http://www.eaglescreens.com.au
http://www.redddog.com.au [email protected]
Ph. Dr Jay on 0407 944 203hitting the market in the last year have
increased dramatically.
British author Sam Manicom has
recently adapted three of his well-
known travel books to audio, narrating
them himself. You instantly feel like
you are in the presence of a master
storyteller. Sam is softly spoken with a
delicate lilting quality in his voice and a
tendency to down play the drama. He
does not use 500 words to describe a
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engages you in an exciting journey
and invites you along for the ride. You
become another participant in the
story so much so that you can smell
and taste Africa; feel the pain of a fall
and the weight of the bike; become
frustrated with recurring mechanical
problems and suffer the itchy skin
from mozzie bites.
Listening to one of Sam’s books is
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spins a really decent yarn and no-
one dares to interrupt. I have been
known to ride around the block
a few more times just so that I
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Distant Suns ended, I immediately
downloaded Into Africa to continue
my journey with Sam.
The latest audiobook which grabbed
me by the throat and shook me
violently was Touching the World by
Cathy Birchall and Bernard Smith – a
mesmerising tale of a blind woman’s
trek around the world as a pillion. The
viewpoint from someone experiencing
a land and culture through verbal
description is unlike any other travel
tale ever told. Situations which are
tedious or dangerous take on a whole
new level of engagement when
described from the perspective of a
blind person. It was also extremely
rewarding to hear the “other” side
of the story as told by Bernard with
his views on caregiving and guilt andresponsibility. Just the logistics of
such an undertaking are onerous:
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accommodation and “blind” toilet
breaks – formidable obstacles
requiring a whole new approach
to travel. Adding in to the mix the
challenges of a personal relationship
and this story reaches new heights of
inspiration and illumination.
I hope the next generation of intrepid
travellers – particularly the feisty solo
female adventurers - continue to write
about their experiences, mishaps and
escapades. My best advice to them is to
get yourself a good editor and consider
narrating your own book in the audio
version. And send me a copy when
you’re done...$QGRIFRXUVHZHKRSHWKDW-DFTXLZLOOGRWKH
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