Talking about Listening Redux
Posted by: Kaite Stover
Mary Burkey over at Audiobooker and other audio book aficionados will be pleased to welcome some new members to the audio book fan base. Along-established Kansas City book group have decided, “listening isn’t cheating” and are strongly encouraging members to explore this format for all reading group selections.
Recently the Kansas City group took part in an audio book promotion sponsored by Macmillan Audio and submitted their experiences to The Kansas City Star for a book group profile. In an effort to promote the alternate format, Macmillan Audio sent copies of books on CD to 45 book groups in 30 states.
The Kansas City group read The Abstinence Teacher by Tom Perotta. I’m always pleased to find some new converts to audio books, but what appealed to me most was the way the group discussed the novel’s content in conjunction with the added quality of narration.
The group as a whole did not care for Campbell Scott’s narration and discussed if this dislike of the narration contributed to their general dislike of the two main characters of the novel. They discussed the similarities and differences, benefits and drawbacks, of the two different formats and the different reading experiences print and audio can provide.
While they’re not certain they’ll opt for a “listen-only” experience for their next reading group selection, the members of the long-established group are very glad to have had a different experience and discover new options for reading.
