Such a Thing as an Aural Peek?
Oh how I love me some public library. I just ordered a slew of audio books recommended by friends, as I have somehow been on this earth without ever having listened to one that didn’t also provide chimes that alert me when I need to turn the page. Side note - through the magic of scotch-taped tabs, the Rip Van Winkle audio-tape was the first sacrificial lamb to my homemade strawberry-shortcake-bedroom-slash-recording-studio - “take THAT, boring old white guy!” I was five. Cut me some slack. Anyway, I figure if I’m interested in delving into the world of long-form audio narrative, which I am, I had better do some research on what works and what doesn’t. Take an aural peek, if you will. So a few months back I put out a request in hopes of discovering what single-narrator audio books most delighted my friends, based on the narrator’s read, not necessarily on the quality of the book in question. And the results were many:
- Jim Dale’s readings of the Harry Potter series (this came highly recommended by many)
- Just about anything written and read by David Sedaris or John Hodgman
- Sarah Vowell’s Assassination Vacation
- Lisette Lecat’s reading of The Double Comfort Safari Club
- Tony Horwitz’ reading of his own novel, A Voyage Long and Strange
- Patrick Tull’s readings of the Aubrey/Machurin series
- Ralph Fiennes’ reading of Oscar and Lucinda
- David Tennant’s readings of the Dr. Who series
First off, I’ve gotta admit I am shocked (shocked, I tell you!) by how many of my friends listen to audio books. Second, I was thrilled by the great response and look forward to taking a listen. Third, I am always looking for more inspiration - so if you have any favorites, please share them in the comments here or privately via my contact form.
And fourthly, ahhhh, the unfortunate fourthly: I can’t believe I call myself a voice-over artist and haven’t listened to an audiobook since I was a little dude. It’s embarrassing. That’s like saying I’m a doctor, but have never looked inside somebody’s ear - except for when I used to practice on my teddy bears. Guh.
Hello, Chosen Profession, meet Responsibility. Being a grown-up is hard.