Exclusive video: Top audiobook narrators read 'The Night Before Christmas'
When it comes to audiobooks, voice is everything.
Depending on the listener, the cadence and timbre of the narrator's voice can make or break the story. A mellifluous voice is a big part of the job description. Their ability to strike just the right tone at just the right time can elevate a simple story into a timeless classic.
After all, half the fun of a good story told comes from the person writing it, and the other half from the person telling it.
So when shopping for audiobooks, you might want to give them a listen. How? Most audio retailers will offer an audio sample of the book. Some books have several recorded versions so readers can find just the right narrator.
Audible.com enlisted several well-known voice actors for Paste BN to record themselves reading Clement C. Moore's classic "The Night Before Christmas" on video.
Above is a compilation video of the actors giving life to this holiday favorite.
Below, you can watch each narrator's full rendition and flubs – recorded in their homes thanks to COVID-19. Like what you hear? We've also included a selection of books voiced by each voice artist.
Bahni Turpin narrations
- "The Hate U Give," by Angie Thomas
- "Transcendent Kingdom," by Yaa Gyasi
- "The Underground Railroad," by Colson Whitehead
- "If Beale Street Could Talk," by James Baldwin
- "Bad Feminist," by Roxane Gay
Edoardo Ballerini narrations
- "The Cold Millions," by Jess Walter
- "A Long Petal of the Sea," by Isabel Allende
- "Inland," by Téa Obreht
- "Devoted," by Dean Koontz
- "The Art of Living," by Thich Nhat Hanh
Ray Porter narrations
- "Broken," by Don Winslow
- "Savage Son," by Jack Carr
- "Heaven's River," by Dennis E. Taylor
- "Stealth War," by Robert Spalding
- "SEAL Team Six," by Howard E. Wasdin and Stephen Templin
Prentice Onayemi narrations
- "Behold the Dreamers," by Imbolo Mbue
- "The Sellout," by Paul Beatty
- "Frederick Douglas: Prophet of Freedom," by David W. Blight
- "The Rage of Dragons," by Evan Winter
- "Meditations of Marcus Aurelius," by Marcus Aurelius
Bailey Carr narrations
- "I See You," by Mary Burton
- "I Was Told It Would Get Easier," by Abbi Waxman
- "Finding Christmas," by Karen Schaler
- "Fever 1793," by Laurie Halse Anderson
- "From Flame and Ash," by Carrie Ann Ryan
Suzy Jackson narrations
- "Starsight," by Brandon Sanderson
- "Wish," by Barbara O'Connor
- "Life and Other Inconveniences," by Kristan Higgins
- "The Beauty Myth," by Naomi Wolf
- "Ashley Bell," by Dean Koontz
Luke Daniels narrations
- "Hounded," by Kevin Hearne
- "Unwind," by Neal Shusterman
- "The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test," by Tom Wolfe
- "Ubik," by Philip K. Dick
- "Right Behind You," by Lisa Gardner