Audiobooks for the Audiophile: In which narrators take precedence to authors

When I'm looking for a good book to read, I usually base my selection on author. Have I enjoyed a book by this author before? Have authors I love recommended this book? Has the author been compared to another author I love? I don't so much have favorite books as I have favorite authors.

With audiobooks I tend to use a similar philosophy. I look for narrators who can give consistent performances that I can enjoy whether I love the material they're reading or not. There are a couple people who could read the phone book and I'd listen to every word.

For me, there are two truly stand-out narrators in the audiobook profession. Every year they dominate audiobook awards, and their voices have become synonymous with some of the most beloved characters in modern children's lit. The hype their productions have received is well deserved.

Jim Dale and his reading of The Harry Potter Books by J.K. Rowling played a huge role in making me an audiobook convert. His ability to make those books come alive--and give them a new depth even after reading the books several times--made me want to listen to more. I also watched as several struggling readers followed along with Dale and then took up later HP books to read on their own. Dale has provided the voice for a wider range of characters than just Harry and his friends, including the 100th anniversary recording of Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie (my personal obsession), Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne and A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. You might also recognize his voice as the narrator of the unfortunately short-lived TV series Pushing Daisies.

But Dale is not the only rock star in the audiobook world. Katherine Kellgren has gained well-deserved recognition for her vocalization of L.A. Meyer's Bloody Jack Adventures. My obsession with sea chanteys makes these audiobooks easy to love, but Kellgren brings a depth to Meyer's books that honestly isn't there in the printed version. She takes some fun adventure novels and turns them into something truly special. Meyer even admitted in an interview that Kellgren's narrations have changed the way he writes the book and said the books are edited for "readability by voice as well as eye" to make the recorded books more exciting. Kellgren is heralded for her work on the recordings of Alchemy and Meggy Swann by Karen Cushman, The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place Series by Maryrose Wood, The Kane Chronicles by Rick Riordan and the Enola Holmes Mysteries by Nancy Springer.

So what makes a listenable narrator? Versatility.

There are some audiobooks out there that try to accomplish this with full casts, dramatic sound effects and over-zealous productions. But I'm kind of a purist. The best narrators are those who become the characters so effortlessly that you can no longer tell the difference between the author, the narrator and the main character. While the ability to use lots of accents and distinctive voices helps, it has more to do with pacing and rhythm. As the action heightens and the tension comes to a pinnacle, the narration intensifies. You can hear the excitement and fear and passion not just in the words, but also in the voice. Perhaps even more important are the quiet moments of a novel--what is happening between the words. If a narrator can pull off the subtext of a novel so you can hear the character development that happens between the chapters, yeah, you've got an amazing reader.

This post is the second in a three-part series dedicated to Molly Jaffa, who loves audiobooks only slightly less than I do.

Audiobooks for the Audiophile: In which the journey begins

When I first started writing this post, it was after a conversation I had during lunch at a writing conference where we discussed some of our favorite audiobooks and what makes them so special. The woman I was talking to asked me to post some recommendations, so I got to work making a list. Until I realized how woefully little I actually knew about audiobooks. Sure, I'd listen to a few every year and had a few that were stand-outs. But what really made me enjoy them so much? And why were there a few I couldn't bare to listen to even though I loved reading the book?

The first time I consciously remember listening to an audiobook was back in high school. I'm not a huge fan of British classics (the descriptions are far too plentiful for someone with an American journalism background) but I love the stories, so I listened to David Copperfield, The Lord of the Rings, Vanity Fair. Then I moved on to some American classics I could never seem to find time to sit down and read like The Sound and the Fury and The House of Seven Gables. Then I went through my history phase with Ronald Reagan's autobiography, Tom Brokaw's Greatest Generation series and several books by David McCullough. Then there were the book club books like Daughter of Fortune and, yes, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.

Before I started my freshman year in college, I had gone from listening to books I didn't think I could ever get through just by reading them to listening to the books because they were fun and beautiful. Not that I didn't love those classics, and I learned a ton for the histories, but all of a sudden I wasn't limited to classic literature methodically read by British stage actors. I was listening to full-fledged productions that merge literature and acting and music. It was like candy for my ears.

And now that I've spent the past six months actually paying attention to what I've listening to, I can literally hear the difference.

I don't pretend that I have listened to everything out there, but it's safe to say that my audiobook experiences reach into the hundreds. When I'm listening to a good audiobook, I have to leave ten minutes early for everything because I have to finish the chapter. And the story and the audio production have be of high quality both independently and together, which means the writing has to be stellar, the narration has to be engaging, and the have to work together.

Access to audiobooks is only getting easier because they don't only come on tape--or even CD--anymore. Even as a Mac user, I can download audiobooks directly to my computer and listen to it or upload it to my iPod. And with those great little Play-Aways that I can pick up at the library and plug into my car or my headphones or my computer speakers...yeah, I'm a fan. They're perfect for long road trips or tedious chores or rainy days or any time at all. If you don't know much about audiobook providers, NextAdvisor.com reviews some of the most popular and features additional information about audiobooks.

I've made it my mission to listen to more audiobooks, specifically children's/MG/YA books. To pay attention to why they work. To get lost in the stories along the way. And the more audiobooks I listen to, the more I discover my journey as an audiophile has just begun.

This post is the first in a three-part series dedicated to Molly Jaffa, who loves audiobooks only slightly less than I do.

The "Yes" Conundrum

I know I'm not alone in this. I cannot possibly be the only person in the world who can't seem to say "No" to people. Okay, so I don't have any trouble saying "No" to drugs and other illegal activities, but I can't seem to say it to anything else. I spread myself so thin that I don't seem to have anything left to give. I'm mentally and emotionally exhausted and lack the time to take care of the physical.

The biggest problem is that I kind of need to say "Yes" to people. If I didn't, I'd contently spend my life alone in my room reading and writing, and then I'd have no experience to write about and learn nothing new to develop my writing. Plus, I'd go crazy and not even realize what was happening.

The key word missing from my life? Balance. To have a balanced life, I don't need to summarily say either "Yes" or "No" to everything that comes my way. But I need to learn how to discern what are opportunities to learn, provide service, further my personal goals, cultivate friendships and what is just filler.

Yeah, like that'll happen.

One Year Ago Today...

I still miss Ashley. Not a day goes by that I don't think about her. There's still this hole in my heart her smile and laugh and sassy ways used to fill. My brain knows that she's in a better place--no longer suffering, probably smiling that same mischievous smile--but my heart still wants her with us.

The void the death of a loved one leaves is never truly filled. Christmas just isn't the same without my grandmother giving me pajamas or a crochet scarf. I still get a lump in my throat when I look at pictures of my friend Elizabeth who died our senior year in high school. My Uncle Bernie, Prince, Mrs. Flame. They all had a part in making me who I am, and I wish I had one more chance to let each of them know how much they mean to me.

So today I mourn. But tomorrow I live.

Welcome Back, Bloggers!

It's been one month since my last post. And it was a totally exhausting month. I used those 28 days to prepare my SCBWI WIP Grant application (which goes in the mail tomorrow), get through our big conference for work (which I'm still catching up on work emails I received during that week) and write up a storm (which I actually did). Unfortunately, I also spent the last week of February flat on my back with the worst case of bronchitis and laryngitis I have had in years. In fact, the last time I was that sick was during the great pneumonia debacle three years ago.

Needless to say, I'm happy I stepped away from the blog-o-sphere for that long. I hadn't realized how much time I spend reading other blogs and writing my own posts. But I also missed the connection I have with friends and family through blogs. So if you had a baby or got a publishing deal in the past month, I'm sorry I missed hearing about it, and forgive me for not going back and reading all the posts I missed. That would kind of defeat the purpose of the hiatus.

In the next few weeks, I'll be sharing some new reading lists, spazzing out about writing efforts and maybe posting something worth-while along the way.

So welcome back, fellow bloggers. I look forward to what the next month has to bring.