Book World: Too many narrators can turn an audiobook into a confusing radio play
Katherine A. Powers, The Washington Post
Feb. 16, 2021
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The Cold Millions/The Night FireRamdom House Audio/HarperAudio - handout
Are audiobooks books? Certainly listening to a book is a different experience from reading it: Backtracking to check details in an audiobook is awkward, and, in many cases, you don t retain as much as you do with the printed version. Finally, there s the difficult-to-define relationship of listener to book: Your own imagination and interpretation have more independence when reading a book yourself than when a narrator s voice controls the text. Audiobooks could be said to be a species of translation: Although true to the words, they are different in character from the original, the printed page. But they are books all the same.
Five Fascinating Facts – Gannets
1.
When gannets dive for fish, they can hit the water at speeds of up to 100 kilometres an hour (62mph). They have extra-thick skulls which act as crash-helmets.
3.
A group of gannets has many collective names. These include a “company”, a “gannetry” and a “plunging”.
5.
Bass Rock in the outer part of the Firth of Forth very much belongs to these seabirds – the island now hosts the largest gannet colony on Earth. This sea bird sanctuary, in fact, is famous and routinely photographed for its gannet colony.
WHERE TO FIND THEM: The most notable colonies in Scotland live in Troup Head, St Kilda, Bass Rocks and the Northern Isles. You’re most likely to spot gannets on coastal cliffs between February and October.
The Riddle Of Gannets – Jim Crumley
By
on the wing so far from their natural habitat
There were three large birds silhouetted against the sky, apparently making little headway against what was no more than a lively west wind. I knew what they looked like, but if I was right then there was no reason for them to be discomfited by such a wind and, in fact, no reason for them to be there at all.
Except that it had happened once before, about 20 years ago, in almost exactly the same place and at almost exactly the same time of year. That first time I was utterly thrown by the context in which the birds appeared – it was minutes before I realised what they were, though I had seen them many times in their true oceanic context – but not there, and not like that.
Historic Fife postcards by 19th century artist Reginald Phillimore celebrated by retired consultant rheumatologist
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Michael Alexander speaks to retired consultant rheumatologist Jan Bondeson about his fascination with the works of a 19th century postcard artist who created various images of landmarks in the East Neuk of Fife.
When Swedish-born physician Jan Bondeson retired as a lecturer and consultant rheumatologist at the Cardiff University School of Medicine a few years ago, it gave him more time to indulge in his hobby of collecting books, art and postcards.