George Guidall is my favorite narrator. When I'm not sure what I want to listen to, sometimes I just find one he has done.

I have also loved Jeremy Irons reading Lolita, but then I have a "thing" for Jeremy Irons.

One thing is for sure: the narrator can make or break an audiobook.

I had to stop listening to "Becoming". Michelle's voice was too soothing, and as I typically listen while driving, that was not a good thing!

I listened to a Miss Read book and enjoyed it, so I was looking forward to another. But within 5 minutes I had to turn it off, the reader was just not appropriate for the story. Same with All Creatures Great and Small. Awful reader.

Jen Lancaster reads some of her own books and I like those.

I really enjoyed listening to Gary Sinise read John Steinbeck. And of course Jim Dale read Harry Potter.

My son went to college for theatre and has done classes for voiceover and audiobooks. He set up a recording studio at home to record his reader auditions. Readers don't always get feedback on their auditions, so it can be hard to know why you were accepted or not.

I've read hundreds and hundreds of audiobooks. Closer to 1000 than to 500 in total, it's the only way I "read" anymore and that has been the case for 15 years. I'm comfortable in saying that for me, as long as the reader enunciates clearly, has a pleasant and varied intonation, and has speech free of affectations or impediments, who it is and what style they use don't matter to me at all. The content matters far more than the reader's performance.

Some fans of particularly prolific authors seem to like to complain when over, say, a 25 year career, there are several changes of audiobook performers. For me, it's always the content that matters as long as i can easily follow the audio performance. Sure, some seem to be a bit better than others, but I'm more likely to stick with it until the end when it's a sub-par performance of a good book, than an outstanding performance of a mediocre one.

The traits that Elmer likes do make for a good reader. If those traits are lacking, I can't listen. The books I've had to turn off, books I liked, the reader spoke too quickly and harshly, not traits for a gentle portrait of everyday life. I think the reader's voice should complement the book, just as, especially in other times, paper and typeface have been used to enhance the book. I've had to put down books I've been very interested in because the printed page was unpleasant. Too tight of spacing, too narrow of margins, serif or sans-serif when the opposite would have been a better choice

Btw, I enjoyed Wil Wheaton's reading of a nonfiction book.

I hope not to distract this thread for more than a couple comments, but I’m curious what the draw is to audiobooks. I see they’re increasingly popular and a whopping 1 in 5 adults has listened to one in the past year, but why? Vision impairment and long drives/commutes come to mind, anything else? Listening while doing housework? I’ve never tried one, but overhearing others playing them left me thinking I’d have a hard time getting used to someone else’s voice in my reading head. I don’t even like when someone reads me a paragraph from a news article - please just hand it to me!

So what about you guys, why do you listen and did it take a while to get used to it?

On a long drive one day, I happened across the far end of the FM dial, which can pick up television signals. Some powerful station was airing Family Ties or the like, and it was so engaging, better than the music I’d been listening to. As audiobooks became more available, I checked some children’s books out for a road trip, to accompany the children’s music, and enjoyed that. When the kids fell asleep, DH and I listened to something more mature, and enjoyed that. I found that it kept me more alert and aware of the road, as it engaged one side of my brain and kept it from wandering over into the driving side! (Note, I am not a neurologist, but you know what I mean, right?)

I also like it at home when I’m doing something mindless, like painting the garage or ironing, but not for things that require more brain activity, like organizing. When I’m walking, I don’t know, I like to just think inside my head!

For me, the appeal of audiobooks is the ability to do two things at the same time. I don't have the patience to sit in one place and read a physical book for very long. But I do love to read. With audiobooks, I can read when driving, when exercising, when alone doing nothing or mindless tasks (if my wife isn't home or is elsewhere)., etc. As far as being read to is concerned, if you listen to the news on the radio, isn't that the same as someone reading you newspaper articles?

Podcasts have gotten very popular and I listen to them regularly too. I never listen to the radio and watch little TV. For those who DO listen to podcasts or the radio, listening to an audiobook is a similar experience with one exception - you can't divert your attention to think of something else, or be mentally distracted. If you do, if even for 20 seconds, you'll find yourself a bit lost (like turning two pages instead of one with a physical book) and you'll need to go back. I've learned that when I need to think about something else, I pause the playback, do so, then resume listening.

My audiobook habit was developed decades ago. A pioneer in the field was the company Books On Tape, who had a printed catalog of available books in cassette tape format sent in boxes with prepaid return postage. One book could be 10 cassettes or more. I started using them in the 1980s but limited my consumption because it was expensive - $15-$20 per book at the time, more for longer books.. I'd do no more than one every month or two, listened to in the car while driving. Today, the format of digital books and the ability to download most anything from the internet is much more compact and convenient. I do prefer small MP3 players but smartphones work equally well. With Overdrive from multiple libraries and even CDs available from libraries that I can rip, I rarely have to buy anything from Audible but I do when I can't get a book I want from other sources.

It does take practice at first, for the first several books or more, to get good at focusing one's attention and turning off side thoughts. An unexpected benefit though is that you'll become a much better listener, with the discipline to concentrate on someone speaking and avoid mental distractions.

I listen to audiobooks during my work commute, which is about 2 hours a day. Keeps me sane when others around me are crazy. I love listening to Frank Muller (sadly, he passed away a few years ago) and Stephen Lang.

“As far as being read to is concerned, if you listen to the news on the radio, isn't that the same as someone reading you newspaper articles?”

Depends. Most newscasts are written at a pretty elementary level, in a tone intended to be spoken, and often just kind of skim the surface. A few paragraphs from the local rag could be read aloud similarly. Anything reported more in depth is typically conversational (interview, not read), where thoughts are highlighted for clarity an emphasis. More intellectual writing takes more skill to convey aloud, both by the reader and the listener. I’d imagine there’s a learning curve for both.

Me, I tend to see too many squirrels. Definitely a shortcoming of mine.

food, you said above that you haven't tried an audiobook before. Why does it seem that you have made up your mind about them?

I'm not sure what kind of books you have in mind when you mention "intellectual writing". One part of me says that more involved or conceptually dense texts might be easier to understand in audiobook form, not more difficult, because the pace is slower. I'm a fast reader and I suspect can move along at a speed several multiples of what a reader uses. Does it matter? I don't think so. As you have speculated, there is a learning curve.

I have lots of experience but the fiction and popular non-fiction books I tend to prefer - history, personal memoirs, etc - present no problem.

Switching geears, back to the original question, does the reader matter? I forgot to say Yes for me but only in one context.

I especially enjoy autobiographies or personal memoirs where the reader is also the author is also the subject of the book. I can think of a few examples - Thanks A Lot Mr Kibblewhite, the autobiography of and read by Roger Daltrey of The Who, Born A Crime by Trevor Noah, Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain, Dirt by Bill Buford,, All I Ever Wanted (by Kathy Valentine of the Go-Gos). And most especially, So, Anyway written and read by John Cleese, who numerous times when recounting funny occurrences couldn't help but laugh and giggle while reading. No laugh track, the real thing..

There are very few fiction audiobooks that I enjoy when read by the author. Tony Morrison comes to mind.

I would love to hear John Cleese read A Christmas Carol.....

“Why does it seem that you have made up your mind about them?”

Very good point.

So when I first read the OP my immediate thought was Joe PescI. Just struck me funny. It would have to be the right book.

I love audiobooks and began to listen to them when I was doing my daily walks. In fact, when I get a "page-turner" audiobook, I only listen when walking, as incentive. I also listen when doing a mindless task such as cooking or cleaning, or as a relaxing evening entertainment. I don't watch very much TV, so audiobooks are a sort of replacement. I definitely prefer audiobooks where the reader is excellent and the sound quality is good. A couple of my favorite pairings of book and reader are Endurance : Shackleton's Incredible Voyage narrated by Simon Prebble and Overboard! A True Bluewater Odyssey of Disaster and Survival narrated by Malcolm Hillgartner. Edited to add name - Stacey_mb

Thanks for the recommendation of Endurance, Stacey. I've been lomg fascinated with that saga.