Websites mentioned: GraphicAudio
As you might know from a previous post, I'm a big fan of audiobooks. They shift the effort of reading away from you, they lower the "barrier to entry" for picking up a book where you left off, they let you multi-task. If you're nodding your head so far, you'll like today's post.
Recently I've come across a new style of audiobook which is somewhere between an audiobook and a movie – GraphicAudio. It's a full reading of the book, except in the style of a performance, with:
- Different performers for different characters + an overall narrator for the normal text of the book
- Active audio effects (e.g. footsteps, fighting noises, grunts, etc.)
- Background audio effects (e.g. atmospheric sounds, orchestral soundtrack music similar to a movie's)
It's almost completely unabridged – things like "she said", "he thought" are removed. In a way it combines the best of both worlds: the fullness of a book which keeps true to the author's style, and the immersive nature of a movie that really brings it to life.
And all of that with really impressive production quality, in keeping with their tagline "A Movie In Your Mind".
That said – it's not for everyone, and probably not for every book. It's also not as easy to just have on in the background as you'd normally find with audiobooks. But do check out a sample at their website! I'm currently reading Mistborn and loving the experience so far – it's a particularly good middle ground for books that have not yet been made into movies (or you didn't like the movies).