Audiobooks

…are not my cup of tea. My first gripe against the books is the different accents and tones the reader employs for various characters. It’s most annoying when you have a female reader who pitches her voice husky, deep and low trying to make it as manly as possible for a male character and vice-versa. What makes it worse is when it is a particularly lame book you are listening to – Harlan Coben’s “Darkest Fear” for instance.

When I am reading and certain scenes don’t particularly interest me – I just skim through the paragraphs taking in a word or phrase here and there, I occasionally skip pages and still get the gist of it – and you can’t do that with an audio book. If you forward tracks together – you may miss out some crucial element or lose the thread of continuity.

And that bit about being able to access your audio book anytime – when doing chores, in your car, in even in the loo doesn’t impress me.

The only audio books I don’t mind are those management and self-help books (Wayne Dyer and the likes). I think that’s because they are read in a matter-of-fact tone with the right modulations and yes that is something you can listen to when driving your car.

The only fiction audio book to date from the 3 or 4 that I forced myself to finish that I found tolerable was “The Undomestic Goddess” – by Sophie Kinsella of the Shopaholic Series fame. I didn't quite mind "Confessions of a Shopaholic" - but the rest of the books were totally silly.

What about you - do you like audiobooks?