# Great Audiobook Recommendations



## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

I have recently started listening to audiobooks from Audible.com. There was a book I really wanted to read but it wasn't available in a Kindle edition. Rather than break down and read it in paper, I listened to it instead and suddenly was hooked. I decided to start a thread to share audiobook recommendations, for those who listen.

This was the first book I listened to:










Here is the review I wrote at Audible:

This story is written as a diary, with each chapter being one day in fifteen year old Jeff's 45 day hospitalization after a failed suicide attempt. The subject is serious, but Jeff is a great narrator: funny, sarcastic, and insightful. Youth suicide is an important problem in the US (third leading cause of death among people ages 15-19) and this book provides useful information while at the same time telling a good story. Resources for depression and suicide are included in an afterword. This book works well in audio format because the chapters are very short (5-10 minutes each) and can be listened to easily in short bursts. Recommended.


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

I saw the movie *A Single Man* in December and loved it. I wanted to read the book but again, no paper version was available but because of the movie, an audiobook has been made. Hooray! The narrator is British which works well because the main character, George, is also British.










This was a great book. I really enjoyed it. However, the movie is very different (isn't that always the case?). I note that the audiobook is on sale at Audible right now if you are looking for a bargain and don't want to use up a credit.

L


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

Heather (luvmy4brats) recommended this book and I am glad she did! Yes, it is available in a Kindle edition and I have been meaning to get around to reading it, but never did. The story is told from the point of view of 93 year old Jacob Jankowski and 23 year old Jacob. The audio book has two different narrators and it is very effective and makes for a great story. It's a wonderful book and I was completely entertained for the entire 10+ hours of listening time.










L


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

This is what I am listening to now and again, I picked it up because no Kindle version and it is on sale (half price). Apparently, Seth Rudetsky is on satellite radio but I've never heard of him. I can see why he is popular, though, because he is laugh-out-loud funny. This book is fun, too, because other actors make cameo appearances to narrate various characters. I love Broadway and the background stories are a lot of fun.










L


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## Candee15 (Jan 31, 2010)

What a great thread to start!  I love audiobooks and have discovered some wonderful ones and wonderful narrators.  I always try to get the audiobook of a book I'm "desperate" to read if I can't get it on Kindle.  That's my first go to rather than reading a DTB these days.  

It's ironic because yesterday I posted an article on my blog about audiobooks with a few good links, especially one to great narrators.  I don't know whether we're allowed to post blog addresses here so I won't until I get some guidance.  Does anyone know about that?

Anyway, I just finished listening to WINTER SOLSTICE by Rosamunde Pilcher in my car and loved it.  That isn't my typical read, but it was very relaxing for my drives to and from downtown Miami (think high stress driving).


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## Jane917 (Dec 29, 2009)

This is a great thread! I just joined audible.com, but have not chosen my first audiobook yet. I listen to library audiobooks everyday on my commute to and from work. Generally I listen to something pretty light. Right now I am on the 5th book of Debbie Macomber's Cedar Cove series. It is getting kind of boring because so much is repeated from previous books. NOW, if someone would walk me through the steps to get an audiobook from audible.com to my iPod, I would be very happy. I assume when I download it, it goes to iTunes, then I sync to my iPod.


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## Basilius (Feb 20, 2010)

Definitely a great thread!

I had a six hour round trip in the car yesterday, and started listening to:










I want to give a HUGE plug to the narrator, Lenny Henry. There isn't much on Audible that he's narrated, but I'll be watching for more stuff from him.

The book involves male and female people with London, Californian, Jamaican, and other Caribbean accents. He pulls it off with aplomb.


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## Maxx (Feb 24, 2009)

I listen to audiobooks all of the time. I usually get them from my library and put them on my ipod for listening while excercising or driving. The books that I have really loved that I have listened to in the last year are:

The Help by Kathryn Stockett



Also, the 2 currently out by Stieg Larsson



and a couple by David Sedaris


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## MariaESchneider (Aug 1, 2009)

Hmm. Somehow linkmaker didn't work. The book is "Put a Lid on It" by Donald Westlake.

It can be had for cheaper or from the library in CD. GREAT audio book!!!

Maria


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## Geemont (Nov 18, 2008)

Here are five five star audiobooks available at Amazon with links to Audible: (in alphabetical order)

_Blood Meridian: Or the Evening Redness in the West_ by Cormac McCarthy
_Johnny Got His Gun_ by Dalton Trumbo
_Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell_ by Susanna Clarke
_Killer Angels_ by Michael Shaara
_Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman_ by Jon Krakauer


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

Jane917 said:


> This is a great thread! I just joined audible.com, but have not chosen my first audiobook yet. I listen to library audiobooks everyday on my commute to and from work. Generally I listen to something pretty light. Right now I am on the 5th book of Debbie Macomber's Cedar Cove series. It is getting kind of boring because so much is repeated from previous books. NOW, if someone would walk me through the steps to get an audiobook from audible.com to my iPod, I would be very happy. I assume when I download it, it goes to iTunes, then I sync to my iPod.


Hi Jane,

When you set up your audible account, you can specify that you have an iPod and so yes, the book will download to your computer and then be transferred to your iTunes library. From there you sync and the book gets on your iPod. I started a thread in Not Quite Kindle (since iTunes completely baffles me...) which has some pretty good directions from the folks around here who understand iTunes more than I do.

Hope this helps....

L


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## Jane917 (Dec 29, 2009)

Thanks, Leslie. I had not yet added my iPod to the devices in audible.com. Now it all makes sense!


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## drenee (Nov 11, 2008)

Jane, it's very easy actually.  I have had a hard time with iTunes also, but the audiobooks are pretty simple.
iTunes actually downloads them into an Audible playlist.  Makes it very easy to transfer to your Ipod.
deb


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## Rasputina (May 6, 2009)

Nothing beats Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bordain for sheer hilarity, especially since he reads it himself.

The Twentieth Wife by Indu Sundaresan along with the sequel The Feast of Roses
The Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
Called out of Darkness by Anne Rice


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## SimonWood (Nov 13, 2009)

I'm a big audible fan and I just picked up 6 Days of the Condor, a book I've wanted to read for a long time.


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## arshield (Nov 17, 2008)

Huge audible fan.  Just finished boomsday by Christopher Buckley.  Only person in the world that can make discussion about social security reform funny (it is a fiction book).


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## Neekeebee (Jan 10, 2009)

Maxx said:


> I listen to audiobooks all of the time. I usually get them from my library and put them on my ipod for listening while excercising or driving. The books that I have really loved that I have listened to in the last year are:
> 
> The Help by Kathryn Stockett


Definitely agree with _The Help_ recommendation! I don't listen to a lot of audiobooks--much prefer to read the books--but I listened to _The Help_ recently, after I had already read the book. The recording is wonderful.

Currently listening to the Ramona Quimby series by Beverly Cleary. It is like getting reacquainted with friends from my childhood. 

N


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## hsuthard (Jan 6, 2010)

I'll second the David Sedaris recommendation, and I'm going to search out the Anthony Bourdain book. I *really* enjoy listening to authors read their own stuff, especially if it's auto-biographical or memoir-type stuff.

This book really showed me the power of audiobooks, the narrator is just fabulous:


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## KindleGirl (Nov 11, 2008)

I've listened to quite a few audio books in the last year and I'm sure I'm forgetting some of them, but a couple stand out in my mind. The first one, The Christmas Sweater, is narrated by the author and he is excellent! I realize it's not really the right time of year for the book, but it's a really good book and doesn't really need to be read at Christmas time.










I just started "The Walk" by Richard Paul Evans and am really enjoying it so far. Another one narrated by the author himself.


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## luvmy4brats (Nov 9, 2008)

Leslie,

I'm thrilled to hear you enjoyed *Water for Elephants*. It's one of my favorite audiobooks. The gentleman that reads the part of the older Jacob truly makes this one so good.

*The Help* is also on my list of favorite audiobooks. I think this one is a difficult read at first because of the dialect, but having it read to you makes it a bit more approachable. The different narrators do an outstanding job of bringing this book to life.

I'm going to have to go through my audio book library and recommend a few of my favorites. I love my audio books as much as I love my Kindle.


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

hsuthard said:


> I'll second the David Sedaris recommendation, and I'm going to search out the Anthony Bourdain book. I *really* enjoy listening to authors read their own stuff, especially if it's auto-biographical or memoir-type stuff.


You might want to to check out *Broadway Nights* by Seth Rudetsky (mentioned earlier). He's the author and though it is supposed to be fiction, I suspect there is a lot of stuff that comes from his life. I listened to another hour or so today and it is getting funnier as it goes along.

L


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## Patricia (Dec 30, 2008)

I love the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich on audiobook.  The narrator Lorelei King does a fabulous job!  

Patricia


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## drenee (Nov 11, 2008)

I'm downloading Water for Elephants now from my library.  
And I just myself on the waiting list for 4 others I got from everyone's recommendations.
deb


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## drenfrow (Jan 27, 2010)

I am hooked on The Classic Tales: http://www.thebestaudiobooks.com/store/ The narrator, B.J. Harrison, has a free weekly podcast through iTunes. After a few weeks they are then available for ~$0.99 at audible.com. He has also done several novels which are available on his website and I believe through audible.com. It's all public domain work, but I have been exposed to a lot of short stories I had never read through the weekly podcast. I love his narration.


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## luvmy4brats (Nov 9, 2008)

The Abhorsen series by Garth Nix another favorite of mine. It's YA fantasy and narrated by Tim Curry. He could read the phone book and I'd listen.

The first book in the series is* Sabriel.*

http://www.audible.com/adbl/site/products/ProductDetail.jsp?productID=BK_LILI_000067&BV_UseBVCookie=Yes

_Ever since she was a tiny child, Sabriel has lived outside the walls of the Old Kingdom, away from the random power of Free Magic, and away from the Dead who won't stay dead. But now her father, the Mage Abhorsen, is missing, and to find him Sabriel must cross back into that world.

Though her journey begins alone, she soon finds companions: Mogget, whose seemingly harmless feline form hides a powerful and perhaps malevolent spirit; and Touchstone, a young Charter Mage long imprisoned by magic, now free in body but still trapped by painful memories.

With threats on all sides and only each other to trust, the three must travel deep into the Old Kingdom, toward a battle that will pit them against the true forces of life and death, and bring Sabriel face-to-face with her own hidden destiny.

A tale of dark secrets, deep love and dangerous magic, Sabriel introduces Garth Nix as an exceptional new talent._


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## pidgeon92 (Oct 27, 2008)

I would like to thank whoever it was who recommended Elizabeth Peters and the Amelia Peabody series in another thread. I am halfway through the second book, and I am enjoying the series immensely. The narrator is wonderful.

Here are links to the first two books on Audible:


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## Candee15 (Jan 31, 2010)

Patricia said:


> I love the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich on audiobook. The narrator Lorelei King does a fabulous job!
> 
> Patricia


I listened to ALL of those, too. They were sooooo much fun, and Lorelei King was amazing. I always wonder how narrators keep all the voices straight in their heads and can duplicate the SAME voice over and over. That would NOT be my forte.


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## 1131 (Dec 18, 2008)

pidgeon92 said:


> I would like to thank whoever it was who recommended Elizabeth Peters and the Amelia Peabody series in another thread. I am halfway through the second book, and I am enjoying the series immensely. The narrator is wonderful.
> 
> Here are links to the first two books on Audible:


I've only recently discovered audio books; first through my library and then through Audible. I've been slowly making my way through the Elizabeth Peters Amelia Peabody and Vicky Bliss series. I read one of the Amelia Peabody books on my K and found out I much prefer listening to the books. The narrator is fantastic.


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

It is probably old news, but the series of *Harry Potter* books are all narrated by Jim Dale and they are terrific. Unfortunately, they are not available on Audible. When we first started listening to them, I bought the books on cassette tapes, which tells you how long ago that was! Eventually I started buying them on CD and re-purchased the first few on CD so we would have the complete collection.

I have this amazing memory....

The first HP book on tape we bought at a fabulous bookstore in Blue Hill, Maine. We were renting a cottage for the week (vacation) up on Deer Isle. I am trying to remember Lance and Hannah's ages...I think 12 and 9. Anyway, my husband and I were dying to go out for a grown-up dinner and although Lance had never babysat his sister, we thought they'd be okay for the hour or two we'd be away (10 minutes away). We fed them dinner first then settled them down to listen to the book (on the big grown up bed) and off we went. When we got back from dinner, they both were in the exact same position as they had been in when we left (Lance was lying upside down on the bed, with his feet on the headboard, which I why I remember it so clearly). They had only moved to turn the cassette over in the player. LOL.

We did the same thing two years later in Paris. Yes, the kids opted to pass on dinner in a swanky Parisian restaurant in order to listen to HP in the hotel room, Lance once again lying upside down in the bed. I can see it like it was yesterday...

L


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## Maxx (Feb 24, 2009)

Leslie,

I totally agree on the Harry Potter series, I've listened to all of them on audio except for # 7 and I have the one on my TBL List.

I also really enjoyed:
Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

This one is read by the author and I really felt what she was going through.


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## Candee15 (Jan 31, 2010)

Maxx said:


> Leslie,
> 
> I totally agree on the Harry Potter series, I've listened to all of them on audio except for # 7 and I have the one on my TBL List.
> 
> ...


That was such a good audiobook!!! I happened to pick that book up based on a recommendation and enjoyed it immensely. That was a particularly good book to listen to versus read, I felt.


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## arshield (Nov 17, 2008)

Just finished Boomsday by Christopher Buckley. If you like satire, especially political satire, then you have to give Christopher Buckley a try. I have enjoyed three of his books so far. This one was narrated by Janeane Garofalo and she does a great job.

Basic plot: 29 year old blogger decides to propose that people over 70 voluntarily commit suicide (in exchange for tax breaks and other perks) so fix social security and the federal deficit. It is very good. (I have a short review on my blog at http://www.mrshields.com/?p=968 )


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## drenee (Nov 11, 2008)

I just read on the Audible website that they are working on releasing an app for iPhone customers
to download wirelessly in the summer of 2010.  
deb


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## cheerio (May 16, 2009)

pidgeon92 said:


> I would like to thank whoever it was who recommended Elizabeth Peters and the Amelia Peabody series in another thread. I am halfway through the second book, and I am enjoying the series immensely. The narrator is wonderful.
> 
> Here are links to the first two books on Audible:


I agree, great series


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## karij123 (Dec 27, 2009)

hsuthard said:


> I'll second the David Sedaris recommendation, and I'm going to search out the Anthony Bourdain book. I *really* enjoy listening to authors read their own stuff, especially if it's auto-biographical or memoir-type stuff.
> 
> This book really showed me the power of audiobooks, the narrator is just fabulous:


Unless I'm wrong, and I will be crushed if I am, the latest in this series is out today. We have the entire series on audio and have been waiting for the next one.


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

I finished *Broadway Nights* which was very, very funny and had an unexpected happy ending. Definitely recommended.










Now I am starting *The Storm of War*...28 hours! Wish me luck. LOL










This is another case where I am glad to have the audiobook because the print book is only available used, for $40 and up, and the Kindle version is not available to US customers.

L


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## katbird1 (Dec 10, 2008)

I'm listening to *Saving Cecee Honeycutt* by Beth Hoffman, and am loving the story and narration. I searched for more works from this author and found that it was her debut. I am definitely awaiting her next book.

Kathy


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## drenee (Nov 11, 2008)

I'm listening to *An Irish Country Doctor*. It's really good, and I love the reader's accent. 
I only have a couple of hours left and I'm already sad it's going to be over.
deb


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## Basilius (Feb 20, 2010)

I'm now about an hour and change into the new recording of Isaac Asimov's Foundation:










Fantastic reading by Scott Brick. I'm really enjoying it so far. Haven't read the books for a couple decades.


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## cagnes (Oct 13, 2009)

I love the Outhlander series on audio, the narrator Davina Porter is amazing! Love those Scottish accents!










The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is a good one! The book is an exchange of letters & there are different narrators for each of the characters, so it works out really well, plus I loved the story!










Just finished the Black Dagger Brotherhood series on audio & loved listening to them! The narrator has a super yummy sexy deep voice, it was like the brothers were here speaking only to me... *sigh*.


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## luvmy4brats (Nov 9, 2008)

One of my new favorite audiobooks is The BFG by Roald Dahl (He wrote Charlie and the Chocolate Factory). It's narrated by Natasha Rishardson. Yes, it's a children's book, but it's a delightful listen.










http://www.audible.com/adbl/site/products/ProductDetail.jsp?BV_UseBVCookie=Yes&productID=BK_HARP_001207


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## Malweth (Oct 18, 2009)

I've been "reading" The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan. The books can be hard to follow, but I find listening make them much easier to understand. The narration is excellent and the parts of the book in male voice have a male reader while those in female voice have a female reader. They are fantasy books.

Anything by Richard P. Feinman (Winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics) is great!


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## Jane917 (Dec 29, 2009)

I am listening to:



I am loving it!


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## Figment (Oct 27, 2008)

Leslie said:


> Apparently, Seth Rudetsky is on satellite radio but I've never heard of him. I can see why he is popular, though, because he is laugh-out-loud funny.


Leslie,

Seth Rudetsky is wonderful...has a daily show on XM75, which is the Broadway Channel. Besides that, however, you can go over to You Tube and pull up all sorts of analyses he has done of various performers and performances. I think one of his best is the analysis of the music from Les Miz.


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

Figment said:


> Leslie,
> 
> Seth Rudetsky is wonderful...has a daily show on XM75, which is the Broadway Channel. Besides that, however, you can go over to You Tube and pull up all sorts of analyses he has done of various performers and performances. I think one of his best is the analysis of the music from Les Miz.


Ah, thanks for that suggestion. I'll check it out. Meanwhile, I can definitely recommend *Broadway Nights*. I enjoyed it a lot. I wrote a review here: http://www.reviewsbyjessewave.com/?p=21553


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

I think I may be giving up on *The Storm of War*. I've listened to two hours and while it is interesting, I can see that 28 hours of how many tanks, U-Boats, Panzer troops, men, guns, trees, soldiers, fronts, cities, people, Jews, planes, machine guns, etc., etc. could begin to drive me a little bit batty. I like history but this might be a bit much. I think my husband is so enthralled because he has read much less WWII history than I have. While this book has new information, it is not entirely new...if that makes sense.

I am thinking about listening to *Outlander*. Anyone here want to talk me into that?

L


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## drenee (Nov 11, 2008)

Leslie, do it. I enjoyed the audio version of *Outlander * very much. 
deb


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## luvmy4brats (Nov 9, 2008)

Go for it Leslie! It's one of my favorite audiobooks. The narrator is fantastic.


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## askenase13 (Mar 1, 2009)

I have long enjoyed audio books.  periodically, I will get some from the library (too expensive to buy) and listen on my commute.  Recently, I have discovered the BEST audio books.  These are the Elizabeth peters series as performed by Barbara Rosenblatt.  i can't recommend these audio books enough.  I am not a big fan of the series, but her reading is exceptional.  A great English voice, excellent at voicing other characters.  But what really makes them special is that she is doing a performance, NOT reading a book.  that particularly works here as the books are written in the first person as Amelia peabody, and she just becomes that character. Just like a stage performance (and she is a stage actress).  Even if the stoies aren't your favorite, give a listen to one, anyway and admire a real pro do her thing.


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## Andra (Nov 19, 2008)

Jim Dale is awesome! I have all of the Harry Potter books on CD and it is great to listen to them over and over again. It is funny how he changed pronouncing some of the names after the movies came out - Voldemort and Firenze come to mind. The only mistake that I've found in the voices is that in the last book, he has Dean Thomas using Seamus Finnigan's voice...
Having said that, the Peter Pan books by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson are not available on Kindle so I got the audio books instead. And who's the narrator? Jim Dale!

I can't link directly to audible because I am at work and that's a blocked site for us, but here is the Amazon link and you can find the audible version listed:


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## arshield (Nov 17, 2008)

I am just about finished with No Country for Old Men. Great narration! Movie and book are very similar.


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## 1131 (Dec 18, 2008)

I just finished listening to The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger.  They used two narrators because the story is told from two perspectives - the husband and the wife.  I had tried to read this book and couldn't get into it.  Who knows why - it's outside my usuall genres?, it isn't available for Kindle?  But I enjoyed the audio book.  The narrators complimented each other well.


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

I downloaded Outlander--all 32 hours of it--and started it on the drive home yesterday. This will probably keep me occupied for the entire month of May!

L


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## drenee (Nov 11, 2008)

Leslie, it took me a little over a month to get through it.  
I started Gone With the Wind this week.  49 hours.  
deb


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## mparish6 (Apr 14, 2010)

An audiobook I really liked was Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon from Books on Tape, read by David Case. Gibbon's masterpiece is admittedly a difficult one to plough through - so much so, in fact, that I suspect most people who start reading the unabridged version never finish. The audiobook is by far preferable, especially for long car journeys, since it's actually easier to keep up with the storyline than in the printed version, and David Case as narrator is perfect - he could easily pass for Gibbon reincarnated. Nonetheless, given Gibbon's richly ornamented(or, less charitably, convoluted) style and dry sarcasm, I'd only recommend this if you really enjoy scholarly history.


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

drenee said:


> Leslie, it took me a little over a month to get through it.
> I started Gone With the Wind this week. 49 hours.
> deb


We have Lance's graduation at the end of the month...it is a 6 hour drive each way for us, so I know I'll have that trip to get a chunk of listening done.

L


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## drenee (Nov 11, 2008)

I started Outlander when I was doing a lot of traveling, and then that changed and I was only making 15 minute trips each morning, which really wasn't enough.  IMO, Outlander requires more time chunks than a few minutes.  
deb


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## KindleGirl (Nov 11, 2008)

I'm finishing up _Amazing Gracie _ by Sherryl Woods that I was able to get from overdrive. It has been a very enjoyable story and I like the narrator with her southern accent.


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## SimonWood (Nov 13, 2009)

I'm listening to 6 Days of the Condor.  Good reader, good story, but the writing is a passive.  Lots of telling and not to much showing...


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## Jane917 (Dec 29, 2009)

I just started listening to Water for Elephants. I am about 50 minutes into it, and I can already tell I will really like it. Thanks for all the recommendations on this book.


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## drenfrow (Jan 27, 2010)

I just finished Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson.  What a great story.  I don't think I ever read it as a kid.

I'm listening to Huckleberry Finn now.  You can see why it's always so controversial.  It's really an incredible story, but the racist language and themes definitely will make you uncomfortable.  But it's such a great story!  But the language!  I go round  and round in my head...


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## SimonWood (Nov 13, 2009)

I listened to Stephen J Cannell's ON THE GRIND.  It's a cracking police corruption thriller.


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## Shandril19 (Aug 18, 2009)

I know this thread is kinda old, but I just finished *The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie* in audiobook form and loved it. I'm kind of new to audiobooks, but it was the first one I thought that the narration really worked with perhaps even enhanced the book.

Now I just have to figure out how I'm going to get the second one.


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## drenee (Nov 11, 2008)

Shandril19, thank you for the recommendation.  Don't worry about reviving an old thread.  Especially if you have some great information to pass on.
deb


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## Joel Arnold (May 3, 2010)

Patricia said:


> I love the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich on audiobook. The narrator Lorelei King does a fabulous job!
> 
> Patricia


I'm listening to Ann Rule's The Stranger Beside Me, and it is also narrated by Lorelei King. She does a great job here, too!

Joel


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## LibbyD (Apr 28, 2009)

I'll second Rasputina's recommendation of “The Twentieth Wife” by Indu Sundaresan and “The Palace of Illusions” by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni.  Both are read by Sneha Mathan, who has a gorgeous voice and the ability to do perfect accents.  Her reading really does add a new dimension to these excellent books.

Very often my audiobook purchases have as much to do with the narrator as the book.  There are certain people who voices I enjoy and who I know I can count on to interpret the material with intelligence and sensitivity. Here are some of the audiobooks I've read recently that are five star winners IMO:

“All the King's Men” by Robert Penn Warren, read by Michael Emerson
“The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle” by Haruku Murakami, read by Rupert Degas
“The Return of the Native” by Thomas Hardy, read by Alan Rickman
“The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald, read by the late, great, Frank Muller
“The End of the Affair” by Graham Greene, read by Michael Kitchen


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## Linda Ash (Jul 13, 2010)

Okay, this falls into the middle grade/young adult category, but it's wildly entertaining. The audiobook is Skullduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy. It's a top-notch reading of the book.


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## eldereno (Dec 27, 2009)

I enjoyed Anthony Bourdain reading his book *Medium Raw* on a 5 1/2 hour road trip. Now just need to find a reason to listen to a book, rather than reading one while at home....still have more of the book to listen to. No road trips planned in the near future and I have a fairly short commute to work.


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## TWErvin2 (Aug 7, 2010)

I've listened to a number of audiobooks, mostly while driving long distances. One of my favorites is *The Five People You Meet in Heaven* by Mitch Albom. I can't listen to it while driving with my wife (there are obviously some sad parts and she doesn't like to tear up and blow her nose as we travel  ) In addition, my father, who wasn't a big reader at all, was hooked into it right off when I'd pick him up and drive for radiation treatments and doctor visits.


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## swolf (Jun 21, 2010)

Duma Key from Stephen King is a great audio book.  John Slattery (from Mad Men) reads it perfectly.


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## CegAbq (Mar 17, 2009)

Linda Ash said:


> Okay, this falls into the middle grade/young adult category, but it's wildly entertaining. The audiobook is Skullduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy. It's a top-notch reading of the book.


X2 - Skullduggery Pleasant with Rupert Degas reading is ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC. 

I recently finished The Traveler by John Twelve Hawks & really enjoyed that.
I also love the Anasazi Mysteries trilogy by Kathleen O'Neal Gear & Michael Gear: The Visitant, The Summoning God, & Bone Walker. However, I listened to them several years ago on cassette from my library & I'm having trouble finding them in digital form.


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## Prazzie (Oct 25, 2009)

I really got caught on Audible with their "surprise sale". They had Book 1 of JD Robb's 'In Death' series on there for $5, so I got it. Of course, then I got Book 2, now I'm on Book 3...and there are almost 40 of them! What's funny is that the books are set in the future, but when I started listening to it, I'd forgotten about reading that. So Eve gets in the shower and tells it to turn on and I'm forming a mental picture, okay, she's got a voice-activated shower with multiple nozzles, wealthy lady. Her "auto chef" is on the fritz, but I think hmm, a gadget that can make coffee and toast, interesting. Then she reads news on her monitor, fine, but when she gets a video call, it hits me, this much technology first thing in the morning must mean it's set in the future! I had to laugh, because it sounded like a pretty typical morning for me back here in the olden times.

When my boyfriend and I drove long-distance recently, I turned on my Kindle to continue listening. I was already halfway through and Eve and Roarke were getting hot and steamy and I tried to explain to him that this is in fact a detective story with murder and stuff. He just gave me a "yeah, right" look. 

 Naked in Death (Book 1) - JD Robb (Audible) (Kindle)

I've also enjoyed the following Audible books recently:

The Matthew Shardlake series by CJ Sansom: Dissolution, Dark Fire, Sovereign, Revelation.

The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver. Loved this, I gave it 5 stars! Unfortunately the novel contains some Afrikaans, which is my first language. The narrator mangled it beyond recognition, it took me a while to realise what she was attempting. It was pretty funny once I got over my indignation.


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## Tippy (Dec 8, 2008)

Audio books are the bomb.  Recently I listened to Watership Down - fabulous absolutely fabulous.  I love the Outlander series. . .but you do have to have a long period of time set aside in order to finish the book.  If you want to laugh out loud and not think too hard, Janet Evanovich the Stephanie Plum series is great.  I also like Nelson DeMille and David Baldacci.  Stieg Larsson's books are also extremely entertaining.


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## luvmy4brats (Nov 9, 2008)

Prazzie, The In Death books are fantastic. Susan Ericksen does such a great job narrating them. I have them all in audio and for my Kindle.


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## Prazzie (Oct 25, 2009)

Tippy said:


> Audio books are the bomb. Recently I listened to Watership Down - fabulous absolutely fabulous. I love the Outlander series. . .but you do have to have a long period of time set aside in order to finish the book. If you want to laugh out loud and not think too hard, Janet Evanovich the Stephanie Plum series is great. I also like Nelson DeMille and David Baldacci. Stieg Larsson's books are also extremely entertaining.


Okay, confession time. I kept hearing about Watership Down







, but had never read it, not did I have any clue what it was about. So during my last holiday, I armed myself with several must-read books, including Slaughterhouse Five







and other adult material. I told my boyfriend that I was going to read this Watership Down book I kept hearing about, did he know it? He said yes, he'd watched the movie when he was younger. I asked him what it was about and he said bunnies. I asked "BUNNIES? As in rabbits?" He said yes. I started laughing, thinking he was making a joke, because obviously this was a serious adult book about submarines...Aah, yeah, so anyway, I did enjoy the book, but it took me a while to cotton on to the fact that it was aimed at children. 

I listened to DeMille's The Lion's Game on Audible and I hated it. I thought it was a complete waste of 24 and a half hours. It started out great, but then just veered off into a soppy romance novel and the ending was one of the worst I'd ever heard/read. I saw there is a sequel to it now and I'm considering getting it, just to see whether it can fix what it broke in the first part.



luvmy4brats said:


> Prazzie, The In Death books are fantastic. Susan Ericksen does such a great job narrating them. I have them all in audio and for my Kindle.


I'd noticed several people here on KB love these books and particularly Roarke. It's absolutely great for listening to while driving. I was listening to it at one time, minding my own business, when I paused it to check something on my phone. Immediately, my boyfriend asked "where'd the story go?" I hadn't even realised he was listening. So I guess I know what I'm doing with my credits over the next couple of years, lol!


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## jbh13md (Aug 1, 2010)

I love anything read or narrated by Jim Dale. My brother and I once agreed we'd listen to him read the dictionary if it were available on CD or MP3 or whatever.


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## drenfrow (Jan 27, 2010)

I know this thread is old but I remembered reading it last year and getting some good recommendations. I am looking for audio book recommendations again so I was wondering: what good books have you listened to lately? I can recommend _Unbroken_ by Laura Hillenbrand. Great narration by Edward Hermann.


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## Candee15 (Jan 31, 2010)

drenfrow said:


> I know this thread is old but I remembered reading it last year and getting some good recommendations. I am looking for audio book recommendations again so I was wondering: what good books have you listened to lately? I can recommend _Unbroken_ by Laura Hillenbrand. Great narration by Edward Hermann.


It depends on the type of books you like, but I LOVED Juliet by Anne Fortier. What a wonderful audiobook, in my opinion!!!


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## arshield (Nov 17, 2008)

It is not a happy book, but I just finished Night by Elie Wiesel.  It is a memoir of his life in the concentration camps during WWII.  The narration was exactly right for the book.  I was very, very moved by the book and listened to is in less than a day.  (It is free on overdrive if your library subscribes to that.)


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## tamborine (May 16, 2009)

I just finished listening to:


and right before that:


They were both amazing!


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## SimonWood (Nov 13, 2009)

I'd recommend any of the James Bond novels read by Simon Vance.  Such a great voice...


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## CegAbq (Mar 17, 2009)

SimonWood said:


> I'd recommend any of the James Bond novels read by Simon Vance. Such a great voice...


And Simon Vance reads the Steig Larsson trilogy (The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo & others) - loved their narration as well (but I know others did not; so I also agree with drenfrow that "It depends on the type of books you like")


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## Krista D. Ball (Mar 8, 2011)

Blink

No one has mentioned the Dresden files yet! It's read by James Marsters (aka Spike). Oh purr.


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## Chris Culver (Jan 28, 2011)

> No one has mentioned the Dresden files yet! It's read by James Marsters (aka Spike). Oh purr.


I was going to mention Jim Butcher's Dresden files if no one else did. James Masters is absolutely fantastic as Harry. He has Harry's sardonic sense of humor and timing down perfectly. My wife and I loved these on long car rides.

It's not fiction, but I'd also recommend Bernard Lewis's 'Islam: The Religion and the People.' It's an easy-to-understand introduction to a complex and oftentimes misunderstood religion. The book is excellent; the narrator (Peter Ganim) isn't the most dynamic speaker in the world, but at least he's clear.


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