From: Connie Rockman <connie.rock>
Date: Tue, 4 Mar 2008 22:33:00 -0500

I've been so happy to see the enthusiastic response to audiobooks in this thread.

I became a convert while serving on the ALSC Notable Recordings Committee a few years back, and was privileged to serve on the inaugural Odyssey committee. I'm interested in reactions to this year's Odyssey choices if anyone has listened to them, but the recent mention of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time prompted me to write.

Curious Incident is one of my favorite audio experiences of all time - in between my years on audio committees. I, too, was unaware of the drawings and diagrams when I listened. I was just totally captivated by the voice of Christopher and the way narrator Jeff Woodman got into the head of that character. An accomplished actor, Jeff gave a distinct voice and local accent to each character, so that it's hard to believe he is not British himself. Some time later, I heard him speak about creating recordings at the Westport (CT) library when they used Curious Incident as a town-wide reading choice. It was amazing to watch Jeff talk about the process and then slip effortlessly into character and read a passage from the book.

It's also a remarkable experience to be on site to watch and hear a recording being made. The attention to detail, the intense concentration of the director and engineer as well as the narrator, the stops and starts in the reading that, through digital magic, are seamlessly put together to create the final whole - Seeing that in action gives you a new appreciation for the art of audiobook production.

Connie Rockman
Received on Tue 04 Mar 2008 09:33:00 PM CST