Saturday, October 17, 2020

How Do You Say That? The Mysteries of Audiobooks by Leslie Budewitz

Jenn McKinlay: Do you hear what I hear? Yes, it's our very dear Jungle Red friend, Leslie Budewitz, talking about audiobooks! Take it away, Leslie! 




 Leslie Budewitz: I’m willing to bet every Jungle Red will agree with me: When an author gets her first audiobook contract, she breaks out in a grin. Why, exactly, I’m not sure, but it feels like a sign that you’ve arrived. 

 For me, it may be in part because books on tape—and they were on tape, back then—were such a big part of my reading life when I started writing. (We’ll just ignore the debate about whether listening is reading; it’s story, and that’s what matters.) I was living in a small town on an Indian reservation in western Montana and driving a lot—I worked for a small law firm 30 miles north, and helped teach a legal writing class at the University, 45 miles south in Missoula. My town didn’t have a public library, but the Missoula Public Library took the view that it served the region and gave anyone living in an adjacent county a card. As I drove, I listened to books by Sara Paretsky, Sue Grafton, Elizabeth Peters, Ellis Peters, and Tony Hillerman. It was Hillerman whose books showed me I could set a mystery in my own rural community and that readers, and listeners, would be interested. 

 And it was those narrators—Barbara Rosenblat, George Guidall, Stephen Thorne and Patrick Tull—who gave the stories another dimension. Through them, I could be in two places at once: Driving my narrow highways lined by foothills and mountains, winding above the river or through a lush farm valley. And at the same time, walking the streets of Chicago, cruising along the Pacific Ocean near Santa Teresa, harvesting herbs in the gardens of a 12th century Benedictine monastery, or roaming the vast Hopi and Navajo lands. It was the voices who took me there. 

 Although my Food Lovers’ Village series began before my Spice Shop series, it was the Spice Shop books, set in Seattle’s Pike Place Market, that came to audio first. When I heard the voice sample the publisher sent me after they chose the narrator, my eyes widened. I knew that voice! You know it, too—Dara Rosenberg who does voiceovers for TV and ads, as well as narrating books. She even narrates Barbara Ross’s Maine Clam Bake series, a favorite of mine and a regular Jungle Red visitor. 




 At some point, we connected by phone and talked about talking—that is, pronunciations. My main character, Pepper Reece, is a Seattle native, and Northwesterners have their own way of saying certain things. It’s toorist and toor, not the Northeasterner’s toreist and tore. The king of clam chowder is EYE-ver, even though it’s spelled Ivar. Some characters have an accent, or a personal manner of speech. 

 The books are loaded with regional names, many from Native languages. It’s SHIL-shole Bay, not Shils-hole. Klickitat, Duwamish, and Snoqualmie. (KLIK-uh-tat. Doo-WAHM-ish. Snow-KWAL-mee.) The t and l of Tlingit are said as one syllable, rather than inserting a vowel between them. And it’s Spo-KAN, not Spo-KANE. 

 For The Solace of Bay Leaves, Pepper’s fifth adventure, knowing there would be an audio book directly influenced the writing. There’s a character named Jake Byrd, and no spoilers, but at times, the spelling of his last name matters. How could I make that clear for the narrator and for listeners? That led to passages like this: 
     “I went to a couple of meetings,” the customer said. “I didn’t trust that Burns or Burke, whatever his name was.” ... 
    “His name was Byrd,” the stylist said. “With a Y. And he called the project Byrd’s Nest. With a Y.” 
    “That’s right. He had all these fancy drawings, but they were ugly as sin.” 
And this: 
     “You know, mostly you know the other people in the business, right? You’re looking at the same jobs, hiring the same subs. But this guy was new on the scene. His name was Jake Byrd, with a Y, doing business as Byrd’s Nest, LLC. With a Y.” 
     “Cute,” I said. Finally, a first name for the man. 
     “I thought it was dumb.” Jessica bit into a lemon coriander crescent. “Oh, wow.” 
     Wait until the baker started using my spices. 

 Each chapter opens with a short epigraph, usually a bit of spice lore or Seattle history. I wanted to use a snippet from a book of walking tours saying that Lake Union, in the heart of Seattle, was known as XáXu7cHoo, or “small lake,” in Whulshootseed, the language of the Puget Salish tribe. But I couldn’t use it if I couldn’t tell Dara how to pronounce it. I emailed the guidebook author; he had no idea. An old friend of my husband’s is a professor of linguistics at Western Washington University; I emailed her. She didn’t even recognize the phonetics, and was sure it wasn’t a widely used system. She reached out to colleagues among the Northwest tribes, but it was Christmas; my copyedits were due January 2. I chose a different epigraph. Trust me, that made recording an audio file for my darling narrator much easier. 

Readers, let’s talk talking books! Are you a fan? Do you have a favorite narrator? Do you listen in the car, like Leslie, or as you go about your day? One lucky winner will get their choice of a paperback or set of audio CDs of The Solace of Bay Leaves. 


 From the cover of The Solace of Bay Leaves, the 5th Spice Shop Mystery by Leslie Budewitz: Pepper Reece never expected to find solace in bay leaves. But when her life fell apart at forty and she bought the venerable-but-rundown Spice Shop in Seattle’s Pike Place Market, her days took a tasty turn. Now she’s savoring the prospect of a flavorful fall and a busy holiday cooking season, until danger bubbles to the surface ... Between managing her shop, worrying about her staff, and navigating a delicious new relationship, Pepper’s firing on all burners. But when her childhood friend Maddie is shot and gravely wounded, the incident is quickly tied to an unsolved murder that left another close friend a widow. Convinced that the secret to both crimes lies in the history of a once-beloved building, Pepper uses her local-girl contacts and her talent for asking questions to unearth startling links between the past and present—links that suggest her childhood friend may not have been the Golden Girl she appeared to be. Pepper is forced to face her own regrets and unsavory emotions, if she wants to save Maddie’s life—and her own. 

 Leslie Budewitz blends her passion for food, great mysteries, and the Northwest in two cozy mystery series, the Spice Shop Mysteries set in Seattle’s Pike Place Market, and the Food Lovers’ Village Mysteries, set in NW Montana. Watch for her suspense debut, Bitterroot Lake (written as Alicia Beckman) in April 2021. A three-time Agatha-Award winner (2011, Best Nonfiction; 2013, Best First Novel; 2018, Best Short Story), she is a past president of Sisters in Crime and a current board member of Mystery Writers of America. She lives and cooks in NW Montana. Find her online at www.LeslieBudewitz.com and on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/LeslieBudewitzAuthor More about the Solace of Bay Leaves, including an excerpt and buy links here: http://www.lesliebudewitz.com/spice-shop-mystery-series/

92 comments:

  1. Leslie, this is fascinating. I have to admit that I never thought much about pronunciations; now I’m curious to know if you ever found out the proper pronunciation for XáXu7cHoo . . . .
    Yes, I am definitely a fan of talking books . . . and tend to listen mostly in the car. I don’t think I have a particular favorite when it comes to narrators . . . I enjoy hearing different voices . . . .

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    1. Joan, I never did figure that out! But boy did I learn my lesson.

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  2. Leslie already knows I am loving this book - and all of her books! I have fond memories of road trips to Quebec with my sons when they were young, listening to the great EB White himself read Charlotte's Web on cassette tapes.

    All of my Country Store mysteries are on audio, and I listened to the first two on long solo road trips after they came out. I confess to being taken aback by hearing somebody else read my carefully crafted words. And the drama in the narrator's voice, especially when she spoke my protagonist's thoughts, made me scratch my head. But she's a professional and is consistent, and anyway, I didn't have a choice in the matter. I've never spoken with her, either.

    I have an audio code to listen to the first in my other series written as Maddie Day, because Murder on Cape Cod didn't come out on CDs. I'd like to listen to it on a drive later this week, but not being totally up on phone stuff, I'm not sure how. Solution? Ask my son, whom I'll see tomorrow!

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    1. Edith, thank you! The Library Journal review -- starred! -- called Solace darker than most cozies, and I don't really think it is, but I suppose that's because the tone seemed just right to me. I'll be curious what you think about that when you finish.

      Ah, yes, the shift from CDs to downloads. After Allan shows you, you'll have to tell me!

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    2. I will! I forgot to mention that the other series has a different narrator, which is one reason I'd like to give it a listen.

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    3. Yes, different series by the same author will have different narrators. My Food Lovers' Village mysteries are narrated by Rebecca Mitchell, who does a great job -- without my help!

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  3. Count me as a Lifetime Platinum member of Team Audiobook. Back when it was possible, I spent an inordinate amount of time on very long flights, and audiobooks were my companions, both on planes and whatever far flung place I happened to be working.. They didn't need a passport, and they don't add any weight to the carryon! In these days, I walk a Lot in my neighborhood, and audiobooks accompany me. I have favorite narrators, of course. Huge loss on every level when a beloved narrator dies (Katherine Kjellgren, RIP).

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    1. Hi, Melody! When the shutdown hit last spring, audiobook sales dropped off -- no more long flights, no more commutes by train or car -- but then they picked up and are apparently continuing to grow. So I'm guessing a lot of folks are listening while walking like you are!

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  4. Hi Leslie. Welcome to JRW and congratulations on your new book.

    I have a new and growing love for audiobooks. My son gave us Audible for some holiday last winter and I have been the one listening every day. I am the chief cook and bottle washer around here, and the baker, too, so having an audiobook playing while I work is just wonderful. Much better than tv, because keeping one eye on the tv, and the other on the chopping board has lost me some fingernails in the past! LOL

    I have mostly listened to books which I've already read, but have listened to a couple of brand new (to me) books and that's also been terrific. It is interesting to hear different actors pronounce things so differently from the way you've heard them in your head. Also, the talent and the ability to change from masculine to feminine and the use of accents is something that one really appreciates when listening to a reader.

    So, I guess that I can say that I totally love being a audio book listener and that is not going to change any time soon.

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    1. Good morning, Judy! I totally agree about the accents and changing voices -- and knowing how to shift quickly from dialogue to a narrative voice.

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  5. Very happy to find you here this morning, Leslie. As I already told you at Bouchercon in Toronto, I love your writing but
    I fear I have some catch up to do.
    I only tried audiobook once during a long car travel. I liked it but found it a little distracting and didn't repeat the experience.
    I so much love really reading that I'll continue this way for now but I can imagine how thrilled you were to hear your work professionally read.

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    1. So nice to "see" you, Danielle! An actress and narrator I met recently said it's important to give readers the format that's best for them, whether audio, ebook, or physical book. So I'm super glad you know what works best for you!

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  6. Hi, Leslie! Thanks for showing us behind the curtain here. And for making an effort to have place and people names pronounced correctly. I've heard a couple of gaffes on audiobooks. Not many, but one or two have made me stop what I'm doing and rewind to hear it again. One of these days I'll have to listen to a Sue Grafton so I can figure out, is it "Malone", or "MILL-hone"?

    Now I listen to audiobooks in the car, or while I'm vacuuming (central vac is blissfully quiet-er than the other kind), but mostly when I'm working out in the yard. After a pandemic spring and summer of gardening I find I'm associating certain plants with specific scenes of books I've listened to.

    My first experience with audiobooks is probably unusual. In 1987 I was pregnant with my third child, my second daughter was a toddler, and I had to have jaw surgery that required my jaw to be wired shut. For a month. The same month that my husband was traveling. Luckily I found kids' books that came with cassette tapes. We had maybe two dozen of them eventually, some classic Disney stories along with other fun books. I would hold Robin on my lap and follow the words with my finger as we listened to the tapes. Believe it or not, this is how she learned to read over time. We were given a kids' cassette player (Fisher Price, I think, it was awesome), and Robin amused herself for hours with those books. That was especially handy after the new daughter came along. And so much better for her than vegging out in front of the TV. I think most of the narration was done by a man, but that was a looong time ago.

    And Robin is a world traveler who still loves to listen to audiobooks!

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    1. My son had a Fisher Price cassette player too. The tapes were great!

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    2. Karen, what a great story about Robin and the audio books!

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  7. Hi Leslie! Always lovely to see you here, and I have to go order the new book. Great cover and I LOVE the title.

    I'm a long-time audio book fan, from back in the days of books on tape:-) But now I subscribe to Audible, and as my life doesn't involve much driving at the moment, I listen in the house. I think my all time favorite narrator is Jim Dale, who massive work on the Harry Potter books is just amazing. I loved Simon Prebble, who did many Dick Francis books, Charles Todd's Rutledge books, and many other. Sadly, he has just retired. And Gerard Doyle, who reads many of my books.

    It occurs to me that I have a preference for male narrators. Hmmm.

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    1. When I think of audio books, I always think of Jim Dale who is absolutely brilliant!

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    2. Debs! Waving at you from the upper edge of the country! You're so right about Jim Dale. Mr. Right's sister started feeding us his audio books -- her 75 y.o. + husband listened to them to relax at night -- and we got hooked. 750 voices in 7 books? Something like that. And every one of them a treat.

      Rutledge on audio. Must try -- when we're driving again!

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    3. Debs, I love the Gerard Doyle readings of your books. He does great British accents and he switches voices so well!

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  8. I haven't listened to a lot of audiobooks lately, but I used to enjoy them when I was doing a lot more quilting. Quilting keeps my hands and my eyes busy, but not my brain, so having a good storyteller to listen to is great.

    These days I'm contemplating the prospect of recording audio versions of two novelettes I've recently published. I have the reading chops. I have the equipment. Do I have the nerve? I guess we'll find out. Prep for a job like that, even when you wrote the story and know how everybody should sound, is a lot of work. My hat is off to all the really good audiobook narrators out there!

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    1. Oh, yes, try it, Gigi! The prep the good narrators do is impressive. (I know Dara would have emailed me: "How the heck am I supposed to say THIS word?" !)

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    2. Gigi, you will be great! I can't wait to listen to your versions!

      And Leslie, Gerard asks me a lot of questions, not just about specific words but about the backgrounds of the characters, so that he can get the correct regional accents.

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    3. What a pro -- and so important in British stories.

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  9. Like Gigi, I have listened to audiobooks while quilting. Not while driving--too distracting for me. Off to look up your books, Leslie--need some new reading material!

    And Gigi--you know you can do it!!

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    1. Thanks, Flora! I find audios great for driving, but I admit, I do occasionally miss a line or two and have to back up!

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  10. I load up on audiobooks on CDs from the library for road trips. Long ones! That’s the only time I listen to books. I can’t concentrate sufficiently to listen to them anywhere else (a little ADD here). It breaks my concentration when the narrator mispronounces a name or place I happen to know. Good for you for trying to avoid that!

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    1. Hi, Pat! I'm blaming not driving for the drop in my "books read" count this year. (That's my story, and I'm sticking to it!)

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  11. Hi Leslie, I'm looking forward to reading Solace of Bay Leaves. I wish I could listen to audiobooks. It seems like such a great way to multitask enjoyably. I carpooled with a woman who listened - we'd vote on the books so I had a vested interest in what was on the tape - then I'd see something shiny and lose the train. Because we discussed the books when they were done, I always ended up buying a paperback. I don't know who narrated these early Elmore Leonard books, but he had a fabulous voice!

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    1. Oh, that's funny, Kait -- now I'm curious who it was!

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  12. Leslie, I love your books. I feel like I really know Seattle and the Market but sadly have never been there. I usually read but a lot of my friends do Audible only and they do get a lot done while I am sitting.

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    1. Oh, gosh, thanks. Armchair travel -- I guess I should call it earbud travel -- is great, isn't it?

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  13. Your books are amazing and give me great enjoyment.The Solace of Bay Leaves sounds captivating. Audio Books are very practical for road trips and when I am doing housework.

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    1. Thank you, traveler. I admit, I do love this book!

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  14. I love that picture of you--the hair just casual enough, the great red glasses!
    And the books, of course, are terrific!

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    1. Thanks, Libby! Sitting on the steps to our backdoor!

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  15. The Solace of Bay Leaves looks wonderful. The dog is adorable and sweet. I use audio books for long walks and many car drives.

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    1. Thanks, Petite. The dog is my hero. Pepper's, too, on more than one occasion!

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  16. I love, love, love audio books, and - don't laugh - yesterday when I had to drive to Orono and back (twice!!) to pick up Youngest for an orthodontist appointment, I listened to the audio book of HID FROM OUR EYES. Listening to my own occasionally when working on the new book helps me keep my head in the game, and reminds me of names and events I might have forgotten.

    Our small local library has come to specialize in audio books over the past decade, as more and more people move to our rural town in order to commute to their work in Portland. The hardcover novels circulate well, of course, but patrons really love having that fiction to make the miles fly by.

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    1. Julia, I am not laughing -- I think that's incredibly inventive. I'm working on a proposal for the next two Spice Shop books, and it is hard to remember sometimes all the whos and whats and whys. Interesting about the libraries adjusting to the commuters.

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    2. I love listening to my previous books. It really helps, with a long-running series, to help me remember characters and events.

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  17. This is the strangest piece of timing ever! I finished the audiobook of Guilty As Cinnamon (the second book in Leslie's Spice Shop series) on my way home from work this morning.

    I loved it, Leslie, by the way. I had listened to the first book a while back, and it was the only title in the series that was in the catalogue of the audiobook database to which my library subscribes. I had submitted a request for more, and they just added the rest of the series, and sent me a notice that they had done so.

    I do approximately half my reading by audiobook. Pre-COVID, it was sometimes more than half, as my work has me in the car a lot. But I do find that I prefer physical reading of books that are very intense or very complex. Audiobooks make it hard to look away or gloss over scenes that are too disturbing, and they make it hard to glance back a few pages or chapters to refresh my memory on a relationship or name or something.

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    1. Susan, how wonderful! And how great that your library not only fulfilled your request but let you know the other books are available now.

      You're right about the downside of audiobooks. I do find that I enjoy them for fiction or n-f I would not ordinarily take the time to sit down and read. The format has expanded my reading that way.

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  18. Hi Leslie! Welcome to Jungle Reds! While I am waiting for Virtual Bouchercon to commence this morning, I am reading Jungle Reds and commenting here. We had a interesting conversation about working for a law firm since I am a paralegal.

    Speaking of AudioBooks, I CANNOT drive and talk. I must have silence so I can focus on driving. LOL. It never fails to amaze me how people can drive and listen to books on tape. People have asked me about audiobooks.

    While I am thrilled that audiobooks are available for hearing people, I can only listen to unabridged books on tape so I can read the book at the same time I am listening to the words on tape. It is for my listening practice so I can learn how to recognize words after getting my Cochlear Implants / speech processors. I lost my hearing early in childhood.

    Happy Saturday!
    Diana

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    1. Diana, so nice to "see" you again. I imagine the type of driving makes a difference -- mine's largely rural, not urban, where you've got to pay attn to so much.

      Good news about the implants and interesting about the training.

      Last year, the State Library for the Blind invited me to tour their recording facility and offices, since they were recording my Food Lovers' Village series, which is set in Montana. So interesting; standard audios don't work for every person with a hearing impairment or processing disability, and they've got an amazing system.

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  19. Leslie, I love this post so much. Audio books have taken on a life of their own and it really does feel like hitting another level when your books get picked up! Congratulations!!!

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    1. Thanks, Jenn! And thanks for hosting me. (How do I say that in Whulshootseed?)

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  20. Leslie, your books just went onto my TBR pile. Your fans at JRW love you so much and I trust them implicitly! I'll start with book 1, of the Spice Shop Mysteries, of course! (Maybe the audio version.)

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  21. Thank you, Judy! Assault & Pepper is a lot of fun, no matter what format!

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  22. I love audiobooks! I especially like listening to them in the car and on road trips.

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  23. Don't shoot me but I've never listened to an audio book. Nope, not ever. I can definitely understand the advantages and use of them but have never found the need, yet. Maybe my next road trip to visit my sister, whenever that maybe, I'll find one to try. Though I am worried about that distraction factor.

    Seattle based books, will need to check them out. My maternal grandpa lived in Tacoma, which is not Seattle, but is sort of close and I haven't been there in years.

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    1. Tacoma and Seattle have such an interesting relationship. I lived there for a couple of years after law school, clerking for the Court of Appeals. I'd love to see the Glass Museum downtown.

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    2. Leslie, you probably would not recognize downtown Tacoma. The glass museum is amazing! I wentto law school in Tacoma, 1989-1992 in my early 40s. Visited in 2005 and 2011 and would have been lost, but for my friend who lives there! Did you clerk at WA Court of Appeals or at the Federal Court? Thinking about Pike Place Market brings on nostalgia. Will have to indulge in your Spice Shop series soon. Thanks for stopping by.

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    3. WA Court of Appeals, so we were just across the skybridge from UPS Law School, in 1984-85.

      Enjoy the books!

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    4. Missed you by a few years, but walked the sky bridge on the way home daily. Looking forward to some good reading times.

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  24. What a great post. Brought back so many memories. I still call them books on tape, because that's what they were when I first started listening. Back in the days when you actually had to go to the library to select books and go from branch to branch to find more of those Paretskys or Graftons or Jances, and you had to reserve books in person. When there was finally an "online" it was heaven. I used to have a daily commute that could be 5-6 hours a day so listening saved my sanity (and avoided road rage!). Now I am retired (yay) and I listen to books while taking my daily walk.

    Narrators are amazing. My favorite is Susan Bennett. What she did with Diane Chamberlain's Dream Daughter was beyond amazing. But they all pull you into the story and take you to other place. Thanks for sparking the memories.
    sally

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    1. Lovely to "see" you, Sally! I admit, I call them books on tapes sometimes, too!

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  25. I'm a confirmed Dead Tree Reader. The director of the local library started the mystery book club and he's been trying to get me to listen to an audiobook ever since.

    It's just not my thing. I want to hold the book in my hands and turn the page for each successive clue or misadventure.

    I'm glad others like the format but for me it's physical book or forget it.

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    1. Hi, Jay! They are different experiences, for sure. I'm glad you're such a great reader and supporter of cozy mysteries, in whatever format!

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  26. I listened to The Poisonwood Bible read by Dean Robertson and she did an amazing job with all of the characters' voices. Another wonderful narrator was Anna Fields reading Bel Canto. I'm not commuting anymore so I don't listen to audiobooks as much, but still really enjoy them.

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    1. I listened to Bel Canto, too, and yes, the narrator was outstanding. I probably wouldn't have read it in print; I love how audio books allow me to experiment a bit.

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  27. Oh, this is so great--and I love how careful you are your reader were--SO distressing when a reader gets it wrong. And it's very exciting how much people love them--anything that gets people reading is fine with me! And I bet people buy book-books and audio books, depending on where and why they're reading. (Me, personally? I am skittish about audio books. Um, confession, I have trouble deciding where to look, and if I'm driving, I get distracted, and if I'm the passenger, I just instantly go to sleep. But I know others' experiences are way different!

    Congratulations! xxx

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    1. LOL! I do think where you drive, and how confident you are in your driving, does make a difference!

      Happy Birthday!

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  28. Karen B
    Not a fan! If I don't actually have the book in my hands I tend to fall asleep! Well, I can - and do - fall asleep with a book in my hands, too, but at least when I wake up I know where I left off reading!
    kpbarnett1941(at)aol(dot)com

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    1. LOL -- I've never tried listening at night, for the same reason!

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  29. Hank, “skittish” is just the right word! I’ve never tried an audio book because I know “tune out” news and music on the radio when driving or doing housework. Also headphones or anything in my ears make me very uncomfortable, as if I am cut off from the world. Got through my college language requirement by taking Latin to avoid the lab —speaking was not part of the grade

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  30. By the way, Leslie, your bookmarks arrived today, just in time for the opening of our Little Free Library. Thank you!

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  31. The library gave me an audio book by mistake so I tried it. I couldn't just sit and listen, and when I did things, I got distracted. Also, I hated the narrator. It took me about 3 chapters of the real book to get her voice out of my head. Just not my cup of tea. Stay safe and well.

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    1. Some narrators just don't work for some listeners, but when you find one you like, they can really take you places!

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  32. Oh my, what a TREAT to find Leslie Budewitz on the JRW !! I LOVE the Spice Shop series...I used to live in Seattle, miss it terribly (I now live in Boise) and would spend a fair amount of time in The Market. SO MANY MEMORIES, smells, sounds, and the "feel" of the city wrapped around me. As to audiobooks, I love them, and listen to many, by various readers. They help me get to sleep at night, though sometimes that works in reverse if it is a new book !! Favourite readers include Jim Dale (Harry Potter series and several others...) Dara Rosenberg, who does a great job of creating the audio-personality for Pepper Reece. Sadly one of my least favourites is Barbara Rosenblat, due to her audio portrayal of the Diane Mott Davidson characters...oh well, fun books, but I read those, rather than listen. As to the pronunciation of words and proper names - oh dear, best not get me started down that rabbit hole. I am a stickler for correct spelling and pronunciation (ie. SPO-KAN, not SPO-KANE, and all those wonderful Northwest tribes' names...nuff said there) I am glad you used those names as examples, Leslie. One which is very personal to me is, of course, BOY-SEE, not BOY-ZEE, or heaven forbid BOY-ZAY) Ah so... Now I need to get back to listening. Today it is The Case of the Left-Handed Lady, by Nancy Springer (in the Enola Holmes series), read by Katherine Kjellgren...I did not know she has passed, indeed a great loss. Again, it is a treat for you to be here in Jungle Red land, Leslie...thank you for your brilliant and very fun books.

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    1. Melissa, so nice to "meet" you -- and your enthusiasm is putting a big smile on my face! My BFF from college -- Seattle University -- is from Boise, so I feel your pain on the mispronunciation. Thank goodness she lives in Seattle so she can do ground-truthing for me, and be my chauffeur on visits and research trips! By research, of course, I mean "eat." :)

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  33. I’m so glad to see this topic today. I have a few friends who look down their noses on listening to a book but with so many books, so little time, I could never enjoy as many books if not for the ability to listen while driving or cleaning house! I just checked my Audible account and found that I have 1015 books in my library, so yes, I am a fan, although I do still read print books. Sometimes I read and listen to the same book. There are books I just cannot listen to because I don’t like the reader and books where the reader is so spot on that I’d actually rather listen than read. Two favorite readers are Robert Glenister reading JK Rowling writing as Robert Galbraith’s Cormoran Strike series and Ralph Cosham and Robert Bathurst reading Louise Penny’s Inspector Gamache books. I did cry when Ralph Cosham died and was thrilled with the choice of Robert Bathurst to continue the series. Spot on.
    I can’t imagine anyone narrating Craig Johnson’s Longmire as well as George Guidall. And going back to the days when there were only books on
    tape, Elizabeth Peters’ Vicki Bliss series was read by Kathleen Turner and ruined me for any other Vicki. And I have tapes of Douglas Adams reading his own books, including The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy. Stephen Fry, of the wonderful voice, great as he is, cannot compare to either Douglas Adams or Jim Dale reading Harry Potter.
    Okay more than you wanted to know and time for dinner, so it’s Wendy signing off.

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    1. Wendy, you are so right! The first Louise Penny book was an audio, and Cosham really brought it to life.

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  34. I don't usually do audio books as I don't process the spoken word well. In speaking with someone being able to read their lips helps. No, I'm not hearing impaired, it's just my brain is more visual. Speaking of pronunciation- I'm from Western Washington but I lived in CT for several years in the late 80s. Something happened in Idaho that made the national news and hearing a local news reporter try to pronounce Coeur d'Alene was amusing!

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    1. Ah, yes -- Coeur d'Alene and Boise confound broadcasters and visitors! Although certainly the NE and SE have their share of less-familiar sounds and names, too.

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  35. I prefer to read paperbacks, and occasionally read Kindle books on my laptop.

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    1. I never wanted a Kindle, but my mother gave us them for Christmas a few years ago, and while I mostly use it for travel, I've been surprised how much I enjoy it.

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  36. This would be the perfect book to listen to on audio...if I hadn't already devoured it (><;;)

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  37. I love audio books. They make the day go so much faster. When I used to drive to work, I had an hour commute and would go through a book a week. Now I put them on when I'm ironing or working in the garden. I'm so happy Dara connected with you on pronunciations. I understand it's very difficult to get local names right, we have a town close to me where even the locals can't agree on how to pronounce it. However, I was listening to a book recently that took place in France and the reader kept mispronouncing Nice. I'm sure she has heard about that ad nauseum. :-)
    I have several readers I love, but my all-time favorite is Jim Dale. I've read books I would never have picked up just because he's the reader.

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    1. Isn't Dale fantastic? Something like 750 voices for the Harry Potter series!

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  38. I've come to love audiobooks! I find I love them best so far for memoirs and nonfiction. I'm not sure why that is. I'm listening now to Sally Field's fascinating memoir, In Pieces. I used to listen mostly when driving places--but I'm not driving places very much these days. So this summer I listened while doing yard work. This winter I'm going to try listening while I keep plugging away at learning to crochet, and while doing jigsaw puzzles--a newfound pass time. Anyway, I highly recommend In Pieces!

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    1. I love them for nonfiction, too -- I find I'm willing to try on audio books I wouldn't take the time to read in print. And I love the match of "In Pieces" with jigsaw puzzles!

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  39. I love audiobooks, I listen to them in the car and while cleaning or cooking. I really like luke Daniels (does the Kevin Hearne Iron druids books, his dog voice is incredible, yes, dog). Lorelei King does a variety of series, love her Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs work. Alexandra harris does great work in The Others series by Anne Bishop.

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  40. I love audiobooks. My audible account has over 200 books on it. I listen at work, when taking walks or when I'm on a long road trip. Right now I'm working from home, so I'm not in the car much, but when I go back to the office, I'll listen on the short commute as well.

    I know several people have mentioned Jim Dale... he's a favorite of mine as well. He brings Harry Potter to life. I also really enjoy Amanda Ronconi and Michael Rahhal. Honestly a narrator can make or break an audiobook.

    And thanks for making sure Spokane is pronounced correctly. :) As someone living in Spokane, it grates on the nerves when it's mispronounced. lol

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    1. Hi, neighbor! (That's a regional joke, for the rest of you -- out here, 200 miles is close!)

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  41. Love listening to audiobooks, help rest my eyes, moving around in my place or going on errands by bus.

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