voldy getting moldy

[frayadjacent]

I finished the Harry Potter audiobook series, read by Stephen Fry, about 30 minutes ago. I promptly watched the few HP vids I have on my HDD, including milly's Landslide, trelkez's The Adventure, and dualbunny's Snakes on a Plane. I still can't find a Hermione vid that satisfies my needs and I'm starting to wonder if I'll have to make one. Any recs are most welcome.

I haven't posted about the series since I was on book 5, because, well, I got busy. But I loved the last two books, more than I remembered. I don't think any of my opinions have changed drastically. I love Hermione and Luna even more than before, and Neville just as much. I find Draco Malfoy and Ron easier to forgive. But not enough that I'm chasing down the Draco and Draco/Harry vids and fic that fill many of the places I search.

Stephen Fry's reading was outstanding. Many characters I'd hardly noticed came to life with his performance. Even fairly minor charactersf, like Rufus Scrimgeour, that I'd previously had trouble keeping track of held more weight in my mind. I'm suprised by that, since I don't think of myself as a particularly auditory person. I hadn't listened to audiobooks before this because I thought I'd be unable to concentrate, and there were times when I found myself spacing out or distracted, but mostly not. I'd like to try more.

Comments

[luzula]

Sooo...do you want recs for good audiobooks? Because I can provide. : )

[frayadjacent]

Yes, that would be great!

[calvinahobbes]

I think the narrator does play a very big role in my enjoyment of an audiobook. As you mention I really find that people who can do voices and balance a big cast of characters is important, but there's also simply something about whether a narrator's interpretation of a character corresponds to my own (I was listening to Rosamund Pike's reading of Pride and Prejudice, but she insists on making Mrs Bennet into well-meaning airhead, and it annoys me so much). That said, narrators that are really skilled that you might keep an eye out for are Dan Stevens, Juliet Stevenson and Simon Vance (The Complete Sherlock Holmes, for example).

Someone on a podcast I listen to mentioned that she mostly listens to audio narrations of books she's already read, and I actually think that's a very good trick, maybe especially for a beginner, because you don't need to hang onto every detail and doesn't matter if you space out a little sometimes.

I wish I had an easy way to relisten to the Fry books, but Audible only has the Jim Dale versions, alas.

[frayadjacent]

Yes, that makes total sense. Regarding the narrator's interpretation of character: I think that especially affected how I felt about Fred and George Weasley. I never disliked them, but they were never standout characters for me either. Something about Fry's interpretation made them work for me, though. At any rate there was no character for whom I disliked his interpretation. I heard several people complain about Jim Dale's depiction of Hermione, which made his narration a non-starter for me. People in this thread seem to be corroborating that!

I like the idea of listening to audiobooks you've already read. It makes sense -- I know the plot so it's OK if I space out during exposition, but I get to enjoy a new take on the characterisation.

[untonuggan]

I am annoyed at how hard it is to get the Stephen Fry audiobooks in the US. whoever reads them here is horrible and he gave Hermione a lisp, ugh.

[frayadjacent]

Eesh, I heard bad things about how Jim Dale voiced Hermoine, which is the main reason I chose Stephen Fry instead. Sorry you haven't been able to get ahold of it!

[grammarwoman]

The Stephen Fry HP audiobooks are delightful! I tried out the Jim Dale version first, but bounced off the way he did the female characters.

I've been listening to audiobooks in the car with my son, so I went looking for lots of YA; we powered through all the HP books and then the Tiffany Aching series, which is also very enjoyable. (Though I liked the narrator for the first few better than the last half, and I haven't listened/read to The Shepherd's Crown yet because that way heartbreak lies.)

[frayadjacent]

I've heard a lot of complaints about how Jim Dale voices Hermione, so I guess it's not surprising he doesn't do other female characters well either. Yes, the Stephen Fry narration is so good.

Thanks for the recs -- I have to admit I still haven't read any Terry Pratchett, but maybe the TIffany Aching audiobooks are just what I need! Do you think they'd work if I haven't read the books before, and am also a slightly spacey person? (Who am I kidding, I'm one of the spaciest people I know.)

[grammarwoman]

Hm. They are YA, so they're not quite as challenging or dense as Pratchett's other Discworld books, and Tiffany is a standout character (so determined and flawed!). They mention other Discworld characters, but you don't really need to know them to enjoy the Tiffany books, as long as you are ready for Pratchett's parodist, over-the-top style. I'd say give the first one a try and see what you think.

[frayadjacent]

Good to know -- thanks!

[laurashapiro]

I can recommend several audio books. Between my commute and my migraines, they are my new passion and I'm having tons of fun with them. Let me know what you like.

[frayadjacent]

I will happily accept any recs!

And huh, I can't believe I never thought of audiobooks for migraine-entertainment. Genius! (Mr. Adjacent is always worrying about loud music when I have a headache, and I always have to explain to him that music is just fine, it's the light I can't handle.)

I'm sorry you have migraines, though. :(

[laurashapiro]

In recent days, I have thoroughly enjoyed the Audible versions of Watership Down, The Talented Mr. Ripley, and The Hungry Tide (Amitav Ghosh). I am currently being enthralled by Code Name Verity.

One of the things I've discovered is that if the story is new to me, I enjoy hearing it just as much as reading it, and if the story is familiar, I can actually get new things out of it by listening. Some of the rabbits' folk stories in Watership Down made a much bigger impact on me through my ears than through my eyes (where I'd tended to skim them).

[frayadjacent]

Thank you! I've been meaning to check out Code Name Verity, and Watership Down is a childhood favorite.

[silveradept]

It was kind of nice to have the latter books soft away from being so very much about Harry. Luna really gets to shine through because of it.

[frayadjacent]

Yes, that's true! I think you might have put the nail on why I dislike book 4 -- it might be the one that has Harry alone the most. I mean, I like Harry, quite a lot. But I love so many characters, and the ensemblyness is one of the strongest points of the series.

I noticed also that the latter two books have a lot of scenes with Harry and Hermione and not Ron. I don't dislike Ron, but, well, I like Hermione and Harry and their friendship more. I do like Ron quite a bit more in Book 7, though.

And, yeah, Luna is so so good in all three books she's in. Stephen Fry's narration really does well by her, too.

[jesse_the_k]

David Oyelowo narrated The Mission Song, a John LeCarre novel with dozens of characters from all over, set in Africa, and it blew my mind. He managed more than a dozen accents, which made the text much easier to follow.

[frayadjacent]

Awesome, thanks for the rec! Also your icon is great.