Audiobooks for 2012 – list to complete

12 new audiobooks downloaded, the aim is to listen to them before end of June 2012. Which to start first… I’m thinking S J Bolton because I just went to see her at the Guildford Book Festival and read her most recent Jack the Ripper inspired book – it was brilliant!! Made me want to go and read up on Jack the Ripper.

Interesting to listen to her in a debate at the book festival particularly in light of some questions around violence in books (see link to her reaction to a question from an audience member – it got a little heated there!!)

So which of  her three should I start with and am I about to scare myself silly?

1. The Final Empire (Brandon Sanderson) 24 hours and 39 mins
2. 1Q84 (Jay Rubin translator) 48 hours and 50 mins
3. The Painted Man (Peter Brett) 19 hours and 58 mins
4. Before I go to Sleep (S J Watson) 12 hours and 14 mins
5. 11.22.63 (Stephen King) 30 hours and 43 mins
6. Dune (Frank Herbert) 21 hours and 8 mins
7. City of Bones (Cassandra Clare) 14 hours and 11 mins
8.  Sacrifice (S J Bolton) 15 hours and 3 mins
9. Blood Harvest (S J Bolton) 13 hours and 6 mins
10. Awakening (S J Bolton) 14 hours and 45 mins
11. Moon over Soho (Ben Aaronovitch) 10 hours and 1 min
12. Storm Cycle (Roy Johansen/Iris Johansen) 10 hours and 24 mins

Audiobooks – the challenge to find one you love

So far I have downloaded six audiobooks and absolutely loved three! The problem is that means there were three others that I couldn’t even get past the third chapter – is this because I’ve reached my quota of audio books or am I just a little picky??

Enjoying an audiobook requires not just fabulous writing and a quick paced storyline but also the right kind of story-teller. I hadn’t realised but there are some serial audiobook narrators out there – like a factory they churn them out and ruin the essence of the book.  The pitch, speed, change in voices can have massive implications for the story and the enjoyment by those listening.

Take for example, Ben Bova’s The Immortality Factor, described as ‘Provocative, gripping, startling: bestselling author Ben Bova delivers a knockout read with his trademark blend of cutting edge science and unrelenting suspense….’ and yet narrated by Paul Boehmer it was to me like listening to a slowed down computer program voice which never quite get up to speed!

However gripping, startling or provocative a plot it may have been, two chapters in I decided the torture was not worth it. I’ll go see the movie when it comes out, and save myself 17 hours of my life. Maybe by 2013, I’ll have forgotten this debacle and actually enjoy the story!

However it’s not just the narrator that can influence my enjoyment – some books are just not meant to be read out loud!! Even Nora Roberts – an amazing author who can interchange thrillers and romance in the blink of an eye and brightens many a rainy day or holiday with an easy read – turn her books into audio and you realise how flowery and descriptive her writing style can be! Suddenly you want to scream ‘get to the point!!!’ and that easy read is frustratingly long and I must admit twice now I have jumped to the end to ease the frustration.

The exception and one of my top three favourite audio books is The Search – while her descriptive style is called into play around dog training and search and rescue – this enhances the story without frustrating the listener. Perhaps its the cuteness of the subject matter – who isn’t going to chuckle at her description of the crazy puppy!! Or maybe its the fact that these very visual descriptions break up the rather dark background to a serial killer?? Whatever the reason, it works but what I should have learnt is you should stop while you are ahead and not download anymore…

So the top 3 audios so far:-

1. The Passage (Justin Cronin)
2. A Discovery of Witches (Deborah Harkness)
3. The Search (Nora Roberts)

Don’t bother listening to (in my opinion)

1. Angels Fall (Nora Roberts) in essence a great idea for a story but it just takes too long getting to the point – I guiltily snuck to the end about 11 chapters in :-s oops
2. The Immortality Factor (Ben Bova) couldn’t get past chapter 2, bad narration voice and characters I didn’t really like or want to succeed!
3. Chasing Fire (Nora Roberts) so I did listen to the whole thing but it was more through sheer determination than enjoyment that I finished.

The search continues for the next best thing….

Audiobook 2 – The Discovery of Witches – July

The Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

Listening to this book, I wanted to know where the story was going but I also knew that there was going to be a long wait for the next book (promised next year) so it was bittersweet when the book ended.  While a bit slow to begin with, you come to appreciate the author’s attention to detail and explanation, I am actually listening to the book again and can’t believe the intricacies in the plot which I missed the first time.

Diana, a young witch avoiding her magic, makes a strong heroine. At times the description of her running and rowing seem a bit tedious but they do enable the reader to understand her dedication and strength.

In Diana – Matthew, the dashing vampire with headstrong temper, finds himself a worthy mate.

The author cleverly balances romance, inter-race tension and supernatural with history, family life and tradition. It is well worth a read/listen and to be honest I can’t wait till they make it into a movie.

All week I have been thinking about who I would cast (see some ideas below)

As Diana

I firstly thought maybe Rachel McAdams but wonder if she is too wholesome – Diana needs a bookish innocence about her combined with an innate power and strength that would make her capable to lead an army.

Other ideas where Olivia Wilde or Emily Blunt

As Michael

This was tough, as needs to be tall and menacing, as well as a beauty. Ideas so far have been Patrick Dempsey (we’d need to sort his hair out), Jonny Depp or Jake Gyllenhaal (with some major styling changes)

As Sarah

Jodie Foster

As Em

Julianne Moore

As Ysebau

Marion Cotillard

The story is about Diana’s struggle with her powers, her growing feelings for a vampire and power struggles between the three supernatural groups. Diana and Matthew hold the key to understanding the origins of species and their romance comes to mean more than just crossing barriers for love but time itself.

A five-star read!