Reads For The Road
Posted by Rebecca Teti in Reviews on Wednesday, June 23, 2010 10:00 AM
Did I mention I love road trips? Can you tell we’ve just returned from one?
Another reason I love them is books on tape. I enjoy being read to as much as my children do, and it’s nice sometimes to listen and delight together—and without the limitation of having to stop when my throat gets tired.
The quality of narration can vary widely,however. Voices can be soporific or irritating to the point of distraction, while some narrators truly deserve acting awards for the way they inhabit each character and personality.
This trip we loved Anthony Heald reading Where the Red Fern Grows the coming of age story of a boy growing up in the Ozarks and the mysterious workings of grace in the life of a family.
Our “rule” for road trips is that each passenger gets to “call” what we listen to (music, books or silence) for an hour at a time. Everyone was calling for more “Red Fern,” especially our 6- and 10 -year-old boys.
We also really enjoyed the short story, Akimbo and the Crocodile Man, read by the author, Alexander McCall Smith. Smith’s short stories were unknown to us and a “gamble,” but we will definitely go back for more of the Akimbo series.
On previous journeys we’ve especially appreciated the vocal performances from the Harper Audio Chronicles of Narnia. Kenneth Branagh, Michael York and Lynn Redgrave are among the accomplished actors who narrate the various volumes. Branagh’s Magician’s Nephew I particularly enjoyed.
And Buck Schirner’s rendition of Uncle Tom’s Cabin is nothing short of a revelation. I really can’t put into words how good it is.
I’ve posted amazon links here, but we found all of these on cd at our local library.
Do you have any favorite audio books to recommend?
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