This is a great topic for a rich conversation! I prefer listening to nonfiction and memoir only, because the author tends to read those books aloud themselves. I listened to Ina Garten read her own memoir and she did it perfectly! ;)
Also, if I space out and lose the thread of a novel on audiobook, that bugs me. Not so much with nonfiction.
That's interesting. I actually never listen to nonfiction and memoir. I would def listen to a Dani Shapiro book if she was reading because I love her memoirs. That's so fun about Ina. I'm going to try that one! What other nonfiction or memoir have you read that worked well on audio? I will say that I just listened to Miranda July read All Fours and it creeped me out hearing her read some of the raunchiest parts. But that book is a story in itself. xo
Another good nonfiction audiobook is The Memory Palace by Nate Dimeo. He reads some of the chapters and famous people read some of the others. Terrific audiobook.
And -- we HAVE to discuss All Fours! I read it and loved it, but people who listened got freaked out, so it's not just you!
I didn’t enjoy Octopus at all and had the hardest time getting into it…3 star listen for me. Now I’m wondering if your point about the narrator is the reason!!!
Completely agree with you that a narrator can make or break a book!!
Daisy Jones & the 6 was narrated so beautiful it’s one of my all time favorites ❤️ Didn’t care for Tom Lake, but I kept listening to Meryl Streep because she’s amazing.
Adore all of Kristy Woodson Harvey books, but the same narrator with the worst southern accent ruined her Peachtree series for me. Read & absolutely loved the paper version, but could not listen.
Do you as an author get to pick your narrator or does your publisher?
When you are writing do you have a narrator in your mind? I often do when I’m reading.
What a great discussion. So looking forward to your next book! Happy 2025
Hi! My publisher always lets me pick my top two narrators but they only give you four choices. It's a limited choice. I loved my audiobook narrator for my last book. She did a fantastic job. It's really tricky with historical because if the voice doesn't sound period enough or the reader has a hint of an accent and it's set in a Waspy community, it can throw the story.
A book cover is make or break for me as well. A great cover & I will definitely pick it up. Your covers Brooke 💕 they are absolutely stunning!! Loved when you shared about the cover of All the Summers in Between. Gorgeous!!
I love audiobooks for entertainment on long car rides or while doing something like painting a room in my house. For a situation like yours where you keep thinking you're in another book because of the narrator's voice, I would try listening to the audiobook at an accelerated speed and see if that alters the voice enough for you to lose the connection to the other book.
That's a great idea about speeding it up. My friend always listens to book at double speed and I'm amazed she catches it all. But just a little bit faster probably would help!
I don’t have enough experience with audio books, as I just added them to my reading experience about three years ago, and they aren’t my primary mode. I tend to listen while performing tasks - long walks, housework, and decorating the Christmas tree. This year, while decorating the tree without listening to a book, I kept “hearing” last year’s voice and story. Very strange!
Yes. The Diva Delivers on a Promise, one of Krista Davis’s cozy mysteries. Listening to light cozy mysteries was what finally got me started on audio books.
This is a great topic for a rich conversation! I prefer listening to nonfiction and memoir only, because the author tends to read those books aloud themselves. I listened to Ina Garten read her own memoir and she did it perfectly! ;)
Also, if I space out and lose the thread of a novel on audiobook, that bugs me. Not so much with nonfiction.
Ina reading her memoir was chef’s kiss!
That's interesting. I actually never listen to nonfiction and memoir. I would def listen to a Dani Shapiro book if she was reading because I love her memoirs. That's so fun about Ina. I'm going to try that one! What other nonfiction or memoir have you read that worked well on audio? I will say that I just listened to Miranda July read All Fours and it creeped me out hearing her read some of the raunchiest parts. But that book is a story in itself. xo
Another good nonfiction audiobook is The Memory Palace by Nate Dimeo. He reads some of the chapters and famous people read some of the others. Terrific audiobook.
And -- we HAVE to discuss All Fours! I read it and loved it, but people who listened got freaked out, so it's not just you!
I didn’t enjoy Octopus at all and had the hardest time getting into it…3 star listen for me. Now I’m wondering if your point about the narrator is the reason!!!
Oh that's VERY interesting. I really like it but I'm wondering if it's just not suited for audio. Maybe it's a better book to hold in hand.
Completely agree with you that a narrator can make or break a book!!
Daisy Jones & the 6 was narrated so beautiful it’s one of my all time favorites ❤️ Didn’t care for Tom Lake, but I kept listening to Meryl Streep because she’s amazing.
Adore all of Kristy Woodson Harvey books, but the same narrator with the worst southern accent ruined her Peachtree series for me. Read & absolutely loved the paper version, but could not listen.
Do you as an author get to pick your narrator or does your publisher?
When you are writing do you have a narrator in your mind? I often do when I’m reading.
What a great discussion. So looking forward to your next book! Happy 2025
Hi! My publisher always lets me pick my top two narrators but they only give you four choices. It's a limited choice. I loved my audiobook narrator for my last book. She did a fantastic job. It's really tricky with historical because if the voice doesn't sound period enough or the reader has a hint of an accent and it's set in a Waspy community, it can throw the story.
Interesting!
A book cover is make or break for me as well. A great cover & I will definitely pick it up. Your covers Brooke 💕 they are absolutely stunning!! Loved when you shared about the cover of All the Summers in Between. Gorgeous!!
I love audiobooks for entertainment on long car rides or while doing something like painting a room in my house. For a situation like yours where you keep thinking you're in another book because of the narrator's voice, I would try listening to the audiobook at an accelerated speed and see if that alters the voice enough for you to lose the connection to the other book.
That's a great idea about speeding it up. My friend always listens to book at double speed and I'm amazed she catches it all. But just a little bit faster probably would help!
I don’t have enough experience with audio books, as I just added them to my reading experience about three years ago, and they aren’t my primary mode. I tend to listen while performing tasks - long walks, housework, and decorating the Christmas tree. This year, while decorating the tree without listening to a book, I kept “hearing” last year’s voice and story. Very strange!
That's really funny. Do you remember the book that you kept hearing? It's almost like recalling a memory with a song.
Yes. The Diva Delivers on a Promise, one of Krista Davis’s cozy mysteries. Listening to light cozy mysteries was what finally got me started on audio books.
I have certain narrators that I love! I will basically buy any book that Julia Whelan narrates!
I feel like everybody loves Julia Whelan!
I did not listen to Octopus and I am glad that I read on my Kindle. Loved it but might have had a totally different experience with audio.