.............................................. then I'll begin. Well someone had to. Now my mind has gone blank

Come on, Cats, you got me into this...........................what kind of books do you like and how do you like them - eg printed page, screen, audio etc.

Personally I prefer the printed page (its me age you know). I can dip in when I want, lose the thread and flip back a few pages,
sneak a preview of the end so easily . And swop from book to the other (I usually have at least two on the go at any one time) according to my mood. But lack of time and the need to preserve my eyesight as I get older has lead me to
explore audio, I am building quite a collection of CD, but radio of course has its attractions. When I accessed it (after a ten year gap, reasons too long to go into) I was delighted to find R7 but over the last five years, I have heard all the ones to my taste at least twice and have become rather disillusioned. And , although there are exceptions, I do get irritated with unsympathetic abridgement and dramatisations. I really enjoy good writing, and contrary to popular belief it doesnt have to be "highbrow" - some of the current generation detective stories contain some real gems.

Extract from Cat's post on another thread



I am with you to some extent Lady Penelope. I don't like dramatisations that change the original (either
storyline or spirit) but I do look forward to dramatisations generally. I would rather listen to a dramatisation of, say, Dostoevsky or Dickens than read the book.

Agreed Cats, it can be horses for courses, and some of the more verbose authors, may benefit for most people from livening up! And it has been argued that dramatisations will introduce people to reading who wouldnt otherwise be attracted to it. But it does have to be done very sensitively. Conversely I have been put off authors because I have been unable to follow a dramatisation, where the background and setting have been omitted, and I have been unable to visualise what is taking place. I did suggest on another Forum that the answer to this might be to provide a brief introduction (rather like a book blurb) to the author (particularly the less well lknown ones) and setting , characters etc. but it wasnt generally welll received.

I do agree about straight readings, abridged or unabridged. I buy at least two a month from audible (for £15 per month!) and some of those are BBC productions. I can't see the BBC running many of them on air though. A good reader can add a lot to the straight text. I have a cherished reading of North and South read by Juliet Stevenson and her reading made me notice things that I had never seen on the page even though I had read it to myself many times.

I agree, I get something more from most books every time I re read them, but a good reader can add yet another dimension.

PS l love the pun in your name, Cats22. Im waiting to see if anyone else has noticed.I cant believe this lot havent.

l

If we can see the pun, should we really be here?

. Ivor



The original and real cat with the swishy tail.
Accept no imitations.

I still like paper and ink best, they don't run out of batteries. I try to take care of my paperbacks, but it's not easy when you travel with them. I don't think I will ever get into the Kindle or tablet books unless they can top the storage of my 160 gig iPod. The iPod has my audio books and radio stuff so I guess that's my second choice in "book" formats. The books on cd I have I've converted to mp3 just so I don't have to carry all the discs.

Will have to look for the Juliet Stevenson reading of North and South. I like the book better than the tv mini (were' talking Gaskell, right?). I liked the Harry Potter books but when they started getting heavy duty (from Goblet of Fire on) I found it better to listen to the books than read them and Stephen Fry was such a good narrator I find the readings sometimes better than the films.

I didn't know anything about readings on the BBC until a friend asked me to record her favorite actor doing a reading back in 2003 or so. Book at Bedtime and Book of the Week weren't even on my radar, but somehow I discovered them. It was much later I discovered Women's Hour Dramas..I am not sure what I prefer, because a good reading is sometimes better than a good dramatization and vice versa.

Favorite reader? That's a tough one Again it depends on the book. I like Dan Stevens and Jonathan Firth. Roger Allum is another favorite. I don't have too many women reader favorites--Juliet Stevenson (really liked 101 Dalmatians but I was quite miffed they left out the scene with the old Scotty and his "pet" an elderly gentleman who thought Pongo and Perdita were ghosts of dogs he knew as a child)., Gemma Redgrave is good too. I can't think of others I like.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2320 Mar 13 2011 by lifeonmarsfan.

Oh, I didn't get you into it - I was just agreeing with you that it was A Good Idea. I am glad you started the thread off as I was feeling a bit at sea.

So:

I prefer the printed page to reading on a screen too (which reminds me of work anyway). There is something very comforting about having the actual book in my hands. I love the feeling of the book belonging to me and I can generally remember where I bought them, or at least what was going on in my life at the time so just as objects they have meaning.

I bought a Sony book reader a few years ago, thinking it would save on space as I have far too many books for my small house but I just didn't like using it. It's partly, as you say, not being able to dip in and out of a book but also somehow not being able to see two pages at once. Also, the selection at that time was not very inspiring and anything new was quite expensive and if I was going to spend as much money as it would cost to buy a hard back, I preferred to spend it on a reading. The idea that you can take umpteen books away on holiday sounds attractive until you find that even having 20 or more to choose from there isn't that exact one that you find you really want so I just pick up one old favourite and then never open it up anyway.

Which brings us to readings. I have been listening to them for about 20 years but my listening habits have been transformed by my iPod. I don't know how I managed before. I do a two hour commute into London most days on a mixture of bus, train and tube and most of the time I am on autopilot while my mind is away in Cromwell's England or Venice or revolutionary Russia or the Cold War.

Do you have any favourite books as readings or favourite readers? I have surprised myself with what have turned out to be my favourites, which I can listen to countless times - for example Dancers in Mourning read by Francis Matthews moves me in a way that I would never have expected from a crime novel.

Readings are also quite a good way to experience a book without going to the trouble of reading it if you aren't quite sure about it, do you find? I would never have bought one of the Gabriel Allon books but listening to Gareth Armstrong reading it was a very pleasant way to find out whether I wanted to read any more (the answer was no).

Dear old BBC 7 - the BBC must have some absolute gems in its archive but they are just not clearing the rights quickly enough. There are some new ones coming through though - they are repeating Nicholas Boulton's reading of extracts from the life of Kenneth Williams and that was only on radio 4 a couple of months ago. It's not my favourite of his but I will listen to anything he reads - he has taken over from Anton Lesser in that regard.

I do have some favourite female readers too - Juliet Stevenson and Anna Bentinck can do no wrong and Eve Matheson's readings of Georgette Heyer are a delight.

Have I gone on long enough for now?

Oh my name. I love it too but it's not original - I took it from a cartoon (by Simon Drew I think) with the pun you have spotted. It has a sort of echo of my real name. Board aliases are odd aren't they? When I first ventured onto the BBC message boards I used my real name as my screen name and I just didn't feel comfortable seeing it there on the screen.

IvorThirst Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> If we can see the pun, should we really be here?


Now everyone knows I didn't invent the pun anyway so I am a fraud.

No, no, no, no, no,






no.

Repeating a pun is not fraud. A good pun can be re-used and re-worked ad nauseum.

My screen name is not original; it was first used as an advertisement for a local brewery. When I had to come up with a nom-de-keyboard, it seemed ideal as it included my given name. If I had not been so self-effacing, I might have tried IvorBiggun, but it doesn't always pay to advertise.

Most of my books are paperbacks and of a size that fitted neatly into the back pocket of my trousers. In my more formative years in the NHS, I was lucky enough to take part in an On Call service. This often meant sitting around for long periods; waiting for samples to arrive or for the various tests to complete. All I had to do was imitate the heroes in my book (often J T Edson Western novels) and perform a quick draw to remove the source of pleasure - that was put in for Tru's benefit - and continue reading from where I had left off. Sadly this does mean that many of my books are now dog-eared and some are even coming to pieces, despite pieces of (now yellowing) cellotape.

. Ivor



The original and real cat with the swishy tail.
Accept no imitations.

Now everyone knows I didn't invent the pun anyway so I am a fraud.

And theres me thinking you were like Joseph Heller spinning around and always ending up in trouble


Right then, favourite readings and readers first. There are two that stand out for me. Philip Jackson reading John Harvey's "Wasted Years" and Clark (SP?) Peters narrating Stephen Kings "Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption". Both of these were abridged to some extent, and never having read the former I cant make a comparison. The latter I have read, and didn't find anything to complain about with the broadcast version.

Another reading that I thought first class is Jodie Foster reading Carl Sagan's "Contact". I don't know if its ever been aired by auntie. Again, I have never read the book - must get a copy.

This list could go on and on, so I will make one last nomination; Paul Youngs reading of Josephine Tey's "The Daughter of Time".

As for dramatisations, "The Complete Smiley" was as near to perfection as its possible to be.

Any drama written by Bert Coules can be guaranteed to please.

As for speech vs text; when I am on the move on trains and boats and planes its the written word (well, Kindle versions now) but when I'm out and about on foot its speech via an MP3 player, and at home its the trusty DAB.

Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption is a short story so there wouldn't really be too much to cut. I bought the anthology which included this story when the film Stand By Me came out (the film was based on another story in the anthology called The Body). I really liked the story of the Shawshank Redemption before it became a movie, there'ssomething about the tone and how the story rolls out. I guess King is a favorite author I haven't read, the novels anyway. The Stand, Carrie and It are ones I could sit and watch more often than not.

Are you sitting comfortably.....?

Do you mind if I bore you to tears for a while.......?

The excuse for this rambling discourse on the Teepee reading experience is that whilst most of the books I mention below have been dramatised for radio, only a few have been the subject of readings, and even fewer have not been subjected to the red pen.


The first full length novel I read - aged about 8 or 9 - was "Black Beauty" by Anna Sewell. Quite a strange choice for a boy of that age you might think, but it just happened to be laying around. Notwithstanding this, from then on I was hooked. From that time on all I wanted as birthday and Christmas presents were books, books and even more books. One aunt in particular felt I should be exposed to the classics of "childrens" litrature and so it was that I read the likes of "Treasure Island", "Kidnapped" and its sequel "Catriona", "Around The World in Eighty Days" and so on...far to many to list here. At the same time I had enlisted with the local library and was lapping up Richmal Cromptons "William" books, the "Jennings" stories by Frank Buckland and most of all the "Biggles" books by W D Johns.

The aforementioned aunt then brought me a copy of "The Invisible Man" by H G Wells, which opened up a whole new genre to me. I went through the whole of the Wells canon, taking in most of the Jules Verne books along the way. Having gone through the entire catalogue from these two, and casting around for a new path to follow, I lighted upon the works of John Wyndham - an author that I still regularly go back to to read again. Two of these books have been the subject of unabridged readings on the Beeb - "The Day of the Triffids" and "The Kraken Wakes". I would dearly love it if they would do the same for "Chocky" and "The Midwich Cuckoos"......or have they? Does anyone know? I know that they have both been dramatised, but readings?

Anyroad, scroll forward a few years and I found myself working on secondment in coastal North Wales in November, mid 1960's. Anyone familiar with that particular area at that time of year in that particular era.......well, I'll say not more. Suffice to say that I found myself browsing the stock in a secondhand bookshop and picked up a copy of "Beau Geste" by P C Wren. I took it back to my digs and proceeded to read it from cover to cover....then went back to the beginning and read it cover to cover all over again! I still rate it as one of the most exciting adventure stories I have ever read, and it would come very high in my all time top ten best books.

I think I will have to cut this short here......I think I can hear yawns coming down the broadband line.

So, to finish off - What do I read now? I Suppose the short answer to that is everything and anything. Philip Pullman, Tom Sharpe, Douglas Adams, Stephen King (who seems to have come through a fairly mundane period and returned to form), Tom Holt, Terry Pratchett and Robert Rankin (whose books - in my opinion - have not really translated to radio very well). Wish list? Start off with a reading of Tom Sharpes "Blott on the Landscape". I leave it you to suggest an appropriate reader.

There.....I've done......you can all wake up again now.

lifeonmarsfan Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I still like paper and ink best,

Inclined to agree Mars, only perhaps for different reasons. Considering the Kindle option was, for me, born of necessity: can only read for short stretches not enough to make tackling a book worthwhile .. and that's been the case for 8 years or so. Otoh, the screen concept is great, it's light and a flick of the keyboard enlarges the print size. Snag is, one can't sit for hours reading a screen (or at least wise not with my lumbars 4 and 5).

Amazon's behaviour towards WikiLeaks narked me and as I've been shafted by them in the past, for the moment at least, it's a case of cutting my nose off to spite my face! so I'm deferred taking the Kindle plunge for the mo.


A commitment to Mod'nAdminlyness: I understand that ^{r-e-s-i-s-t-a-n-c-e} _{*i - s*} ^f-u-t-i-l-e.
I shall not be starchy, nit pic, patronize, commit misandry, be economical with the facts or be a pedant, neither shall I whine. I shall endeavour to abstain from gratuitous point-scoring off the comments of other Mods or Administrators and also from engendering a culture of BLAME, remembering too to give the benefit of the doubt. Everything in my power will be done to achieve a modest post count & share my smileys, sources & avatars,



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2030 Mar 14 2011 by Truthyness.

tepeethetroll Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> >
>
> Right then, favourite readings and readers first.
> There are two that stand out for me. Philip
> Jackson reading John Harvey's "Wasted Years" and
> Clark (SP?) Peters narrating Stephen Kings "Rita
> Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption". Both of these
> were abridged to some extent, and never having
> read the former I cant make a comparison. The
> latter I have read, and didn't find anything to
> complain about with the broadcast version.
>
> Another reading that I thought first class is
> Jodie Foster reading Carl Sagan's "Contact". I
> don't know if its ever been aired by auntie.
> Again, I have never read the book - must get a
> copy.
>
> This list could go on and on, so I will make one
> last nomination; Paul Youngs reading of Josephine
> Tey's "The Daughter of Time".
>
> As for dramatisations, "The Complete Smiley" was
> as near to perfection as its possible to be.
>
> Any drama written by Bert Coules can be guaranteed
> to please.
>
I agree about all of the readings. I suspect between us we could name most of BBC 7's catalogue and they would all have been good. I even admired the reading of "I am Legend" even though it was a bit grisly for my taste for late-night listening. The real problem is there just aren't enough of them. Am I right in thinking that they were all specially commissioned for BBC7? I don't recall extended readings on radio 4.

I can't think of a flaw in "The Complete Smiley".

Another classic serial which I thought was very well done was "The Jewel in the Crown". I live in hope that it will get a repeat on BBC 7 some time as I have been recommending it all over the place and it's not available anywhere, well not legally. It's the sort of dramatisation that might win over people who have never really tried radio and convince them that it can be very powerful.

It puzzles me that the BBC doesn't sell more of its drama as downloads. There must be a market for it especially overseas mustn't there? Audiotogo (if I have the title right) sells some but they are very few and an odd mixture including some plays (perfectly acceptable but it's hard to see why they were singled out) and a lots of crime. I suppose Agatha Christie is never out of fashion.

I still like paper and ink best, they don't run out of batteries.

Very good point, Mars. They dont break down either, or stutter when the service provider is running slow.


Teepee

Not boring at all , reassuring as you seem to be so much closer (not close but that would not be natural) to my tastes and experiences than the others.

Beau Geste - well I had forgotten that , I must look out for it in the Charity Shops. R7 did a dramatisation some time ago, but it doesnt seem to have been on recently. I really wonder about the hidden agenda behind R7s unequal rotation of programmes.

Black Beauty got me hooked not only on books but on horses! I still have a birthday present edition, lovely mock leather binding and wafer thin pages that have stood the test of time and frequent handling for better than more recent books -
rather small print though, but by now something of a heirloom. And it has a wonderful nostalgic smell.

Talking of children's books, was no one else brought up on The Wind in the Willows. ?

I occasionally stayed with an Uncle and Aunt who for reasons unknown had a shelf of American childrens books - Anne of Green Gables (Ok North American)
the Little Women series, Polyanna all very moral, and one called, I think "The Girl of the Limberloft(?). Never knew what the title meant anyone heard of it? Later Mark Twain and The Last of the Mohicans - it did take the BBC to teach me how to pronounce that! Just hope they got it right. more

I dont think the BBC did both readings and dramatisations of the same books. I would love to hear more readings of John Wyndham. I also get very frustrated when the Beeb do one or two readings or dramatisation sof one book of an author or series and leave one wanting more.

It does seem at one stage R4s attitude was "If it doesnt move, dramatise it". I wonder why, partiallly dumming down even in those days I am afraid. I wonder what the economics of the thing are? I would have thought a full reading (even by a good and expensive speaker) would have cost less than a dramatisation. In which case we should be able to hope for more readings in these straightened times, but maybe there is another agenda?

Tru: It is because of people like you that I think the BBC are failing in their obligations under their Charter by failing to provide more access to books as the author intended them to be read, also for people like me who want to preserve their ageing eyesight.

lovely mock leather binding and wafer thin pages

Now there's a thing - sounds just like mine.....blue faux leather with gold embossed lettering and pages that would have made an excellent spliff

Do you by any chance mean "A Girl of the Limberlost" author Gene Stratton-Porter (or it may have been Potter), first published in 1909. As far as I recall Limberlost was the location of the story - but then, too many years and pints have passed this way for memories to be relied on.

All time favourite book - well, its a trilogy..."His Dark Materials" by Philip Pullman. There have been dramatisations of the three books, and they were just about ok. Far better to hear the unabridged version with Pullman himself reading the narrative with actors voicing the characters. To my ears far superior in every respect. I know this was aired in the very early days of R7, but I don't recall it being on since then. I know that BBC Audio put it out as a 3 CD boxed set, and I guess they were worried that further transmissions could affect sales.

Still on the subject of Pullman, I think I recall the first two books of the "Sally Lockhart" quartet being dramatised for radio....and TV come to that, but does anybody know if they ever made adaptions of books three and four - "The Tiger in the West" and "The Tin Princess?

I don't remember hearing any of the Sally Lockhart novels - how on earth did I miss them? I think Phillip Pullman is a wonderful writer.

I agree about the abridged version of His Dark Materials with full cast and Phillip Pullman narrating. I bought the cds then discovered I could download it so I bought that version too. I expect you are right about their reasons for not broadcasting it any more as it must sell really well.

Not many authors are good readers but Pullman is certainly one. John le Carre springs to mind but I can't think of any others off hand. I read somewhere that he (le Carre) finds himself putting too much dialogue simply for the pleasure of reading it aloud and acting out the parts.

Quote from Lady Penelope

It does seem at one stage R4s attitude was "If it doesnt move, dramatise it". I wonder why, partiallly dumming down even in those days I am afraid. I wonder what the economics of the thing are? I would have thought a full reading (even by a good and expensive speaker) would have cost less than a dramatisation. In which case we should be able to hope for more readings in these straightened times, but maybe there is another agenda?

I don't know the economics either but it must be cheaper mustn't it? Besides, a reading cannot age in content, although the style of the readimg may. Stephen Thorne has done a splendid job of reading most of Josephine Tey's novels but a younger reader recording it now would do it differently and I would be quite happy to listen to it. I look at it as a bit like going to see a different production of the same play.

A dramatisation often has something about it that shows the time it was made or the foibles of the adapter so I suppose that leads the BBC to feel that it is worth producing a new version - sometimes they are right.

Do you take a position on the Chandler dramatisations? I have never cared for the Ed Bishop versions (I could try to explain why) so I was quite happy with the Toby Stephens ones. I don't feel there is such as thing as a definitive dramatisation as there are so many variables.

cats22 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------.
>
> Not many authors are good readers but Pullman is
> certainly one. John le Carre springs to mind but
> I can't think of any others off hand. I read
> somewhere that he (le Carre) finds himself putting
> too much dialogue simply for the pleasure of
> reading it aloud and acting out the parts.

There was a discussion of authors as readers on this Forum some time ago. The consensus was as your said, authors generally do not do justice to their own work! I have one of John Mortimer reading Rumpole!which is terrible!

The one who I can listen to just for the pleasure of his voice is Dirk Bogard reading his autobiography. I think I can listen to him reading the London Telephone Directory! BBC 7 do Great Meadow from time to time though not as frequently as some to my mind far less worthy, but I wish they would do the other five.

I have some tapes of Christopher Timothy reading one of the James Heriot stories, he is very good, but the really great one is a reading by James Heriot himself, he has a wonderfully warm voice and one of the more attractive Scottish accents and it sounds just as if he is telling the story rather than reading.

TV actors generally do a very good job of reading the books of the programmes they worked in . Kevin Whately (Lewis) reads the Morse stories really well and does a very good imression of John Thor as Morse. I love the Morse books and the readings I have and the TV programmes, but find the Radio dramatisations disappointing. But Thor WAS Morse and I dont think anyone else should even try to compete.

"Inspector Burden" (I forget the actors name) also reads Ruth Rendell's Wexford really well, Perhaps the actors are so familiar with the plot and their" bosses" voices they know just where to put the emphasis,
>
>
>
> I don't know the economics either but it must be
> cheaper mustn't it? Besides, a reading cannot age
> in content, although the style of the readimg may.

Good point I hadnt thought of it that way. Radio 4 had some of Agatha Christie's stories set in modern day
I thought them terrible, part of the charm of Christie is the period setting.


> Stephen Thorne has done a splendid job of reading
> most of Josephine Tey's novels but a younger
> reader recording it now would do it differently
> and I would be quite happy to listen to it. I
> look at it as a bit like going to see a different
> production of the same play.

I havent heard these, I think there were only a couple on R7. Where did you get them?


>
>.
>
> Do you take a position on the Chandler
> dramatisations? I have never cared for the Ed
> Bishop versions (I could try to explain why) so I
> was quite happy with the Toby Stephens ones. I
> don't feel there is such as thing as a definitive
> dramatisation as there are so many variables.

Sorry I dont like the Chandler books! I did try to listen to one on R7 recently in case it was one of the exceptions that were improved by adaptation, but didnt like that either!

>Stephen Thorne has done a splendid job of reading
> most of Josephine Tey's novels

They were published by Chivers Audio Books, which went into administration but was bought by the BBC. It's still publishing and they always had a very good range but I haven't had a catalogue lately so I don't know whether the Stephen Thorne readings are still available.

I also have a recording (also from Chivers) of Carole Boyd reading "Miss Pym Disposes" which is excellent. I feared I might keep on hearing Lynda Snell, her character in The Archers, but I didn't. She also has some good accents and a good sense of comic timing.

A good source used to be audiobookcollection but that now seems to have disappeared into Audio Go.

Edited - I used to have contact details for Chivers at their place in Bath but it all seems to go via Audio Go now. They are still publishing but maybe not selling direct. I will carry on looking!

>TV actors generally do a very good job of reading the books of the programmes they worked in . Kevin Whately (Lewis) reads the Morse stories >really well and does a very good imression of John Thor as Morse. I love the Morse books and the readings I have and the TV programmes, but find the Radio dramatisations disappointing. But Thor WAS Morse and I dont think anyone else should even try to compete.

>"Inspector Burden" (I forget the actors name) also reads Ruth Rendell's Wexford really well, Perhaps the actors are so familiar with the plot and >their" bosses" voices they know just where to put the emphasis

Agreed! Was it Christopher Ravenscroft who played Inspector Burden?

I see what you mean about Morse and it's true that John Shrapnel seems wrong when we are all so used to John Thaw. He does have the most wonderful voice though and that's good enough for me.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 0836 Mar 15 2011 by cats22.

cats22 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> >Stephen Thorne has done a splendid job of reading
>
> > most of Josephine Tey's novels
>
> They were published by Chivers Audio Books, which
> went into administration but was bought by the
> BBC. It's still publishing and they always had a
> very good range but I haven't had a catalogue
> lately so I don't know whether the Stephen Thorne
> readings are still available.
>
> I also have a recording (also from Chivers) of
> Carole Boyd reading "Miss Pym Disposes" which is
> excellent. I feared I might keep on hearing Lynda
> Snell, her character in The Archers, but I didn't.
> She also has some good accents and a good sense
> of comic timing.

Yes, she seems to be a very good actress. Her "real" voice is nothing like Linda's. Are you an Archers fan Cats?
>
> A good source used to be audiobookcollection but
> that now seems to have disappeared into Audio Go.
>
>
> Edited - I used to have contact details for
> Chivers at their place in Bath but it all seems to
> go via Audio Go now. They are still publishing
> but maybe not selling direct. I will carry on
> looking!

The Audiobook Collection is still in Bath and do Mail Order. I have several of their recordings. Not the cheapest but reliable and no arguments about returns and they usually have some special offers... They used to be part of the BBC but parted company (I dont know why) sometime last year. I I have a recent catalogue but no Josephine Teys. I will email them to find out if they have any on the back of the shelf! Anyone who wants their details (address, email and (UK) freephone), let me know and Ill send a PM. (Oh dear I hope this doesnt contravene any Phorum advertising rules, I dont get a discount on intros , honest)

I used to listen to The Archers but the death of Nigel gave me the push I needed to give it up.

So Chivers have gone it alone again - good for them. The association with the BBC didn't seem to do them any favours. I agree they are very reliable and they have a good range.

I think I should be on a commission too (but I'm not) as I happened to mention on another forum that Richard Armitage had recorded The Lords of the North by Bernard Cornwell. They had orders flooding in from all over the world within minutes - strange as I had mentioned how good audio books were many times before but no-one had taken any notice. When I last looked, that recording of Lords of the North was their number 2 best selling audio book.

Armitage does have a nice voice (there are bedrooom eyes, are there bedroom voices?), him and Sean Bean. I made mp3s of various Bedtime Stories from CBeebies and Richard Armitage was one. I am not surprised the AA came out in force to order The Lords of the North..

Audio books are rather pricey so I don't have too many hence no choice for audio books other than the Fry/Potter readings.I guess I can speak more about radio voices. Some people just have radiophonic voices and are a pleasure to listen to. I liked John Shrapnel's voice in the Morse drama last Sunday. Others I like are Jack Davenport, Dan Stevens, Robert Glenister and Simon Jones. And though I haven't heard him all that much on the radio lately, Jonathan Pryce.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 1853 Mar 15 2011 by lifeonmarsfan.

Just for the record I am not in the AA!

Richard Armitage is not on my list of favourite readers although his reading of Lords of the North is a very good performance and I do enjoy it. I am not keen on any of his other recordings though.

I think there certainly are bedroom voices - Roger Allam, Rory Kinnear, Anton Lesser, Benedict Cumberbatch, Mark Bazeley, Simon Russell Beale, John Shrapnel to name just a few. Unfortunately, they don't seem to record many audiobooks.

I have mentioned Nicholas Boulton before. I wouldn't describe his as a bedroom voice (although he has his moments especially when reading poetry) but it has a very beautiful and pure tone that I could listen to all day. I will try not to go on about him any more.

Will have to keep an eye out for The Lords of the North on Audible. I still have a coupon for two free books.

cats22 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I think there certainly are bedroom voices - Roger
> Allam, Rory Kinnear, Anton Lesser, Benedict
> Cumberbatch, Mark Bazeley, Simon Russell Beale,
> John Shrapnel to name just a few. Unfortunately,
> they don't seem to record many audiobooks.

You could have read my mind with this list, although I haven't heard Mark Bazeley or at least I don't think I have. I scour cast lists of the various radio plays for these guys every week (R7 was rather a chore though because they rarely have complete cast lists). It is both good and bad that these gents don't do audio books, I'd be broke; although I doubt the US editions of the book would have the same reader as the ones in the UK. I noticed that with the Potter books as well as the Austens and the Sharpe books.

> I have mentioned Nicholas Boulton before. I
> wouldn't describe his as a bedroom voice (although
> he has his moments especially when reading poetry)
> but it has a very beautiful and pure tone that I
> could listen to all day. I will try not to go on
> about him any more.

Will have to look out for Nicholas.

Can anyone recommend any good readings of Dickens? I don't particularly mind which book.

I have tried reading some myself but find them a real struggle. I feel I may be missing out so I thought I would give audio a try. Any ideas?

Sorry Cats, cant help, I dont really like Dickens , in fact not keen on any of the Victorians, I dont know whether it was because (as I mentioned in an earlier thread) I was put off by a school reading of A Christmas Carol when I was too young for it and it gave my nightmares. Tried he R7 adaptations but couldnt get into them either. But basically it probably comes down to a matter of taste.

I can cope with the dramatisations but I think that's because I don't have to see the grotesques he puts in his books and can therefore concentrate on the characters. The actors give them life in a way I just don't get from the page.

I did enjoy the dramatisation of "Our Mutual Friend" very much - maybe that was Dickens for beginners.

lifeonmarsfan Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Armitage does have a nice voice (there are
> bedrooom eyes, are there bedroom voices?),
Oh definitely, think of Sean Connery!
>
> Audio books are rather pricey so I don't have too
> many hence no choice for audio books

Agreed,mostly I tend to collect for treats at Christmas and Birthday, but I dont spend much on other forms of entertainment and I do like to chose my own "reading" and get frustrated when tied to the very different tastes of those who chose for the BBC , or being unable to follow up a writer I like. I sometimes buy in sales and have a few in my collection that were a great find at Charity shops (though its a bit of a gamble as some may be damaged or worn), and I think there are some websites that may help (others here will be able to advise better than I)............. Do you live in the UK? Your local library should have some audio books.

I only buy the expensive ones when I am sure I will want to hear it over and over again but over the years (and I have cassettes 20 years old) it has become quite a collection. Cats said there were so many books for her small house. Last time I bought a new bookshelf, I did start to get the feeling I live in a small |Library with a few other pieces of furniture scattered around.!

I am in the US alas, but the library does have a healthy collection of audio books, I think I've listened to all the ones I wanted to hear.

I think Audible has a lot of readings from British publishers. When I visit relatives with high speed internet, I might buy a few from there.

Cats

Audio Collection (previously Chivers) did become Audio Go. Most of Josphine Tey is now "out of print" but they still have "Daughter of Time" - sorry I forgot to ask reader but their website is www.audiogo.co.uk

I have just been catching up with some of my recordings. Chris Barrie does a pretty reasonable job reading the "Red Dwarf" novels. Well I thought he did.

Chris Barrie reads the Red Dwarf novels very well. He does great imitations of his colleagues too. I think he did the audio for Robert Llewllyn's novel (was it Man on a Platform?) too. I love the audio commentary he and the others do for Red Dwarf. Americans probably only know him as Lara Croft's sidekick/butler. Wonder if they will recast the role for the Lara Croft reboot?