breetheflea
Drama Llama
Posts: 6,357 
Location: PNW
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Post by breetheflea on Nov 17, 2023 23:53:31 GMT
I am listening to The Fellowship of the Ring by Tolkien. I haven't read the book since I was 15, about 30 years ago... My Libby app had two versions, a 2011 version and 2021 version. I went with the 2011 version because it's three hours shorter  (20 hours versus 23 hours.) I'm 15 minutes in, haven't got past the entire history of the Hobbits... and the narrator keeps doing this thing where you can hear him take a breath at the beginning of every few sentences. Like it's a long sentence so he needs extra air to get through it. I wonder if I'm crazy for thinking about going back on the waiting list, and listening to the longer version if I don't have to hear the narrator breathe... or maybe I'll get used to it in the next 19 hours. |
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valincal
Drama Llama
Southern Alberta
Posts: 5,764
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Post by valincal on Nov 17, 2023 23:58:24 GMT
Yes that would bother me. I listen to a lot of audiobooks and a good narrator is so important!
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Post by Crack-a-lackin on Nov 18, 2023 0:10:07 GMT
My theory: Once you hear a noise that bothers you it is impossible to get used to.
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GiantsFan
Prolific Pea
Posts: 8,451
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Jun 27, 2014 14:44:56 GMT
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Post by GiantsFan on Nov 18, 2023 0:11:27 GMT
That would totally bother me. Is it a library book? Can you trade it in for the other version?
Unless I knew the narrator from a previous book, I always listen to a sample. A narrator can make or break a book.
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Post by Merge on Nov 18, 2023 0:49:50 GMT
Yep. I listen to a lot of audiobooks and also have misophonia. Any kind of frequent breath or mouth noise is a deal breaker.
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Post by Lurkingpea on Nov 18, 2023 1:04:59 GMT
Total deal breaker.
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Post by quinlove on Nov 18, 2023 1:18:47 GMT
I listen to an audible book every night. I’ve never noticed any thing like that and yes, it would both surprise me and bug me. Like Crack-a-lackin said, you will always hear it now. And, if you don’t hear it, you’ll listen for it.
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Post by lisae on Nov 18, 2023 2:11:18 GMT
I rarely get a reader I don't like but when I do, it's hard to enjoy the book. I think you will be happier if you wait for the other version.
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Post by melanieg on Nov 18, 2023 3:00:20 GMT
I do a lot of audio books and that would annoy me.
I was listening to one the other day and she kind of whistled on her s's Good gravy! I stopped it after the 1st chapter and returned it to the app. Sad, bc it had potential.
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milocat
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Posts: 5,569
Location: 55 degrees north in Alberta, Canada
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Post by milocat on Nov 18, 2023 3:14:43 GMT
That would bother me. Especially wearing earbuds. I wouldn't continue even if there wasn't another version available.
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Post by AussieMeg on Nov 18, 2023 10:30:50 GMT
My theory: Once you hear a noise that bothers you it is impossible to get used to. Absolutely! There is a talkback radio show that I used to listen to during my drive to work. I listened to it for years, and it was - and still is - the biggest rating breakfast show in Melbourne. One day my mum mentioned that she was annoyed by one of the hosts because he audibly takes a breath before speaking, like breetheflea mentioned in her OP. I had never noticed it before, but you can bet your arse that I noticed it every single time from that day on. Thanks for nothing mum! |
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Post by smasonnc on Nov 18, 2023 12:47:06 GMT
I would be bugged by it for sure. I just listened to one where the narrator mispronounced the double "t" sound like bu-en for button and wri-en for written. You have one job. Enunciate.
I had to stop listening to Killing Lincoln. The narrator kept saying Calvary instead of cavalry. An army contingent on horseback is the cavalry. He taught at a Catholic school so he should know the difference unless there was a depiction of horse soldiers in the chapel where Jesus should be.
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smartypants71
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,815
Location: Houston, TX
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Post by smartypants71 on Nov 18, 2023 13:21:00 GMT
That can definitely ruin a book. I’ve been listening to a lot of audiobooks this year and I’ve started keeping a list of actors that annoy me so I don’t accidentally buy a book with that person reading it.
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Post by disneypal on Nov 18, 2023 13:44:59 GMT
Yes, I think if you are noticing it, then it is very obvious and would most likely annoy you through the entire book. Just ensure the 2021 version is a different narrator.
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Post by joblackford on Nov 18, 2023 21:42:02 GMT
I would listen to a sample of the other version before giving up, just to make sure there isn't something else that would drive you crazy about the older version. If the narrator speaks slowly (explaining the extra 3 hours) you can just dial the speed up, so that shouldn't be a problem. I almost always listen on 1.25x speed anyway. But yeah, the breathing would bother me and it would be hard to stop noticing it and 20 hours is a long time to be annoyed by something that's supposed to be fun.
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jimmysgirl
Shy Member
Posts: 31
Jun 15, 2015 4:32:58 GMT
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Post by jimmysgirl on Nov 19, 2023 6:57:00 GMT
I think the standards for audiobooks is much higher now than it used to be. When I listen to audiobooks that were produced ten years ago or more, you hear all kinds of weird things, background noises, etc. I remember listening to one and I could hear someone in the next room doing the dishes. I kept taking my ear buds out to see if it was someone in my house putting away dishes. Nope, it was on the recording.
One of my pet peeves in poorly recorded audiobooks is when the narrator is clearly sick while they are recording. A stuffy nose or a suddenly nasal change to the voice is so annoying. I can't focus on the story I am listening to when this happens.
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RedSquirrelUK
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Post by RedSquirrelUK on Nov 19, 2023 10:16:33 GMT
I would be bugged by it for sure. I just listened to one where the narrator mispronounced the double "t" sound like bu-en for button and wri-en for written. You have one job. Enunciate. I had to stop listening to Killing Lincoln. The narrator kept saying Calvary instead of cavalry. An army contingent on horseback is the cavalry. He taught at a Catholic school so he should know the difference unless there was a depiction of horse soldiers in the chapel where Jesus should be. That's a regional thing. That's how I pronounce it, and most people I know pronounce it that way. So it's different from how you pronounce it, but it isn't wrong. Calvary vs cavalry though - that would irritate the crap out of me! |
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(20 hours versus 23 hours.)
