That would really annoy me.

It annoys me also when they mispronounce words.

That's crazy! Isn't there the equivalent of an editor of text for these things?

I have never listened to a book. I just know that I wouldn't like it. My mind would wander and I would miss big parts and have to constantly go back.

I'm spending more and more time listening to audiobooks rather than reading. Partly because I'm traveling by car a lot this summer, and partly because I like to do it when I'm knitting. The narrator is key for me. I've had to stop listening sometimes because the voice annoys me. So I doubt I could deal with the Gideon/Jideon/Vivian issue!

Some of the voice actors are very good, really. But there are lots of books, especially in the public domain, direct to media which are read by regular people, some who are not all that great. I listen while I am doing other things.

Narration makes or breaks an audobook. You are not 'reading' at your own pace with your mind creating images (mostly for fiction) but relying on another to read in a manner that allows a similar experience. That has nothing to do with speed, I regularly listen at accelerated speeds, especially non-fiction, but with the talent of the narrator and inconsistency with character names is IMO an unforgivable sin in the world of audiobooks! In your case Pal - I'd want a word with management ;-)

My mind would wander and I would miss big parts and have to constantly go back.

^me

I regularly listen at accelerated speeds,

sometimes when someone in my house tells a story, someone else will say under their breath "2x 2x"

When I was doing a lot of embroidering dresses for DGD1, I would listen to audiobooks, but I don’t really like them, mostly for the same reasons @jsk and @mtnrdredux_gw don’t. My mind wanders and I suddenly realize I’ve missed a lot. Rewinding and trying to find where the wandering started is a PITA!

Yes, the narration makes or breaks an audiobook. I can't continue if there is even an intangible annoynance in the rendering, let alone inconsistent pronunciation of the same name. There is one audiobook that actually improves on the experience -- Michael Emerson's rendition of Warren Penn's All the King's Men. The book is one of my two most cherished books in English (along with East of Eden). Emerson's rendition has an added depth of a profound appreciation of everything about the book.

I've tried so many times to listen to an audiobook. I just cannot do it for many reasons. The only times I've been successful were two autobiographies read by the subject, both of whom were actors. Having mispronounced words or inconsistent usages or phrasings would cause me to stop listening.

I'm not a grammarian, but I sometimes can't finish a book if it has too many misspellings or improper word usages.

And a little off-topic, but I can't watch certain movies or television shows because I can't stand to listen to or look at the actor. Case in point is Ryan Gosling. I find his face very off-putting. I can't explain why, but I can't stand to watch him.

These weird quirks make me sound like I'm rigid and I'm really not. Thank goodness there are plenty of entertainment options that allow me to avoid those I don't like.

I belong to a book club and a substantial number of the members only listen to audiobooks. I have attempted to listen to one or two, but yeah, my mind wanders; it’s not for me, I guess.
Also it seems like such a different experience than reading. During the pandemic I became a fan of ebooks, for ease of use and my less sharp night vision.

I can't "listen" to books, but am an avid reader. My mind just wanders......

I buy or borrow books for my Kindle. I'll only buy books anymore if they're photo heavy or illustrated. We've run out of book storage.

Off topic: I bought a Kindle page turner ring a few weeks ago from the big A. I thinks it's great!

“I can't watch certain movies or television shows because I can't stand to listen to or look at the actor. Case in point is Ryan Gosling. I find his face very off-putting. I can't explain why, but I can't stand to watch him.”

Fun2BeHere, I can totally relate. It’s Nicole Kidman for me. She’s the same in every movie, can’t transform into the character she plays,or so I feel. So there is a movie with a plot, script, characters and everying, and in walks Nicole Kidman, like she just wandered into a movie set.

I tried a Kindle page turner once but it impinged too much on the screen. I sent it back.

@maddie260, tell me more about the page turner ring. How long have you been using it?

I love audiobooks, and agree that the narrator is key. I have listened to pretty much every classic that Juliet Stevenson narrated. I have listened to so many long, epic novels that I am not sure if I would have had the patience to read in book form-- for example, I recently finished Thomas Mann's Buddenbrooks, which I had wanted to read forever but "couldn't find the time." (Loved it, by the way).

I find sometimes that when I listen to books that I previously had read, I hear parts that I never noticed before. For me, it's not a better or worse experience than reading. Just different.

I don't like reading ebooks. Obviously I consume a lot of content online, but for some reason if I read a book it needs to have actual pages.

I too enjoy audio books - i walk my large lab 2x a day and enjoy having a book on, same with driving/running errands. but i listen to different books than i read - generally mysteries, thrillers etc where i tend to read ”slower” more character driven books - totally agree the narrator makes/breaks the book (i almost abandoned the Slough House series bc they changed the narrator for one of them and he wasnt as good :/ )

i prefer to read on my kindle mainly bc middle age often wakes me up in the middle of the night these days and I like I can read for 20 min without turning on a light and disturbing DH… and hopefully(!) going back to sleep

@bbstx: I bought the kindle page turner ring by Jimzoo, but there are many at different price points that look the same? I've been using it for about a month. It charges quickly and lasts a long time. I put the sensor at the very bottom of the end page. Sometimes, a word or two is obscured, but I've just lifted it if I can't figure it out. Overall, I really like it and am glad that I have it.

Thanks, maddie260. I may try again. I want it mostly in the winter when I read snuggled under blankets.

Does anyone here remember WGBH Boston’s ’Reading Aloud?’

Bill Cavness

former host, WGBH radio 89.7FM

From 1955 to 1991, Bill Cavness was the voice of WGBH Radio. He hosted many live broadcasts including numerous classical music programs and from 1958 to his retirement in 1991, he produced and hosted a daily weekday program, called *Reading Aloud*. Before there were books on tape, Bill revived what he referred to as "an old family custom" of reading stories aloud. The series began in 1958 with Doctor Zhivago. This was before Pasternak's book was readily available and the reading was Bill's way to share the book with a larger audience. During the holidays, Bill would turn his attention to literature about the season including on several occasions over the 33 years, Charles Dickens' *A Christmas Caro*.

This is all I could find of Bill’s reading. He was wonderful.

I cannot imagine life without Audible any more - I live alone with my two dogs. I average a book a week (20 hours of listening). I listen while I do my housework, gardening or running errands, even have a speaker in the shower. I love reading as well, but I find it difficult to read while I am driving or showering or doing chores.

I started listening to books back in 2003 when I got a subscription where they sent you 3 books on cd and when you sent one back they sent the next one on your reading list. Back then I just listened while I drove, but sometime had to circle the block or sit in a parking lot before going home or to work - had to finish the chapter!

I generally only listen to books from Audible and find the quality good. I have tried downloading books and having AI read them - that is a truly poor listening experience.

My sister notices many more mispronunciations or different pronunciations on the audio books we listen to than I do, but I worked with a lot of people from Ireland, India and other parts of the world and I think I became more accepting of how things were said as long as I understood what the other person was trying to communicate, so my brain is trained to skip over the mistakes.

I did note the mispronunciation of the Paoli train station in "The Rose Code", but I have been riding the train from Lancaster to Philadelphia for 60 years. I am not sure how many people who aren't familiar with the area would know that the reader made a mistake.

I stopped Audible a few years ago based on 1) who their owners are and 2) the fact that you can't do what you want with the books after buying them. I now use Libro.fm, which has similar pricing and most of the books Audible has (Audible has some predatory exclusive rights practices which prevent sales through other platforms for some books). With Libro.fm, you can download your books and actually own them. Plus, they donate a portion of each sale to an independent local bookstore of your choosing. I have been quite happy to support this alternative.

@sas95 please explain more. What do you mean by "do what you want with the books after buying them" - I don't understand - do what? Do you mean send/share in some way? I have been using audiobooks.com for a while - it's ok - and am considering a switch to Audible while holding my nose. The free/VIP book from audiobooks.com every month is a bit of a red herring. Much of what is offered in that list is not what I read and I end up using AI every month to go through the list and help me find something of quality. But those VIP books are not part of my 'permanent library' and will not be accessible when/if I cancel the way my purchased books will. That annoys me because I have quite the unread list of those and will not get to read them if I cancel.

BTW - I have found this to be a great use of AI. My parameters of no romance, sci fi, thriller, detective/mystery but narrow down to the 5 best reviewed non-fiction, historical fiction, literary fiction, memoir from sometimes 12 - 15 pages of offerings is done in minutes. As opposed to the time I USED to spend trying to find one pearl among some pretty bleak (to me) offerings.

My apologies for this detour!

With Audible, the content is locked so you can only read them on their platform. You can't download, save in another file format, listen to them on devices that don't support the Audible app, share them, etc. With Libro.fm, you can download/backup the file to other formats and listen on other devices. Technically, you could share those files with other people, but legally/ethically, probably not, due to copyright issues. I really had to laugh when Audible introduced their new "standard" plan, where you basically pay them to rent the books and don't even keep them if you cancel. No limit to the greed, IMO.

There have been one or two instances where I have looked to purchase a book and found that Audible has an exclusive. But that still wouldn't send me back to Audible.

I have also bought several books from a site called Chirp. They're not a membership thing, but have great sales from time to time where I've picked up books on my list for $2 or $3. Often before I use a credit that I spent $15 for, I'll check on Chirp to make sure it's not listed for much cheaper.

My fav free source for audio books is Libby - sometimes you have to wait a few weeks but often it comes to you earlier

Another Libby fan/supporter here. Our parish (county) has a premier public library system, well-supported by the voters, who just voted in a library tax. I'm very proud of our local public library system (and our parks too).

I fed my list of books and my ranking into ai and got a list of recommended titles.

Thanks sas - that helps me make a more informed decision - no Audible. I use Libby whenever possible but doesn't always work for time sensitive book club reading for 2 different groups. Chirp has been a great resource as well. I'll look into Libro.fm.