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…
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I’m sure this list will keep you going for years, but I also listened to part of “Blue Highways” by William Least Heat Moon, and it was excellent. It’s a chronicle of the main character’s road trip around the country, sticking to smaller roads and byways.
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Getting Things Done is good to read every few months so you don’t fall off the wagon. I have the audiobook so I can listen in a few hours every few months. Might be a good one for you.
Also look at their business, management, self help, and financial books – these are the type you like to read anyway.
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Colleen McCullough’s First Man in Rome series. Plus, Stephen King loves audiobooks and always does his up right.
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I really like the Ender’s Game series. It’s read by Scott Brick, who also read “In Defense of Food”. I really enjoy this readings, and have begun to look for works read by him.
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If you’re serious about -wanting- to like Terry Pratchett, try The Wee Free Men. I listened to it on the train this summer and loved it. I’m not a huge Pratchett fan, but this young adult book captivated, and the reading was really well done.
I find that Nick Hornby’s books are best read aloud. His voice becomes clearer, I think. Go for his fiction – High Fidelity or About a Boy – or, if you can find it, Fever Pitch, non-fiction about being a football (soccer) fan.
I also recommend the Dresden books, by Jim Butcher. The books are good and with James Marsters reading you can’t go wrong.
As so many others have said, David Sedaris’ work is just so much funnier when he reads it himself. I find his books a little ho-hum to read, but read aloud, he’s among the best humorists.
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So happy to see “A Dirty Job” by C. Moore & “The Book Thief” by M. Zusak recommended. Both are outstanding though vastly different. “The Book Thief” should be required reading! “A Dirty Job” is laugh out loud funny!! Fisher Stevens read it & IS Charlie Asher.
May I also suggest: Their Eyes are Watching God by Nora Zeale Hurston (get the version narrated by Ruby Dee) FABULOUS!
Invisible Wall: a love story that broke barriers by Harry Bernstein (true story, set in England, pre WWI about a neighborhood where one side of the street is Jewish & the other Christian; very interesting dynamic especially when two of the mix fall in love.)
Haven Kimmel’s two memoirs. Listen & you’ll understand.
Life & Times of the Thunderbolt Kid by Bill Bryson (you can’t really go wrong with Bill Bryson, one of the best travel writes out there; this is more of a memoir than travelogue but fun; also check out his other books: I’m a Stranger Here Myself Notes on Returning to American after 20 Years, A Walk in the Woods (about the Appalachian trail); Notes from a Small Island (about living in Britain). I love his stuff.
Garlic & Sapphires by Ruth Reichl (a fascinating story about a food critic in NYC & how she dressed up in different disguises which acentuated different parts of her personality, not always the good ones)
Gentleman & Players by Joanne Harris (a gripping mystery tale at an english boarding school with a surprise ending)
Unfinished Life by Mark Spragg (a surprisingly good story about a young woman who returns to the small town where she grew up to her child’s father’s,who’s dead, home to escape an abusive boyfriend)
Stolen Child by Keith Donahue (This is a clever, original book told from two POV. It is a story about goblins who kidnap small, unhappy children & replace them with one of their own who also was kidnapped before. A very viscious cycle but fascinating and intriguing.)
And of course the HP series is fantastic. So is the Outlander series read by Davina Porter, this may be out of your genre.
I know others have recommended David McCullough’s books please don’t skip “The Path between the Seas” about the building of the Panama Canal.
Enjoy!
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I didn’t read all of the comments as there are so many. I like audio books as well but the cheap way to go about doing this is to go to the library and getting them for free.
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Big Russ & Me by Tim Russert. Self narrated. It was great to be transported back in time and hear Tim’s steady voice tells the stories of his life.
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I loved cloud atlas. Here are some picks:
FICTION
Life of Pi
Siddhartha
Anathem
Anything by Terry Pratchett
NON-FICTION
The power of Now
The four agreements
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I’ve liked:
The Assault on Reason by Al Gore
Our Endangered Values by Jimmy Carter
Freakonomics
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If you can get them as audiobooks I highly recommend Philip Pullmans Trilogy: His Dark Materials. 1. The Northern Lights/The Golden Compass, 2. The Subtle Knife and 3. The Amber Spyglass
I heard about them from the BBC 2003 “The Big Read” event where they took 3rd place. http://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/bigread/top100.shtml.
Whilst there are teen fantasy themes there are some brilliant underlying adult ones, specifically religious aspects and the discussion of the role of Church and God in society. They are truly the best books I have EVER read.
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If you like mystery/thriller, I would highly recommend anything by James Patterson. The range of voices used in each book, the suspenseful music, and sound effects make them very engaging. I listen to them on my 6-hour road trips (one way) to visit my brother, and hate to get interrupted by a phone call! On my last road trip, I was listening to Patterson’s latest, SAIL, and actually flinched when I heard the “click” of the gun trigger firing on an empty chamber!
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Life of Pi
Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy–all 3 of the trilogy–READ BY THE AUTHOR, not the BBC broadcast (although that’s a good listen too)
Any James Lee Burke novel
The Philip Pullman Trilogy
A Wrinkle in Time–we first listened to this with the kids during a long road trip; thought the author’s {Madelaine L’Engel) lisp was going to drive us insane but got very caught up in the story and her lisp seemed right, somehow– I know this is considered children’s literature but it is pretty deep stuff.
The Janet Evanovich novels are HILARIOUS
Anthony Bourdain’s book about traveling around the world eating food.
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I really like work by Augusten Burroughs, particularly I enjoyed “magical thinking”. I also liked “on intelligence” by Jeff Hawkins. “On writing” by Stephen King was pretty good too.
Have fun listening!
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Weighing in late here, but if you liked Master and Commander, and you like Science Fiction, you might like Naomi Novik’s Temeraire series.
Think Master and Commander on with Dragons. The Narrator (whose name I can’t recall) is entertaining and very good.
Also, if you can find just about anything narrated by Paul McGann (Fluke is really good, or the British version of the Sharpe books)
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I second (third?) Shadow Divers – absolutely gripping!
Anything by Neil Gaiman – particularly American Gods, but really anything.
I also second the Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett – entertaining and funny (I’m not the biggest fan of other Pratchett audio books, but this is an exception).
Ken Follett’s historical fictions – Pillars of the Earth and World Without End – absorbing and long (in a good way).
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If you want something I found very inspirational and motivating you should try The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolley.
Honestly I found his voice and the chimes to be pretty weird at first, but besides that the content is great.
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I highly recommend all the Dresden books. I love this series.
The Lincoln Rhyme series by Jeffrey Deaver is another great series and the reader is good.
Anything by Daniel Silva is great for a good international mystery series. Gabriel Allon is a great character and the books are well written.
Some of the Robert Ludlum books are also great to listen to.
Another good book is “The Company” about the CIA it’s a long read but it was a good one.
Even though I loved reading the books I personally did not like the reader for the George R.R. Martin Fire and Ice series.
If your looking for a fantasy series checkout the Belgariad series by David Eddings. It’s pretty good.
For SciFi books I really like the Miles Naismith Vorkosigan series by Lois McMaster
Bujold. Super fantastic.
I could go on and on but don’t have enough time. You should post the list of books that you end up getting.
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I just read The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, and I saw they had an audio version available.
The story was fantastic if you like family drama and dogs.
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three words:
This American Life
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You may have already read / listened to this … but Dave Ramsey’s “Total Money Makeover” is definetly a must read!
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I second the Temeraire series (unabridged!).
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Leo Laporte’s This Week In Tech podcast gets Audible books recommended by guests as the book of the week. They’re up to 167 so far – see here for a site that lists them all http://willhallmusic.com/category/audible/twit/
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Ken Follett’s Pillars of the Earth (40 hours) and World Without End (45 hours) were both amazing. I actually listened to them back to back, they were that good. Definitely a good value, at only one credit each.
Some others that you might enjoy as a way of helping you choose future reading material are 50 Spiritual Classics, 50 Self-Help Classics, and 50 Success Classics. Each one spends about 10 minutes summarizing key books in each of those areas, providing an overview, background on the author, and why this book may or may not be useful to you.
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Neil Gaiman’s Anansi Boys. Narrator is note perfect.
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All the David McCollough (sp?) books are great on tape! I’m an audio-book-aholic!
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Oh,ALL the books in the No. 1 Ladies detective Agency are excellent. Get them all!
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Yow–tons of recommendations, here’s one more: Gene Wolfe. I don’t know if his stuff is available on audio, but I loved reading his Book of the New Sun tetralogy. Technically, it’s science fiction, but because it’s such a dark age and because of his use of language, it reads like a cross between science fiction and literature.
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I’d definitely second Ender’s Game (and Ender’s Shadow); Surely You’re Joking, Mr Feynman; Life of Pi; and books by Bill Bryson and George R R Martin.
Heh, but to get this on topic, what about Auto University – getting audio books on financial and/or self-help topics, especially ones you go back to regularly for reminders? I’ve hit some prickly times, partially because I got off the basics. I’m going back to books and notes to get back on track. So any of the books you recommend to others, especially ones that would do good to listen to weekly or monthly:
Power of Now by Eckart Tolle
Ask and It Is Given by Esther Hicks
It’s Not About the Money by Brent Kessel
Barney Zick for creative real estate – this guy is hilarious and clever
T Harv Eker is very good too
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I am not really a fan of the lord of the rings but on a 16hour car ride someone brought them along on audio tape and I found them to be pretty entertaining. I also like the harry potter audiobooks.
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I’m working my way through the unabridged version of Dune on road trips. I don’t usually have the patience for science fiction about imaginary worlds, but I’m really enjoying this story. The link below is to a fairly new audio release that got great reviews for production value.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1427201439
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If you talk to the friendly folks at Customer Service, they might help you as they did me…
I paid $10 to have my remaining annual credits extended another year, under some unlisted membership level. Bought me some time to browse for me and ask friends what books they’d like me to send them as gifts.
As for books, my favorite is “American Gods” by Neil Gaiman. “JPod” by Douglas Coupland is excellent. I love the Discworld series by Terry Pratchett, though I’m only 20 in. The better-rated David Sedaris books are fabulous. Relevent to your blog, “Nickled and Dimed” is interesting, though not deep enough for greatness. Same with “Freakonomics”.
If you like biographies, “Kiss Me Like A Stranger” by Gene Wilder is touching. Anthony Bourdain’s “Kitchen Confidential” goes back to his chef days and is good for a cringe and chuckle.
Gregory Maguire rewrites fascinating classic fairy tales told from the opposite view, with extra social and political pessimism. They’re tougher than I expected, but fun to flip sides. “Wicked” the hit Broadway musical is based on his wicked witches of Oz, but the book’s far from the fluffy production.
“Haunted” is the most disturbing book I’ve ever read, if you like screaming and throwing a book across the room to escape its horrors, a la Neverending Story. Hurts so good!
My favorite among the old-school books I think you prefer, is “The Secret Garden”. Good luck with your quest!
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Honestly? Anything that you liked reading you will probably like listening to. I have a growing collection of audio books that I am listening to for the first time, but read years ago. Some of them I read 20 years ago, lol.
Listening to a book is a very different experience than reading a book. Like seeing Mama Mia on stage and then on screen. Each have thier merits, but they are very different events!
But since asked: I’ll ‘third’ the Harry Dresden books by Jim Butcher. They are read by James Marsters, and he does an amazing job. Fantasy with a dark humor. I have both read the books and listened to them numerous times.
I enjoyed Rex Pickett’s Sideways. A buddy tale about the wine country in California, made into a movie a couple of years ago.
Anything by Michael Chichton. I enjoyed Timeline, which I just finished.
The Lincoln Rhyme books by Jeffery Deaver are good mysteries. The first one was The Bone Collector (better than the movie, even if Angelina Jolie isn’t in it
)
For Comedy I would recommend Jasper Fford’s Thursday Next series, the first of which is The Eyre Affair. You do not need to have read Jane Eyre to enjoy it, in fact it might be better if you haven’t! Definitely Britsh Humor though.
More Mysteries: James Patterson’s Women’s Murder Club, the first of which is “1st to Die” I believe. Light mystery, but well done.
I could go on… but since you already have over a hundred other suggestions, I’ll stop here!
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Another vote for librivox.com I am an audiobook addict, but just cant budget for it and this turns out to be a great solution all around. And dont forget your library, they may have a lot of stuff.
If you are paying, Terry Pratchett is very good on audio book and if you look at harry potter try the British reading, I think its better.
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Sissy Spacek reading To Kill a Mockingbird just knocked my socks off. It’s my all-time favorite audiobook.
If you can find Walking Across Egypt by Clyde Edgerton, that narrator does a bang-up job too.
Have fun!!
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How about Stephen Covey of ’7 Habits of Highly Effective People’ fame? I enjoy listening to him in the car.
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How lucky!
Two short but wonderful audiobooks:
The Finer Points Of Sausage Dogs by Alexander McCall Smith (a marvellous reading by Hugh Laurie)
Mrs Dalloway – Virginia Woolf (mesmerizing to listen to)
Also, pretty much anything by P G Wodehouse lifts my spirits (ought to be unabridged and not dramatised) ‘Summer Lightening’ is a great introduction to his Blandings series, and it’s difficult to go wrong with the Jeeves and Wooster books.
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David Sedaris is hilarious.
If you don’t mind cursing, they did a great job with Feed by MT Anderson. It’s a SF novel about some teens and the “Feed” that’s connected to their brains. It’s a good social commentary on the effect of advertising on today’s youth. That sentence makes it sound boring but it’s very fast paced and they have the “feed” playing in the background so you get a good sense of what the characters are experiencing.
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My favorite of all time is Pride and Prejudice read by Flo Gibson. It’s brilliant! One of my favorite novels, and Gibson is a great reader.
There’s also an audiobook series of The Chronicles of Narnia that I quite like. The Horse and His Boy read by Alex Jennings in particular is good.
Enjoy! I love audiobooks.
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I have to 2nd the “This American Life” suggestion. If I remember right 1 credit = 1 season of the show, so a whole bunch of episodes.
Also, Josh Waitzkin’s “The Art of Learning”.
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I’ve read all of Bill Bryson’s book on Audible and loved every one. Start with “A Walk In the Woods.” Then do “In a Sunburned Country.” He is a great reader! I also loved Amy Tan’s “The Bonesetter’s Daughter.” As for books that have been personally very important to me, “Why People Believe Weird Things,” by Michael Shermer is excellent.
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I listened to a book on tape last year called “Hard Love,” about teenage angst… and I thought it would be corny, but it was actually really good. You might like that one. Also I like to listen to comedians on tape, and I got Margaret Cho’s book on tape… it’s her autobiography, though what it’s called is slipping my mind right now. It is definitely crass at some points, but touching, funny, and even tear-jerking at some points.
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Not sure if they have it, but I sat in on a meeting with two hedge fund managers this evening. They recommended Influence by Cialdini and Poor Charlie’s Almanack.
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I wanted to recommend A Confederacy of Dunces, but see it has been suggested before me. I don’t remember who read the story , but he was amazing, I bought the book after listening to it.
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Freakonomics is one of my all time favorites!
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The Things They Carried Tim O’Brien
Agent Zigzag Ben MacIntyre
Legacy of Ashes Tim Weiner
The Blind Side Michael Lewis
The Year of Magical Thinking Joan Didion
Fierce Pajamas
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Pillars of the Earth & World Without End by Ken Follett — I have both from Audible, and both are absolutely enthralling!
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I love anything by Dean Koontz. Another favorite is James Owen. He is an incredibly gifted author.
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I recommend the 4 hour version of Hamlet, put out by BBC about a decade or so ago. It features the voice of Kenneth Branagh, who I think is one of the best Shakespearean actors out there.
I also recommend the entire Chronicles of Narnia series, Corrie Ten Boom’s “The Hiding Place,” Margaret Mitchell’s “Gone with the Wind,” and Gary Chapman’s “The Five Love Languages.”
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Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress Free Productivity by David Allen
Great book on simple time management.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Getting_Things_Done
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