Q&A with Josh Lanyon discussion
note: This topic has been closed to new comments.
ARCHIVE (General Topics)
>
What else are you reading? (June 2010 - May 2013) *closed*
Hj wrote: "Does anyone else think that abridged audiobooks are an awful thing and shouldn't be encouraged?"I really try to get full versions where ever possible. But I don't always think that abridged audiobooks are a bad thing. It takes longer to listen to a book than to read it, at least for me. That can stretch the story a bit, and make some scenes drag. It can emphasize awkward writing, too. A good narrator can do a lot. But I suspect careful abridging benefits some books, too.
Hj wrote: "May I ask why? and which app?"I just like it better. I used em side by side for quite awhile, and I'm just more comfortable with the features and useability of this one.
The name, oddly enough, is "Audiobook and Podcast Player". I know, fancy, right? ;-) I think it costs $2.99 in the app store.
As for abridgements -- they're the work of the devil! Get out the holy water and the crucifixes!
Lou wrote: "Plainbrownwrapper wrote: "As for abridgements -- they're the work of the devil! Get out the holy water and the crucifixes! "Literary equivalent of pan and scan?"
Worse, worse, much worse! They are the equivalent of movies edited for television PLUS pan and scan!
I have somebody from the States and from Europe that purchase audio books for me. It is sometimes the only way. I also do it when the new Sookie and the new Brotherhood audios come out next year. They are a few good large file transfer sites around. I just purchased the first audio book of "Dexter". I love the series on TV and I have heard that they stayed close to the books. But currently I am listening to Breaking Dawn, because I am going to watch the movie tomorrow. Just to remind me of things.
Lou wrote: "Plainbrownwrapper wrote: "As for abridgements -- they're the work of the devil! Get out the holy water and the crucifixes! "Literary equivalent of pan and scan?"
May a poor Norwegian ask what pan and scan refers to? I kind of get the meaning through context, but the exact interpretation is beyond me. :)
Plainbrownwrapper wrote: "Lou wrote: "Plainbrownwrapper wrote: "As for abridgements -- they're the work of the devil! Get out the holy water and the crucifixes! "Literary equivalent of pan and scan?"
Worse, worse, much w..."
I had a funny feeling you might agree! I even typed "work of the devil" and then decided to go for something more anodyne. "Should be banned" was another phase I rejected...
Seriously, if authors and their editors have carefully crafted a book, how can someone else chop it about? You might as well just read another, shorter book if you have limited time. But if you actually want to read a specific book then it must be left untouched.
(I would also welcome an explanation of "pan and scan".)
Becky wrote: "Hj wrote: "Does anyone else think that abridged audiobooks are an awful thing and shouldn't be encouraged?"I really try to get full versions where ever possible. But I don't always think that abridged audiobooks are a bad thing..."
Becky, as you'll have gathered I can't agree with you. Certainly listening to a book takes much longer than reading it, but one knows that going in. And if a scene drags, or the story feels stretched, then that was probably also true of the written book but you would have subconsciously scanned or skimmed it.
I do feel that any "tightening up" should be done during the editing process and, most importantly, approved by the author.
Well, if I read a book that is boring, I will chose which parts I want to skip. I do agree that Abridged audio books are terrible. I bought one by accident once. The second book of the Outlander series by Gabaldon. It was terrible, because I read the book already. The Narrator just did not do it for me either. I mean, I would never consider buying a book that was shortened, so why would I buy a cut audio version. I have read that the Fiery Cross is cut from 55h 34 min, down to 8h 30 min. Honestly.... What is left of the original Book?
Sorry guys --"pan and scan" is a technique for converting wide screen movies to a format that will fit on a TV screen. It ends up chopping off lots of the picture content from the original wide screen format, and is anathema to all right thinking people of the world. ;-)
If you watch a movie on an older TV and it isn't in letterbox format, there's a good chance it was panned and scanned. Not so much a problem with the increasing popularity of wide screen TVs.
Mod
Yes.
Plainbrownwrapper wrote: "Sorry guys --"pan and scan" is a technique for converting wide screen movies to a format that will fit on a TV screen. It ends up chopping off lots of the picture content from the original wide s..."
No reason to apologise, just like to learn new things :). Thanks.
Plainbrownwrapper wrote: "Sorry guys --"pan and scan" is a technique for converting wide screen movies to a format that will fit on a TV screen. It ends up chopping off lots of the picture content from the original wide s..."
Thanks for the explanation. I didn't know that either :)
Mod
Hj wrote: "Becky wrote: "Hj wrote: "Does anyone else think that abridged audiobooks are an awful thing and shouldn't be encouraged?"I really try to get full versions where ever possible. But I don't always..."
I don't necessarily disagree with you. But I do think we have to acknowledge that books and audiobooks are slightly different media. Just like writing a screenplay and writing a stage play are different. I prefer full versions, because I don't want to miss anything. But I'm not opposed to a carefully abridged audiobook if the end result is a better listening experience. If it's done to cut production cost, with no consideration to the quality of the end result, that's a problem. But if it creates a more enjoyable audiobook, I'm OK with that.
Becky wrote: "Hj wrote: "Becky wrote: "Hj wrote: "Does anyone else think that abridged audiobooks are an awful thing and shouldn't be encouraged?""But I do think we have to acknowledge that books and audiobooks are slightly different media. Just like writing a screenplay and writing a stage play are different...."
That explains our different attitude towards abridgement. I don't see books and audiobooks as different things - I see the same data being conveyed using a different method. Just as I don't distinguish between print books and ebooks, I don't distinguish between books and audiobooks. And I think it is reprehensible to abridge books in any format.
I suspect we may be talking about different things in another way too: I do not know these "carefully abridged audiobooks" of which you speak! I see what should be four, five or six CDs cut down to two. No way that's a careful process! (even accepting that it is OK in principle to abridge, which I don't...)
Becky wrote: " I prefer full versions, because I don't want to miss anything. But I'm not opposed to a carefully abridged audiobook if the end result is a better listening experience."Them's fightin' words.... ;-)
When an author is writing a book, he/she is WRITING A BOOK. Not a stage play, nor a screen play. A BOOK. I may listen to someone reading it to me, but I should still be listening to the book written by that author. If it's not a good book, that's the fault/responsibility of the author -- and the perception of it as "good" or "bad" is between me (the listener) and that author. If somebody thinks the book can be improved by abridgement, then by all means put out "Reimagination of Book X originally written by Y and rewritten by Z" -- but don't try to sell me an abridgement while you're pretending it's still the original book. Bah.
Mod
One major bonus of the serial format is all those gorgeous covers.
I have had little time for reading this weekend since I have had my aging parents visiting. We have celebrated my mother's 80 year's anniversary in my home. So I have, with the help of my twin sister and her kids, hosted 23 people from 82 years to 5 months in my not very big apartment, and managed to seat and feed them all:). Noisy, chaotic and lovely. But in between I have finished Every Time I Think of You. After the start where I struggled a little with the language and some very irritating changes in the fonts, I got into it. It surprised me the way the story went, but in a good way, and I ended up really liking it. I think it was Anna who mentioned it in an earlier post and made me curious. I am glad I checked it out. Refreshingly sweet story :)
Mod
Sounds lovely! It will a be similar situation at my home for Thanksgiving, although only 22 of us, ages from 18-92. Thankfully not everyone is also staying here.
I almost purchased Every Time I Think of You after reading a review by Sirius on JW, but put it off, partly because I just read Atom Heart John Beloved, and partly because I've been promising to get to Whistling in the Dark, and the latest Scott Sherman and Rhys Ford books — as my reward(s) for the housework we're doing in preparation for guests.
Having read your post, I'll move Every Time up on my list.
Karen wrote: "Anne wrote: "I have had little time for reading this weekend since I have had my aging parents visiting. We have celebrated my mother's 80 year's anniversary in my home. So I have, with the help of..."Good luck with your party and enjoy your books, seems like you have good times ahead of you! :)
I keep coming here and adding books, when I'll be able to read all of those, I have no idea!
Mod
I know! And these ladies are so much faster readers than I am. :)
(Adds sheepishly Every Time I Think of You into the to-read list...)
Mod
Sounds wonderful, Anne! :)
Mod
Thanksgiving is a tradition I'd gladly have in Scandinavia too. I like the idea of getting together annually with the loved ones in the middle of the darkest autumn. :)
Sounds like you are going to have a great (and busy!) time, Karen!
Darkm wrote: "I keep coming here and adding books, when I'll be able to read all of those, I have no idea!"Me too. I've got ''Atom Heart John Beloved'' on Saturday and I'll probably receive ''Every Time I Think of You'' this week...
I finished Tana French's In The Woods. God, that was depressing. Great writing, good mystery, fantastic characters, but so, so depressing in the end. I want to read the rest of the series, but I have to read some fluff silliness first. Or PWP. Or something. ^^
Lady*M wrote: "I finished Tana French's In The Woods. God, that was depressing. Great writing, good mystery, fantastic characters, but so, so depressing in the end. I want to read the rest of the series, but I ha..."I remember that book, yes, it was depressing. I kept waiting for something more uplifting to happen, and it didn't. I have to remember to read the sequel.
Mod
Last time I was in desperate need of something cheerful to read, Emanuela recommended me Sno Ho by Ethan Day — and it worked like a charm! :)
I want Boone as my best friend, together with Vic. It would be awesome :)
Mod
Boone, Vic and Adrien. :)
Adrien would give me a complex, I don't know if I could be as silly as I could be with Boone and Vic :) With Drew and Fraser, for example, yes!
Mod
So is this a serialized book or a completely new series? (I need to get out more)
I'm reading Scrap Metal, and as beautiful as it is, it's also so sad.I think I'll need something "happier" later.
Mod
..."
Too early in the season for the Humbug! eh? ;-D
I can sort of see the logic of abridging a book that maybe has a lot of draggy dull bits -- and I also agree (up to a point) that audio is a different creative medium.
But though it is a different medium, it leans so much more heavily on the source material than film does. So it seems like so many of the changes -- the decision to cut scenes or text -- is more subjective and arbitrary than in a film where the complete text *can't* be preserved and has to be edited and interpreted.
One of the earliest audio books I listened to were in Elizabeth Peter's Vicky Bliss series. Not only did I loathe the narrator's voice, the books were abridged. That bugged me all the time I listened.
Mod
Wow! We host 12 every year for Thanksgiving. We're also pressed for room in our little house -- and four of those twelve are getting bigger and bigger every year -- and will in a not so distant future be bringing home boyfriends and girlfriends, I expect.
Mod
Thanksgiving is a tr..."
It's one of my favorite holidays, even though it's the most exhausting as far as prepping and cooking and hosting.
Josh wrote: "Anne wrote: "I have had little time for reading this weekend since I have had my aging parents visiting. We have celebrated my mother's 80 year's anniversary in my home. So I have, with the help of..."The family (or the clan as I sometimes call it) keeps expanding like that, the more the merrier! :)
Josh wrote: "Plainbrownwrapper wrote: "Bah. ..."
Too early in the season for the Humbug! eh? ;-D"
I try to avoid tooo close a parallel with Scrooge -- since he, of course, had a change of heart and became a Good Guy in the end. I wouldn't want to imply the same for myself. ;-)
Mod
I do like Turbulence, but I see what you mean. Although I find it very exciting that the book is published this way, I also find it tough to read it in parts that are released a month apart. I have read the other serialized books The Starving Years and Magic Mansion after they have been completed, so this is kind of a new experience for me.
I admire her for doing it this way, it's a pretty unique way to write a book, no doubt. I've read the parts 1-3 and I'll probably wait at least one more to be released before I'll read the parts 4-6.
Josh wrote: "So is this a serialized book or a completely new series? (I need to get out more)"
So yes, it's the new serialized book still in progress. Part #5 was released this month.
Mod
..."
LOL
I finally, finally got my very own print copy of Wicked Gentlemen. (When I first read it four or five years ago, I was dirt poor and had to special-order a copy through the Interlibrary Loan System; it came, looking a bit battered, from the Bellingham, Washington Public Library.)Today, I immediately read the first two pages and felt the same kind of bliss I felt the first time. This, right here, I thought again, is what creative writing is all about, this fusion of prose and poetry and imaginative flight.
Sorry for gushing :), but fiction doesn't get any better than Wicked Gentlemen.
I admired many things about Wicked Gentlemen. I couldn't quite get past the structure of the book, unfortunately, but it did have great prose and wonderful atmosphere.
Mod
I think it would make a brilliant two narrator audio book. Or even one narrator if he could change his voice enough.
Lou wrote: "I didn't even notice there was something unusual in the structure, I was so engrossed in the story. I still don't think changing narrators halfway through is all that dramatic. One Hundred Years of..."Oh, I don't mind books with multiple POVs. But this one went from a short 1st person story, to a longer 3rd person related but not contiguous story, and then back to a short 1st person.
Here's what I wrote about the structure in my review of the book (not on this GR account): "On the other hand, the structure of the book is really very awkward. It contains what are essentially two interconnected novelettes and a short epilogue. The first novelette and the epilogue are in first person from the Prodigal's POV, while the second novelette is in limited third person focusing on the Inquisitor. That little changing POV conceit is quite jarring. Although I enjoyed the Prodigal's first person narration, I'm not sure the changing focus was worth the jarring effect. And aside from the POV changes, the novelette/novelette/epilogue structure disrupts the rhythm of the tale and again forces the reader out of the story with poor timing."
Plainbrownwrapper wrote: "Lou wrote: "I didn't even notice there was something unusual in the structure, I was so engrossed in the story. I still don't think changing narrators halfway through is all that dramatic. One Hund..."I actually liked the varied POVs in Wicked Gentlemen. Both MCs are so reserved, it was nice to see the world from their very different views. I didn't mind that Harper's was in 3rd. I thought it fit for him, and I still appreciated his continuing confusion over his missing clothes. That was a good running joke between the two parts.
If anyone is ever wondering, Wicked Gentlemen is also a very safe m/m book to read on a crowded airplane. All intimacy is pretty much fade-to-black or just briefly mentioned. :-)
Josh wrote: "I think it would make a brilliant two narrator audio book. Or even one narrator if he could change his voice enough."Hell yes!
ttg wrote: "All intimacy is pretty much fade-to-black or just briefly mentioned."True, and I found it a refreshing change. But I do recall wondering how Belimai performed oral sex on William without shredding his winkie to bits. I believe I convinced myself the Prodigal was experienced enough to know how to keep his teeth out of the way. (Sorry, that's just how I think. I'm always wondering, too, how vampires manage to give head, and how shifters neutralize their animal stink. Hey, writers need to ponder this stuff! :))
Plainbrownwrapper wrote: "I admired many things about Wicked Gentlemen. I couldn't quite get past the structure of the book, unfortunately, but it did have great prose and wonderful atmosphere."I can appreciate your resistance to the structure; it is a bit quirky. But Ginn Hale's prose and world-building were so exquisite, and her POV choices seemed so sensible here, I didn't mind at all.
This topic has been frozen by the moderator. No new comments can be posted.
Q&A with Josh Lanyon
Books mentioned in this topic
Chained Melody (other topics)The Far Pavilions (other topics)
Death in Kashmir (other topics)
The Flame Trees of Thika: Memories of an African Childhood (other topics)
Mistress of the Art of Death (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
M.M. Kaye (other topics)Elspeth Huxley (other topics)
Lauren Willig (other topics)
Charlie Cochet (other topics)
Damon Suede (other topics)
More...
May I ask why? and which app?
I'm also a huge fan of audio, especially in the car. I got hooked when I used to have a long commute, and now I find it a bit frustrating that my journeys aren't longer! I discovered that I can listen to audio on my Kindle (one of the early keyboard models) and I do that while I'm knitting.
Does anyone else think that abridged audiobooks are an awful thing and shouldn't be encouraged?