Books and Movies

[patientlee]

Why is it that I can pick up my Nook and select a book within two minutes, but when I get the rare urge to watch a movie while I work, it takes me an hour and a half of scrolling through Amazon Instant Video? I spend as much time selecting a movie as I do watching it.

If only I could read while I work...

And while I'm complaining, I'll just add that it is terribly inconvenient that Amazon Instant Video doesn't ignore "a" and "the" when alphabetizing. Scrolling through the "the" section is freaking torture.

 

[Handley_Page]

Have you considered Audio Books or even Plays ?
Forgive me please. I am unfamiliar with a Nook.

I used to record the play on BBC Radio 4 and replay it at a convenient time.

 

[patientlee]

Have you considered Audio Books or even Plays ?
Forgive me please. I am unfamiliar with a Nook.

I used to record the play on BBC Radio 4 and replay it at a convenient time.

Nook is the Barnes and Noble version of the Kindle.

I have tried audiobooks. They require too much concentration to listen while I work.

Usually I find some mindless marathon on tv and just let that run in the background.

And just to clarify, I'm not really complaining about the Amazon service (although it is difficult to navigate through Tivo). I just think it's bizarre that I can choose a book in two minutes, but I can't decide on a movie. The book is a longer commitment.

 

[TxRad]

Nook is the Barnes and Noble version of the Kindle.

I have tried audiobooks. They require too much concentration to listen while I work.

Usually I find some mindless marathon on tv and just let that run in the background.

And just to clarify, I'm not really complaining about the Amazon service (although it is difficult to navigate through Tivo). I just think it's bizarre that I can choose a book in two minutes, but I can't decide on a movie. The book is a longer commitment.

So many movies I've already seen and it takes so long to find one I haven't seen a million times. Sound about right?

 

[patientlee]

So many movies I've already seen and it takes so long to find one I haven't seen a million times. Sound about right?

Actually, I don't watch many movies. I don't know why, but it may have something to do with how long it takes me to select one.

I decided on Psycho. I've been meaning to watch that one for a long time. I liked the Bates Motel series on A&E, so I'm going with the original today.

 

[StrangeLife]

A smartphone, a set of wireless headphones and a good audiobook is ideal for work and long commutes imho.

But quality varies so you should try a few before dismissing the idea entirely. An audiobook is not just "a book" - it's "a performance" and the narrator has a significant influence on the listening experience.

And certain narrators fit certain books better than others.

For example James Marsters (Spike from Buffy) is the perfect narrator for Jim Butchers Dresden Files - his casual unimpressed narration is exactly how you'd expect Harry Dresden to talk. Another is Johanna Parker who reads Charlain Harris' Sookie Stackhouse novels with a southern drawl that makes you crave cajun food and want to trade in your labrador retriever for a Carolina catahoula.

So I would advice you to maybe experiment a little more before giving up on audiobooks...

 

[soflabbwlvr]

My problem occurs when I'm purchasing new music. I'm old fashioned--I still by CDs, rather than download individual songs. I have a backlog of hundreds of albums I want to add, but when I decide to sit down and buy something, I draw a blank. I can remember the latest release by one of my favorite artists, no problem, but when I want to pick up something I've been putting off--huge blank. It drives me crazy.

 

[patientlee]

A smartphone, a set of wireless headphones and a good audiobook is ideal for work and long commutes imho.

But quality varies so you should try a few before dismissing the idea entirely. An audiobook is not just "a book" - it's "a performance" and the narrator has a significant influence on the listening experience.

And certain narrators fit certain books better than others.

For example James Marsters (Spike from Buffy) is the perfect narrator for Jim Butchers Dresden Files - his casual unimpressed narration is exactly how you'd expect Harry Dresden to talk. Another is Johanna Parker who reads Charlain Harris' Sookie Stackhouse novels with a southern drawl that makes you crave cajun food and want to trade in your labrador retriever for a Carolina catahoula.

So I would advice you to maybe experiment a little more before giving up on audiobooks...

I haven't given up on them. I just can't listen while I work. Correcting sentences and listening to other sentences doesn't work.

I used to listen to books on tape when my parents lived about five hours a day. I don't do much driving now, so I haven't done that in a while.

Thanks for the tip!

 

[desertslave]

I rely on my Amazon Watchlist to help me winnow stuff out. When something new catches my eye, I send it to the list. When I want to watch something, I only have to scroll through the list instead of absolutely everything.

 

[StrangeLife]

Correcting sentences and listening to other sentences doesn't work.

Oh - I see. Yeah listening to somebody talk in your ear might be detrimental to that kind of work.

Audiobooks are probably best suited to tasks of a less mentally demanding nature. Last time I painted the house I "read" the entire His Dark Materials trilogy while working. It made an otherwise boring week fly by and I was actually looking forward to getting started in the morning so I could listen to my book.

I recommend that one too btw. It's a full cast production - they have 20+ voice actors doing the various characters. Lyra is narrated by Jo Wyatt who did a fine job.

 

[desertslave]

My kids and I made the Great Move to Arizona 12 years ago with massive help from the Harry Potter books (1-3). We weren't quite finished with #3, so we did a few 'learn your state' weekend drives to finish up. We did the same long haul 3 years later while transporting a few more things and the car my Mom sold to me, and Sir even got drawn in.

Two weeks ago I drove my babygirl to college in Chicago. This time we listened to one of the Dresden books. The extra charm was that they all take place in Chicago and make several references to stuff in and around the city. We "read" #7, Dead Beat, which has a spectacular scene involving a reanimated dinosaur from the Field Museum (Sue, the T-Rex) rampaging up Lakeshore Drive. We got a GREAT foggy, drizzly night which compelled us to retrace part of the adventure. It couldn't have been more perfect!

 

[MagicaPractica]

I have similar difficulty. I don't know why either.

 

[MagicaPractica]

A smartphone, a set of wireless headphones and a good audiobook is ideal for work and long commutes imho.

But quality varies so you should try a few before dismissing the idea entirely. An audiobook is not just "a book" - it's "a performance" and the narrator has a significant influence on the listening experience.

And certain narrators fit certain books better than others.

For example James Marsters (Spike from Buffy) is the perfect narrator for Jim Butchers Dresden Files - his casual unimpressed narration is exactly how you'd expect Harry Dresden to talk. Another is Johanna Parker who reads Charlain Harris' Sookie Stackhouse novels with a southern drawl that makes you crave cajun food and want to trade in your labrador retriever for a Carolina catahoula.

So I would advice you to maybe experiment a little more before giving up on audiobooks...

I've heard two different people narrate Dresden. I enjoyed one but not the other. I did like the woman who narrated the Sookie Stackhouse series. The woman doing Darynda Jones Charlie Davidson series is very good and whoever narrates Dean Koontz Odd Thomas books is the epitome of Odd Thomas.

 

[StrangeLife]

I've heard two different people narrate Dresden. I enjoyed one but not the other.

John Glover (Lionel Luthor from Smallville) did take over the latest book because of a scheduling conflict with James Marsters. I wasn't too thrilled about it either, but according to Jim Butcher Marsters still has the job and will be back for the next one.

The woman doing Darynda Jones Charlie Davidson series is very good and whoever narrates Dean Koontz Odd Thomas books is the epitome of Odd Thomas.

Thanks for the tip. I have First Grave On The Right in my reading queue already - maybe I should move it to the top...