HP-Audiobooks

[Eos]

I don't know if there's already a thread dealing with that - the search didn't give me any hints...

To the point: Have you ever listend to the audiobooks? If so: Do you enjoy them? Are there audiobooks in any language? How are they? A complete reading of the books or just parts of them?
I know the German ones, read by Rufus Beck, who ist absolutely brilliant! (Well, the way he reads Fred and George and Dobby is kind of sinewy in the long run, but that's something you can ignore in connection with the rest!) And I've listened to the British ones read by Stephen Fry (who is a fantastic author and actor too btw). These ones are fantastic, too.
During the loooong time between the releases of new HP books it's a very good way for me to keep in touch with the whole story.
In the night of the release of pt 4 (looooong ago....) a German radio station in Berlin broadcasted one of the audiobooks - that was so cool!

[Athena Appleton]

First off, Eos, I'm sorry, I've been distracted for the last few days, but WELCOME!

In the U.S., the audiobooks are read by Jim Dale (anyone who doesn't know who he is, ever seen Disney's Pete's Dragon? He's Dr. Terminus). I haven't listened to them, mostly because I'm a visual learner and would get seriously distracted (besides, i don't have the time, it's easier to keep my place on a paper book than an audio book as I have two kids and never have a quiet moment). I've thought about borrowing one from the library, just because I'd like to see how Jim Dale does reading them, since the only thing I know him from is a movie from the '70's.

[Eos]

Hello Athena! We're the ancient Greek community round here...
Well, I prefer reading, too, BUT if you read - you read. I listen to these audiobooks while doing the dishes, tidying, sorting my desk (nice thing to do... *sigh*), ... You should really go and borrow these! It's a new and entertaining way to consum the books. And if someones reading it to you it offers you a different way to understand it. Simple example: The German guy has given Arthur Weasly a dialect from Hamburg. I never thought about this but it fits perfectly to the kind of person I imagine with Arthur.
How old are your kids? When I was little I was listening alot to audiobooks and plays - you could listen together (In a way I feel like a saleswoman for audiobooks... )

[Athena Appleton]

well, I have a 2-year-old and a 7-month-old, so if I tried listening to an audio tape, it would be mixed in with "Uh-oh!" "Git it!", musical toys, crying, all that fun stuff...

[pallas artemis]

Personally, I don't care for Jim Dale's voice and therefore can't listen to the audiobooks. Athena, You also know him from HP. He is the voice of the sorting hat in the SS

[Broccoli]

I have listened to the first 4 books so far and I have got the 5th one now and I should say I enjoy it a lot. As it has been said, you can listen and do other things at the same time and besides when you read you may not pay attention to some things and skip through them whereas when you listen you can notice such things. It is also nice to listen in bed before falling asleep when you are already tired to read.

[AZKaban]

Hi all

:lol: well, I have a 2-year-old and a 7-month-old, so if I tried listening to an audio tape, it would be mixed in with "Uh-oh!" "Git it!", musical toys, crying, all that fun stuff...

well, the reason I want to try audio-books because the only time I can spare is in the car..

[Tween_Luv]

ooOoo. i've listened to the audio books, each like...10 times. but, i cannot stand the way jim Dale (sorry guys) reads the audio books, but there is one other guy who reads them in the U.S. named Stephen Fry, he is very very good at reading them. He's the one that i listen to when i listen to the audio books. I used to like jim Dale, but then i heard Stephen Fry and he is much better by comparison

[Broccoli]

I listened to the first book read by Stephen Fry, he's really good! And also, I noticed that he reads from a British edition which was good because I have British books.

[Tween_Luv]

He reads from the british edition? i didn't know that. but still, he is very good. i get much more into the story with him than with the other guy.

[Broccoli]

Well, at least in my version, yes. It was fun to compare the editions! Unfortunately I only managed to get the first book read by him.

[Tween_Luv]

hmm, my dad got the whole series (book 1-5) read by Stephan Fry from his work somewhere or something like that. =\
i have no idea where you could buy it actually, every time i've tried searching online, it always gives me the other reader. Then again, he's the guy who reads for america, and i'm in america.

[sirius_lives_forever]

i dont use the audio-books. i think they are stupid and that they defeat the whole purpose of actually READING a book.

[Phinea Rogue]

I've got all the five books at home now as audiobooks, read by Jim Dale. Well, I have to say that I just don't like his voice. The problem with me is that when I read a book (any book) by myself, I imagine everything about characters - what they are like, how they look like, what their voices are like... and Jim Dale's voices of characters are often so strange. I listenened to the fifth book and Snape sounded like a drunk man, while Lucius's name was pronounced rather... oddly... But I would like to listen to Stephen Fry's readings, since I'm better used to British English and the British edition of books.

[Broccoli]

You have a point, Phinea, but on the plus side, I'd like to say that when I am reading a book I often have to stop and then imagine the things I am reading about, while when I am listening to an audio book I imagine the things at once. I probably can't read and think at the same time