It’s 17th November in our car, now. There are about 135 sessions left (out of 1,095) and I will have completed my first listen through, as I drive, to David’s Suchet’s NIV UK audio book. When I was looking for an audio book of the Bible to listen to, I rejected one, where the reader had an attractive Irish accent, but didn’t read with meaning and didn’t make sense of many passages. I passed over another where the reader read with great earnestness, but far too much!
David Suchet shows that he understands what he’s reading to you, and varies his style according to what he is reading. He tells the story of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection compellingly. He speaks tenderly to the weak and vulnerable, as Jesus did, but with anger when he is addressing Pharisaical hypocrites. Check out Matthew 23!
I’ve just discovered that the whole of his Bible audio book is freely available on YouTube. Another great reading in that same place is Johnny Cash’s New King James Version NT, which he undertook at his mother’s request. He did a fine job of it!
It’s not an easy thing to read for others. It’s especially difficult if you aren’t doing it, just the once, for a family member or for your local church, but making a recording that will be played and replayed.
A day or so ago, I finished listening to Andrew Wilson read his book Remaking the World.
It’s a privilege to listen to him. I was occasionally taken aback by his pronunciations. I think that mostly, there are a few quirky (to an Aussie!) British ways of saying some words. Mostly! But I do wonder about a couple of them.
Having finished this great book, I’m now listening to Kellie Jones read Sarah Irving-Stonebraker’s Priests of History She reads clearly and with meaning, but after pronouncing Zondervan as zon der VAN (or was it BAN) when she read the title, I couldn’t help pricking up my ears and noticing some weird wordage. We hear a T in Christendom, but no V sound in Max Weber.
It’s early days yet, and I’m hoping this is not going to be regular throughout.
This book has been noticed and praised by folk outside Australia and has a great preface by John Dickson. I enjoyed listening online to Mrs I-S give a lecture on this subject at St Mark’s Darling Point, a year or two ago. I may say more, when I’ve listened to more. It’s fun having a nice hardback copy and listening via Spotify (free for Premium subscribers), then looking at the book to see where I’m up to.