Day Two of Audio Book Week: How to Write Audio Book Reviews

Today’s discussion post from Jen at Devourer of Books asks us to discuss how to write audio book reviews.  Personally, I’ve only reviewed one series of audio books, Lee Child’s Reacher series.  The main format of the review is the same.  I give a summary of the book followed by my review or evaluation.  When it comes to reviewing an audio, I do discuss the narrator, whether his/her voice added or took anything away from the book.  Narrator’s play a very key role; they can make or break the listening experience.

One example: I listened to A Long Stone’s Throw by Alphie McCourt. The author himself was also the narrator. LOVED the book, didn’t like the audio.  Why? McCourt’s voice didn’t really pull me into the book.  There was no excitement or emotion, and the audio seemed to drag on. However, when I read the book, I was interested immediatly and read it in a matter of days.

On the other side of the coin, I think Dick Hill is the perfect narrator for the Reacher books.  His voice IS Reacher.  It’s strong, a bit scratchy, and exactly what I envision Reacher sounds like. It really makes the listening experience positive for me.

So what do you think? Should audio books be reviewed in the same manner as print books? Be sure to link your post to Jen’s blog and you’ll be entered to win one of several fantastic audio books!