audio books

CeannRua

Could anyone recommend some audio books please? Normally I listen to fiction but anything goes... The only things I'd tend to stay away from are chick lit and classic novels. The sentence structure in the classics is waaay too convoluted for me when trying to drive at the same time! Thanks.

Carawaystick

I enjoyed Colin Bateman's "Murphy's Revenge" but I like reading his books too.

I'm working through Moby Dick on podcast but you wouldn't listen while driving....

Harry Angstrom

The Secret History by Donna Tartt

5 minute sample here:
http://soundcloud.com/penguin-books/donna-tartt-secret-history

dr gonzo

Well theres obviously 2 factors at play with audio books. Firstly the book itself, is it one you would enjoy reading in the first place? Secondly, the reading quality, this is imperative and varies Massively.

If at all possible I love getting books read by the authors themselves so that I know I'm hearing names, descriptions etc as the author intended. But, it goes without saying that some just dont have the talent for reading as they do for writing. Ones I have enjoyed in the past are Northern Lights (alt title: Golden Compass), read by the author Philip Pullman and he does an excellent job; and The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman, also read by the author, and also an excellent job (marvelous accents etc). I've specifically picked these books because they're written for a slightly younger audience, which doesnt negate their quality in the slightest, but it does mean they are more accessible in audio form. I've tried heavier stories in audio before and they're just too dense for the format, I think.

As a contrast, steer well clear of Bill Bryson. Books, excellent; readings, dreadful.

Some other you might like would be Hitchhikers Guide (read by Stephen Fry), and a book I loved and read twice, Metro 2033. This last one is originally a Russian novel, fantastically written, and due to the voice actor they got to do it, superbly read. The accents, emotions, pronunciations, lisps etc are all so good that you would swear a cast was doing it. And since the book heavily revolves around various types of characters and interactions between them, it was vital that they got it right.

Another point would be where to get them. The ones I've mentioned are professional, commercial affairs, and can be pricey. In saying that I have yet to pay for a single one, I keep getting free credits for Audible.co.uk from nothing more then clicking a few links.

Alternatively you could get them for free from Librivox. This is a community driven project with site members doing the readers. Its really interesting, and fantastically run, but the nature of it does mean that the quality can often be low.

For an example of a good Librivox recording, try The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, I cant remember the fellas name who did it, but he does an amazing job.


I have limited experience with audiobooks really, but some of these might fit the bill.

Good luck and enjoy!

--Kaiser--

Listened to 'A Clockwork Orange' read by Phil Daniels (star of Quadrophenia, Blur's Parklife and the 'a maffs a maff' guy from Time Gentlemen Please) and I thoroughly enjoyed it, I'd would say I understood it a lot better than if I had read the book due to the idiomatic slang used

CeannRua

Thanks a million for all the suggestions. I have a long list of books I'd like to read but totally agree about the voice with audio books. That was the reason I posted really - with the text you have a good idea from browsing of what you're getting but with audio you never know till you've bought and started listening! I figured no one would recommend something where the narrator annoyed them, although maybe this is as subjective as the book itself. The audio book I've liked most so far was The Book Thief, a simple story simply told. It's hours long but the narrator was a pleasure to listen to so it was easy going. Glad to hear as well I'm not the only one that thinks Bill Bryson is difficult to listen to. I've read a good few of his books but listened to his At Home book lately. I kept missing what he was saying and don't know how many times I had to rewind...