#audiobook readers

[mbrainspaz]

Audiobook reader of the Demon King is killing me slowly. Her voice is so good at the narration where she has an American accent but for some reason she decided to try different vaguely English sounding accents for most of the characters??? It’s a fantasy world so alright but … she’s so bad at it. A character will start speaking with a BBC accent that slowly slides in to cockney and slips out the other end as Australian, sometimes with a brief hint of Scottish. And there’s literally no reason for it. Most of the characters with this bizarre accent so far are stand ins for native Americans and Appalachian folk. She could have just not. I don’t know if I can survive three books of this.

[owlbelly]

so. i understand where the sentiment "listening to an audiobook is the same thing as reading the book" is coming from - i mean, yes, the bottom line is you are taking in the same words in what is possibly a more accessible (or maybe just more enjoyable) format for you! and i'm 100% in agreement that "book snobs" who say "no you didn't really read it" if you listened to the audiobook are full of shit. ofc you should engage with stories in whatever way works for you, there is no moral or intellectual superiority to reading words off a page vs. listening to them

but it also is different? an audiobook is a performance. choices a narrator makes about line readings can drastically influence the meaning of the lines. even just different voices, accents, etc. - there are creative choices being made by the person delivering the words to you, and that affects your experience of the story in a different way than if you were making those choices in your own head. it might even change the way you visualize what's going on!

this isn't a bad thing it's just An Actual Thing & i think it's worth talking about. it rubs me the wrong way when people act like accommodations (and for many people audiobooks are an accommodation) always result in a completely identical experience, or even that they should, & if you suggest that people accessing media in different ways are having different experiences it's somehow ableist

anyway on rare occasions i really enjoy audiobooks but mostly they are much less accessible to me than words on a page (i need to be able to reread, flip back and forth, go at my own pace) & i also just really strongly prefer to encounter a text on my own before hearing someone else's performance of it, if possible! again i don't think it's "better" to read a physical book i just think it is a Distinct form of experiencing a story & acting like the two things are entirely the same is sort of doing a disservice to both

[giantkillerjack]

Me: hm, I want something to put on the TV as background noise... Huh. Looks like YouTube is recommending something called The Last Unicorn. That's perfect, it's probably some old shitty animation that has aged poorly! I can watch it ironically!

Me, 2 hours later as the credits roll: *crying, cheering, buying the book, composing the songs*

Me, 2 weeks later: So I have compiled all of the quotes from the book that I think could make good tattoos, and also, HOW HAVE I NEVER LEARNED ABOUT HOW THE LAST UNICORN FUCKING SLAPS??? This gay-ass little fairytale fed my soul! Watered my crops! Transed my gender! Can't believe I heard of this story from youtube recommendations, of all places!!

[happy74827]

It’s the way I found out ten minutes ago that two of my fics are actually on YouTube 👩‍🦯‍➡️

Currently binging/listening as I type this

[unpretty]

patreon coasts so hard on being the first big name in artist support/paywalling. no rss feeds for anything except podcasts. each patreon only gets one podcast feed so if they've got multiple 'shows' it's all jumbled up together. once you connect discord you're in the discord for every patreon you subscribe to, no option to be selective about it. there's ostensibly a shop function but only for digital items and barely anyone uses it, meanwhile there's all these sticker clubs that give you special shop passwords and codes to use on their actual functional website. writing posts in the patreon post editor sucks. they don't even offer things that would actually be useful, like letting artists collab and offer discounts to people who subscribe to multiple patreons as a bundle.

this got away from me but every time i want to listen to a podcast ad-free only to discover that i will need to subscribe to a patreon feed that includes six other podcasts i don't care about i want to gnaw on an ethernet cable

[dazais-guardian-angel]

Reminder that the Dazai's Entrance Exam audiobook comes out tomorrow! It's narrated by Patrick Seitz, Kunikida's English dub voice actor!

Here are all the places you can buy it:

Barnes & Noble

Audible

Google Play

Apple Books

Libro.fm

[duckprintspress]

I personally count novels, novellas, and I will break out graphic novels (I read x, or y if you include graphic novels). I'd include audiobooks too if I read them, but I don't include the stand-alone short stories I've read.

idk, I've just seen a lot of polls related to book counting that deliberately exclude certain categories, and the repeated question of "is listening to an audiobook reading" and the like, so I started to wonder what people count.

[talontwo]

Lord Vetinari glanced at a piece of paper. >'Did you really punch the president of the Assassins' Guild?' -'Yes, sir.' >'Why?' -'Didn't have a dagger, sir.'

[fallloverfic]

Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint English novel translation will be getting an audiobook release

The English audiobook adaptation of volume 1 should release on 22 July 2025, same as the text version of volume 1 (Kobo has it the day after, but it also has the text volume as coming out a day early). More info on the series here.

[writer-by-the-sea]

...d...do you have...an audio clip of...you saying everything will be okay... -puts my fingers together like an anime girl-

I hope you like it.

VOLUME WARNING

Did you enjoy this? Feel free to request more things like this!

Also, if you would like to send me a little gift, you can do so here (Amazon).

Script below if needed.

Warning, I sound nothing like Elliott.

Enjoy!

Script Below if needed.

Hey, are you alright? 

I got here as soon as I could, you sounded–

No no, it’s okay, I’ve got you, I’ve got you. 

Please don’t cry– 

You’re safe now, you’re safe here.

I know, I know.

Just close your eyes, my love. 

Focus on my voice and relax. 

I won’t leave you, I promise. 

That’s it, honey, just let it out. 

Everything is going to be okay, sweetheart… I’m here now. 

Try this for me; 

Take a deep breathe in, 

1, 2, 3, 4, 5

And breathe out slowly.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 

Again.

In 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

And out 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 

Once more, baby, you’re doing so well. 

1, 2, 3, 4, 5

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 

There, do you feel better? 

Can you tell me what happened?

………….

……………

Sigh 

That’s really tough… it must have been so hard.. 

I’m so proud of you, darling. I know calling me was scary, but sometimes it makes a huge difference to reach out when you need help. 

Please listen to me when I say this… 

You are so strong. 

You are beautiful inside and out. 

You have the power to take control of your life. 

And this fear, this pain that you feel; will pass, my love. 

It may not be today, tomorrow, or even next week 

But time truly heals all wounds. 

Heh oh my love, I know it sounds ridiculous. 

Take it from an old man like me, I have battled through hell and back; yet here I stand beside you.

And I will always be here for you.

No matter what. 

Even if you push me away, break my heart, or eat the last pomegranate. 

I am here, always waiting to take your hand and guide you through this. 

Today was just a bad day, and it will pass. 

Stay strong, my love. 

When you’re in a bad spot, just remember to breathe, and know that no matter where you are, I’m right beside you, cheering you on.

Heh ah, I love seeing you smile. 

Thank you for giving me a chance, baby.

Let’s lie down and relax, you deserve it. 

[moongazeonastarfillednight]

Reference list for audiobooks from Librivox for people who, like me, can benefit from audiobooks when their brains don't allow them to read.

I haven't yet listened to all so I can't attest to the quality of the recordings but I think that the simple fact that people have done those recordings and that they made them available for all is amazing!

Worst Journey in the World - By Apsley Cherry Garrard Part 1 Part 2

Scott's Last Expedition part 1 part 2

The Northwest Passage - Gjoa Expedition Part 1 Part 2

The South Pole - By Roald Amundsen

South - By Ernest Shackleton

True Tales of Arctic Heroism in the New World - By Adolphus Greely (not an account of his own expedition)

Shores of the Polar Sea: A Narrative of the Arctic Expedition of 1875-6 - By Edward Lawton Moss (HMS Alert Expedition)

A Negro Explorer at the North Pole - By Matthew Henson (Disclaimer: I recognize that the original title uses dated language, which may be considered offsensive. Ultimately, my concern is to share the lived experience of Matthew Henson the way he wrote it himself.)

Farthest North - By Fridjtof Nansen Part 1 Part 2

[verdigrispatina]

I've mostly experienced Discworld through the audiobooks but recently I've been buying print copies of my favorites to have for referencing and loaning to friends and WOW, there's a lot of textual and visual quirks that don't carry over to the audiobooks!

The biggest ones I think are when characters' accents are written into the text and Death's dialogue being in a gothic font, but I'm skimming through Soul Music right now and just shouted because I noticed that Imp's dialogue always has extra L's because he's from Llamedos. That's such a funny small touch, I love it

If anybody has any favorite visual gags/quirks in the Discworld books, or just jokes that may not work in an audio format, please share!

[infosphere]

Gotham's Redemption - Audiobook - Fan Fiction - A Batman story

Synopsis: Gotham City teeters on the edge as a new vigilante, known as The Redeemer, emerges, targeting corrupt officials under the guise of justice. When Mayor Hamilton's dark secrets are exposed, Batman is thrust into a tense battle against a foe whose ideals mirror his own, yet whose methods cross dangerous lines. With the help of his allies, Batman uncovers The Redeemer's true identity and motives. As they work to dismantle the corruption in Gotham, Batman must also guide The Redeemer towards redemption, proving that true justice can be achieved without crossing moral boundaries. In a city shadowed by darkness, hope and redemption rise once more.

[bridgerton-bard]

Bridgerton Audiobooks Included with Spotify Premium

I just thought I would put out a note to let anyone who was unaware that all of the audiobooks in the Bridge-verse written by Julia Quinn are now free to download/stream for Spotify Premium subscribers.

Obviously this isn't paid promotion, but if you had wanted to pick them up, this is a great time if you're a spotify subscriber. I was surprised they were included due to the popularity of the show, but they're all there. I'm currently listening to To Sir Phillip, With Love.

Happy listening! 😘

[porcelaintoybox23]

I've said this before and I'll say it again:

ORV is a written story about written stories. It CANNOT be properly adapted into another form of media.

ORV is a book about books.

[bovaria]

Sometimes I wish we had audiobooks fanfiction. Like let me listen to a good fic while I make my dinner or drive to work.