Armchair BEA Tuesday

5/27/2014

Author Interaction

I've never really been to a big author event (partly because I live in the middle of nowhere). So I don't have a lot of experience with this. And as a rather shy person, I'm not entirely sure what I would do when and if the opportunity presents itself. I definitely have some authors I would love to meet someday. Hopefully I'll get the chance. I'm looking forward to reading everyone else's tips and experiences to help me out!

More Than Just Words

I have only just recently entered the world of audiobooks. About two months ago, I started running. I needed something to listen to, so naturally I turned to audiobooks. They are also a great help in getting through weeding the garden! I've only listened to a few, and it seems to me that the narrator can make or break the experience of the book. I just listened to a Librivox recording of Kilmeny of the Orchard by L.M. Montgomery. Because it was read by volunteers, nearly every chapter switched narrators. I liked some better than others, and it was incredibly distracting to suddenly have a new voice telling the story. I also like it when the author of the book narrates the audiobook. Such was the case with My Lucky Life In & Out of Show Business by Dick van Dyke. How fun to have a memoir told by the person who lived it all! What better way is there to experience such a book?

18 Comments

Heather link

5/27/2014 01:31:38 am

I do like it when authors read memoirs but I've heard some bad audiobooks with authors reading their own fiction.

Julie @ Smiling Shelves link

5/27/2014 01:52:37 pm

That's true. Just because the author reads it doesn't mean it's great!

punkfarie link

5/27/2014 01:32:10 am

I haven't had the chance to meet any authors because there aren't a lot of book events where I live. I have spoken to a few authors on twitter, and they are usually very nice. I hope you get to meet your favorite authors someday! =)

Julie @ Smiling Shelves link

5/30/2014 09:58:30 am

I love all the ways you can communicate with authors nowadays. It doesn't have to be a big event!

Wesley @ Library Educated link

5/27/2014 03:21:42 am

My friend recommended Librivox to me, and she said that some of the readers are better than others. Sounds like it's worth a shot!

Julie @ Smiling Shelves link

5/30/2014 10:00:56 am

I've had a mixed experience with Librivox. I loved the narrator that started reading Kilmeny of the Orchard, but she never came back after the first three chapters. Instead, about 10 other narrators took turns. It was not what I was expecting, but I still enjoyed the book. Librivox is definitely worth a try. There are some real treasures in there!

Karsyn @ KaKiJoKoJa link

5/27/2014 06:20:55 am

OMG, I can't BELIEVE I didn't think about Dick Van Dyke's book being an audio!! I started the ebook ages ago and put it down for something else and never went back to it. I'm a HUGE VanDyke fan, finding the audio now! THANKS!!! My<a href="http://kakijokoja.blogspot.com/2014/05/armchair-bea-day-2-more-than-words.html">More Than Words</a> were audiobook recommendations if you'd like to check them out.

Julie @ Smiling Shelves link

5/30/2014 10:01:46 am

It was so much fun to have Dick van Dyke read it himself! I hope you get ahold of a copy to listen to!

Lory @ Emerald City Book Review link

5/27/2014 12:55:40 pm

Wow, I bet Dick Van Dyke is a super reader! That sounds like fun. I'm usually dreadfully shy around authors too, but I wrote to one of my favorites at age 14 (this was when people actually typed and mailed letters) and got an answer: http://emeraldcitybookreview.blogspot.com/2014/05/author-interactions-armchair-bea-day-two.html. Hope you're having fun with Armchair BEA!

Julie @ Smiling Shelves link

5/30/2014 10:03:45 am

That's so awesome! A letter from your favorite author would be such a treasure!

Freda Mans link

5/27/2014 01:08:22 pm

I would think running and listening would be distracting.... lol... just shows how uncoordinated I am. :-)

Julie @ Smiling Shelves link

5/30/2014 10:04:52 am

Distracting in a good way - I can focus on the book, not the running. Thankfully, I haven't tripped and fallen yet! :)

Kirk @ Austen in Boston link

5/27/2014 01:31:22 pm

The few times I have met authors I had the question prepared in advance or while I was there. Lol, my best experience was actually in a big lecture hall at Boston Public Library. They asked us to write down our question and they would select some. I asked the softball question "Who would you invite to dinner, current or past?". John Kenneth Galbraith knocked it out of the park by answering...."everyone in this lecture hall"! He then gave a more specific answer but I can't remember it. Cheers!