Voice of Choice

As I've noted before, the person reading a book on cd or on tape can make or break my interest in the book. If I don't like the way someone is reading the book, it is a pain to get through, especially when there are so many great voices out there these days. It was of some interest for me to read that they now have an award for the audiobook reader of the year from Booklist magazine. Their inaugural "Voice of Choice" recipient is Simon Vance. We have two books on cd read by Mr. Vance, Jasper Fforde's "The Fourth Bear" and "Art Thief" by by Noah Charney. I'm definitely going to give one a try. If you want to read more about Simon Vance check his website at http://www.simonvance.com/

Mr. Vance won this award as a prolific reader of more than 400 titles and his ability to perform a wide range of titles - adult and youth, fiction and nonfiction, serious and seriously amusing. Apparently, few narrators display such range and versatility. What makes Vance such a good reader? It seems he is able to capture the intent of the author and the underlying mood and tempo of the text. In Jasper Fforde's pun-filled The Fourth Bear "Vance's appropriately pompous accents and plummy tones emphasize the ubiquitous humor and constant flurry of literary allusions". Another skill that sets Vance apart is his facility with accents and language.

Some of my favorite narrators that come to mind quickly are: Simon Jones reading the Bartimaeus Trilogy by Jonathan Stroud; Nathaniel Parker reading the Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer; Bernadette Dunne reading Garlic and Sapphires by Ruth Reichl; Lisette LeCat reading the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith; John McDonough reading the At Home in Mitford series by Jan Karon. I also loved the Golden Compass because they have a whole cast of characters, just like a play, reading the book. It was great!
Susan