Good readers gone bad

pwalker8 · 04-05-2018, 02:00 PM

No, I'm not talking about readers who hang around High School/College Spring Break beaches. I'm talking about readers that you loved in one set of books and hated in a different set of books.

In general, when I buy an audio book, I tend to be more focused on the author, rather than the reader. There are only a handful of readers who I actually pay attention to. That leads to some interesting surprises for me.

I'm one of these people who will listen to books multiple time and have a number of authors that I really like. Two of those authors are David Eddings and Brian Daley. I've listened to David Eddings' The Belgarid series a number of times and love it. The reader does a great job.

Daley's Coramonde series has been one of my favorite series for a long time. However, the audio book version sets my teeth on edge. The reader uses a high falsetto voice for the women that I just can't stand. I couldn't make it through the first hour.

I hadn't notice it before, but the same reader, Cameron Beierle, was the reader for both series. Dang. Anyone else have a reader you both love and hate?

tea2 · 04-05-2018, 03:28 PM

I really like Simon Vance and have several of the books he's narrated on Audible, especially classics. However, The Summer Tree by Gavriel Kay is one that I can't stand that he does because Canadian/American accents are terrible. It might be just at the beginning when they're in Toronto, but I can't bring myself to listen far enough in to see.

Deskisamess · 04-05-2018, 05:27 PM

I listened to Kate Burton read A Tree Grows in Brooklyn and wow, didn't care for it. I like her well enough as an actree, she was great in Empire Falls but don't think I'd listen to her read another book. I believe she does it as a professional.

I didn't care for Sissy Spacek reading To Kill a Mockingbird either.

I once downloaded a Dramatic Reading from Librovox of Ann of Green Gables. The woman who read Diana's dialog was elderly, and boy did that pull me out of the story.

Amazondoc · 06-29-2018, 02:42 PM

John Lee!

He is wonderful doing things like The Count of Monte Cristo. But he can also be incredibly boring, as when he reads Pandora's Star by Alistair Reynolds.

Also Luke Daniels. He is good for modern stuff like the Iron Druid series, but he doesn't have the range to do more complicated stuff -- like, for instance, The Three Body Problem. And some narrators are fine until you ask them to do accents -- like Mary Robinette Kowal.

04-05-2018, 02:00 PM	#1
pwalker8 Grand Sorcerer Posts: 7,195 Karma: 70314280 Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Atlanta, GA Device: iPad Pro, iPad mini, Kobo Aura, Amazon paperwhite, Sony PRS-T2	Good readers gone bad No, I'm not talking about readers who hang around High School/College Spring Break beaches. I'm talking about readers that you loved in one set of books and hated in a different set of books. In general, when I buy an audio book, I tend to be more focused on the author, rather than the reader. There are only a handful of readers who I actually pay attention to. That leads to some interesting surprises for me. I'm one of these people who will listen to books multiple time and have a number of authors that I really like. Two of those authors are David Eddings and Brian Daley. I've listened to David Eddings' The Belgarid series a number of times and love it. The reader does a great job. Daley's Coramonde series has been one of my favorite series for a long time. However, the audio book version sets my teeth on edge. The reader uses a high falsetto voice for the women that I just can't stand. I couldn't make it through the first hour. I hadn't notice it before, but the same reader, Cameron Beierle, was the reader for both series. Dang. Anyone else have a reader you both love and hate?

04-05-2018, 03:28 PM	#2
tea2 Zealot Posts: 100 Karma: 864936 Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Canada Device: Kobo Aura 2nd ed, Kindle 2, iPad Mini 4, Aura One.	I really like Simon Vance and have several of the books he's narrated on Audible, especially classics. However, The Summer Tree by Gavriel Kay is one that I can't stand that he does because Canadian/American accents are terrible. It might be just at the beginning when they're in Toronto, but I can't bring myself to listen far enough in to see. Last edited by tea2; 04-05-2018 at 03:31 PM.

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04-05-2018, 05:27 PM	#3
Deskisamess Wizard Posts: 2,607 Karma: 42697471 Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Ohio Device: iPhone 7+, iPad mini, 2021 iPad Pro 12.9",Paperwhite 6.8"	I listened to Kate Burton read A Tree Grows in Brooklyn and wow, didn't care for it. I like her well enough as an actree, she was great in Empire Falls but don't think I'd listen to her read another book. I believe she does it as a professional. I didn't care for Sissy Spacek reading To Kill a Mockingbird either. I once downloaded a Dramatic Reading from Librovox of Ann of Green Gables. The woman who read Diana's dialog was elderly, and boy did that pull me out of the story.

06-29-2018, 02:42 PM	#4
Amazondoc Enthusiast Posts: 32 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jun 2018 Device: Kindle Fire HDX and Fire HD	John Lee! He is wonderful doing things like The Count of Monte Cristo. But he can also be incredibly boring, as when he reads Pandora's Star by Alistair Reynolds. Also Luke Daniels. He is good for modern stuff like the Iron Druid series, but he doesn't have the range to do more complicated stuff -- like, for instance, The Three Body Problem. And some narrators are fine until you ask them to do accents -- like Mary Robinette Kowal.

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