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When I was working at the box factory, I had a half hour commute every morning and every afternoon. I used this time to listen to audiobooks, going through about two per month.
Apparently, last winter I signed up for a one-year account at Audible. (I don’t remember doing this!) Since I haven’t been driving to work, I haven’t been listening to audiobooks, but now I have 18 credits that expire in ten days! I could use some recommendations.
I’ve listened to about 100 audiobooks over the past five years. My favorites include the Aubrey-Maturin novels, Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, Cloud Atlas, and The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series. I tend to like classics (Thomas Hardy, Charles Dickens, Willa Cather) and motivational books (Dale Carnegie, etc.). I’m open to anything, really, as long as it’s good in audio format.
Help me keep my book credits — and the $229.50 I don’t remember spending — from going to waste! (And, yes, I’ll cancel the auto-renewal as soon as I download these books…)
P.S. Yes, obviously this is off-topic…
This article is about Odds and Ends Sunday, 9th November 2008 (by J.D. Roth)
November 9th, 2008 at 7:42 pm
I love to listen to anything from David Sedaris at work. Sometimes I’ll laugh out loud at my desk he’s so funny.
November 9th, 2008 at 7:48 pm
I don’t listen to audiobooks, but my husband is an artist & loves to listen to them while he paints. I was also going to suggest David Sedaris. One of his favorite is Annie Dillard’s Pilgrim at Tinker Creek. You could also do the Harry Potter books if you haven’t read them.
November 9th, 2008 at 7:50 pm
If you like the really well written fantasy/comedy then try Terry Pratchett with Stephen Briggs narrating. Terry Pratchett is our favourite. My family has most of his work. “Thou Shall Prosper” by Rabbi Daniel Lapin is great too. My family owns a painting company and they use audible books a lot on their Nanos. “The Screwtape Letters” narrated by John Cleese is interesting. If you like Vampires then try “Pandora” by Anne Rice.
November 9th, 2008 at 7:52 pm
I’d suggest the Pulitzer Prize winning ‘A Confederacy of Dunces.’ I purchased it and was amazed by the voice acting, not to mention that it’s a great novel.
From Wiki:
“A Confederacy of Dunces is a novel written by John Kennedy Toole, published in 1980, 11 years after the author’s suicide. The book was published through the efforts of writer Walker Percy (who also contributed a revealing foreword) and Toole’s mother Thelma Toole, quickly becoming a cult classic, and later a mainstream success. Toole posthumously won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1981. It is an important part of the ‘modern canon’ of Southern literature.”
November 9th, 2008 at 7:58 pm
I love the way Jim Dale read classics. He has a few out now, and some on Audible as I recall.
I also liked “Once upon a Town” by Bob Greene,
November 9th, 2008 at 8:03 pm
Anything by Neil Gaiman is good. He tends to get really excellent readers for his books. Lenny Henry did Anansi Boys, I forget who did American Gods but it’s good. Gaiman also read his books Coraline and The Graveyard Book and he’s a natural at it.
November 9th, 2008 at 8:03 pm
You might try Mike Leonards “The Ride of our Lives.” It was a PBS special about an american family trip across the states. If you want heavy duty listening, try one of Ronald Kessler audio tapes, such as Inside the CIA.
November 9th, 2008 at 8:05 pm
Fierce Conversations by Susan Scott
November 9th, 2008 at 8:05 pm
I second the Terry Pratchett suggestion — just recently listened to the latest, Making Money, after I got tired of my sons’ garbled reading of their favorite sections to me when driving. LOVED it! The entire Harry Potter series is great as well.
November 9th, 2008 at 8:08 pm
Elantris - Brandon Sanderson
just out on audio book. great fantasy book. (better than Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell in my humble opinion of course)
November 9th, 2008 at 8:09 pm
I enjoyed “Eifelheim”. It’s an SF story with a dual storyline (one in contemporary US and the other in medieval Germany). And it’s very well read.
November 9th, 2008 at 8:10 pm
I’ve heard really great things about the Patrick O’Brian books about Aubrey and Maturin, the series the movie “Master and Commander” was based on. The first one is “Master and Commander”.
November 9th, 2008 at 8:10 pm
The best audiobooks I’ve heard in quite a while were C.S. Lewis’s Narnia series. A friend let me borrow them, and the narration was great.
If you’ve already read the books, and are just looking for something inspirational, try the final book, “The Last Battle”. It’s narrated by Patrick Stewart (yeah, Capt. Picard), and is quite possibly the best narration out there (for any audiobook I’ve heard). Highly recommended.
November 9th, 2008 at 8:12 pm
You might find the following links helpful (I did):
http://ask.metafilter.com/15026/
http://ask.metafilter.com/95955/
November 9th, 2008 at 8:15 pm
JD,
Just wondering … why don’t you donate those audible points to someone who deserves them? Or why don’t you gift audiobooks to your friends for the holidays? I mean, look at it this way: you don’t recollect spending time/effort/money subscribing to audible, plus with the holidays coming up fast, you will need gifts for people you like. It’s a win-win situation … you don’t have to spend money all over again … and your gift-receivers would be happy with the gifts. What books should you get for your friends/family? The books that YOU like/liked and think that they should listen/enjoy them.
Just a thought!
Mahesh
November 9th, 2008 at 8:17 pm
I enjoyed the (free) Librivox recording of “The Picture of Dorian Gray” by Oscar Wilde ( http://librivox.org/the-picture-of-dorian-gray-by-oscar-wilde/ ).
November 9th, 2008 at 8:21 pm
I bought Ender’s Game from Audible a couple of years ago and really enjoyed it. It’s one of my favorite books of all time, and the voice acting was especially excellent on this audio book. If you are a science fiction fan at all, you’ve probably already read this (it’s a sci-fi classic), but I highly recommend giving the audio book a listen anyway.
November 9th, 2008 at 8:22 pm
Which of the various Aubrey-Maturin audiobooks do you like? There are a few versions.
Thanks.
November 9th, 2008 at 8:22 pm
Guns, Germs and Steel –> AWESOME on audiobook
Also, Treasure Island was good . . .
November 9th, 2008 at 8:23 pm
As a side note, some public libraries now offer free audiobook downloads via the web to library card holders. San Diego Public Library is one example.
November 9th, 2008 at 8:23 pm
Don’t buy anything you can get for free from http://librivox.org/ …
-Wm
November 9th, 2008 at 8:26 pm
I highly recommend The Historian. I listened to it on audiobook and was completely entranced by it. It’s very long, but you’ll be sad when it ends.
November 9th, 2008 at 8:27 pm
So many great comments already, some of which are (unintentionally) hilarious. In no particular order:
1. Luneray, Eifelheim is my default link for constructing Amazon links for any of my sites. I’ve never read the book, but somehow that URL ended up as my base that I build from, as many readers have discovered (because I sometimes forget to change the ISBN).
2. Mahesh, I didn’t know I could donate Audible points. That’s an interesting idea. I may do it. But I’m a big enough reader, that I’m interested in keeping these myself if I can.
3. Chris, one of those Ask Metafilter links you posted is actually my question from three years ago!
4. Craig, I actually have Confederacy of Dunces in my collection!
5. I’m not a huge Pratchett or Gaiman fan, believe it or not. I should be, but I don’t like either one. (I thought Neverwhere was awful.) I could give them a try on audio, I suppose.
6. David Sedaris is a great suggestion!
7. Rachel, I like the Aubrey-Maturin books narrated by Patrick Tull. I think Patrick Tull is brilliant.
Thanks, everyone, for your recommendations so far. I don’t like hijacking this space for non-personal finance stuff. I try not to do it often. You’re very good to humor me.
November 9th, 2008 at 8:27 pm
Hapiness, by Tal Ben Shahar. He is a Harvard professor that teaches the most popular class at Harvard that teaches students how to find true hapiness, and guess what……………according to him you don’t have to be rich to be happy. There are a few parts that seem a little hokey, but oveall a great addtion to any collection.
November 9th, 2008 at 8:28 pm
I am an Audible subscriber myself, and I like the service. The books I’ve really like so far that I’ve got from Audible are:
Bill Bryson’s A Short History of Nearly Everything (or anything Bryson ever wrote, ever)
Elyn Saks’ The Center Cannot Hold (I could not “put it down”, a good example of riveting nonficiton)
Jerome Groopman’s Hose Doctors Think (helpful to anyone who sees doctors frequently)
Val McDermid’s A Distant Echo (just a good thriller!)
November 9th, 2008 at 8:29 pm
I’ll second David Sedaris! My favorite is Me Talk Pretty One Day.
November 9th, 2008 at 8:33 pm
Sci-fi comedy: Anything by Douglas Adams. I had most of his stuff on tape at some point.
Fantasy: Why not Tolkien?
Go for the Gusto: War and Peace (does anyone have the guts to even make this an audiobook?)
Poetry: The Song of Hiawatha (this would make a good audiobook, maybe)
November 9th, 2008 at 8:35 pm
I haven’t listened to many audiobooks since my commute went from 2 hours to 5 minutes, but I really enjoyed the works of Philip K. Dick and P.G. Wodehouse’s Jeeves books from my local library. Don’t know any of the details, but they were quite entertaining…
November 9th, 2008 at 8:41 pm
I am a long time and continuing audible customer, having listened to over 150 audio books. In fact I very much enjoyed Cloud Atlas myself.
If you enjoy classics, several of Jane Austen’s novels are availalbe at Audible. I can personally recommend “Emma” and “Mansfield Park”, both of which were wonderful and very well produced. Cormac McCarthy’s book “All the Pretty Horses” is also worth the time and “Lolita”, read by Jeremy Irons is fantastic. I second the earlier recommendation of “A Confederacy of Dunces” as well.
Finally I would recommend “His Excellency”, “Alexander Hamilton” and “The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr.” (which includes several very powerful recordings of Dr. King’s speeches and sermons) if you are at all interested in compelling and inspiring historical biography.
November 9th, 2008 at 8:45 pm
My husband and I recently listened to “The Great Train Robbery” by Michael Crichton. It was a fascinating and well-written Dickensian heist story, with a lot of history thrown in. Very well narrated too.
November 9th, 2008 at 8:50 pm
Areas of my Expertise by Hodgman (yes, PC in “I’m a Mac, I’m a PC”);
The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch.
November 9th, 2008 at 8:52 pm
“The Big Over Easy” and “The Fourth Bear” by Jasper Fforde are great books. I listened to The Fourth Bear as I drove from Pittsburgh to San Francisco, and it kept my attention the whole time. These are intelligent and witty books, that incorporate well known fairy tales into the real world - resulting in entertaining, yet poignant stories.
November 9th, 2008 at 8:52 pm
I enjoyed Ellen’s audiobook, “It’s Always Something.”
November 9th, 2008 at 8:52 pm
Blink - Malcolm Gladwell
Anything by Malcome Gladwell for that matter.
Freakonomics
Jack - Jack Welch (former GE CEO)
Good to Great - Jim Collins
Anything by Jim Collins
Five Dysfunctions of a CEO - Patrick Lencioni
Anything by Pat Lencioni
Anything by John Piper they might have, but especially Desiring God.
November 9th, 2008 at 8:52 pm
Confessions of an Economic Hitman
Into Thin Air
Snowball : Warren Buffet Story
November 9th, 2008 at 8:58 pm
John Hodgman - Areas of My Expertise
Narrated by John and it is hilarious!
November 9th, 2008 at 9:20 pm
All the King’s Men.
It’s a little slow to start, but it gets absolutely fantastic. I can’t recommend it enough.
November 9th, 2008 at 9:22 pm
I tend to pick books based on the reader -
Anything read by Dick Hill, Barbara Rosenblat, Lorilei King.
And I second the suggestion of Harry Potter - they come alive with Jim Dale’s reading.
November 9th, 2008 at 9:29 pm
The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party by M.T. Anderson is brilliant. It’s an extremely dark, extremely awesome story set just before and during the Revolutionary War, liberty, and property. It won the National Book Award. I have heard the sequel is as good, though it just came out and my library holds are backed up. I do not know how well the audio versions are read (I read incessantly but dislike audiobooks), but they appear to be unabridged.
Avoid spoilers if at all possible. No, really, I mean it.
November 9th, 2008 at 9:31 pm
I’ve got a fantastic recommendation for you, about a sad-sack middle-aged schlub who one day hops on the bike from his teen years, and starts on a cross-country trek! (obviously never heard of getting fit slowly).
best of all the story of the book is heart-warming as well: the author couldn’t get it published, but he worked as a narrator at an audio book company, and they published his book in audio format BEFORE he ever got a print contract… which happened after Stephen King listened to the book & praised it to the heavens.
the book? Memory of Running, by Ron McLarty. I promise you’ll love it.
November 9th, 2008 at 9:34 pm
I third John Hodgman’s The Areas of My Expertise. And if you’re interested in trying out some Neil Gaiman (also recommended) before you buy, his short story, A Study in Emerald might still be floating around on the net.
November 9th, 2008 at 9:34 pm
Yes to all David Sedaris. Also, anything by Sarah Vowell. My husband and I have both enjoyed “the Curious Incident of the Dog in the nighttime” by Mark Haddon, “Boomsday” by Christopher Buckley, “Rant” by Chuck Palahniuk, “Wickett’s Remedy” by Myla Goldberg and the “Memory of Running” by Ron McLarty.
November 9th, 2008 at 9:37 pm
I don’t know if anyone above me has made this recommendation, but Dean Karnazas the “Ultra Marathon Man” has released one of his books on tape; Confessions of a Midnight Runner. It’s inspiring, even if you’re not a runner. He is the perfect spokesperson for how fulfilling an adventurous life can be if you only give yourself the chance.
November 9th, 2008 at 9:43 pm
World War Z by David Brooks (Son of Mel)
A surprisingly well written and intriguing book about how different governments and regions of the world would react if a zombie outbreak actually happened. Okay as a book, but phenomenal as an audiobook due to David Brooks’ celebrity connections through his father, Mel Brooks.
November 9th, 2008 at 9:56 pm
Why Not? by Nalebuff
Predictably Irrational by Ariely
Sway by Brafman
Made to Stick by Heath
Collapse by Diamond
Screwtape Letters by CS Lewis
A Long Way Gone by Beah
November 9th, 2008 at 10:06 pm
I’ve been listening to books on the way to work also (got the books from the library). I started listening to some history books, something good for me that I might not read otherwise. This has been fascinating. I’ve read the following:
FOUNDING BROTHERS: THE REVOLUTIONARY GENERATION by JOSEPH J. ELLIS
JOHN ADAMS by DAVID MCCULLOUGH (the basis of the HBO miniseries)
1776 by DAVID MCCULLOUGH
HIS EXCELLENCY: GEORGE WASHINGTON by JOSEPH J. ELLIS
Along with 1776, I listened to a historical novel covering the same period:
GLORIOUS CAUSE by JEFF SHAARA
This has been quite educational and interesting. And puts some current events into perspective.
November 9th, 2008 at 10:17 pm
You spent $230 dollars one something you don’t remember? Is this GetRichSlowly or GetPoorIndistinctly?
November 9th, 2008 at 10:20 pm
I highly recommend Shalimar the Clown. Incredible production values and a fascinating story.
November 9th, 2008 at 11:40 pm
We can turn this into a personal finance recommendation. If you have a library card number, you may be able to check out audio books from online…I’m able to do it from Poland. I can download 6 books a week.
Once they are transferred to my device, they don’t expire, but otherwise, after 2 weeks, I think it is, they expire, and I can’t listen to them without redownloading them. They do allow some of them to be burned to cds.
So, in order to relate this to personal finance…don’t pay for something you can get from your public library for free!
Here’s my link from our local public library…http://digitalbooks.tblc.org/56029252-B1D5-4E04-8DFE-78A22388EFC0/10/285/en/Default.htm so you can see what I’m talking about.
Just in case you didn’t know.
November 9th, 2008 at 11:49 pm
You can download audio books from your local public library, so make sure you don’t buy one of the ones you can download for free. Make sure you check it out. Here’s our local library’s link for comparison. I’m reasonably sure it is around the country.
http://digitalbooks.tblc.org/56029252-B1D5-4E04-8DFE-78A22388EFC0/10/285/en/Default.htm
November 10th, 2008 at 12:41 am
Another SciFi entry:
Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan.
Basic premise: The brain can be digitalized.
Read to find out the consequences for society: Why feed criminals when you can put their brains on hard-disks and sell the bodies? Why travel when you can email yourself? What about the soul? Why not live forever?
This is all couched in a detective story plot where an assassinated man hires our protagonist to foil future murder attempts.
Richard Morgan’s books are wonderfully well-written and present a full universe with slang and history, not just an oddball world for the action (as much bad scifi does).
Enjoy!
November 10th, 2008 at 1:13 am
I second Bill Bryson’s “Short History Of Nearly Everything”. It’s a good one.
I also recently listened to “Shawshank Redemption”. The narrator sounded uncannily like Morgan Freeman so that was a great listen.
November 10th, 2008 at 1:46 am
The best audiobook I’ve ever listed to is This Sceptred Isle. This was a BBC series about the history of Britain from the Romans to the present day. It’s hundreds of hours long (in multi-volumes, so would use up your credits nicely) and really fascinating - if you wanted something completely different!
November 10th, 2008 at 2:11 am
For our 9000 mile round trip drive from Arizona to Alaska & back, Harry Potter kept my wife and I sane along the Alaskan Highway.
Get the British version, with Stephen Fry narrating. Phenomenal.
November 10th, 2008 at 2:21 am
“Hot Flat and Crowded” by Thomas Friedman. I’m listening to it now, pretty interesting non-fiction and well-read.
November 10th, 2008 at 2:45 am
‘Surely you’re joking Mr. Feynman’ is superb. Autobiography of Nobel prize winning Richard Feynman, he lead a very interesting life
November 10th, 2008 at 3:16 am
The Harry Potter books are wonderful on audio book.
November 10th, 2008 at 3:19 am
Audible downloads I’ve loved lately:
Any of PD James’ crime novels. If you like a crime novel which is more of a psychological/literary novel than a thriller.
The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins (Controversial, I know, but he’s a great reader and the book is very entertainingly written)
Under Milk Wood - the dramatisation with Richard Burton.
It’s All Too Much - Peter Walsh (very good motivational listening while decluttering)
Also, have you considered any of the Michel Thomas audio-only language courses? In my experience they’re the very best way to get a handle on a new language quickly.
Finally, if anyone in the UK is reading this, a warning. If you subscribe to the monthly plan *here* and you don’t use your audio credit in that month, it disappears! I was stung by this, and lost several months of credit because I thought it’d just accumulate.
November 10th, 2008 at 3:37 am
There’s this really good audio, although it is rare and hard to find. Come to think of it, you can get it for free. It’s called “The Money Tape”. It is really inspiring. I’d just suggest coping with the MLM stabs, not falling for any sales pitch, and then listening to the tape over and over.
Caleb
http://www.mefinanciallyfree.blogspot.com
November 10th, 2008 at 3:50 am
I’ll put in a plug for one of the best audio-books I’ve listened to in a while:
Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman
The autobiography of Richard Feynman, physicist and crazy character. Unfathomably more entertaining than you’d expect an autobiography of a physicist to be.
-gumnos
November 10th, 2008 at 3:51 am
Sedaris is a great suggestion, not only because his are great/funny books, but he reads his own stuff for the audio books and his deadpan delivery is hilarious. Confederacy of Dunces is one of my favorite books of all time, so that’s also a good one. One of my favorite novels ever is Middlesex, so I would suggest that one if you haven’t read it already. Don’t know how good the audio version is though.
One of the few audiobooks I’ve listened to is Stephen King’s The Gunslinger, which was amazing.
November 10th, 2008 at 4:09 am
george r.r martin’s series without a doubt. THE best fantasy novels ever written. each book is about 40-50 hours worth of listening, and the narrator Roy Dotrice is superb. the first book in the series is “A Game Of Thrones”. Patrick O’ Brian has always been my favourite author, but GRRM comes in a very close 2nd.
November 10th, 2008 at 4:17 am
the only problem i see is that with only 10 days to download your books, you’ll possibly get the first book in the series, then after listening to it, you’ll have to rejoin to get the rest. then you’re back to square one. good luck. p.s. go to audible and read the reviews.
November 10th, 2008 at 4:32 am
I definitely agree with everyone that David Sedaris is one way to go. Also, Sarah Vowell is fun nonfiction. I really enjoyed Assassination Vacation. Two of my favorite thriller authors are Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. The write solo and together (better together in my opinion). My favorite from them was STILL LIFE WITH CROWS. Both my husband and best friend who had never listened to audiobooks before LOVED it!!! My friend reads and has read all of their other books and my husband is waiting for me to get the others on audio.
Love, love, love your site! Keep up the great work and I wish you much success.
Jacci
November 10th, 2008 at 4:49 am
Here’re a few audiobooks that I really enjoyed, not just because of the story but because of the reading/performing, also:
Bill Bryson - A Short History of Nearly Everything, In a Sunburned Country
Mark Haddon - The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime
Orson Scott Card - Ender’s Game
E.H. Gombrich - A Little History of the World
Yann Martel - The Life of Pi
November 10th, 2008 at 4:52 am
Some books I’ve listened to as audiobooks that I loved:
Between, Georgia by Joshilyn Jackson
A Slight Trick of the Mind by Mitch Cullin
The Thirteeth Tale by Diane Setterfield
Can’t Wait to Get to Heaven by Fannie Flagg
Based on your reading preferences, some books I loved reading in hard copy (but never listened to so I can’t attest to the audiobook reading quality):
Mr. Timothy by Louis Bayard
The Black Tower by Louis Bayard
Sin in the Second City: Madams, Ministers, Playboys and the Battle for America’s Soul by Karen Abbott
The Birth of Venus by Sarah Dunant
November 10th, 2008 at 4:56 am
I’m mostly a self help listener and have been listening to audiobooks for years, here are some of my favorites:
All Your Worth- By the Tyagis
Any of the “50 classics”
Life’s Greatest Lesson- Hal Urban
A Short History of Nearly Everything- Bill Bryson
Life Matters- The Merrills
The Road Less Traveled- M. Scott Peck
Today Matters- Maxwell (anything by Maxwell)
I have many others in my audible collection but these are the real gems.
If you can only try one of them try Today Matters.
Good luck.
Tim
November 10th, 2008 at 5:07 am
Super Crunchers
Fooled by Randomness
The Black Swan
Freakonomics
Tipping Point
The above are all “popular business non-fiction”.
Otherwise, I’d suggest finding authors and books you already like and just grabbing some of their work “for the future”. (I.e., I really like Snow Crash, so I wouldn’t mind having an audio book of that for a random long car trip somewhere..)
November 10th, 2008 at 5:20 am
I don’t know if Audible has them, but Stephen King’s “Dark Tower” series is quality listening time from start to finish. An excellent series of novels, read by the man himself.
November 10th, 2008 at 5:21 am
I have listened to lots, but Shadow Divers by Robert Kurson is the best.
November 10th, 2008 at 5:30 am
Jim Butcher- Harry Dresden books. The first book in the series is Storm Front.
November 10th, 2008 at 5:38 am
The Dark Tower Series is fantastic to second Dominic’s opinion. I never heard the Stephen King readings of the book but the ones from Penguin audio are great.
I’m also a fan of the Ender Series - Start with Ender’s Game.
The Mist, also by Stephen King used to scare the crap out of me as a kid - only ever heard the audiobook.
November 10th, 2008 at 5:43 am
P.G. Wodehouse is good - I like “leave it to psmith”
Also, consider Predictably Irrational.
November 10th, 2008 at 5:43 am
By now, I’m fourth or fifthing David Sedaris. I’ve only listened to his books, never read them, and have heard that reading them is not nearly as enjoyable as listening to them … he adds so much humor with his inflections.
November 10th, 2008 at 5:44 am
Ayn Rand
Atlas shrugged. Truley epic.
November 10th, 2008 at 5:56 am
Some items I’ve enjoyed (a few have been mentioned already):
The Last Lecture - By Randy Pausch. This was surprisingly funny, and touching. Also a quick listen at a little over 4 hrs.
Assassination Vacation - Sarah Vowell. I LOVED this audio book, and can’t recommend it enough. It’s about the assassination of Lincoln, Garfield, and Mckinley, and Sarah Vowell’s touristy trips to visit important landmarks in connection to them.
1776 - David McCollough. Another surprisingly entertaining history book.
Manhunt: The 12 day hunt for Lincoln’s killer - James L. Swanson. Non-fiction about the Lincoln assassination and the manhunt for Boothe. I got this after reading Vowells “Assassination Vacation” and was enthralled. It’s surprisingly fast paced. I really think they could turn this into a great action movie.
Hope this helps.
November 10th, 2008 at 5:57 am
James Marsters read some Jim Butcher books (Stormfront is the first one, I can’t remember the others) and it was awesome!
Jim Dale, who reads the Harry Potter books also does an amazing job.
You could also look into some non-fiction - Michael Pollan’s books (which I’ve read but not heard and are great) are available in audio format!
November 10th, 2008 at 6:05 am
I like BBC radio dramas and the radio versions of 1930’s movies (try Lux Radio Theater) - they ‘re read by full casts, often with sounds effects, and are easier for me to follow than a single person narration. They’re also packed with drama, suspense and all that good stuff. Also, old time radio shows - love them! Audible seems to have a decent selection of all of the above.
November 10th, 2008 at 6:13 am
I would suggest “Team of Rivals” a book about Abraham Lincoln appointing his opposition to his cabinet. Very interesting. I would also suggest anything by John Steinbeck, particularly “East of Eden”.
November 10th, 2008 at 6:16 am
I second “A Game of Thrones.” Also “The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of The Oxford English Dictionary” by Simon Winchester. One of those books that made me want to take the long way to work.
November 10th, 2008 at 6:16 am
They’ve already been mentioned, but these were all very good:
Harry Potter (all 7 books)
Narnia (all books)
The Hobbit
The Lord of the Rings
I like fantasy, so that’s what you get if you ask me for opinions.
Of them, The Hobbit was the most surprising because I hadn’t really liked it when I read it. But I enjoyed it much more when it was read aloud.
November 10th, 2008 at 6:18 am
Stephen King’s Dark Tower Series
George RR Martin - The Song of Ice and Fire Series
Stephen King - The Shawshank redemption (this one STAYS on my mp3 player)
If you like baseball (and don’t hate the red sox), Faithful, by stephen king and stuart o’nan. I couldn’t care less about baseball or the Sox, but it was a good listen. They ended up writing about the Sox first world series win in like 80 years.
The Talisman and Dark House - by Stephen King
Nobody’s fool (forgot the author) - A movie was done with Paul newman, Bruce Willis et al. Another good story
November 10th, 2008 at 6:22 am
OH! And the Kidd novels (same author as the “Prey” [Naked prey, hidden prey etc..] books)
Fool’s Run
The Empress File
Devil’s code
The hangedman’s Song
These four books are a great read. A little dated now, but an enjoyable antagonist with a serious computer/technology bent that operates on the questionable side of the law.
November 10th, 2008 at 6:25 am
@Damian
Oh yes. I forgot about Snow crash. Excellent choice.
November 10th, 2008 at 6:31 am
A second for Atlas Shrugged. Its great as an audiobook (especially on a long trip in the car!) Get the version read by Christopher Hurt.
November 10th, 2008 at 6:33 am
What a great thread of comments - I’m an audible member too, and am always looking for the next great audio book…the reader matters as much as the text, so I appreciate all the great recos here!
Shadow Divers - Most gripping audiobook I’ve ever heard. Listened to this one on an 8-hour road trip, and upon arrival, sat in the car to continue listening for another 20min.
Neil Gaiman’s catalog - Any of them. They are all excellent.
His Dark Materials Trilogy, Phillip Putnum - these are done as an audio play, and a very fun listen.
Animals in Translation - Fascinating book about how animals think. Good non-fiction choice - I learned a lot about my dog from this book.
And finally, while I love Terry Pratchett, skip him on audio…there is something very lulling in the reader who does all of his stuff, and it makes me very sleepy.
November 10th, 2008 at 6:42 am
Shadow Divers is really great Jenn. Mr Chiot’s and I loved that (we listened to it on a drive somewhere once).
November 10th, 2008 at 6:57 am
I agree with the person above who recommend The Chronicles of Narnia series. As far as I’m concerned, they’re not just for children. I borrowed my parents’ awhile back (they originally bought them to listen to whilst driving around Ireland), and in addition to being great books, they are VERY well done in audio. It’s the kind of thing that you could listen to over and over again over the years. (I think you’re never too old for Narnia.)
November 10th, 2008 at 6:59 am
I really enjoyed “Heat.” It’s a nonfiction tale of what it’s like for a nonprofessional cook to work in restaurant kitchens with the masters. Very cool.
November 10th, 2008 at 7:11 am
If you liked Alexander McCall Smith’s Number One Ladies Detective Agency series you should try his other series:
The Sunday Philosophy Club- 5 books released, don’t know how many have made it to audio yet
44 Scotland Street- also 5 releases
Both are as entertaining and have the same endearing voice as the Detective series- just set in Scotland instead of Botswana! I dearly hope Mr. McCall Smith remains as prolific as he’s been the past few years.
November 10th, 2008 at 7:32 am
I’ll second the nomination of “World War Z”, but it’s by Max Brooks, not David Brooks. It is one of the best audiobooks I have ever heard. The story is engaging and the production quality is top notch.
November 10th, 2008 at 7:33 am
Right now I’m listening to Mary Roach’s _Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex_. It’s sometimes laugh out loud hilarious. I also recently listened to Salman Rushdie’s latest, _The Enchantress of Florence_ - the narrator has a few distracting vocal habits, but it’s a great story.
November 10th, 2008 at 7:41 am
I listen to a lot of books, because my job is data entry and I’d go insane if it weren’t for audio books. (I do check them out for free at the library though.)
The best one I heard all year was “A Dirty Job” by Christopher Moore. The narration was terrific, the story was hilarious, and the irony was outstanding. Just the dialog between the main character and his “mentor” Minty Fresh is worth the price of the book.
November 10th, 2008 at 7:53 am
The one I’m listening to right now is awesome. Little Brother by Cory Doctorow. I’m telling everyone about it.
November 10th, 2008 at 8:02 am
I would highly recommend The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. It is one of the most exquisitely written books I’ve ever read and the narrator does an excellent job. It is being sold as a young adult novel in the U.S., but don’t be deceived. This book is a must-read (or listen!) for adults as well.
November 10th, 2008 at 8:04 am
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold. Peter Jackson is making a movie from this one.
November 10th, 2008 at 8:13 am
I liked “The book of lost things” and
Since Christmas is around the corner if you are looking for some lite reading try “a Christmas Caroline”(Devil wears prada meets scrooge). I have heard both of these in audio format.
November 10th, 2008 at 8:26 am
It looks like you have plenty of recommendations but I have a few good ones. Sometimes great books are made incredible by who is reading them - Motherless Brooklyn performed by Steve Buscemi, To Kill a Mockingbird performed by Sissy Spacek, Everything is Illuminated by i don’t know but it is one of the funniest performances of great material ever. Other great (and well-performed) audio books I wholeheartedly recommend are: The English Passengers (funniest book on colonialism ever), Their Eyes Were Watching God, anything written and read by Toni Morrison, and The Known World (a recent masterwork). Enjoy!
November 10th, 2008 at 8:50 am
Anthony Bourdain, Kitchen Confidential. Great book and Anthony does a really good job reading it as well.
Also, The World is Flat - if you haven’t read it yet.
November 10th, 2008 at 9:01 am
This isn’t less money, but you could change your subscription to the one for 9.95 annually, your credits wouldn’t expire, and you could use them without pressure.
Just a different thought.