Good Listens

Are you too busy to sit down for a good reading session? Or do you prefer  hearing authors or actors narrate a story? You might want to try listening to one of the 1000s of book tapes, book CDs, and MP3s at the Calgary Public Library.

Some audio books are read by the author but most are recorded by professional actors.  In fact, if you look at the information on the reader, you often find someone whose name or face you recognize from television or film. The readers are skilled at making you forget their voice and reading so each character has a different and distinctive voice. Hearing a talented reader adds a special dimension to “reading” the audio book. For example, the book CD of George Eliot’s Silas Marner is superbly read by Andrew Sachs, a distinguished actor in theatre, film, TV and radio, best known for his role as Manuel in Fawlty Towers. Sachs expertly captures the wide variety of voices and accents from this classic.

Do you have a favourite audio book? Is there a reader that you particularly enjoy listening to? Let us know!