man reading _The Power and the Glory_ sounded like some priggish martinet neo-Nazi -- all clipped and sneering.

But the opposite has been true, too. I've enjoyed some Chuck Palahniuk that I would have found a little too blank on the page -- maybe partly because he deliberately writes with simple vocabulary and syntax.

One other random observation: When I think I'm multitasking, I'm really just missing huge chunks of what's being said. It's as if it never happened. So practicing while listening is only partly successful.
Click to expand...

Good idea for a thread, thanks for starting it.

I don't have any books on tape but have purchased many audiobooks.
There are also monthly subscription services if you weren't already aware.

I listen when hiking, running, or kayaking. (I have never found waterproof mp3 that did not suck balls) My prioritization for audio is:
  • catch up on podcasts (skeptical, celebrity, news, Irrelevant Show)
  • one classic comedy album/episode (something like Goon Show or George Carlin &c)
  • chip away at an audiobook (currently binge listening to Lindsey Davis' "Falco" novels)
 
Does anyone actually listen to books on tape anymore? I'd have thought that books on MP3 or CD would have superseded them. Even Project Gutenberg offers free audio-books in MP3 format.

Here: http://www.gutenberg.org/browse/categories/1

ETA:

Taking a closer look, picking the audio-book version of the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn as an example, I see that there's a lot more than just MP3s.

Available formats are: Ogg Vorbis, Apple iTunes, MP3 Audio, Speex Audio
 
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calebprime said:
One other random observation: When I think I'm multitasking, I'm really just missing huge chunks of what's being said. It's as if it never happened. So practicing while listening is only partly successful.
Click to expand...

No doubt about it. It depends on what you're practicing. I can't listen to audiobooks for anything that requires concentration. Mostly repetitive exercise (which is why I keep searching for a functioning immersible mp3 player - swimming is a very boring exercise: basically staring at a black line for an hour).
 
blutoski said:
(which is why I keep searching for a functioning immersible mp3 player - swimming is a very boring exercise: basically staring at a black line for an hour).
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Why not just get a waterproof radio and plug a radio-transmitter (like this one) into a regular MP3 player?
 
I'm assuming "books on tape" includes more modern versions. I see that audio renditions of books are at least sometimes listed as "on tape" to distinguish them from CD versions meant for Kindles and Nooks and the like.

I don't generally listen to books, preferring either music or podcasts of radio programs, but went through a short period a couple of years ago where I was not able to read at length, and got a few books on CD to pass the time. One that worked very nicely was Kathryn Stockett's novel The Help, which was well read. David Sedaris is a pretty good reader of his own stuff too.

My big problem with audiobooks is that they put me to sleep. With the overlaps, it takes almost as long to listen to one as to read it.
 
I don't listen to a lot, but a few years back I listened to 'Under the Banner of Heaven' narrated by the author, Jon Krakauer, and it was quite good and well-done. I listened to it several times while driving.
 
I enjoy a lot of lighter stuff: Stephen Fry's reading of the Harry Potter books, Tim Curry's reading of the Series of Unfortunate Events books... I recently tired Chris Barrie's performance of the Red Dwarf books, but though he's an absolutely great voice guy, whoever edited the books into a half-hour radio format just lost 80% of the fun of the books.

Mostly I listen to radio shows, old stuff like Quiet Please, various audio dramas from Big Finish Audio, when I'm working on things I can do on autopilot and really pay attention to the story.
 
It's the only way to tolerate being stuck in traffic.

I'm currently listening to Dan Simmons, "The Fall of Hyperion" after finishing the first book, "Hyperion".

It has to be a good book and a good reader. I get them from the library so I'm not investing big bucks only to find out I can't stand the reader or the story isn't cutting it.
 
Lithrael said:
I enjoy a lot of lighter stuff: Stephen Fry's reading of the Harry Potter books, ....
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Stephen Fry? Are you sure? Jim Dale does a most excellent reading of the Harry Potter series. I can't imagine anyone re-recording them.


Hmmm
Stephen Fry vs. Jim Dale: The Battle of the HARRY POTTER Narrators

Oh my!
Both have narrated all seven Harry Potter books, both are beloved British actors, and both have been trolled by angry YouTube commenters. Stephen Fry narrates the Harry Potter sold in the UK, and Jim Dale narrates the version sold in the USA, and the internets are EXTREMELY divided over who does it better.
Click to expand...

:p
 
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blutoski said:
Good idea for a thread, thanks for starting it.

I don't have any books on tape but have purchased many audiobooks.
There are also monthly subscription services if you weren't already aware.

I listen when hiking, running, or kayaking. (I have never found waterproof mp3 that did not suck balls) My prioritization for audio is:
  • catch up on podcasts (skeptical, celebrity, news, Irrelevant Show)
  • one classic comedy album/episode (something like Goon Show or George Carlin &c)
  • chip away at an audiobook (currently binge listening to Lindsey Davis' "Falco" novels)
Click to expand...

If you're enjoying the wonderful Lindsay Davis series, then if would like the suggest Bruce macBain. he's only written two books so far, he has Pliny the younger as his protagonist, and they are FANTASTIC!
really recommend them, I found I was thinking about the characters, which is such a sign of success...
 
I listen to audiobooks while doing needlework. I check them out from the library and generally go through 1 or 2 per week. They're in digital format (mp3 or WMA), and I download them to my laptop.

I'm currently working my way through all of Agatha Christie's novels.
 
blutoski said:
No doubt about it. It depends on what you're practicing. I can't listen to audiobooks for anything that requires concentration. Mostly repetitive exercise (which is why I keep searching for a functioning immersible mp3 player - swimming is a very boring exercise: basically staring at a black line for an hour).
Click to expand...

I switched to my local YMCA because they have blue lines. No joke. I liked the contrast better. Thank you for helping me justify my ridiculous belief in underwater blue lines.

(No smiley is appropriate for conveying my true feelings, which are incredibly unsarcastic, yet appropriately unserious. I am assuming 5+ hours a week in a pool is mutually relatable)...
 
Brian-M said:
Why not just get a waterproof radio and plug a radio-transmitter (like this one) into a regular MP3 player?
Click to expand...

The main point of failure for me is not the mp3 player per se, but two factors: 1) I am such a fast swimmer that it's hard to secure the device for even a full length of a 50m pool (I spend half the workout adjusting the player), and 2) I've never had satisfactory headphones either.


ETA: if I left that device on the deck at my public pool, it would be stolen in 30 seconds.
I've had my towel stolen so frequently I dont' even bring that out on deck anymore these days.
 
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blutoski said:
The main point of failure for me is not the mp3 player per se, but two factors: 1) I am such a fast swimmer that it's hard to secure the device for even a full length of a 50m pool (I spend half the workout adjusting the player), and 2) I've never had satisfactory headphones either.


ETA: if I left that device on the deck at my public pool, it would be stolen in 30 seconds.
I've had my towel stolen so frequently I dont' even bring that out on deck anymore these days.
Click to expand...

Owing to injuries I can't go more than about a mile at a time, but how do you keep track of laps if you're listening to headphones? I always found it easier just to count laps and let my mind wander into a half-sleeping state. As soon as I start thinking about anything serious I forget where I am.

I never tried headphones anyway, but wouldn't you lose them on the turns? I would have thought you'd need swimming-specific earphones to keep them on if you flip.
 
bruto said:
Owing to injuries I can't go more than about a mile at a time, but how do you keep track of laps if you're listening to headphones? I always found it easier just to count laps and let my mind wander into a half-sleeping state. As soon as I start thinking about anything serious I forget where I am.
Click to expand...

I have two swimming modes, and only one of them lends itself to listening: distance. I just swim by the clock, not too worried about tracking distance. In winter I do this in the pool, in summer I do this in open water. Open water I have a fixed distance route and monitor my progress by trying to chip away at my total time. That's another reason that the radio broadcaster is not a complete solution: the longer swims could end up a km or two from the transmitter, and yet those are exactly the ones I would prefer to have sound for.

The other mode is interval sets with a masters group, and I don't expect to wear sound equipment for those because it is too distracting, as you describe. Also, when I'm with other swimmers in a workout, I want to socialize.



bruto said:
I never tried headphones anyway, but wouldn't you lose them on the turns? I would have thought you'd need swimming-specific earphones to keep them on if you flip.
Click to expand...

You do. There are many models of waterproof headphones, but you've nailed the problem: they're always popping out or losing their sound for some reason. I spend so much time futzing with the equipment that I've given up. We've tried squishing them under an oversized fabric or rubber bathing cap, but this makes the sound cut out because of the pressure and defeats the point.

A colleague and I have been reviewing the products for SNC (swim canada) for perhaps 20 years now, and while many models have been great for leisure swimmers - especially if they don't plan to put their head underwater (i.e.: there are great waterproof options out there), there has never been anything even close to acceptable for competitive swimmers.
 
I do a lot of mindless, tedious stuff for work--data analysis and the like. Stuff that needs a human touch, but doesn't take up a whole llot of brain power. Plus, long communtes and air travel are part of my job as well. When driving for six hours, you need something to listen to.

I've found that Librivox.org is a fantastic site for audiobooks. First, it's free, which is always nice. Second, while some of the readers suck, some are remarkably good. "The Hour of the Dragon" is a good example--if you like Conan/swords and sorcery stories, I highly recommend it. The copy of "Wealth of Nations" is pretty good, too. Chesterton's work really shines; whoever did the majority of the readings needs to do more, he's really good at capturing the dry wit.
 
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