Tag Archives: #AtoZChallenge

Narrators Make or Break an Audiobook

Wednesday, 16 April 2014 20:50
Ciara Ballintyne
7 Comments
Narrators


If you listen to audiobooks, you know what I’m talking about. The quality of the narrator can lift a good book to new heights – or bury it.

We all have our personal favourites, I’m sure, and our own preferences. My pet hates include male narrators who attempt female voices and don’t pull it off. In one book, the main character, who was supposed to be the holder of a PhD, sounded like a whiny bimbo because of the narrator’s ill-advised voices. It made it incredibly difficult to take her at all seriously. Women who attempt male voices seem to have more success, even when not brilliantly done. 

My other peeve is (and I apologise in advance to my American friends) American accents in high/epic fantasy books. I’m sorry, but it interferes with my suspension of disbelief when I hear an American accent in a setting I subconsciously associate with medieval Europe. I’m sure I’d have similar issues if the narrator was Aussie!

My favourite narrators are Simon Vance (he narrates Brent Weeks’ Lightbringer series) and Rupert Degas (who narrates Patrick Rothfuss’ Kingkiller Chronicles). If you are at all into epic fantasy, these are audiobooks worth checking out – the narrators do an incredible job of submersing you in the story.

Kate Reading has been an unexpected surprise. While I didn’t like her much in The Boneshaker (I found her reading clipped and containing an odd upward inflection) her accent is smoothed in Lois McMaster Bujold’s Paladin of Souls, such that I became uncertain if she was American or British and which accent it was she was imitating (she’s American by the way). While not as good as Simon Vance or Rupert Degas, she does a good job on Paladin of Souls.

Sadly, I have developed a real dislike for her husband, and I apologise to him, for I am sure as a person he has much to recommend him. My dislike is based purely on his narration, which I think is ill-suited for epic fantasy, and perhaps personally on the fact I can’t abide what he’s done to Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time. While I have only listened to samples of those books, and some were better examples than others, I weep to think what beautiful audiobooks the series might have made in the hands of Degas or Vance.

Style of narrator will affect what you enjoy in an audiobook as much as the style of the author – but the fact a good marriage between two is required certainly complicates the matter.

Who are your favourite narrators and what books do they narrate?


This is an A to Z Challenge post. If you enjoyed this post, please feel free to check out my previous posts if you haven’t already. If you’re finding yourself here often, you might like to join as a member, sign up to the blog through RSS or email, or sign-up to my newsletter. Check out my March Newsletter if you missed it. 
 
Don’t forget to share the love and spread the word on Twitter, Facebook or StumbleUpon (or other social networking site of your choice) if you know other people who might also enjoy this. 
 
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A is for Audiobooks: My New Love Affair

Tuesday, 01 April 2014 19:30
Ciara Ballintyne
24 Comments
Audiobooks


I recently saw two friends, Rob Zimmermanand Deena Schoenfeldt, talking about audiobooks. I was puzzled. When did they listen to them? How did they find the time? Audiobooks seemed to be more time-consuming than actually reading, since I can read a book in half the time it takes to listen to it, and I was already unsatisfied with the amount of time I had for books.

Rob said he listened while shovelling snow. Deena said in the car.

I live in Australia. No snow. I catch the train to work, and while I could certainly listen to audiobooks that’s my writing time. I do drive a bit, but mostly I have small, noisy kids in the car. No cigar.

Then, I suddenly found some snow I could shovel!

I walk from my car to the station, and from the station to my office, nearly half an hour each way, or an hour a day five days a week. I was listening to music, but since I prefer to sing while listening to music, and I couldn’t really do this walking in public, this wasn’t really ideal music listening time. Why not listen to an audiobook?

Once I found some time to use, I decided to give audiobooks a try. That was January 12. Since then I’ve listened to 7 audiobooks, in addition to another 3-4 books I’ve read in ebook format. It’s the most books I’ve read in a 10 week period in years, and I’m loving it. 

I started with listening while walking. Then it was while doing the chores, if the kids were in bed, and my husband was otherwise preoccupied. As books grabbed and held my attention, I scrounged for more time for the stories. While exercising at 5am in my house. Doing my exercises to repair my abdominal separation (a staggering 1500 of them a day). 

Then it was in the car, to and from the station or, even better, en route to pick up the kids from my mother in law’s, or home from my parents on a weekend evening, as both kids slept in the back seat – both trips of a good forty minutes. Finally, it was the gym. 

The gym was a good move. After nearly a year at the gym, and some 18kgs of weight loss (with ten still to go) my motivation was flagging. Audiobooks suddenly gave me a new incentive to go – if I go to the gym, I can listen to the book, I told myself. Now I celebrate the nights I go to the gym – I can find out what happens next! 

I am not addicted. Honest. Just a little in love. 


This is an A to Z Blogging Challenge post. For more information about the challenge, check it out at A to Z Blogging. If you enjoyed this post, please feel free to check out my previous posts if you haven’t already. If you’re finding yourself here often, you might like to join as a member, sign up to the blog through RSS or email, or sign-up to my newsletter. Check out my March Newsletter if you missed it.  

Don’t forget to share the love and spread the word on Twitter, Facebook or StumbleUpon (or other social networking site of your choice) if you know other people who might also enjoy this.

Thanks for stopping by and visiting with us!

A to Z Blogging Challenge

Friday, 07 March 2014 21:00
Ciara Ballintyne
0 Comments
At to Z Blogging Challenge
I participated in the A – Z Blogging Challenge in 2012 and I’ve decided to throw my hat in the ring again this year. Last time I featured it on my other blog, Somebody Has To Say It, but this year it will be here on Flight of the Dragon, so the vast majority of the posts will have a fantasy bent. I will consider venturing outside the fantasy genre by special request, so if there’s something you want me to blog about, here’s your chance!

Here’s the topics I’ve got planned so far and the remaining available letters:

A – Audiobooks – My New Love Affair

B – Burning (Dragon Bait Part 1)

C –

D – Dragonflame (Dragon Bait Part 2)

E – The Emperor’s Soul – Book Review

F – Fever (A Monday Morsel Post)

G – Guilt (Dragon Bait Part 3)

H –

I – Ishafal (Dragon Bait Part 4)

J – Joust (Dragon Bait Part 5)

K –

L – Little Girl of Death (A Monday Morsel Post)

M – Mercy (Dragon Bait Part 6)

N – Narrators Make or Break an Audiobook

O – Outlining for Plotters

P – Protestations (Love Enough – Part 1)

Q –

R – As yet unnamed (A Monday Morsel Post)

S – Sentenced to Death (Love Enough Part 2)

T – Twitter and Roundteam

U –

V –

W –

(Monday) X – eXcision

Y – You Must (Love Enough – Part 3)

Z – Z-Plan Castle – Castle Fraser

As you can see, I’ll be doing my usual Monday Morsel features, and I also have two short pieces of fiction planned. 

Now’s your chance. Got an idea? Shoot!

If you enjoyed this post, please feel free to check out my previous posts if you haven’t already. If you’re finding yourself here often, you might like to join as a member, sign up to the blog through RSS or email, or sign-up to my newsletter. Check out my March Newsletter if you missed it.


Don’t forget to share the love and spread the word on Twitter, Facebook or StumbleUpon (or other social networking site of your choice) if you know other people who might also enjoy this.

Thanks for stopping by and visiting with us!

You Never Even Knew – Fiction Part 5

Saturday, 28 April 2012 08:00
Ciara Ballintyne
0 Comments
You Never Even Knew
A Magical Melody is no longer available on this blog. It is available for free by subscribing to the newsletter, included when you purchase Confronting the Demon, or is available in the anthology Spells: Ten Tales of Magic. 


This is part of the A to Z Blogging Challenge Series. If you missed the previous posts, you can find them here – A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P , Q, R, S, T, U, V, W and X

If you enjoyed this post, please feel free to check out my previous posts if you haven’t already. If you’re finding yourself here often, you might like to join as a member, sign up to the blog through RSS or email, or subscribe to my newsletter.

Don’t forget to share the love and spread the word on Twitter, Facebook or StumbleUpon (or other social networking site of your choice) if you know other people who might also enjoy this.

Thanks for stopping by and visiting with us!

X is for Exes

Friday, 27 April 2012 08:00
Ciara Ballintyne
12 Comments
Exes

OK, that starts with E. I know, shut up already! But it sounds like X… right? Right??

Look, X is a hard letter. If you’re going to make an issue out of it, I could have written what would probably have been a very boring, but edifying, post on xylophones. Did you want to continue arguing about the etymology of Exes? No? Good, cause I’m sure I still have that xylophone post around here somewhere….

Anyway, I thought it would be more humourous, or at least more entertaining if not more edifying, to devote this post to the stupid things exes say. 
  • We can have ‘no strings attached’ sex – no, no you can’t. At least one of you is still emotionally connected to the other, and this is simply impossible. If that emotion is now more hate than love you definitely don’t want that person anywhere near your sensitive parts;
  • I spent two days in a hotel room with her but we didn’t have sex – honest. Pull the other one, mate, it’s got bells on. Anyone will even a modicum of intelligence will not believe you.
  • Why don’t you trust me? I can’t imagine. Do you think it might have something to do with all the other men/women/both that you had sex with during our relationship and/or marriage and forgot to tell me about?
  • Look, it’s magic! A rabbit with no rabbit hutch! Don’t ask me. This one is dead set true. The guy bought his kids a rabbit but no rabbit hunch. He had the vague notion the rabbit could just wander around the house. When announcing this to the ex, she had to buy the hutch in the interest of the kids. A true forehead slap moment.
  • You are no longer the most evil woman in the world. Technically this was said by a guy to his ex after he’d gotten a new ex. Presumably this was because his most recent ex now had this status. Isn’t this the thing you always wanted your ex to say to you? Personally I think I’d rather stick with ‘most evil woman in the world’ status. At least it has a ring to it. 
  • ‎You know that friend you bought to the party last month. What was her phone number again? Total class act. What can I say? Anyone with half a brain should bne able to spot the problems with this one.
  • Text message from ex’s best friend “Your ex gave me your phone number”. Wow. Well, at least I know what he thinks of me. I broke up with him, and I guess that was a good move! A backhanded way of insulting someone. If you really want to insult someone, I suggest you just say it to their face.
So what stupid things have your exes said to you?


I’m entered in the Best Australian Blogs 2012 Competition for both Flight of the Dragon and Somebody Has To Say It. If you like this blog, or Flight of the Dragon, I’d be eternally grateful if you’d be so good as to stop by and vote for me here.

This is part of the A to Z Blogging Challenge Series. If you missed the previous posts, you can find them here – A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P , Q, R, S, T, U, V and W.

If you enjoyed this post, please feel free to check out my previous posts if you haven’t already. If you’re finding yourself here often, you might like to join as a member, sign up to the blog through RSS or email, or subscribe to my newsletter.

Don’t forget to share the love and spread the word on Twitter, Facebook or StumbleUpon (or other social networking site of your choice) if you know other people who might also enjoy this.

Thanks for stopping by and visiting with us!