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A Conversation with Deborah Bryson

Sounding Off on Audio: Interviews with Listeners About Their Love of Audiobooks

A Conversation with Deborah Bryson

Deborah Bryson is a loyal Bookreporter.com reader and lover of all kinds (and formats!) of books. Quilting --- particularly needleturn appliqué and hand quilting --- is her favorite hobby besides reading. Thanks to audiobooks, she is able to do both at once! Here, Deborah sounds off on listening to books while she’s in “that happy stitching place,” how different the experience of listening to a book can be from reading one, and why she’s such a fan of nonfiction audiobooks.  

Question: How long have you been listening to audiobooks?

Deborah Bryson: I’ve been listening for years --- mainly while walking, cooking, housecleaning, even on long road trips until more recently. 

Q: What made you start listening?

DB: Five years ago, I started doing hand appliqué and hand quilting. Some people can manage to watch television while they sew, but I need to keep my eyes on my work, so I started listening to audiobooks while I sew.

Q: When and where do you listen?

DB: I try to sneak in at least 30 minutes of hand sewing every day, escaping into what some of my fellow quilters call "that happy stitching place." While I most often listen at home, I always keep an "on the go" bag packed with my current sewing project and audiobook supplies. I've listened while waiting for appointments, sitting in the library or coffee shop or on airplanes. A nice side benefit is that I've met some new friends this way. Strangers are often curious about the sewing and go on to ask about the headphones, and that leads to a discussion about books as well.

Q: What do you use to listen to audiobooks?

DB: I'm not picky and will use any device that is handy. I've listened on my phone, laptop, home audio system, portable MP3 player and in the car. The format (MP3, CD, digital files, etc.) determines the mode I use to listen. Nothing is more frustrating than running out of battery power just when the book gets interesting.

Q: Are the books that you listen to different from the kinds of print and eBooks you read?

DB: Reading a book and listening to an audiobook are completely different experiences. Reading for myself requires me to interpret the text and form all the pictures in my own mind. I tend to read mysteries, thrillers and popular fiction for myself because I read very quickly. Having a narrator read a book aloud is a comforting experience, bringing happy childhood reminders of having a parent or teacher read aloud to me. A good narrator jumpstarts the reading process for you: interpreting the text, adding emotion and emphasis, even differentiating the voices of characters. I choose audiobooks, which lend themselves to slower reading, more concentration, and benefit from having time between sessions to think. 

Also, even though I always mean to get around to reading history, biography, science and other nonfiction, I’ve noticed that I usually reach over and over again for mysteries and popular fiction when I grab a few moments to read print books or eBooks. So I decided to challenge myself and use my sewing/audiobook time to listen to books that require slower reading and more attention (like the nonfiction genres mentioned above), as well as more challenging fiction. I love audiobooks that teach me something new or allow me to explore other cultures. 

Sometimes I both read a book and listen to the audio version. Sue Grafton's books come to mind. I love reading her books, but also enjoy hearing the delightful Judy Kaye put her own spin on Kinsey Milhone.      

Often, I will buy the print version of a nonfiction audiobook I've enjoyed, especially if the print version includes maps, illustrations or photographs.   

Q: Where do you buy/borrow audiobooks from?

DB: Price and availability dictate the source. Abridged versions of popular fiction and nonfiction are both affordable and easily available, so I often purchase these. Some nonfiction, particularly history and science books, are better unabridged, and I usually access these through the public library.

Q: Do you share your audiobooks with anyone?

DB: Absolutely! I'm happy to loan out audiobooks to friends and family, and I've happily borrowed books from others.

Q: Do you listen with anyone else, or is it a solo experience?

DB: On road trips, my husband and I will listen to audiobooks together. But other than that, my audiobook/sewing time is a vacation from the rest of the world!

Q: What percentage of your reading is done via audiobooks?

DB: That depends on the rest of my schedule and how much time I have to sit and sew. I don't go anywhere without a book or eReader in hand, and that is probably 65 to 75 percent of my reading. So audiobooks are about 25 to 35 percent.

Q: Do you have favorite narrators? If so, tell us about them.

DB: So far, I've enjoyed almost every narrator I've heard and have been amazed at their skill in changing character voices and bringing the text to life. Authors don't always make the best readers for their own material (with some exceptions), so I prefer narrators with professional speaking or acting experience. Some memorable narrators who come to mind are Will Patton, William Dufris, Robertson Dean, Edward Hermann and Patrick Lawlor. Only once have I been unable to listen to an audiobook because of the narrator, and even that wasn't the narrator's fault. I picked up an audiobook in a mystery series after I'd already read several books in the series and had formed my own personal image of the main character. The narrator's voice didn't match my own mental image, so I found it distracting. Other than that, while I find some narrators more compelling than others, I like them all.

Q: What are some of the most memorable books that you’ve listened to and why?

DB: So many books have been memorable, and some have even influenced my sewing and quilting. While listening to THE WORST HARD TIME, written by Timothy Egan and read by Patrick Lawlor, I became interested in the women who designed quilt patterns for 1930s newspapers and began work on my own 1930s reproduction appliqué quilt. Later, I listened to several novels by Jeff Shaara and Sandra Dallas on audiobook and started collecting books on Civil War quilts. I loved hearing Seamus Heaney read his translation of BEOWULF. Matthew Parker's PANAMA FEVER, read by William Dufris, opened my eyes to much I didn't know about the building of the Panama Canal. Dan Kurzman's NO GREATER GLORY, read by William Dufris, was a memorable story of courage and suffering in World War II. 

I enjoyed Chitra Divakaruni's novel, ONE AMAZING THING, read by Purva Bedi and several other narrators. Perhaps the audiobook I have found most memorable is THE BONESETTER'S DAUGHTER by Amy Tan, read by Tan and Joan Chen. This haunting story, with so much to tell us about how we see our own history and family relationships, has stayed with me ever since I first listened to it five years ago

Q: What is the last audiobook you listened to? Tell us about it.    

DB: After reading your audiobook interview with Willetta Heising, I followed her suggestions and picked up the audio version of DOG ON IT by Spencer Quinn (read by Jim Frangione). This is a book I probably never would have read otherwise because of the quirky narration in the dog's voice. Over the weekend, I started listening and ended up putting my sewing aside when poor Chet ends up in the euthanasia room at the dog shelter. For some reason, this was one of the scariest scenes I've ever encountered in a mystery novel! I'm not sure whether that is because I love dogs or whether it was due to Jim Frangione's narrative powers. At the risk of spoiling the book for others, I will point out that there are apparently many more books in the Chet and Bernie series.