Audible Book Recommendations - Post yours here [Archive]

robert

12-13-2003, 12:41 AM

Having maxed out on length allowed for post, this post now contains only a sample of what you will find in Robert's Complete Audio Book Recommendation List (click here) (http://audiobookrecommendations.blogspot.com/) or on link 7 in signature below). The titles are sort of literary or non fiction -- few mysteries, fantasies, or page-turners. One sci-fi.

Partial List of Really Liked Audio Books (4-5 stars):

5+*Reading Lolita in Tehran UA Azar Nafisi
Click here Interview with author (http://www.identitytheory.com/interviews/birnbaum139.php) A true account of seven young women gathering in authors home once a week as their lives intertwine with discussion of literary characters of forbidden Western literature.

5+*Washingtons Crossing UA David Hackett Fischer. National Book Award nominee. Non-fiction reads like excellent novel. Follows Washington & the Continental Armys increasing competence & effectiveness in the first crucial year of Revolutionary War. Newly discovered material brings understanding to many of institutions & practices developed then & now taken for granted.

5+*The Kite Runner UA Khaled Hosseini. Novel about friendship & betrayal, redemption, the price of loyalty, & the bonds between fathers & sons. Set in recent Afghanistan.

5+*Balzac & the Little Chinese Seamstress UA Dai Sijie. During Cultural Revolution, narrator & best friend exiled to the countryside for "re-education," find their meager distractions are a violin, the daughter of local tailor, & forbidden stash of classic literature. Surprise ending elevates the seamstress importance.

5+* Life of Pi UA Yann Martel A realistic, rousing adventure & a classic meta-tale of survival. Winner of 2002 Booker Prize. Best book I read in 2003.

5+*The Otori Trilogy UA Lian Hearn, Books 1-3,:
Across the Nightingale Floor, Bk 1 New York Times Notable Book of the Year, one of Book magazine???s best novels of the year, & one of School Library Journal???s Best Adult Books for High School Readers. Medieval Japan with magic thrown in. Brilliant! Finely developed characters & plot! The three books flow seamless from one to other, must begin with book one. Medieval Japan warlords fight & intrigue with a young contender. Modicum of magic & fantasy thrown in.
Grass for His Pillow, Bk2
Brilliance of the Moon: Tales of the Otori, Bk3 Book Browse Link to author Lian Hearn (http://www.bookbrowse.com/index.cfm?page=search) pseudonym of noted female Aussie playwright&author of children's books. Click here for a (Fascinating) Conversation With Lian Hearn (http://www.sfsite.com/07b/lh180.htm)

5-*Cloud of Sparrows UA Takashi Matsuoka. Much like the Otori Trilogy w supernatural powers limited to visions of future.

5+*No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency UA Alexander McCall Smith. Enigmatic Botswana lady detective. Warm, clever, and fun.

5*Bel Canto UA Ann Patchett Opera's most revered soprano mesmerizes the guests with her singing at a party for a visiting Japanese dignitary. Perfect until terrorists take party. Love, great singing (Bel Canto), endurance, and surprise ending.

5*The Heart is a Lonely Hunter UA Carson McCullers
This novel written in and of the 1930's is as fresh as it was when the author wrote it in 1940 at age 23. Wonderfully real characters, including the main 4, placed artfully in depression era GA mill town. Not a page turner or all happiness.

5*The Cider House Rules UA by John Irving "Gardner serves up the beautiful prose and fascinating characters with considerable aplomb." (AudioFile)

5*The Known World UA Edward P. Jones, African American, first novel. 2004 Pulitzer Prize Fiction Winner. More than blacks owning blacks -- complex story of American slavery that involves good people, bad people, & wonderful & terrible things happen. "Property" are slaves. Well-developed, easy to identify with characters. Story line woven in elaborate time warps & beautiful language.

5* Pompeii UA, Robert Harris. Historic Fiction about the eruption from viewpoint of the engineer of the aqueduct.

5*The 9-11 Commission Report - National Commission Final Report. "We Have Some Planes" Chapter accounts for every step of the four hijacked planes -- gripping &, in & of itself, worth the price. Goes on to describe the organization of the plot. Non-fiction surpassing most suspense writing. Well-written & narrated. Fitting & permanent reminder of those who were lost. free m4b file at http://www.freeclassicaudiobooks.com/ & in pdf at http://www.gpoaccess.gov/911/ -- includes maps & end notes.

5*The Piano Tuner A Daniel Mason. 18th century adventure of piano tuner going to Burma to tune a grand for an eccentric British Officer. I wish I had gotten UA.

5*Angelas Ashes UA, - Frank McCourt. Pulitzer Prize-winning story of how Frank endured. Irish immigrant parents in US, later raised in the slums of Limerick, Ireland. Well read by author

5*Heart of Darkness UA dark Joseph Conrad classic.

5*The Bonesetters Daughter UA - Amy Tan. Mother & daughter discover themselves backward from modern San Francisco to mother???s tumultuous times in a village in china.

5*Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight UA Alexandra Fuller’s poignant and delightful autobiographical remembrance of her white-African childhood. Beautifully narrated & told with sharp insight into herself, family, Africa & the people who inhabit it, & dramatic changes occurring during transition from colonial to native rule.

5*John Adams UA David McCullough

5*The Namesake UA Jhumpa Lahiri enriches the themes that made her Pulitzer Prize-winning Interpreter of The Maladies an international bestseller: the immigrant experience, the clash of cultures, the conflicts of assimilation, &, poignantly, the tangled ties between generations...--BookBrowse.com

4++*The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time UA Mark Haddon Endearing & poignant glimpse, with heart-stirring grit of daily life, into the life of a 15 year old boy afflicted with an autism-like condition. Written from the boys viewpoint. Well narrated (same as Life of Pi). Pathos, humor, reality, & insight.

4++*Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell UA Susanna Clarke
"Harry Potter" for adults is more Austen than Rowling, a witty social commentary and fantasy tale of good vs. evil. Clever, endlessly intriguing, rich, luxurious epic story of two unusual magicians with faux history of magic woven into 19th century England history has feel of being written (and narrated) 200 years ago. Large supporting cast of beguiling D_ickens and Austen character types. -- Adapted from a review by Greg Changnon The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 12/26/04

An engaging must-read, do not let its languorous beginning pace or 32 hour length discourage you -- it eventually unfolds briskly.

4++*Alexander Hamilton UA Ron Chernow provides thorough insight into the life and times of Hamilton. Hamilton’s difficult childhood, his prodigious intellectual writings and incredible accomplishments, and all his many shortcomings are fluidly described in 35 hours of captivating audio.

4++*Follow Your Heart A Susanna Tamaro. Not audible. Death encroaching, Italian grandmother write letters of love, confession and advice to estranged granddaughter living in US. Relives past and reveals secrets.

Complete list of Robert's Audio Book Recommendations (click here) (http://audiobookrecommendations.blogspot.com/)

robert

12-13-2003, 12:08 PM

Having maxed out on length allowed for post, this post has been stripped and the post above now contains only a sample of what you will find in Robert's Complete Audio Book Recommendation List (click here (http://audiobookrecommendations.blogspot.com/) or on link 7 in signature below). The titles are sort of literary -- few mysteries, fantasies, or page-turners. One sci-fi, a few fantasies.

See next post for How to find good books at Audible

Always, always listen to the sample (click the sample button just under the cover illustration on Audible.com) to see if you like narrator and also to get a feel for book content and writing style.

Robert's Complete Audio Book Recommendation List (click here) (http://audiobookrecommendations.blogspot.com/)

robert

12-15-2003, 01:12 AM

I would like to share and receive advice on how to find good books at Audible.com. It seems that I spend an inordinate amount of time looking for good books. Ultimately there is an ample supply at Audible, but distinguishing between the good and bad is not easy. The publisher's write up is a beginning, but obviously slanted to make you choose that book.
I would agree with earlier posters -- if you think you would like a book, buy the unabridged edition. Almost every time I have selected an abridged version, I feel shortchanged. There are exceptions for very wordy authors, long works which you read long ago and may just want a refresher on, but for the most part if a book is worth reading, it is worth reading in its entirety.

One place to begin is prize winning books. Audible does a very poor job of telling you which books are prize winners, but you can go to "Award Winners" link on the left side of an audible page and get (only books available from Audible):

Awards Categories:
Audie Awards | Booker Prize | Edgar Awards | Grammy Awards |
National Book Awards | National Book Critics Circle Awards | PEN/Faulkner Awards |
Pulitzer Prize | Tony Awards

Also this link to American Book Prizes:

http://www.birdingonthe.net/litlists/amfict2.html

Link to all Award Winning Books:Alphabetical listing of award winning books. When click on link to book it gives the award in SOME descriptions, but at least a comprehensive list of award winning books.

http://www.readinggroupguides.com/f...ard_winners.asp

Book Awards: Links to book awards by Award and Year. Unfortunately, have to go to link to get each year?s winners:

http://www.bookreporter.com/features/awards.asp

An award Winning book is not guaranteed to be good or that you will like it. I personally disliked American Pastoral, which is the 1998 Pulitzer winner, so much that I could not finish it. I passed it over several times, but let the prize sway me. Likewise, Young Man From Atlanta was a drama Pulitzer winner in 1995, but just average in my mind (it is, after all, very much a matter of personal taste). On the other hand Killer Angels and John Adams are two of my favorites.

The Book Report Network recommendations:

http://www.readinggroupguides.com/f...ide/best_of.asp

So, caveats:
1. Read several reviews from several places, including reader/listener reaction to the book. You may learn that the narrator is poor or that the book has too much detail on unrelated matters, etc.
2. Click on Hear Sample link directly under the Audible Jacket cover to learn if the narrator is good and get to a flavor of the prose.
3. Create a wish list of books you think you want to buy in the future. I paste and click reviews and story descriptions into an email to myself and file them in a folder called "Wish List" so that I can easily refresh myself on the book. Make some notes in the email so that you will remind yourself what attracted you.
4. Make a list of your wish list in priority order.
5. Download enough books on your iPod to have other books that you wish to read available in the event that you make a selection that you don't like.
6. Discuss your reading with friends and acquaintances and write down what they like if they also mention books that you have read and like.
7. Visit book stores and browse the best-seller racks. Being a best seller is no guarantee, especially those paperbacks marked MM (mass market) on the price tag and which are selling for under $10.
8. While you are at the book store, look at their audio selection. Some logic to that book store audios will at least be popular. (Added 12-26-03)

Go to the following links to get reviews -- professional and amateurs alike -- at these sites (anyone know other sites?)

1. Audible for its description of books and reader reviews and length of book, and if abridged or unabridged.

2. Bookbrowse at http://www.bookbrowse.com/index.cfm
look at media reviews and reader evaluations, and perhaps there will be an excerpt. You will likely find the author's bio (insight) and sometimes an interview with the author (more insight). Don't read the reader's guide reading until after you have read the book so that you don't spoil the ending for yourself. You may want to subscribe to the Bookbrowse weekly email that informs you of current reviews. look for reviews,recommended reading lists, and suggestions.

3. Booksense (the independent booksellers' site) http://www.booksense.com/ look for reviews,recommended reading lists, and suggestions.
2004 Booksense.com Book of the Year award winnersand finalists at:

http://www.booksense.com/bsby/2004/index.jsp#tradefic

Most of the winners and finalists are available at audible and the ones I have listened to are excellent!

and Reading Group List from book sense, another list of extraordinarily good books:

http://www.booksense.com/bs76/readinggroup/index.jsp

also contains a large number available at audible.com

4. Amazon.com. Look for reader reviews and average ranking, Amazon's description, the Amazon sales ranking of the book. Also Amazon has a page that lists its top reviewers, as voted by site visitors ranking of their book reviews at this page of their site: Amazon Top Reviews (click here) (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/cm/top-reviewers-list/-/1/A1NPNGWBVD9AK3/ref=cm_cr_top_dp/102-2433503-5470531#A1NPNGWBVD9AK3) The top 50 reviewers are listed on the opening page and you can go deeper into the list if you click a link. Look at the reviewer lists and the books and and reviews they have done and pick those who have similar tastes to yours (bookmarking them) and use this as lists for researching audible books. The problem is that many of the books reviewed will not be available on Audible.

5. Barnes and Noble

6. Time Warner Books: http://www.twbookmark.com/index.html You will find reading guides and excerpts there. New to me, so just exploring this one.

7. Reading guides:
for guides, recommendations, and more.
The Book Report Network
www.Bookreporter.com
www.AuthorsOnTheWeb.com
www.ReadingGroupGuides.com
www.Teenreads.com
www.Kidsreads.com
www.authoryellowpages.com/

8. New York Times Book Reviews (click here) (http://www.nytimes.com/pages/books/index.html) I downloaded Pompeii immediately when Audible announced it was available because I knew about it ahead of time. You can subscribe to NYT Book email Subscribe to New York Times Newsletters (click here) (http://www.nytimes.com/email.) . Free, but requires registration. You can also read sunday book review free, but requires registration, on line. Look for NYT notable books in book section (not infallible) and research them.

9. ReadingGroupGuides.com (http://www.readinggroupguides.com/index.asp) For more guides

Copy and paste the Audible description page into an email and copy and paste all the pertinent information that you find useful or interesting from the other sites into the same email. Perhaps highlight key information like "narrator mumbles or has difficult accent, or boring, or whatever. Perhaps add your own notes about what appeals to you and what turns you off about the book. E-mail it to yourself and move it into a single folder for follow up. I am also keeping a 'rejected book' folder for those books/audios that I don't like after checking them out. There are so many books that I get them confused and like having a central repository that I can look to about what I liked and didn't like.

Subscribe to Audible Ultimate Listener Plan (click here for Thread) (http://www.ipodlounge.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=13888) (unless you are grandfathered in at a lower price) and pay $120 up front for 12 books which you can buy over a one year period. (If you read your 12 before the year is up, you just buy another 12 when that happens. That way you can go thru the evaluation process less often and fill your ipod less frequently and have fresh audios at hand for any need to fill your time. They will tell you about this plan and put you on it if you email customer service. BTW, I have had very good response from Audible customer service. I use the live chat mostly, but also email them.

Would love to hear how others select books and to see your lists.

Keep some short selections (3-4 hours or short stories) on hand for short trips and listening with someone else. Also, it is not against the rules to continue to listen to a book after you exercise, drive, wait in the doctors office, etc.

A couple may want to have a total of three books going at one time -- one for each to listen to alone, and one together.

Download quality children's books for children or grandchildren for trips or bed time. Better to read aloud to them if you can, though.

Happy reading/listening. Hope you found this helpful

dcmacnut

12-26-2003, 02:12 AM

I've been an Audible subscriber for about a year, the 2 boks a month option, and am happy with the service. I've gotten the entire Hitchikers quadrilogy, and as another poster said, it's great when it's ready by Adams himself. I'm a bit disappointed that I haven't been able to find an unabridged version of Lord of the Rings just yet.

I'm also a big fan of the original Audible content done by Robin Williams (the commedian). The guy is simply hilarious, and his interviews with Whoopi Goldberg and Billy Crystal as well as other comedians and actors are insightful as they are funny. They also have a recording of his appearance on Inside the Actors Studio with James Lipton. I just have to be careful not to laugh out loud when I'm listening to them on my iPod, otherwise I get stared at.

Chris

Teechur

12-27-2003, 02:10 AM

Ooh! Fun thread and I'm getting good ideas. Do you find that about a week before your new subscription comes due you're perusing the sight trying to decide what book to get? It's like a present every month!

Books I loved:
Life of Pi
The Drawing of the Three (listening to it right now, excellent)
Me Talk Pretty One Day
The Devil Wears Prada
The Green Mile
The Secret Life of Bees
My Losing Season (outstanding)
Catch Me If You Can
21 Dog Years (absolutely hilarious, even went and saw the play)
Timeline (forget the movie, read or listen to the book)
The Red Tent
Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot
Skipping Christmas
The Fourth Hand
A Painted House
White Oleander
Drowning Ruth
'Tis
Angela's Ashes
Educating Esme
I Rant, Therefore I am
The Hobbit
Hearts in Atlantis
The Pleasure of Finding Things Out
Beach Music
The Shipping News
Open House
On Writing
Blessings
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (all I can say is, 42)

Didn't Finish:
Dirty Girls Social Club
A Wrinkle In Time (I will finish it as I love the book, but some authors just should not read their own books...I find her voice SO irritating)
The Measure of a Man (self serving, boring)
Logan's Run (not nearly as good as I remember it when I was a kid)
Mr. and Mrs. Bridge (I'm sure it's good, but it didn't keep my interest and it wasn't loud enough)
The Salmon of Doubt (while I love the Hitchhiker books, not all of the essays in this collection should have been published...many were boring, some were offensive <to me, at least> and I don't think Adams would have been happy to have had them published without polishing)
Lucky; a Memoir (didn't finish her book "The Lovely Bones" either)
Don't Know Much About History

Looking forward to listening to:
Eragon
The Restaurant at the End of the Universe
The Buffalo Soldier

Looking forward to getting back to:
A Beautiful Mind (fascinating)
Fierce Invalids from Warm Climates
The Star Trek ones (the sound is amazing, like a TV show just about...why I haven't finished them is beyond me)
Lord of the Rings The Fellowship of the Ring (which is no longer available)

Podunk

12-27-2003, 08:22 AM

This book was awesome! I highly recommend it. Great historical fiction and the narration is the best. Once I started it, I couldn't put it down..I mean turn it off. :p

esgrossman

12-30-2003, 04:08 AM

Im getting great ideas here!
I loved The Night Listener! by Armistead Maupin. It was one of the best books I've heard so far.
Besides that I also loved Middlesex, and The Bonesetters Daughter by Amy Tan.

I will be checking out your suggestions too.
thanks
Elaine

Chris_IT

12-30-2003, 07:04 AM

In England we have just voted "Lord of the Rings" as the best book ever in a radio poll.
Since listening to thStephen King's "The Dark Tower" I would now say that this book should be a serious contender.
Chris

robert

12-30-2003, 11:29 PM

Should we voluntarily limit posts to this thread to lists?

I humbly suggest that we limit posts to this thread to how to find good books, lists of books we like and dislike, and observe a tight limit to review or commentary. It seems reduntant to other sites to have detailed review material here.

Each of us can investigate recommended books based on our reading of the recommenders' apparent tastes, check sites reviews, read or listen to excerpts, and make our decision according to our own tastes.

Liking a book is very much an individual thing. A coincidence of mutual likes and dislikes suggests that one can check out the books on that person's list and have a high yield rate.

Robert.

Bob

12-31-2003, 05:59 AM

OK,
Threads like this tend to take own their own rules. As long as no forum / site rule is breached you can post how you like.
It does seem to make sense to keep posts to lists with perhaps brief review notes.
I have looked through the thread and it is easy enough to skip the existing posts which are not lists.
I will change thread heading to "Audible Book Recommendations - Post yours here" which is probably more descriptive.
We created the Audible forum as it was becoming a more popular subject so enjoy your thread.

Lyda

12-31-2003, 10:29 PM

While I did enjoy reading this book, I have to agree with your criticisms. The plot is very contrived and one must remember that this is, after all, fiction. The book reviewers, in my opinion, were overly enthusiastic about this novel as it has weak points as you have mentioned.

jfreda

01-01-2004, 12:20 AM

Thanks! I am tired of all the positive reviews. I bought the audible version, and found the narration acceptable, with some lame French accents, but the writing was very flat-footed, to say the least. I dont want to spend time in an analysis of a book I hope to leave well behind me, but remember being appalled at the stereotyping of characters, their shallow motivations tacked on with post-its by the author, and the way the characters would sit down for a talk--necessary in order for the author to explain the plot, while trapped in a bank vault under seige or while being chased in some silly armored van.
Try Umberto's Eco wonderful if imposing Foucault's Pendulum or The Name of the Rose, instead.

Paislee

02-17-2004, 09:39 PM

This looks like fun. :D

Books I loved, loved, LOVED :D

Blackbird by Jennifer Lauck
The Secret Life of Bees, by Sue Monk Kidd (just finished this one)
Ellen Foster, by Kaye Gibbons
Memoirs of a Geisha, by Arthur Golden
Holes, by Loius Sachar
Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt (dumb me purchased the abridged version, listened to it, got sucked right in and HAD to hear the unabridged version)

Books I liked a lot

Alias Grace, by by Margaret Atwood
'Tis, by Frank McCourt
Into the Forest, by Jean Hegland
Girl with a Pearl Earring, by Tracy Chevalier
Drowning Ruth, by Christina Schwarz
Gap Creek, by Robert Morgan
White Oleander, by Janet Fitch

Books I liked

My Brother Sam Is Dead, by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier
Tuck Everlasting, by Natalie Babbitt
Star Girl, by Jerry Spinelli
The Little Friend, by Donna Tartt
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, by Ann Brashares
Icy Sparks, by Gwyn Hyman Rubio

Books that were "meh" :rolleyes:

A Virtuous Woman, by Kaye Gibbons
Bridget Jones's Diary, by Helen Fielding
Skipping Christmas, by John Grisham
Trans-Sister Radio, by Chris Bohjalian
Williwaw!, by Tom Bodett
Wish You Well, by David Baldacci
Into Thin Air, by Jon Krakauer

Books that were a waste of credit, time, and hard drive space :mad:

Are You Somebody?, by Nuala O' Faolain
Gal: A True Life by, Ruthie Bolton
Lost!, by Donn Fendler
Mandy, by Julie Andrews
Hooking Up, by Tom Wolfe

What I'm listening to right now

Oryx and Crake, by Margaret Atwood

Waiting to be listened to

Empress Orchid, by Anchee Min (just downloaded it. this is next on my list)
Child of My Heart, by Alice McDermott
Don't Know Much About History, Part 1 by Kenneth C. Davis
Don't Know Much About History, Part 2 by Kenneth C. Davis
Don't Know Much About History, Part 3 by Kenneth C. Davis (apparently I don't know much about history yet :D)
Falling Angels, by Tracy Chevalier
Standing in the Rainbow, by Fannie Flagg
The Nanny Diaries, by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus
Mother of Pearl, by Melinda Haynes

sparkyewu

03-06-2004, 03:08 PM

Almost all of Terry Prachett books are very very good, i am working on getting them all.

If you have never listened/read a pratchett book before, i recommend starting with something like mort or Guards! Guards! Since it is with these books he really matured even more as a writer and they are simply a bloody good time.

Podunk

03-06-2004, 03:10 PM

I've read a lot of positive comments on Terry Pratchett books. So I downloaded my first one yesterday and will check it out.

robert

03-07-2004, 07:18 PM

Originally posted by david1951 From Outside US Audible Member Thread (click here) (http://ipodlounge.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=21284)
...how annoying it is that Audible won't sell you certain books unless you live in the US. We're talking best sellers here, not "How to Build Your Own H-Bomb". It's apparently a very stupid remnant of the old copyright agreement between the British Empire and the Americas. The sooner we lose all that ancient baggage and have a unified world copyright regime, the better. As a result of a pm from someone in Germany that Empress Orchid was not on Audible...

For those who do not live in the US, you will not be able to get all the books on the lists here.

May I humbly suggest that, to avoid cluttering this thread, any discussion of this problem take place at the other thread: Outside US Audible Member Thread (click here) (http://ipodlounge.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=21284)

W9FIF

03-07-2004, 07:34 PM

Da Vinci Code, Angels & Demons by Dan Brown
Still Life with Crows Lincoln Childs
The Firm, Street Lawyer, Painted House all by Grisham
The Dark Tower series by the one & only Stephen King
Odd Thomas Dean Koontz
Hichiker's Guide, Restaurant At The Far End of the Universe by Adams

A mere starting point my friends. Many more to be had!

I Love My iPod!

fordan

03-09-2004, 01:11 AM

Originally posted by sparkyewu
Almost all of Terry Prachett books are very very good, i am working on getting them all.

If you have never listened/read a pratchett book before, i recommend starting with something like mort or Guards! Guards! Since it is with these books he really matured even more as a writer and they are simply a bloody good time.

They don't quite have all of the Discworld books last I checked, but I got email from a VP at Audible saying they were working on it. They are all available in audio form (from ISIS Publishing (http://www.isis-publishing.co.uk/)), but Audible didn't have them all, although they've added a number recently.

I'd also recommend starting with Guards! Guards!... The City Watch characters seem to be some of Terry's favourites. The Colour of Magic is technically the first book, and is good, but not as good as many of the later ones.

There are some good visual reading order guides available from http://www.ie.lspace.org/books/reading-order-guides/index.html, which is a useful guide to follow the different plot paths.

I think I have all of them in Audible format, but then, I've had the 5 books for $30 plan for a while, so I have many many Audible.com books. Just no iPod yet until I get a job. :p

schuey100

03-09-2004, 08:44 AM

Maria Puzo.

an absolute must!

VegasRobb

03-10-2004, 04:09 AM

Here's another vote for Snow Crash.

I'm hoping House of Leaves or something by China Mieville gets put on audible soon.

dordale

03-10-2004, 01:52 PM

Robert--I agree with you...it would be nice if audible provided feedback about it's reviewers...but I'm just glad that they've added reviews! It wasn't so long ago that audible didn't include any form of customer feedback at all!

I still find myself going to Amazon to get more reviews for books I might be interested in, but it is nice to see reviews on audible's site that I know refer to the audio book version!

dordale :)

BigD

03-10-2004, 05:29 PM

Sigh...I WISH audible had a good review system. The best I've found was to do an advanced search and sort by rating. But then you have to sort (by eye) by the number of reviews. Anyone can go in and give it a high rating, but when 400 people rate it and it's still up at 5 stars - well, it's got to be good.

Or so I hope.

Unfortunately, that doesn't filter out the types of book that I just don't like. For example: DaVinci Code. It's got great and high ratings, but it's just not my type of book. Same with Left Behind. Not for me.

This is how I just stumbled on "Across the Nightingale Floor" by Lian Hearn. Wow. I am on book 2 and really enjoy it.

I wish the reviewers were listed by current reviews of recent books. Say - each reviewer had a list of reviews of the SAME books. A few best sellers from each section and some popular older books. (DaVinci Code, Middlesex, The Company, The Corrections, The Life of Pi, Dude, where's my Country) stuff like that. Then you can compare each reviewer - what they like and don't like - to your own personal tastes. Equally. That would be nice - for me at least.

I wonder if I can add "better review section" to my wish list in audible! :D
Denise

Compact

03-15-2004, 11:37 AM

not sure if they sell this, but listened to "Peter Kay - Top of the Tower" yesterday and found it very funny.
(Northern english comic/tv guy so not sure if all humour will transfer to US)

But good quote from the start of this topic..
[QUOTE]
I still haven't read the Hitchhiker's Guide, but it is definitely on my to do list!!
[Quote]

Made me laugh, was sure if he was meaning he was going to read it or listen to it.

jaypod

03-16-2004, 12:52 AM

Fast Food Nation. I will never eat fast food again after that book. Scary what these companies do.

Roadkill

03-16-2004, 10:45 AM

My recommendation:

Salmon of Doubt: Hitchhiking the Galaxy One Last Time

If your a fan of Douglas Adams and the hitchhiking guide, you should definately read (or listen to) this book. It is a compilation of many of Adams short storys and radio transcripts that he had left on his Macintosh computer when he died. Also contained in this is the unfinished book Adams was in the process of writing when he passed: The Salmon of Doubt, which is awesome, and it's a shame it couldn't have been finished.

inventme

04-01-2004, 10:16 PM

Enders Game, by Orson Scott Card

Phenomenal Sci-Fi book!

CarbonRods

04-01-2004, 11:28 PM

Originally posted by parannoya
I've read a lot of positive comments on Terry Pratchett books. So I downloaded my first one yesterday and will check it out.

parannoya, have you listened to it yet? Did you like it?

CR

Podunk

04-02-2004, 12:03 AM

yeah, I got "The Colour of Magic." I had no idea what to expect. I liked it okay, but not as much as Adams Hitchhiker series, which are similar type of humor. I'll probably listen to another one soon. The chart linked above is really cool.

BTW, have you been listening to the FREE series of dispatches from the Everest Climbers? They are short but really interesting. Only a couple minutes so easier to just stream them.

CarbonRods

04-02-2004, 04:33 AM

Originally posted by parannoya
BTW, have you been listening to the FREE series of dispatches from the Everest Climbers? They are short but really interesting. Only a couple minutes so easier to just stream them.

No... I didn't know about them, so thanks for pointing them out. I'll check them out this weekend.

CR

david1951

04-02-2004, 10:13 PM

Just a tip - if you are starting on Terry Pratchett, the first two books in the Discworld series ('Colour of Magic' and 'The Light Fantastic') while amusing, are not all that well written (Pratchett had still to get into his stride).

DON'T BE PUT OFF!

The other books are just fabulous. I usually recommend that people who haven't tried Pratchett start with something like 'Mort' or 'Equal Rites'.

Podunk

04-03-2004, 01:48 PM

OK, thanks. I 'll grab another one soon. I'll try one of those. I had heard similar comments about "Colour of Magic" but it seemed like a logical place to start. I like that one OK but just maybe not enough to justify all the hoopla.

david1951

04-04-2004, 12:08 AM

IMHO, Pratchett (once he really got going) is one of Britain's best writers .

He somehow manages to combine ludicrous fantasy with characters who have real depth, themes covering deep and important issues (some of which can make you weep), with page-turning plots - and yet manages to have you laughing hysterically at the same time. Walking along listening to him generally gets me some very odd looks as I burst out laughing (mind you, Neal Stephenson's 'Snow Crash' is getting me the same response).

To quote Shakespeare (who was talking about another clown):

"He uses his folly as a stalking horse
And beneath the presentation of that
He shoots his wit."

Another tip - the Discworld books move between different sets of characters, and each set has a different flavour. Some may appeal to you more than others.

There's the books around the wizard Rincewind - Colour of Magic, Light Fantastic, Sourcery, Eric, The Last Continent, Interesting Times. These, to my mind, are the weakest set (though the last named is still pretty good).

Then there's the set around the Witches, including an amazing character called Granny Weatherwax - Equal Rites, Wyrd Sisters, Witches Abroad, Lords and Ladies, Maskerade, Carpe Jugulum. These are excellent, particularly the last, which has some very grim moments.

Then there's the ones circling around the personified Death (who rides a pale horse - called Binky): Mort, Reaper Man, Soul Music, Hogfather.

And then one ones about the City Watch, which are almost in a jokey Film Noir style, featuring Captain (later Commander) Vimes and Corporal Carrot, who's a six-foot seven dwarf. These include real mystery story plots (among many other things) - Guards Guards, Men at Arms, Feet of Clay, The Fifth Elephant, Night Watch. The latter is almost not humorous at all, but very moving.

And then an assorted set: Pyramids, Moving Pictures, Small Gods, Jingo, The Truth, The Thief of Time.

All of these books share the same basic background, and there's lots of cross-over between the sets of characters, particularly the wizards, who turn up in a lot of the books.

Lately Pratchett has been taking some interesting turns - almost out of the Discworld canon but not quite - with a more serious aim, I think. The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents, The Wee Free Men and Monstrous Regiment.

Not all of these are so far available as audio books, of course, but many of them are.

jjob80

04-09-2004, 06:20 PM

I'm brand new to Audible, having subscribed to get the $100. off the mini. I've only been a member for one month but I am in the process of listening to Middlesex and it is very good. I also got Da Vinci Code, good, but compared to the narration for Middlesex, it doesn't compare. It's obviously very personal, as far as what books you like, but when you listen to 13 plus hours, the quality of the narrator plays an important part. Now if only I would finally get the mini Ipod so I don't have to burn all those CDs!

jennsutherland

04-18-2004, 01:10 AM

I've listened to several audio books now, and there are definitely thosethat stand out, and those that aren't as good. Current favorites include:

American Gods - Neil Gaiman, one of my fave books, and now a wonderful audio book
Small Gods - Terry Pratchett, one of my fave of the Discworld series

-js

sahmad88

04-18-2004, 01:51 AM

I have only been a member for a few months, but here is what I have gotten so far:

I really liked:
Lies and the Lying Liars who tell them - Al Franken. Hysterical look at the conservative media. Also great since it is read by Al Franken.

Eragon - Christopher Paolini. Lots of fun. I am really looking forward to more in this series. Great fun fantasy.

The DaVinci Code - Dan Brown. Very good historical fiction. And despite what other people have said, I really enjoyed listening to this narrator. Audible has really good samples of their stuff, so you can essentially try before you buy. Since it is such a personal thing if you will like the narrator out or not, try listening first.

Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card. One of my favorite books I have read, and now one of my favorite to listen to.

Snow Crash - Neal Stephenson. Another good sci fi book. At first I didn't care for this narrator, but then he grew on me. Great story.

I am listening to right now:
The Diamond Age - Neal Stephenson. I am only about an hour into this one, but so far I don't care for the narrator. It is making it hard for me to stick with it.

CarbonRods

04-18-2004, 04:38 AM

Originally posted by sahmad88
Very good historical fiction.
Historical :confused:

sahmad88

04-18-2004, 12:05 PM

Originally posted by CarbonRods
Historical :confused:

I guess it depends on your definition of historical fiction. When I think of those words, I think of fiction (not true) set in historical settings or using historical figures. But it is fiction. Not non-fiction.

By the way, it isn't available on audible.com, but if you did enjoy The DaVinci Code, you might like The Eight by Katherine Neville. The Eight doesn't try to make a point about about anything like The DaVinci Code tries to make you think about what you thought was true, but it is another fiction book that uses many historical figures as figures in its story.

BillClinton

04-18-2004, 09:39 PM

Absolutely LOVED: 1.Life Of Pi (Yann Martel) - My first book from Audible - It hooked me and set the hook deep.
2.A Short History of Nearly Everything (Bill Bryson) - If you have some interest in science (physics, astronomy, paleontology...), but find most texts are too boring or don't do a good job of explaining things - then this is PERFECT for you. Anything by Bryson is entertaining and informative. Sometimes, I found myself getting somewhat lost trying to memorize some of the names that were strewn about, but then I kicked back and enjoyed the ride (realizing that there would be no quiz to follow the book). This is one I will listen to again.
3.Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them (Al Franken) - Hilarious! If you are a die-hard republican who is not willing to listen to anything derogatory to your dogma - don't get this one. Anyone else who wants to burst out laughing - get it.

One book I would have to not recommend is The Dream of Reason (Anthony Gottlieb) - I found the subject matter a little too plodding, but if you have an interest in ancient thinkers, or need something to supplement a class, then you may be interested in this.

The Humanist

04-20-2004, 11:29 PM

I cannot believe that no one has suggested "Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them" - Al Frankin.

Either that, or my search feature is on the fritz.

EDIT: Well, my search feature was on the fritz, but it is a good book nonetheless.

bordeaaj

04-25-2004, 02:30 AM

I have been at least a 2 books/month audible listener for close to two years now and Paranoia by Joseph Finder is the best novel I have heard so far. A good narrator sure can make a huge difference, and I really, really enjoyed Scott Bricks narration on this one.

dordale

04-25-2004, 02:32 PM

bordeaj--

Cool--I purchased and downloaded Paranoia about a month ago--just haven't gotten around to listening to it yet...I'll bump it up to next in line on my listening list!

dordale :)

bordeaaj

04-27-2004, 02:48 PM

dordale-
Uh oh...Now I am nervous someone actually listened to my recommendation! I hope you like Paranoia as much as I did.

bordeaaj

alison0313

05-01-2004, 03:29 AM

Loved:

Me Talk Pretty One Day - David Sedaris - Made me laugh out loud many times.
The Secret Life of Bees - Sue Monk Kidd
Can You Keep a Secret? - Sophie Kinsella LOVED it. Like Bridget Jones, but better.
The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold - This book had me in tears so many times.

Liked:

The DaVinci Code (unabridged) - Dan Brown - I found it predictable, or I should have went in the crytology field.. Fun listen though.
White Oleander - Janet Fitch - Oprah needs to narrate more books!
Hey Nostradamus - Douglas Coupland -

Wouldn't recommend:

The Funny Thing Is... Ellen Degeneres. - HBO special with the same material was more enjoyable. I felt like she was trying to fill time, example: the chapter where she gave a tour of her house. Waste of time.

Didn't finish:

A Short History of Nearly Everything (unabridged) - I like it, It's just too much to take in :)
David Sedaris Live at Carnegie Hall - Picked this right after I listened to Me Talk Pretty.. as much as I loved MTPOD, it was TOO much Sedaris to take in at once.

My current book is Sleeping Beauty by Phillip Margolin. It has my attention.. not really sure what I think of it yet though.

bigman606

05-14-2004, 11:41 PM

The Company by Robert Littell - great story about the CIA spanning over 40 years. Highly recommended.

CarbonRods

05-19-2004, 09:05 PM

Originally posted by robert
I am about to listen to "Master and Commander: Aubrey/Maturin Series, Book 1' (Unabridged) by Patrick O'Brian.

If you saw the film you are in for a surprise because the film is not even remotely like the book, and don't expect to visit the Galapagos Islands! I love the books and have bought the first seven books in the series. The technical terminology is a bit daunting, but my enjoyment of the books is rarely diminished when I just ignore it.

You may find this URL (http://www.patrickobrian.com/) useful.

CR

jjules300

05-24-2004, 09:55 PM

i am relatively new to audible.com, but i just love it already!, i have already upgraded to the ultimate listener plan ,as i was finishing my two books only halfway through the month. i have so far listened to Drowning Ruth, Memoirs of a Geisha, and Pandora, almost. Is it me, or is this book literally painful to try to get through??. i have 1 hour left on it, and have already had to put it on the shelf and started another book. i figure i will go back and finish it after Confessions of a Shopaholic, which i am loving thus far. The only other Anne Rice book that ive read has been Interview, and i really loved that, but Pandora just seems to be very long-winded and boring to me. I am kind of in a pickle now. There are alot of her books at audible, but now im a little fearful of another pandora-type book. any suggestions would be great.

BillClinton

05-24-2004, 10:42 PM

My number one recommendation would have to be: Life of Pi.
It is one I could not put down. I've greatly enjoyed other books, but I've had to take breaks from the books and stop listening. With Pi, I listened as often as I could.

AMRivlin

05-28-2004, 11:31 AM

Originally posted by bordeaaj
I have been at least a 2 books/month audible listener for close to two years now and Paranoia by Joseph Finder is the best novel I have heard so far. A good narrator sure can make a huge difference, and I really, really enjoyed Scott Bricks narration on this one.

(My first Audible book, I heard a radio ad for Paranoia checked it out at BN then went home and ordered. I listened to the 12 hours in 3 days, oops) It was pretty good, slightly predictable and slightly not. I would compare it to a Crichton "Prey" or another recent thriller. Nothing deeper than what was written. (Spoken)

Regarding Scott Brick, some people hate the guy, I found him "audible" but I am sure there are better. He is a bit matter of fact adding an edge authors don't have. However, he must be good since lots of books have his voice and authors have to authorize the narrator.

I just used a credit on a 40 hour book with Brick narrating, so you can tell I don't hate him yet. :P

AMRivlin

05-28-2004, 11:33 AM

Originally posted by bigman606
The Company by Robert Littell - great story about the CIA spanning over 40 years. Highly recommended.

Just bought it. From an amazon review, it says Littell bashes CIA and praises KGB. Hmm, so much for unbiased novels about spys.

robert

05-30-2004, 08:25 AM

Originally posted by AMRivlin
Just bought it. From an amazon review, it says Littell bashes CIA and praises KGB. Hmm, so much for unbiased novels about spys.
Once you have read it, I think you will find that was just an isolated amazon.com reviewer's opinion. I found it excellent and well-balanced -- describing the reality of human undertakings and all the frailties thereof. Nonetheless, it remains historic fiction.

Let us know if you recommend it after YOU have read it.

BTW, for a taste of reader's diverse opinions, look at the Audible.com reviewer's write ups of Paranoia.

GearHead

06-01-2004, 02:44 PM

Originally posted by CarbonRods
If you saw the film you are in for a surprise because the film is not even remotely like the book, and don't expect to visit the Galapagos Islands! I love the books and have bought the first seven books in the series. The technical terminology is a bit daunting, but my enjoyment of the books is rarely diminished when I just ignore it.

You may find this URL (http://www.patrickobrian.com/) useful.

CR

Agreed. The movie tries to take elements from a number of novels in the series - mostly The Far Side of The World - and encompass them in a single film. A mistake IMHO, for a series with so very much character depth, but it's an entertaining film nonetheless.

In comparison, though, the Aubrey/Maturin books, as narrated by Patrick Tull, have been the singularly most entertaining novels I've ever read or listened to. Just since January, I've listened to all but the last two, which must be over 200 hours of audio books so far.

Unfortunately, Audible doesn't have every novel in the series as of right now (6/1/04), and I had to borrow a copy of "The Wine Dark Sea" from my library as read by Richard Brown. Well, I'll try not to overstate it, but in comparison to Patrick Tull, his reading was barely worth listening to. For a group of novels that includes many rough characters, Brown came across as far too "dainty" throughout the text. If this book ever becomes available as read by Tull, I will definitely listen to it again. His mastery of accents, inflections, subtlety, and giving each character a singular identity are unparralleled in my experience.

Going back to the movie, it was a grave disappointment for Stephen Maturin's character to not speak with an Irish accent, though visually, I believe Paul Bettany looked the part perfectly.

Anyone who will take the time to understand the technical terms from the Age of Sail, will enjoy the series immensely. O'Brian is Historical Fiction at it's finest.

GearHead

06-01-2004, 03:41 PM

Per my last post, here's a link to a great "Master and Commander" movie review for those that have read some or all of the series.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A38583-2003Nov13.html

Also, to my relief, Audible has just released an unabridged edition of The Wine-Dark Sea, narrated by Patrick Tull!

<edit> I forgot to include the link.:rolleyes:

bordeaaj

06-02-2004, 02:12 AM

Originally posted by AMRivlin
(My first Audible book, I heard a radio ad for Paranoia checked it out at BN then went home and ordered. I listened to the 12 hours in 3 days, oops) It was pretty good, slightly predictable and slightly not. I would compare it to a Crichton "Prey" or another recent thriller. Nothing deeper than what was written. (Spoken)

Regarding Scott Brick, some people hate the guy, I found him "audible" but I am sure there are better. He is a bit matter of fact adding an edge authors don't have. However, he must be good since lots of books have his voice and authors have to authorize the narrator.

I just used a credit on a 40 hour book with Brick narrating, so you can tell I don't hate him yet. :P

I have way, way too many hours of audible books and I really liked Scott Bricks readings (some more than others), esp that in Paranoia. As you say he certainly does add an edge to some of his readings the author may not have intended...and his smarta** reading of Paranoia was one of his better turns. I can see how some may have a problem with his interpretations, though. Sometimes I get very tired of readings that are too straight.

bordeaaj

06-02-2004, 02:20 AM

Originally posted by AMRivlin
Just bought it. From an amazon review, it says Littell bashes CIA and praises KGB. Hmm, so much for unbiased novels about spys.

Certainly not what I got out of it. It did illustrate very well how vulnerable both sides are to making mistakes and being infiltrated though. It does incorporate actual historical examples of these into the storyline. Kind of shows that the effectiveness of CIA intelligence gathering capabilities of today haven't changed a whole lot.

Cakkc

06-06-2004, 12:38 PM

I'm a new Audible.com user and found this thread quite helpful.

Currently reading Douglas Adam's The Hitchiker's Guide to The Galaxy and enjoying it immensely. Hilarious, hysterical book... don't be turned off by the Sci-Fi label, because I dislike Science Fiction and love this book. Great narrator, too.

mbryan822

06-07-2004, 07:17 PM

I've been an audible listener for almost a year and a half and am listening to my 51st book right now.

My favorite series of all time is the Dark Tower by Stephen King (not your typical King story, this is sort of a fantasy like Lord of the Rings mixed together with modern times - Brilliant!!!) Can't say enough about this.

1. Dark Tower I (Gunslinger)
2. Dark Tower II (Drawing of the Three)
3. Dark Tower III (The Wastelands)
4. Dark Tower IV (Wizards and Glass)
5. Dark Tower V (Wolves of the Calla)
6. Dark Tower VI (Song of Susanah) available tomorrow!
7. Dark Tower VII (The Dark Tower) available in August

Others that I couldn't stop listening to (in no particular order):
1. City of Masks
2. Land of Echoes
3. The Talisman
4. Black House
5. Eragon
6. Middlesex
7. DaVinci Code
8. Angels and Demons
9. The Testament
10. The Chamber
11. Ender's Game
12. Speaker for the Dead
13. The Kay Scarpetta series by Patricia Cornwell)
- The Body Farm
- From Potter's Field
- Cause of Death
- Unnatural Exposure (currently reading this one now)
14. Harry Potter series (not available at Audible....yet)

Of course YMMV (your mileage may vary)

BigD

06-10-2004, 09:48 PM

Oh no...now I'll have the next Gunslinger, the New Xenocide AND the next Otori book! Busy month coming up...can't wait!!!

Denise

kmcl3667

06-12-2004, 09:40 AM

I am fairly new to the ipod and the audio book seen but fell inlove with it as soon as I listened to the Talisman by Stephen King. LOL now i can't get enough!!! Thank God I have a job that I can listen while I work. So I'm catching up quick. Anyway here's my list so far...

All excellent story's and the reading of each was done with alot of passion which i thought made the story's even that much better.

Talisman
Ender's game
The Green Mile
Envy
A walk in the woods
Tuesday's with morrie
Five people you meet in heaven

Good story's

The Mist
Hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy
Restaurant at the end of the galaxy
The DaVinci Code

Ok story's but could have passed on were

The Screwtape letters
Master and Commander

Sorry you Master and Commander fan's but I just couldn't get into this one. I thought it was way to slow and not knowing all the technical terms for a tall ship really made it unpleasant to listen to. I couldn't even finish that one.

About to dive into The lovey bones. I heard that was a goodie to.

Kmcl3667

:D

alison0313

06-13-2004, 03:28 PM

Where did you get Five People You Meet in Heaven on audio? I haven't seen it on Audible.

I enjoyed The Lovely Bones very much.

robert

06-13-2004, 04:16 PM

Originally posted by alison0313
Where did you get Five People You Meet in Heaven on audio? I haven't seen it on Audible.

I enjoyed The Lovely Bones very much.
EDIT 12-27-04 NOW AVAILABLE FROM AUDIBLE.COM
Sorry, but someone loaned me the cd audiobook and I listened to it on a trip. Funny tho, we listened to one cd out of sequence -- using the car cd player before I learned how to do: Complete Beginner?s Guide for Copying Audio CD?s into a Bookmarking iTunes/iPod file (http://www.ipodlounge.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=33491) . Proves that ipod is more user friendly.

Suggest you request it from Audible. They do try.

Audible does have "Tuesdays with Morrie" (Unabridged) -- by same author -- Mitch Albom. I read it on paper and found it excellent. 4-5 star.

kmcl3667

06-13-2004, 04:31 PM

Alison, I bought The Five People You Meet In Heaven on CD at walmart and ripped it to my Ipod.

I listened to Tuesday's with Morrie and it was such a great book I couldn't resist picking up his new book.

Kmcl3667

BigD

06-17-2004, 12:34 AM

kmcl3667-
Give King's "Bag of Bones" a try. King reads it and it is - by far - my number 1 favorite audio book by King. It is also, the only one that I've ever gone back and listened to again.

Denise

kmcl3667

06-17-2004, 09:02 AM

Thanks Denise, :D Today's my renewal date for audible and I had that on my wish list for a couple of months now. Hmmmm I think it just got bumped to my buy list. Thanks for the heads up!!!

kmcl3667

mbryan822

06-17-2004, 12:58 PM

I read Bag of Bones and thought it was really good, but none of King's stories compare to his Dark Tower Series. In fact, all of his books tie together through the Dark Tower Series. Check out http://www.thedarktower.net for all sorts of Dark Tower info including how all the books inter-relate. And Yes, even Bag of Bones has Dark Tower references in it.

King is definitely one of my favorite authors and the Dark Tower is by far my favorite story ever, and I've listened to many. I can't recommend it highly enough.

Start with the Gunslinger and enter a 7 book odyssey you'll never forget.....

Podunk

06-17-2004, 04:21 PM

OK, I"m in. I just downloaded "The Gunslinger ."

It better be good! :)

mbryan822

06-17-2004, 05:53 PM

The "Gunslinger" that's on Audible is the 2003 version. King added something like 30 pages to get it more in line with the final 3 books. There is a link on www.thedarktower.net that describes all the differences between the original and the 2003 versions.

Also, the person who narrates the original Gunslinger and the next 3 books is Frank Muller. He was in a terrible motorcycle accident and can no longer function like he used to - is very lucky to even be alive from what I've read. Anyway, Frank is AWESOME!! probably my favorite narrator ever. But, they had to find someone else to do the Dark Tower narrations after Frank was injured and they came up with George Guidall who actually does pretty well. The major differences are mostly in the pronunciations of names and other things.

I only mention this because you will listen to George read the "Gunslinger", then Frank for "Drawing of the Three", "The Wastelands" and "Wizard and Glass", then back to George for the final 3 books. Book 6 just came out this week!!

The "Gunslinger" is by far the shortest in the series and in some ways the most crypic. While you read it you don't notice how much is going on till you get into the books that follow. So many things relate back to the Gunslinger that it amazes me.

Also, the Gunslinger is the "intro" to the series, so part of what it does is set the stage for what is to come. It wasn't until I got about 30 minutes into the 2nd book "The Drawing of the Three" that I became hooked beyond my control. After that I couldn't read the rest of the series fast enough.

As I said, the 6th book just came out this week and the 7th and final book is scheduled for August. So, starting the Gunslinger right now is perfect since you won't have to wait like the rest of us have for each of the last books to be released.

I hope you enjoy the series. The Gunslinger is pretty short and you'll get through it fairly fast. I guess what I'm trying to say here is that, at least for me, the Gunslinger wasn't as great as everyone said. But, as I said before, once I got into the 2nd book I was hopelessly hooked and from that point on couldn't stop listening to them. I went back and listened to the Gunslinger again after the 4th book just to pick up the stuff I missed the first time through and to listen to the new version at the same time. I definitely prefer Frank Muller, but the new version has a lot of new info in it that isn't in the original version.

Have fun with it....

alison0313

06-21-2004, 01:31 PM

I got a used copy of Five People You Meet in Heaven off of Ebay and listened to the whole thing over the weekend. I thought it was a good story, plus I'm a fan of music and sound effects added to my audio book :) Good recommendation.

My recommendation: Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris. His sense of humor and delivery just crack me up. Funny stuff.

Now I need to reread this thread... I really need to take advantage of the $9.95 deal!

robert

06-21-2004, 01:54 PM

Originally posted by alison0313
I got a used copy of Five People You Meet in Heaven off of Ebay ... I really need to take advantage of the $9.95 deal!

Alison, curious, did you use Complete Beginner?s Guide for Copying Audio CD?s into a Bookmarking iTunes/iPod file (http://www.ipodlounge.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=33491) or did you listen on cd's?

Better hurry on the $9.95, sale ends today. Look at Ultimate Listener Plan thread for $120 plan for 12 book credits over two years.

Great idea to go to e-bay for titles not available on audible. I am going to have a look. Search on cd audio books has eight pages of audio book cd's. When clicked on cd format of resulting search, shows only 46 cd audio book entries, many of them for multiple books. All of which points out e-bays poor classification and search systems and the attractiveness of audible.com.

Great values on hard back and paper back used books at Amazon.com, but haven't seen any audiobook cd's there.

alison0313

06-23-2004, 01:19 PM

Robert -

I had not read that post before for now. I just converted the CD's to MP3.. but I'll be sure to review that thread again if I purchase another CD audiobook.

BigD

06-28-2004, 11:16 PM

I just finished the most recent Gunslinger book. Ick, ick, ick, ICK.

I swear, King's shrink told him to go home and deal with his alcohol demons or something.

Oh well, I hope the last one is better. My favorites are 1 and 4 because they had a clear and stated purpose. This one had a clear and stated purpose that THEY DON'T accomplish. And they don't even fail at it - he just doesn't get that far.

Ack! That was the worst one for me.

D

mbryan822

06-29-2004, 12:02 AM

Originally posted by BigD
I just finished the most recent Gunslinger book. Ick, ick, ick, ICK.

I swear, King's shrink told him to go home and deal with his alcohol demons or something.

Oh well, I hope the last one is better. My favorites are 1 and 4 because they had a clear and stated purpose. This one had a clear and stated purpose that THEY DON'T accomplish. And they don't even fail at it - he just doesn't get that far.

Ack! That was the worst one for me.

D

I do agree that they didn't get very far in this one, but I thought it was great! I also thought that the way he worked himself into the story was brilliant. On the other hand, I hate cliff-hangers and dread the wait till August.

I am going to listen to Salem's Lot next since it's now available at Audible and Callahan has become such a big character in the DT saga. I had read that book way back in the 70's when it first came out so I don't remember a whole lot about it.

My favorites in the DT series so far have been #2, #3 and #6. I didn't enjoy #1 and #4 as much so it just goes to show you that everyone's mileage will vary. I loved this most recent one a lot and have to say it's one of my favorites, but like everyone else I really want the last one to be the best of all.

SolidGun

06-30-2004, 12:18 PM

I began the Dark Tower series with the 4th volume. And that may be a recommeneded start for readers that don't like to venture out onto the strange mind of King. Of course after you read that one, you may begin wherever you like, I recommend #2 and then on and picking up the gunslinger at your spare time. I understand the completely even though I read it out of order (that and I have read the books 3 times already). I picked up the audiobooks last year and just finished song of susannah on June 8th (that is the release date and I did get the copy a few days earlier). This book may seem like it was written with a bottle of whiskey in hand at all times, but once you complete the series, it will change your life. Not many books have influenced me like this one and it will do the same for those who are willing and open minded. And I mean REALLY REALLY open minded.

robert

07-16-2004, 06:02 PM

Fpr those of you who enjoy science fiction, a group to which I do not belong, This link seems to offer some books of interest and links to other similar lists

Science Fiction book recommendations site link (http://www-users.cs.york.ac.uk/~susan/sf/sfbooks.htm)

From the site:

SF is the only literature judged by its worst examples
-- Bob Shaw
And The Eye of Argon is surely one of the very worst...

SuBethJimBob

07-21-2004, 09:52 PM

An author I haven't seen mentioned here, that I love, is PJ O'Rourke. A few of his books are available unabridged at Audible, and I highly recommend them. PJ has gone from hippie protester to conservative grouch to jaded humorist, with side trips as Rolling Stone correspondent and National Lampoon editor. His explanations of US government (Parliament of Whores), and overpopulation, famine, and poverty (All the Trouble in the World) are hysterical and interesting (and suprisingly educational).

I also highly recommend Mark Kurlansky. If you are interested in the history of food, his books 'Salt' and 'Cod' are fascinating, and have rather a bit of overlapping info, which also spills over into his non-food book 'The Basque History of the World' (all available on Audible). (Avoid 'Choice Cuts'. It's a random collection of excerpts, lyrics, stanzas, articles, etc about food. Doesn't work well as a solid listen.. might make a good (paper) bathroom book, best read in very short segments.)

And as others have said, Bill Bryson's 'In a Sunburned Country' is a don't miss. Just be sure you've got a shoulder to pull over on when he starts into the part about cricket on the radio... you'll be laughing so hard, you won't be able to see thru the tears.

...SuBethJimBob

BigD

08-01-2004, 05:22 PM

I'd just like to put a word in for "Shadow Divers" by Robert Kurson. My father-in-law (ocean engineer, sub diver and deep water pipeline developer) is loving it. My husband is loving it and so am I. It has a good "these guys are nuts" quality to it. And it has made us all laugh out loud on more than one occasion.

Denise

robert

08-06-2004, 11:25 AM

Click here for link to site about books and ideas for children and teenagers (UK) (http://www.readingmatters.co.uk/index.php)

tlv100

08-18-2004, 05:29 PM

Originally posted by parannoya
Great topic. <snipped>
1. A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson (as well as other's by Bryson).
2. A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
3. Car Talk Subscription- forget about cars, those two clowns are absolutely hysterical!
4. SeaBiscuit-Laura Hillenbrand
5. The Company- Robert Littell (historical fiction / espionage)
6. A Beautiful Mind-Sylvia Nasar
7. Catch Me if You Can- Frank W. Abnagale
8. eBoys-Randall Stross
9. Ava's Man- Rick Bragg
10. Fierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates-Tom Robbins
11. Longitudes and Attitudes-Thomas Friedman
12. The Lexus and the Olive Tree- Thomsas Friedman
13. Rich Dad, Poor Dad- Robert Kyosaki

I look forward to hearing recommendations of others?

:P

I'm with you on the Bill Bryson! His Australia book, "In a Sunburned Country", slayed me. Almost got into an accident, laughing until I cried on the morning commute. Ditto Douglas Adams, hilarious.

On the Friedman books, I'm curious--can you really listen to Longitudes w/out hearing his previous book, whose name escapes me, darn it...? He won a Pulitzer for the earlier book, which was a pretty thorough background of Middle East poli-history in the 20th century. I was holding out for Audible to get it before reading the newer one. AH! From Beirut to Jerusalem, that's it!

T.

Podunk

09-02-2004, 01:10 AM

tlv100- If you liked In a Sunburned Country, did you try A Walk in the Woods? I think its even funnier on the whole. I recommend this book to everyone. I got it three or four years ago and I am currently listening to it again. I forgot how funny it is.

The two Friedman books are self-contained. You don't have to read his earlier stuff.

dordale

09-02-2004, 04:18 AM

Definitely second Parannoya's recommendation of A Walk in the Woods...My husband and I listened to this one together a few years ago...it had both of us in tears, we were laughing so hard.

Unfortunately, audible only has the abridged version...I recommend the unabridged version if possible. Although, the abridged version is read by Bryson himself, which I'm sure would be a treat.

dordale :)

arsolot

09-02-2004, 09:19 AM

Dordale: I got a copy of the unabridged version of A Walk in the Woods at my local library. I enjoyed the book, but I will comment that I enjoyed A Short History of Nearly Everything quite a bit more.

Also, I've read Bryson's The Mother Tongue (not available as an audio book as far as I know) and also really liked it a lot. It's about the English language and is written the the very familiar Bryson style.

dordale

09-02-2004, 05:23 PM

arsolot...

Mother Tongue is available in audio format--books on tape has it--only in cassette format though. I enjoyed this book very much--I first listened to it, and then I read it. Some of the passages in the book don't translate very well into audio format, but still well worth a listen.

I also read A Short History of Nearly Everything, and I did enjoy that book quite a bit as well.

But, I have to admit A Walk in the Woods is one of my all time favorite Bryson books...it really had me in stitches.

dordale :)

smjr15

09-03-2004, 04:10 PM

i got the micheal moore-stupid white men book on my i-pod

Ichijoe

09-03-2004, 04:50 PM

Here's some of the Audiobooks that I own...

---Fiction---

Harry Potter: And The Sorcerers Stone - J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter: And The Chamber of Secrets -J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter: And The Prisoner Of Azkaban - J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter: And The Goblet of Fire - J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter: And The Order of the Phoenix - J.K. Rowling

Anthem - Ayn Rand
The Fountain Head - Ayn Rand
Atlas Shruged - Ayn Rand

The Silmarillion - J.R.R Tolkien
The Hobbit - J.R.R. Tolkien
The Fellowship Of The Ring - J.R.R. Tolkien
The Two Towers - J.R.R. Tolkien
The Return Of The King - J.R.R. Tolkien

The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy - Douglas Adams
The Restaurant at the End of the Universe - Douglas Adams
Life, the Universe and Everything - Douglas Adams
So Long, And Thanks For All The Fish - Douglas Adams
Mostly Harmless - Douglas Adams

---Non Fiction---

Mein Kampf - Adolf Hittler
My Life - Bill Clinton
A History Of The Roman Empire Vol. 1
A History Of The Roman Empire Vol. 2

Lmcm2108

09-04-2004, 11:04 PM

Some of my favorites:

Just One Look-Harlan Coben
Skinny Dip-Carl Hiaasen
Second Chance-Danielle Steel
Sam's Letters to Jennifer-James Patterson
The 5 People you Meet in Heaven-Mitch Albrom
Hollywood Divorces-Jackie Collins
The Da Vinci Code-Dan Brown
Girl With a Pearl Earring-Tracy Chevallier

I Want to listen to:
-The 9/11 Commission Report (I currently have book but I won't finish before its due at library)
-My Life-Bill Clinton
-Life of Pi (I bought the book but I'm too lazy to read it)

Lisa

AMRivlin

09-07-2004, 10:22 AM

The Devil in the White City by Eric Larson

Thoughts?

Worth a credit?

dordale

09-07-2004, 02:08 PM

AMRivlin--

I listened to the unabridged version of Devil in the White City...I very much enjoyed it. Two stories in one...the story of the 1893 World's Fair and how it came to be is fascinating in itself. The other story of Holmes--one of America's first serial killers is also very intriguing. I felt that Eric Larson does a very good job at telling both of these stories in one fascinating book.

And, to top it all off, the unabridged version is read by Scott Brick, one of my favorite narrators.

Well worth a credit!
dordale :)

punk

09-07-2004, 02:45 PM

to kill a mocking bird
where the red fern grows
vurt
you can google for the authors
:-P

markToo

09-13-2004, 12:51 PM

The His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman:
Book 1--The Golden Compass
Book 2--The Subtle Knife
Book 3--The Amber Spyglass

Think Harry Potter but with far more creativity, sophistication, and maturity.
The audiobooks are not read by an individual but by a full cast, which is remarkable.

As for non-fiction, Bill Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything. It was as if someone had taken all the rare "wow!" moments I had in school and strung them together for hours and hours.

MBHockey

09-13-2004, 12:57 PM

I just joined Audible.com and bought two books, Hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy and the restaurant at the end of the universe, both by douglas adams.

however, much to my dismay, they don't have The Catcher in the Rye. I emailed them about this, and they said the publishing company won't give them the rights to sell the book.

:(

robert

09-13-2004, 05:18 PM

Originally posted by MBHockey
... however, much to my dismay, they don't have The Catcher in the Rye. I emailed them about this, and they said the publishing company won't give them the rights to sell the book.

:(

Amazon.com, Blackstone Audio, Books on Tape, or Barnes and Noble, do not list an audio version of this book, so it is apparently not just an audible problem. You have to get used to not being able to get all the books you want on iPod or at Audible. Just have to read a paper version once in a while if you have a particular title in mind. I had been hoping for Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow on Audible and have been reduced to buying an mp3 version for $40 from books on tape http://www.booksontape.com/bookdetail.cfm/6392A with a long ship date.
See [/URL] Beginner???s Guide to Copy Audio CD & MP3 files into ONE Bookmarking iTunes/iPod file (http://cgi6.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewSellersOtherItems&userid=audiobooksforfreecom&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:MESOI

digital843

09-18-2004, 11:02 PM

Terminator Three
TheDaVinci Code

John

digital843

09-18-2004, 11:03 PM

Terminator Three
TheDaVinci Code

John

rhart00

09-21-2004, 02:34 AM

I just signed up for audible last friday. So far, I have only read, err.... heard one book- Jon Stewart's "America". I highly recommended it, especially to anyone whose is a fan of The Daily Show. It is absolutely hilarious.

Currently, I am listening to "Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them" by Al Franken. Up next is "In a Sunburned Country" by Bill Bryson.

rhart00

09-21-2004, 02:37 AM

Lmcm2108

09-21-2004, 09:48 AM

I just signed on Sunday and love it! I tried one book before, Fast Food Nation, and I was hooked! They are having a 9.95 sale on every book and I got my 2 free ones and 3 more at 9.95 (a HUGE savings).

I recommend anything by Carl Hiaasen! I have 2 more waiting to be heard. I have the books but to listen is so much easier!

Lisa

robert

09-27-2004, 03:24 PM

and finalists at:

http://www.booksense.com/bsby/2004/index.jsp#tradefic

Most of the winners and finalists are available at audible and the ones I have listened to are excellent!

and Reading Group List from book sense, another list of extraordinarily good books:

http://www.booksense.com/bs76/readinggroup/index.jsp

also a large number available at audible.com

Podunk

09-28-2004, 10:58 AM

Did you get the "The Hippopotamus" from Audible? I can't find it in search, under hiipp or the author.

arsolot

09-28-2004, 12:05 PM

parannoya:

Sorry for causing some confusion. No, I got The Hippopotamus from my local library. I've checked out several audio books from the library that I've really enjoyed, including Strangers on a Train, Moneyball, Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series and The Hippopotamus.

I really liked The Hippopotamus quite a bit. You may be aware that Stephen Fry is the narrator of the UK versions of the Harry Potter series. I'm going to have to get one of those somewhere, somehow.

By the way, my library has an online system where one reserves the book, chooses the most convenient library location for pickup and then one gets an email that the book is available for check out. It's worked great for me. I've been hoarding my Audible credits for a rainy day.

Podunk

09-28-2004, 04:56 PM

'k, thanks.

robert

09-29-2004, 06:21 PM

Originally posted by arsolot

.... You may be aware that Stephen Fry is the narrator of the UK versions of the Harry Potter series. I'm going to have to get one of those somewhere, somehow.

Try ebay UK I did a google on ebay UK and then a search on "Harry Potter CD's" and found one page of about 30 listings. Has individual Harry Potter book sets of audio CD's at 15+GBP ($27) and full five book set at 100GBP ($179), both buy it now prices. At one time, but not today, there were offerings of a set of all five Harry Potter on mp3 cd's which I got a set of. Too bad I can't just send you my m4b files. Some will ship to US. Pay Pal does the currency conversion for you.

Kinda pricey, but...

Podunk

09-29-2004, 07:55 PM

So Robert, how did you like the Harry Potter audiobooks?

robert

09-29-2004, 10:04 PM

haven't listened to Potter books yet, but should be fun to listen to the Brit version. I will report.

Check amazon.com uk. They list the Fry narration, but I bet given all the screwball copyright stuff that they will not mail to a US address. EDIT: Amazon.com.uk will mail to US. Be prepared for the Philospher's Stone instead of Sorcerer's Stone.

i_am_petro

10-06-2004, 12:30 AM

hi! i'm new to the audio book action...so i have few questions. is audible.com the best site to join? how do you bookmark on your ipod so you don't loose your place? will audio books get mixed in with my music when i use the shuffle feature?

thank you!

bordeaaj

10-06-2004, 01:41 AM

Originally posted by Lmcm2108
I recommend anything by Carl Hiaasen! I have 2 more waiting to be heard. I have the books but to listen is so much easier!

Lisa

I second the recommendation of any Carl Hiaasen books. He has been one of my favorites for several years!

bordeaaj

10-06-2004, 01:44 AM

Originally posted by i_am_petro
hi! i'm new to the audio book action...so i have few questions. is audible.com the best site to join? how do you bookmark on your ipod so you don't loose your place? will audio books get mixed in with my music when i use the shuffle feature?

thank you!

Bookmarking is automatic whenever you pause or stop the ipod from playing a book. You can then move onto music, another book, whatever you want. When you come back it just picks up where you left off. I have never had a book get mixed into a group of songs when I use the shuffle feature.

i_am_petro

10-06-2004, 04:52 PM

Originally posted by bordeaaj
Bookmarking is automatic whenever you pause or stop the ipod from playing a book. You can then move onto music, another book, whatever you want. When you come back it just picks up where you left off. I have never had a book get mixed into a group of songs when I use the shuffle feature.

Thank's borgeaaj!

i_am_petro

10-07-2004, 12:11 AM

thanks again for the advice! ;) i'm all signed up and such...

as far as recommendations, i can recommend books i've read, but i can't speak to the quality of the recording. these are some of my recent favorites...

1. me talk pretty one day - dave sedaris
2. memiors of a geisha - arthur golden
3. lies and the lying liars that tell them - al franken
4. the partly cloudy patriot - sarah vowell
5. the romanov prophecy - steve berry

*i checked and audible carries them all.

Diamond Dave

10-20-2004, 04:11 AM

"Charlie Wilson's War" by George Crile.
True story of the CIA covert war in Afghanistan. Compelling.

slafa23

10-23-2004, 06:17 PM

does anyone know a place or service to get free audiobooks? i heard someone saying something about it but i dont know where

Diamond Dave

10-26-2004, 02:41 AM

Originally posted by slafa23
does anyone know a place or service to get free audiobooks? i heard someone saying something about it but i dont know where

How about the library.

slafa23

10-31-2004, 12:40 AM

anyone know a place to get free audiobooks? i dont really want to pay the outragous prices at audible.com.

Podunk

10-31-2004, 03:44 AM

Originally posted by slafa23
anyone know a place to get free audiobooks? i dont really want to pay the outragous prices at audible.com.

This post is redundant and off-topic to the thread. Please try to stay on topic.

If anyone wishes to reply, please do so in the new thread created by Slafa. And btw, previous answers to the same question are easily found using the search button.

Thanks.
P

arsolot

11-18-2004, 11:52 AM

1. ***** Life of Pi (Yann Martel)
2. ***** A Short History of Nearly Everything (Bill Bryson)
3. ***** Fierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates (Tom Robbins)
4. ***** The Hippopotamus (Stephen Fry )
5. ***** The Mating Season (P.G. Wodehouse)
6. ***** The Code of the Woosters (P.G. Wodehouse)
7. ***** Jeeves and the Feudal Spirit (P.G. Wodehouse)
8. ***** The Sound and the Fury (William Faulkner)
9. ***** Cloud Atlas (David Mitchell)
10. ***** Stiff Upper Lip, Jeeves (P.G. Wodehouse)

11. ****

honeybee1236

12-07-2004, 06:53 PM

I purchase and am listening to:
-The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
So far this audio book is very funny and entertaining. I like the fact the the characters seem to come to life as you listen to it.

-The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (unabridged)
I purchased this at the same time as the above one so haven't listened to it yet but did listen to the preview and it seems like a good book. Can't wait to start this one.

Podunk

12-08-2004, 12:37 AM

If you like true life adventure and stories about man pushing himself to the limits, check out Shadow Divers. I'm not into diving myself but I'm finding this book to be intensely enjoyable.

Five Stars.

arsolot

12-08-2004, 09:55 AM

Originally posted by honeybee1236
-The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (unabridged)
I purchased this at the same time as the above one so haven't listened to it yet but did listen to the preview and it seems like a good book. Can't wait to start this one.

The Kite Runner is excellent. I recommend it and I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I did.

crazy_azz_mat

12-11-2004, 01:33 AM

1984 by George Orwell.

iListen

12-12-2004, 02:22 AM

Most of my favorite audiobooks have already been listed except an excellent fantasy-adventure story by George R. R. Martin. The first three books in a planned six volume set are available from Audible. As of this writing, Martin has not published more than the first three volumes.

1. A Game Of Thrones
2. A Clash Of Kings
3. A Storm Of Swords

I think it's best to read A Clash Of Kings first, then A Storm Of Swords and finally A Game Of Thrones. The Game Of Thrones book starts out slowly so jumping into the story at book two gets things moving.

These books are set in a Mideval world. The story takes a realistic look at life and warfare in the Middle Ages so it gets a bit grim. However the world Martin creates is believable--at least in a Tolkien sort of way: it is a fantasy after all--and the characterizations are wonderful. The book reader took me a little while to get used to but turned out to be excellent. These books are very long but I found them to certainly be worth a book credit.

robcg

12-15-2004, 06:57 PM

how big do these books average in file size? an example?

looking to trade in my iPod 15 gig for an iPod mini.

- robert

robcg

12-15-2004, 07:31 PM

i got what you're saying.

to me it's about the small size.

- robert

Prudence

12-27-2004, 09:00 PM

robert,

I am also halfway through Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell. I can't wait to hear what you think about it at the end--it may actually be well into January before I get finished as I have vacation interrupting my normal 'listening hours' (aka, commute time)

arsolot

12-27-2004, 11:20 PM

I'm a little over half-way through Johnathon Strange and Mr. Norrell. I'm enjoying it, especially the historical parts with Wellington and Napoleon. It is very well read. It is rather long, though. Thus far into it, it is between 3 and 4 stars.

Prudence

12-28-2004, 11:40 AM

Rather long isn't bothering me--except that I don't have very much time in the day. I know if I'd bought a print copy by now I would have torn through it, but somehow this is more fun.

Funny thing is, Audible gave me a book credit at my 1 year anniversary of membership, and this is what I bought. It's the longest thing I've had from them yet--I could hardly believe it wasn't two credits.

robert

12-28-2004, 11:47 AM

Length doesn't bother me. I love the leisurely stroll through 19th century with all the quaintness and unusual wording and intriguing characters. The author's words flow so beautifully. I am thinking 4+ stars potential -- maybe 5 or 5-. One reviewer criticises someone's review (too slow at the beginning) who didn't finish reading the book and says that the book gets even better toward the end.

I am, however, listening mostly at faster speed which is about 10% time saver.

The longest book I did was The Company at 40 hours and it went quickly for me because I liked it so much that I used EVERY opportunity to listen -- while sorting my socks, cleaning up my work area, etc. *S* Didn't have faster listen then. Haven't gotten up the nerve to tackle Ayn Rand yet.

ctsport

01-02-2005, 06:29 AM

The Rape of Nanking by Iris Chang

robert

01-02-2005, 08:21 PM

5*Bel Canto Ann Patchett Opera's most revered soprano mesmerizes the guests with her singing at a party for a visiting Japanese dignitary. Perfect until terrorists take party. Love, great singing (Bel Canto) inspired endurance, and surprise ending. I read this in print, but ran across it just now at audible. Excellent, fun, engrossing. Check the sample for narration as I have not.

arsolot

01-04-2005, 12:47 AM

I finished JS&MN today. I admit that I had trouble getting into the book at first. The initial 1/4 to 1/2 of the book was interesting but I was generally only a little pleased with it. But, upon finishing it, I was very, very pleased.

I rate it as 4 1/2 stars.

The story is excellent. It is richly detailed, and I quite enjoyed the historical characters mixed into the fictional ones. This is an incredibly detailed work and I recommend it!

jessica.

01-05-2005, 03:33 AM

Eight Men Out: The Black Sox and the 1919 World Series
Amazing story.

Kosh

01-05-2005, 07:25 AM

I'll have to second the recommendations for Snow Crash and The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson. I feel that Snow Crash would hold together better for a person who's new to Stephenson's style and would be a good first book for someone getting into Sci-fi/Cyberpunk genres.

robert

01-07-2005, 01:01 PM

4++*Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke
Billed as "Harry Potter" for adults, this is more Jane Austen than J.K. Rowling, more a witty social commentary than fantasy tale of good vs. evil. Wickedly clever and endlessly intriguing, the story of two unusual magicians is a rich, luxurious epic with astonishing faux history of magic woven into 19th century England history. Having the feel of being written (and narrated) 200 years ago, its large supporting cast of beguiling D_ickens and Austen character types pop in and out.
--Adapted from a review by Greg Changnon ??? The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, December 26, 2004

An engaging must-read, do not let its languorous beginning pace or 32 hour length discourage you -- it eventually unfolds briskly to cleverly bring the story together. To put together loose ends not fully understood, I went back to 1:51 remaining to re-listen until the beginning of the last chapter.

Listened to at 4G???s faster speed.
Added to my complete list of recommendations at last link below.

robert

01-12-2005, 08:28 PM

3--*The Portrait of a Lady (A) Henry James
Audible has only the abridged version. Feeling that I needed to re-read two confusing key scenes, I found the complete book on-line and read two entire chapters:
http://www.online-literature.com/henry_james/portrait_lady That confirmed to me that the abridged version does not do the book justice.
Amazon has only unabridged version in cassette tape. The hardback is 680 pages long. That would make it about a 24 hour book.

CarbonRods

01-17-2005, 06:06 PM

Updated 20/3/05 8:32

Stars Title First Name Last Name
***** Claudius the God Robert Graves
***** I, Claudius Robert Graves
***** Dark Matter Philip Kerr
***** Smiley's People John le Carre
***** Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy John le Carre
***** The Company: A Novel of the CIA Robert Littell
**** Undaunted Courage Stephen E. Ambrose
**** E=mc2 David Bodanis
**** A Short History of Nearly Everything Bill Bryson
**** Jolie Blon's Bounce James Lee Burke
**** Last Car to Elysian Fields James Lee Burke
**** The Alienist Caleb Carr
**** Lost Light Michael Connelly
**** Rebel Bernard Cornwell
**** The Lion's Game Nelson DeMille
**** Up Country Nelson DeMille
**** David Copperfield, Volume 1 Charles ####ens
**** David Copperfield, Volume 2 Charles ####ens
**** Dark Star Alan Furst
**** Memoirs of a Geisha Arthur Golden
**** A Time to Kill John Grisham
**** The Rainmaker John Grisham
**** Pompeii Robert Harris
**** Odd Thomas Dean Koontz
**** Under the Banner of Heaven Jon Krakauer
**** Salt Mark Kurlansky
**** Tears of the Giraffe Alexander McCall Smith
**** The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency Alexander McCall Smith
**** A Beautiful Mind Sylvia Nasar
**** Silent Witness Richard North Patterson
**** [01] Master and Commander Patrick O'Brian
**** [02] Post Captain Patrick O'Brian
**** [03] H.M.S. Surprise Patrick O'Brian
**** [05] Desolation Island Patrick O'Brian
**** [06] The Fortune of War Patrick O'Brian
**** [07] The Surgeon's Mate Patrick O'Brian
**** [08] The Ionian Mission Patrick O'Brian
**** [09] Treason's Harbour Patrick O'Brian
**** [10] The Far Side of the World Patrick O'Brian
**** [11] The Reverse of the Medal Patrick O'Brian
**** [12] The Letter of Marque Patrick O'Brian
**** [13] The Thirteen-Gun Salute Patrick O'Brian
**** [14] The Nutmeg of Consolation Patrick O'Brian
**** [16] The Wine-Dark Sea Patrick O'Brian
**** The Glorious Cause Jeff Shaara
*** Catch Me If You Can Frank W. Abagnale
*** So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish Douglas Adams
*** Every Second Counts Lance Armstrong
*** Oryx & Crake Margaret Atwood
*** The Blind Assassin Margaret Atwood
*** Hit Man Lawrence Block
*** The DaVinci Code Dan Brown
*** In the Moon of Red Ponies James Lee Burke
*** Sunset Limited James Lee Burke
*** Silent Running James F. Calvert
*** No Room For Error Colonel JohCarnet
*** Utopia Lincoln Child
*** A Darkness More Than Night Michael Connelly
*** Chasing the Dime Michael Connelly
*** City of Bones Michael Connelly
*** The Narrows Michael Connelly
*** Copperhead Bernard Cornwell
*** Sharpe's Battle Bernard Cornwell
*** Sharpe's Company Bernard Cornwell
*** Sharpe's Eagle Bernard Cornwell
*** Sharpe's Enemy Bernard Cornwell
*** Sharpe's Gold Bernard Cornwell
*** Sharpe's Honor Bernard Cornwell
*** Sharpe's Regiment Bernard Cornwell
*** Sharpe's Rifles Bernard Cornwell
*** Sharpes Sword Bernard Cornwell
*** Airframe Michael Crichton
*** Timeline Michael Crichton
*** The Seashell on the Mountaintop Alan Cutler
*** Mayday Nelson DeMille
*** Life on a Little Known Planet Howard Ensign Evans
*** 3000 Degrees Sean Flynn
*** Avenger Frederick Forsyth
*** Coal: A Human History Barbara Freese
*** The Last Juror John Grisham
*** Death in Holy Orders P.D. James
*** A Cold Heart Jonathan Kellerman
*** The Clinic Jonathan Kellerman
*** The Murder Book Jonathan Kellerman
*** Black House Stephen King
*** Dreamcatcher Stephen King
*** Mr. Murder Dean Koontz
*** Cod: A Biography of the Fish that Changed theMark Kurlansky
*** Shadow Divers Robert Kurson
*** Mission Flats William Landay
*** Endurance: Shackelton's Incredible Voyage Alfred Lansing
*** The Coffee Trader David Liss
*** Day of Infamy Walter Lord
*** A Little Yellow Dog Walter Mosley
*** A Red Death Walter Mosley
*** [04] The Mauritius Command Patrick O'Brian
*** Along Came a Spider James Patterson
*** Tying Down the Wind Eric Pinder
*** Equal Rites Terry Pratchett
*** Guards! Guards! Terry Pratchett
*** Mort Terry Pratchett
*** Reaper Man Terry Pratchett
*** The Colour of Magic Terry Pratchett
*** The Light Fantastic Terry Pratchett
*** Thief of Time Terry Pratchett
*** Grave Secrets Kathy Reichs
*** The Confessor Daniel Silva
*** The English Assassin Daniel Silva
*** Snow Crash Neal Stephenson
*** The Professor and the Madman Simon Winchester
** Last Man Standing David Baldacci
** Jack Maggs Peter Carey
** Prey Michael Crichton
** The Universe in a Nutshell Stephen Hawking
** The First Man in Rome Colleen McCullough
** [15] The Truelove Patrick O'Brian
** Ender's Game Orson Scott Card
** The Killer Angels Michael Shaara
** The Pirate Hunter Richard Zacks
* From Dawn to Decadence, Volume 1 Jacques Barzun
* From Dawn to Decadence, Volume 2 Jacques Barzun
* The Fourth Hand John Irving
* Hannibal: One Man Against Rome Harold Lamb
* The Sigma Protocol Robert Ludlum
* Family Matters Rohinton Mistry
* Fear Itself Walter Mosley
* Titus Groan Mervyn Peake
* A History of Rome Cyril Robinson
* The Diamond Age Neal Stephenson
* Last Orders Graham Swift

banaan

01-19-2005, 01:44 PM

maybe this is old news for a lot of you, but i've downloaded a bunch of audio interviews on my i-pod. Their all 30 min. interviews with a variety of musicians, and best of all, for free. Try Toazted.com and tell me what you think...

Paul.

robert

01-19-2005, 08:08 PM

Parannoya has informed that Alexander Hamilton Unabridged by Ron Chernow just became available at audible.
It is 37 hours long. Chernow told me at a book signing that the abridged version is almost a completely different book.

robert

01-22-2005, 01:24 PM

5* The Heart is a Lonely Hunter UA by Carson McCullers
This classic novel written in and of the 1930's is as fresh now as it was when the author wrote it at age 23. Wonderfully real characters, including the main 4, placed artfully in depression era GA mill town. Not for those looking for a page turner or all happiness. Highly recommend.

PrintNameHere

01-25-2005, 05:49 PM

Can someone recommend me some amazing Fantasy or Sci-fi audio books?

arsolot

01-25-2005, 06:01 PM

Originally posted by PrintNameHere
Can someone recommend me some amazing Fantasy or Sci-fi audio books?

Fantasy:

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell (Susanna Clarke)

Sci-Fi:

Pattern Recognition William Gibson
Snow Crash Neal Stephenson

robert

01-25-2005, 11:30 PM

Originally posted by PrintNameHere
Can someone recommend me some amazing Fantasy or Sci-fi audio books?

The Otori Trilogy, Lian Hearn (Across the Nightingale Floor, Grass for his Pillow, Brilliance of the Moon)
Ender's Game, Orson Scott Card

Strongly agree with Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell -- stick with it, it picks up.

All from a guy not really into fantasy and especially not into sci-fi, so caveat emptor.

digital843

01-27-2005, 11:07 PM

iRobot..The DaVinci Code..Terminator 3 Also downloaded to my iPaq 6315

robert

02-07-2005, 03:17 PM

4++* Alexander Hamilton UA Ron Chernow provides thorough insight into the life and times of Hamilton. Hamilton’s difficult childhood, his prodigious intellectual writings and incredible accomplishments, and all his many shortcomings are fluidly described in 37 hours of captivating audio. Chernow demonstrates how Hamilton, particularly in partnership with Washington, is father to many of the institutions practices and ideals that make our country great and how Hamilton’s temperament held him back from accomplishing more. Eliza Hamilton, Washington, Jefferson, and Adams loom large in this book. Though I was grateful for the faster listening speed of my 4G iPod, I think that opting for the abridged version would not be wise. Chernow himself said that the abridged version is a very different book. Chernow did not fall into the trap of lionizing his biography’s subject, treating Hamilton with well-balanced affection and honesty.

pmad

02-07-2005, 03:51 PM

Hour Game - David Baldacci
This was a pretty good serial killer murder mystery if you're into that kind of thing.

It definitely kept me interested.
I listened to it on the way to work for about 2 weeks.
Nothing like a good killing to start the day off right :)

thenerd

02-07-2005, 05:27 PM

Hello all,
I'm leaving for a vacation and would like to have a book to listen to. My current favorite author is John Grisham and I have read,
The Client
The Firm
The Brethern
The Testiment
The Runaway Jury
and have downloaded but haven't listened to
The Broker

I have liked all the books I have read but what are his other good ones. (if there are any bad books) I'm looking for your recommendations...

Thanks

robert

02-07-2005, 05:52 PM

A Painted House. Grishams contribution to literature. You may be surprised to find that you like a book that isn't a page turner. :D

thenerd

02-07-2005, 07:26 PM

i'll probably download the painted house unless i get anymore recommendations...

thanks robert

robert

02-07-2005, 07:40 PM

Originally posted by zsmith66
i'll probably download the painted house unless i get anymore recommendations...

thanks robert

Be aware that A Painted House and Skipping Christmas are excellent Grisham books, but not his usual genre! Read the review or write up before you download.

You might like

Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell
The Otori Trilogy -- read in sequence
The Life of Pi -- excellent and fun
Bel Canto
Shadow Divers
and possibly:

4++*The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time UA Mark Haddon Endearing & poignant glimpse, with heart-stirring grit of daily life, into the life of a 15 year old boy afflicted with an autism-like condition. Written from the boy???s viewpoint. Well narrated (same as Life of Pi). Pathos, humor, reality, & insight.

I used to read only spy novels and only gradually came to like the kinds of books on my list. See my entire recommendation list at the link at the very bottom of my signature below. There is a short description of each of the books above there. It takes a transition to get away from page turners and just enjoy the sheer literature of a book. You may find any of the books above do that for you. I hope this doesn't sound too snobby. Don't do abridged in any case.

Have a fun trip.

Robert

thenerd

02-07-2005, 07:47 PM

ya i was reading the painted house's review and i didn't know if it was my kind of book...

have you read The Partner???

robert

02-07-2005, 07:53 PM

no, I haven't. Try The DaVinci Code if you want to stick with page turners, but you might surprise your self if you branch out.

thenerd

02-07-2005, 08:06 PM

i started the davinci code and didn't like it..
i'll download the partner
audible has given it good reviews

mallu2u

02-08-2005, 11:33 PM

I heard eBoys sometime back. Loved it. About venture caps. I highly recommend it. Same for The GE Way by Jack Welch.

robert

02-18-2005, 10:47 AM

5*Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight, Alexandra Fuller’s poignant and delightful autobiographical remembrance of her white-African childhood is the story of her bond with a continent and its people. Beautifully narrated, it is told with sharp insight into herself, family, Africa and the people who inhabit it, and dramatic changes occurring during transition from colonial to native rule.

Amazon is right when it says customers who bought this book also bought [liked]
• Scribbling the Cat: Travels With an African Soldier by Alexandra Fuller (I Haven’t read this one)
• The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
• Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books by Azar Nafisi
• The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (Vintage Contemporaries) by Mark Haddon
• Middlesex: A Novel by Jeffrey Eugenides
• The Known World by Edward P. Jones

5*The Cider House Rules (Unabridged)
Author: John Irving
Narrator: Grover Gardner
Unabridged Fiction
Audio Length: 24 hours and 11 min.
Average Customer Rating: 5
Provider: Harper Audio Year Published: 1999

"Witty, tenderhearted, fervent, and scarifying." (New York Times Book Review)
"Gardner serves up the beautiful prose and fascinating characters with considerable aplomb." (AudioFile)
"Gardner understands and conveys the book's sly humor and comprehension of human foibles." (Los Angeles Times)
"John Irving's best novel....He is among the very best storytellers." (Philadelphia Inquirer)

For my entire book list, see:
http://www.ipodlounge.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=108484#post108484

fuzznfangs

02-18-2005, 11:29 AM

A Game of Thrones, by George R.R. Martin, is incredible. (Well, all his books are, but I have only been listening to the first one so far.) If you like fantasy, this is the best out there. Also, with a one book a month subscription, I only want really long books, and this one fits the bill with 33 hours.

Alan338737

03-04-2005, 08:32 PM

I've been a member of Audible.com since 2000. At two books a month, that's a lot of books. Not to mention books from my wife's audible account that she doesn't use - maybe 10 per year. Here are my top favorites:

***** A Game of Thrones, Storm of Swords, Clash of Kings all by George AA Martin. These are simply the best Fantasy books. Listen to them in order.
*****The Pleasure of Finding Things Out - Richard Feynman - Wow! Funny and informative
***** Huckelberry Fin - Mark Twain - A great reader speaks this one - I had forgotton how funny Twain can be.
****Endurance - an amazing true story
****Undaunted Courage - Stephen Ambrose - another great true story about Lewis and Clark
****Memoirs of a Geisha
**** The Colour of Magic and Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchet - very funny fantasy books.

A few guilty pleasure. I wouldn't recomend this to a general audience but I really enjoyed it...

***Timeline - Michael Crichton

Enjoy!

- Alan

moriond

03-05-2005, 04:00 PM

Originally posted by Alan338737; Excerpted selection
I've been a member of Audible.com since 2000. At two books a month, that's a lot of books. Not to mention books from my wife's audible account that she doesn't use - maybe 10 per year. Here are my top favorites:

****Endurance - an amazing true story

- Alan Great choice, but this dramatic account of Shackleton's ill-fated attempt to reach the South Pole is even better when "read" with the expedition photos taken by Frank Hurley. A few of these and a map of the journey are available at the publisher's web site http://www.carrollandgraf.com/shackleton/. See this Kodak exhibit (http://www.kodak.com/US/en/corp/features/endurance/) and the links at the Carroll and Graf web site for more photos, or check recent editions of Alfred Lansing's book.

mallu2u

03-08-2005, 12:49 PM

wish there was a place I could get access to davinci code...dont have audibile

sofakng

03-08-2005, 02:10 PM

I downloaded "A Game of Thrones" by George RR Martin. I've heard GREAT things about this book but I find it very hard to understand the guy reading the book. (from audible.com)

Does anybody else have this problem?

Alan338737

03-08-2005, 03:48 PM

I had a hard time for the first couple of hours as well. Persevere and you will be rewarded!

CarbonRods

03-21-2005, 06:27 AM

Originally posted by moriond
Great choice, but this dramatic account of Shackleton's ill-fated attempt to reach the South Pole is even better when "read" with the expedition photos taken by Frank Hurley.

There is also a very nice on-line collection (http://www.atmitchell.com/journeys/history/anta/anta_shackleton.cfm) of Frank Hurley's photographs from the Shackleton expedition at the Mitchell Library in Australia.

CR

Lacka

03-21-2005, 10:16 AM

I'm a long time Audible subscriber and audio book fan.

The "His Dark Materials" trilogy are the best I've EVER heard. (Golden Compass, Subtle Knife and Amber Spyglass)

If you liked that trilogy you would probably also like the Abhorson trilogy by Garth Nix. Sabriel is the first.

Time Traveler's Wife is the best time travel novel I've ever heard.

Crocodile on the Sandbank (and the entire series) by Peters.

Audible Worst: Lovely Bones (horrible story and endless)

Fabulous Audio books not at Audible but I got from the library:

Shutter Island and Mystic River by LeHane
Chiefs by Woods
Fahrenheit 451 narrated by Bradbury
Outlander by Gabaldon
All the Harry Potter books narrated by Jim Dale

robert

03-30-2005, 05:00 PM

Maybe 4+*. The first 30 minutes and some of the first half is uneven. Needed more editing. The second half redeems. Although the narrator/author (actor, playwright) narrates many books, the narration is not very good -- too slow -- I listened at iPod faster speed. The combination of a slow beginning and sonorous narration put me to sleep in the first 30 minutes. However, I persevered and enjoyed the book overall. The book was originally published as an audio book,
Ron McLarty's The Memory of Running is the best novel you won't read this year. But you can experience it, and I'm all but positive that you'll thank me for the tip if you do....What I hope is that you'll order a copy and experience it for yourself....It's bighearted and as satisfying as one of your mom's home-cooked Sunday dinners." (Stephen King, Entertainment Weekly)
but now is available in hardback and soon to be made into a movie. This book is reminiscent of Confederacy of Dunces.

The audio includes a one-hour interview with the author.

robert

03-30-2005, 05:10 PM

5-* Cloud of Sparrows by Takashi Matsuoka. Much like the Otori Trilogy but with supernatural powers limited to visions of the future. Autumn Bridge is a sequel that I have yet to listen to. Publisher's Weekly: "East collides with West in this complex, epic tale by Matsuoka, in which the ability to see the future is transferred from generation to generation in a Japanese clan. The mid-19th-century inheritor of the clan's visionary powers is Lord Genji, a powerful samurai warlord ..."

robert

03-30-2005, 05:31 PM

5*The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter UA Carson McCullers was only 23 when she published this first novel, now a classic, in 1940. Sensitive beyond its time. It is a story of a young woman growing up in the isolation of a small southern mill town in the 1930's and of an ideal listener deaf mute. Ideal for young readers and good literature for adults.
Oprah did a good turn to renew attention onto this book.

robert

03-30-2005, 05:55 PM

4+* The Lobster Chronicles - Non-fiction. Not avail audible. Linda Greenlaw, the real-life swordfish captain in The Perfect Storm, returns to her native Maine Island to pursue a simpler life as a Lobster Boat Captain and writes of her escapades and island life. A great, fun read as Greenlaw delightfully captures the details of island life and lobstering.

robert

03-31-2005, 11:07 AM

4++*Follow Your Heart A Susanna Tamaro. Not on audible. Alone with encroaching death, elderly Italian grandmother write letters of love, confession and advice to the estranged granddaughter she raised who is now living in US. ... conveys emotions in reliving the past and revealing secrets-- with sadness, joy and regret. ... adapted from R.E.K./P.S.K. AudioFile, Portland, Maine --
This Italian best seller conveys love of life, great advice, and a wonderfully cogent story.

I want to re-read this one and have been unable to find an unabridged audio version of this short book.

SpaceDog

04-05-2005, 10:22 PM

I'm new to this forum. And only on the second month of my Audible membership, but it's great!

I just spent and hour going through this thread, and my wish list is huge now.

So far my favorite book is the Fountainhead by Ayn Rand - I always liked it anyway, and the narrator is really good. He's intersting, and easy to listen to, and he doesn't do any really corny voices. Really a good book to listen to!

Life of Pi was good as well. I though it was slow in places, but still good.

So far the worst was the Da Vinci Code. It's worth listening to only becasue so many people are talking about it - but the plot is ridiculous, and the characters are unbelievable. (Strange how they always found time to have these long discussions in the middle of danger )

Those are the only ones i've heard so far. I'd love more recommendations!

Stensvaag

04-05-2005, 11:26 PM

Originally posted by SpaceDog
So far my favorite book is the Fountainhead by Ayn Rand - I always liked it anyway, and the narrator is really good. He's intersting, and easy to listen to, and he doesn't do any really corny voices. Really a good book to listen to!

I agree that it is a good book, even though I don't subscribe to much of her philosophy. I thought the final scene, with the construction elevator was great!

crazynewf7

04-06-2005, 08:53 AM

Does anybody have any recommendations for a good spy thriller? I am currently listening to Robert Ludlum's "The Jansen Directive" and I love it.

CarbonRods

04-06-2005, 09:41 AM

I find Ludlum's books unreadable, so you may not like my suggestions:
1) The Company: A Novel of the CIA by Robert Littell
2) Smiley's People by John le Carre
3) Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by John le Carre
4) The Confessor by Daniel Silva
5) The English Assassin by Daniel Silva
6) Dark Star by Alan Furst

And of course Stephen Maturin is a master spy in the Aubrey/Maturin series by Patrick O'Brian

CarbonRods

04-06-2005, 09:51 AM

Originally posted by SpaceDog
So far the worst was the Da Vinci Code. It's worth listening to only becasue so many people are talking about it - but the plot is ridiculous, and the characters are unbelievable. (Strange how they always found time to have these long discussions in the middle of danger )

Those are the only ones i've heard so far. I'd love more recommendations!

I didn't like the Da Vinci Code either.

If you like historical novels it would be worth checking out the Aubrey/Maturin series by Patrick O'Brian. If like so many of us, you get hooked, beware, as there are 20 books in the series.

deedot751

04-06-2005, 09:53 AM

I dont know but listening to an audio book makes me sleepy. Anyone else feel this way?

arsolot

04-06-2005, 11:13 AM

Originally posted by deedot751
I dont know but listening to an audio book makes me sleepy. Anyone else feel this way?

While this is clearly WAY off topic:

Actually, reading a book makes me very sleepy. When I sit down to read, I'll more often than not be able to read only a few pages, without much comprehension, before I feel like sleeping. On the other hand, while listening to a book, I can move around and do things like work out, laundry, dishes, drive, etc.

Brak Talk

04-08-2005, 03:14 AM

I was asked this recently. It's a tough call because I want to reccomend them, but with the caveat that they may not be for all tastes. Then again, these are considered classics in most circles so I don't know what I'm worrying about:

"White Noise (http://www.qksrv.net/click-1623381-10273919?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.audible.com%2Fadbl%2 Fstore%2FCJProduct.jsp%3FproductID%3DBK_BKOT_00035 3)" by Don Delillo (I also like "Mao II (http://www.qksrv.net/click-1623381-10273919?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.audible.com%2Fadbl%2 Fstore%2FCJProduct.jsp%3FproductID%3DBK_BKOT_00038 0)" quite a bit...)
"Crime And Punishment (http://www.qksrv.net/click-1623381-10273919?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.audible.com%2Fadbl%2 Fstore%2FCJProduct.jsp%3FproductID%3DBK_RECO_00017 7)" by Fyodor Dostoevsky
"1984 (http://www.qksrv.net/click-1623381-10273919?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.audible.com%2Fadbl%2 Fstore%2FCJProduct.jsp%3FproductID%3DBK_BLAK_00011 7)" by George Orwell

Yeah. Those are must listens....

Seth
seth@learnoutloud.com
www.learnoutloud.com (http://learnoutloud.com)

Podunk

04-09-2005, 01:38 PM

Lewis Black-Nothing is Sacred.

The first half is fairly subdued, at least by Black's on stage standards.
Its written sort of like a travel diary through life.....like Bill Bryson, but with ADD, and on speed, and occasionally LSD, and having awoken in the woods to find that a bear had not merely eaten his food, but rather, #### all over it. Seriously, its like that.

However, as the book progresses, you can sense Black's growing disallusionment and frustration as he gets himself more and more worked up as he goes along.

Five Stars: I was laughing out loud, in public, with my headphones on....like I had mental problems. But maybe that's just me.

guigo

04-11-2005, 12:32 PM

Hi,

I would like to recomend an incredible series read by an equally incredible speaker, for all fans of fantasy/ficition here.

it is called - Songs of Ice and Fire series by George R. R. Martin:
- book 1: Game of thrones;
- book 2: A Clash of Kings;
- book 3: A Storm of Swords.

all of them read by Roy Dotrice. The voices that this reader does, makes you think that there´s an entire cast of 1,000 people reading the books...

the perfect reader for this perfect piece of art ;)

iyoo

04-11-2005, 05:24 PM

I thought Steve Martin's The Pleasure of My Company was hilarious.

My favorite funny book is still "Me Talk Pretty" by David Sedaris. I have been caught listening to his books at the supermarket where I am laughing to a point of hyperventilating and a sore stomach.

laurat

04-18-2005, 11:14 PM

I'm tryong to get in touch with book listeners in Australia. Anyone in the lounge?

iyoo

04-19-2005, 02:11 PM

Please choose the appropriate forum for this topic. Thank you. I just finished listening to Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. It is one of the best audible books. I couldn't stop crying in certain parts of the book.

If you like Secret Life of Bees and Life of Pi, you will definitely like this audio book.

naf1

05-01-2005, 02:26 AM

Agree with rec on George RR Martin series, also liked Enders Game and sequels.
Charlie Wilsons War, All the Shahs Men, and Kite Runner are great.
The Howard Hughes bio was fascinating.

BigD

05-21-2005, 01:00 AM

Anyone listen to (or listening to) the Narnia books by Lewis? Read by Mr. York?

Would like to know your thoughts on it...

Thanks,
Denise

Cloysterpeteuk

05-21-2005, 04:01 PM

I've got all the C.S. Lewis stuff, I'm currently listening through his cosmic trilogy, the first book (Out of the Silent Planet) of which is set on Mars with the second (Perelandra) being on Venus where the main character has been chosen to represent the force of good in the dawn of the first sentient beings on the planet. I'm currently listening to the final chapter That Hideous Strength, boring so far but it's a lot longer than the other two so it may get a bit more interesting. Might be a while before I get round to listening to the Narnia books, I had no idea there were seven of them before I got them!.

RodBell

05-30-2005, 04:09 AM

My favourite at this moment are

The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy (BBC Radio)

Phase 1 and 2 came out at the end of the 1970's currently being played on Radio 4 is Phase 4 - The Quandry Phase...The Tertiary Phase (Phase 3) can be bought from around the globe as this was played a few months ago.

I generally listen to my iPod walking the dog and often worry people as a middle aged long haired bearded beagle walker belly laughing and 5:30am doesn't mean 'this fella is normal'.

Highly recommend HHGTTG Phase 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 (possible 5 too)

Bufflehead

06-01-2005, 03:47 PM

Wow:

"Atonement Ian McEwan Badly written and read"

IMHO Atonement is a FABULOUS book by one of the great authors of our time.

starperformer

06-03-2005, 11:19 AM

personally, besides The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, I have enjoyed:

Sherlock Holmes: Tales of Betrayal
Sherlock Holmes: Tales of Intruige
Sherlock Holmes: Tales of Terror

and

The Name of the Rose

and

The Rule of Four

and

The Hobbit

robert

06-06-2005, 02:32 PM

4++The Time Traveler’s Wife Audrey Niffenegger. A funny and poignant story of man meets girl. His genetic clock resets periodically and he is misplaced to times of emotional gravity in his past and future. Spontaneous disappearances result in harrowing and amusing experiences. Original and imaginative, novel puts the stress of time travel into the framework of an enduring relationship with a love story subtle enough for the guys. A 2003 BookBrowse Favorite Book.

4++Founding Brothers Joseph Ellis. Lively and engaging recounting of the intertwined lives of the founders of the American republic--John Adams, Aaron Burr, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and George Washington come together to define the new republic and direct its course for the coming centuries. Focuses on The Hamilton-Burr duel, the secret Hamilton/Jefferson/Madison dinner, Franklin's petition to end slavery, Washington’s Farewell Address, and Adam's and Jefferson’s post-presidential correspondence.

5+ Ireland: A Novel, Frank Delaney. Young boy’s life is changed by an itinerant storyteller whose stories weave the oral traditions of Irish history, myths, memory, and writing, into the heart of this book. Listening to the stories and the underlying good novel about the relationships between the boy, his parents, and the storyteller is a superb historic fiction audio book listen.

5 How the Irish Saved Civilization, Thomas Cahill. The serious title of this non-fiction book describes, in a fascinating way, how Irish monks and scribes preserved classical western literature during the Dark Ages and when stability returned to Europe, re-introduced the classics and learning, thereby becoming the conservators of civilization. This little-known feat preserved and placed a unique stamp on Western culture

4++ The Dew Breaker, Edwidge Danticat. From a different viewpoint, each of nine interrelated story chapters reveals a US immigrant trying to escape his secret brutal Haitian past. Finalist, 2005 PEN/Faulkner Award

4++Father Joe Tony Hendra. An endearing non-fiction tribute to the lifelong relationship between the author (former National Lampoon Editor) and a Benedictine monk. This unworldly monk provides advice and strength to the very worldly Hendra, among many others. Funny, sad, wise, heart-warming.

4-Sunday Philosophy Club, Alexander McCall Smith (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency), begins a new series starring the irrepressibly curious Isabel Dalhousie. Isabel is fond of problems, and becomes interested in problems that are, quite frankly, none of her business. Isabel sees a young man plunge to his death from the upper circle of a concert hall in Edinburgh and is determined to find the truth–if indeed there is one–behind the man's death. Adapted from jacket.

4+Finer Points of Sausage Dogs, Alexander McCall Smith (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency) In this sequel to Portugese Irregular Verbs, welcome to the insane and rarified world of Professor Dr. Moritz-Maria von Igelfeld of the Institute of Romance Philology. Von Igelfeld is engaged in a quest - which frequently goes hilariously astray - to win the respect he feels he is due. The Professor is mistaken for a veterinarian and not wanting to call attention to the faux pas, performs veterinary surgery on a colleague’s dachshund to dramatic and unfortunate effect. He also transports relics for a schismatically challenged Coptic prelate, and is pursued by marriage-minded widows on board a Mediterranean cruise ship. Adapted From the Inside Flap .

4Confessions of Max Tivoli, Andrew Sean Greer. A story of Max, who falls in love with Alice, ages backwards and is thereby given the chance to love her three different times when she takes him for a stranger.

4The Professor and the Madman. Simon Winchester. True story of two remarkable men whose strange twenty-year relationship lies at the core of the monumental creation of the Oxford English Dictionary. Professor James Murray, an astonishingly learned former schoolmaster and bank clerk, was the distinguished editor of the OED project. Dr. William Chester Minor, an American surgeon and Civil War veteran, was a remarkably prolific contributor to the OED, but had still never traveled from his home. A puzzled Murray set out to visit him to learn that Minor was also a murderer, clinically insane--and locked up in Broadmoor, England's harshest asylum for criminal lunatics. Adapted from the book jacket.

5Gilead, Marilynne Robinson. In this 2005 Pulitzer Prize winning fiction, the 76 year old narrator is a preacher who has lived most of his life in Gilead, Iowa. In failing health, he is writing a letter to his almost seven-year-old son who will never really know him. It is a summing-up, an apologia, a consideration of his life. Robinson takes the story away from being simply the reminiscences of one man and moves it into the realm of a meditation on fathers and children, particularly sons, on faith, and on the imperfectability of man. Robinson's Beautiful prose slows the reader to the pace of an old man in Gilead, Iowa, in 1956. From Amazon.com Editorial Reviews

Originally posted by Bufflehead
Wow:

"Atonement Ian McEwan Badly written and read"

IMHO Atonement is a FABULOUS book by one of the great authors of our time. Yes, remarkable that I would not like a book that "just missed getting the Booker Prize" and is a 2002 BookBrowse Favorite book. Don't get me started on highly popular books like The Jane Austen Book Club and The Notebook. In addition, I hated Philip Roth's American Pastoral which won a Pulitzer. Just shows that you had better make your own judgements. :D I am trying to force myself to read Human Stain, which has been recommended to me.

Dunno how I am going to fit all these into my list linked below. Running out of space.

arsolot

06-06-2005, 05:02 PM

Originally posted by robert
Yes, remarkable that I would not like a book that "just missed getting the Booker Prize" and is a 2002 BookBrowse Favorite book. Don't get me started on highly popular books like The Jane Austen Book Club and The Notebook. In addition, I hated Philip Roth's American Pastoral which won a Pulitzer. Just shows that you had better make your own judgements. :D I am trying to force myself to read Human Stain, which has been recommended to me.[/B]

I've enjoyed many P. Roth books, including American Pastoral, The Plot Against America and The Human Stain (all as audio books) and many other of Roth's books I've read in print. Roth has won lots of awards (which fact, of course, doesn't mean that anyone is required to like his books) and is considered by many (including me) to be the greatest living American novelist.

In my opinion, both American Pastoral and The Human Stain were remarkable books. I very highly recommend them both.

By the way, I tried to read Graham Swift's Last Orders twice, once in print and later as an audio book. I couldn't get through it either time. It bored me. Swift won the Booker Prize in 1996 for Last Orders.

robert

06-09-2005, 11:22 PM

4* Waterborne by Bruce Murkoff. Net Library, but not audible. First novel and an evocative historic fiction about three people as their lives converge on the building of Hoover Dam. This is not a story of the building of the dam, but of what becomes the entertwined lives of fictional participants in the building. It takes half the book to actually get to the Hoover dam. Murkoff very nearly achieves a prose level of Wallace Stegner or Charles Frazier (Cold Mountain). While the characters are exceptionally well developed, some readers have found them unrealisticly so - caveat emptor. With the exception of an over-the-edge ending, I found the book engaging, fun to listen to, and hard to put down. ADD beware: Not a page turner, but it certainly flows well (no pun intended).

If you are interested in this book, do not read the Washington Post review at amazon. It gives away an incredible number of really key things that you will want to learn about for yourself as you listen.

On to 24:39 hours of Benjamin Franklin by Isaacson (UA). Audible only has 7:17 abridged version. Amazon no audio version at all.

Mia13

06-14-2005, 05:40 PM

I´ve read some of your recommendations (and some useful tips on how to find good books by robert). But I find that sometimes it´s hard to search for the books at the Audible site. Tried to find Bel canto, but couldn´t. Tried to find "Cloud of Sparrows" by Takashi Matsuoka but only succeded when entering "Japan" as a keyword. Any suggestions?

My recommendations include
Middlesex by Jeffery Eugenidis (by far the best)
Enders´game by Orson Scott Card
Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood
Q Is for Quarry by Sue Grafton (and all the other books in the series)
The Hours by Michael Cunningham (and an excellent film)
The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim (lovely narrator, and a good film)

Mia

robert

06-14-2005, 10:49 PM

Just did an audible search and found this:
Bel Canto (Unabridged) -- Ann Patchett
Average Customer Rating : 4.17
(Based on 36 votes.)
Cloud of Sparrows (Unabridged) -- Takashi Matsuoka
Average Customer Rating : 4.08
(Based on 36 votes.)

I have complained to audible that their search engine goes down without letting the customer know. That may be what happened to you.

Robert

I need to add to how to find books post that an excellent way to find good books -- though it will not tell you which are available from audible.com -- is to use your Amazon.com recommendations. Open your amazon.com page and click on We have book recommendations for you. Then spend some time refinining your list as follows:

Check I own it if you want book to disappear, but you like it
Rate books you have read 1-5 stars
Check not interested if you know you aren't (Cliff notes, books you didn't like)
You will have to check at the bottom of each page that you made changes to your recommendations for your actions to be recognized. For a while amazon had it instantaneous with out a "refresh" button -- regressing.

If you will do this for several pages, your recommendations will begin to reflect your ratings and choices. Then you can search audible.com to see if any are available there -- hoping that the weak audible.com search engine finds it for you. Too bad audible can't replicate this, but I suspect that amazon resources are so much greater than audible that we will not see any time soon.

I have tried to put a descriptive sentence or two, without giving away plot, on my recommendations so that a reader can determine broadly what genre the book is and whether it sounds like it might be interesting. So many book lists do not have this information. For example, if one is not interested or not in science fiction, it is good to know when looking at a list that a book is science fiction.

Kate Hunter

06-25-2005, 02:51 PM

I'm in the middle of several at the moment but I'll try and rate some of the ones I've finished. All are the unabridged versions.

My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult ****

Anna is not sick, but she might as well be. By age thirteen, she has undergone countless surgeries, transfusions, and shots so that her older sister, Kate, can somehow fight the leukemia that has plagued her since childhood. The product of preimplantation genetic diagnosis, Anna was conceived as a bone marrow match for Kate -- a life and a role that she has never challenged...until now. Like most teenagers, Anna is beginning to question who she truly is. But unlike most teenagers, she has always been defined in terms of her sister -- and so Anna makes a decision that for most would be unthinkable, a decision that will tear her family apart and have perhaps fatal consequences for the sister she loves. My Sister's Keeper examines what it means to be a good parent, a good sister, a good person. Is it morally correct to do whatever it takes to save a child's life, even if that means infringing upon the rights of another? Is it worth trying to discover who you really are, if that quest makes you like yourself less? Should you follow your own heart, or let others lead you? - Summary mercilessly stolen from play.com

I though this audiobook would be more to do with medical ethics but the focus seems to be more on the family dynamic, with great emphasis put on the relationship between different sets of sisters. The production of this audiobook was for me one of the things that set it apart from some others, using a full cast instead of a single narrator really help me to identify with each character and won it the Audie Award Winner, Multi-Voiced Performance, 2005. For me this was a good audiobook but not a "I really, really have to listen to that again" type of book.

Dude, Where's My Country? by Michael Moore *

Michael Moore is on a mission in his new book: Regime Change. The man who slithered into the White House on tracks greased by his daddy's oil buddies is one of the many targets in Mike's blistering follow-up to his smash #1 Stupid White Men, the biggest selling nonfiction book of the year. Now no one is safe: corporate barons who have bilked millions out of their employees' lifetime savings, legislators who have stripped away our civil liberties in the name of "homeland security," and even that right-wing brother-in-law of yours (yes, we all have one) who manages, year after year, through his babbling idiocy, to ruin Thanksgiving dinner. From Audible

Hated it. I've read (as in regular books) the rest of Michael Moore books and usually find them interesting and funny however this one just annoyed me. Firstly since Michael Moore has gained such fame I can recognise his voice and this guy sounds *nothing* like him, I don't know why this annoyed me so much in this case, but every time I started to listen I thought that the narrator didn't have the energy or passion that MM did. Secondly I felt much of the material were points he had made elsewhere and listening to them again was just tiring. Also as time has gone on his subject matter has gotten less and less funny for example think back to TV nation when he went to Russia to find a long range missile pointed at Flint He could make that funny but Bin Laden less funny. This is of course completely subjective and I'm sure many people will enjoy this as I enjoyed reading that previous ones.

The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger *****

This extraordinary, magical novel is the story of Clare, a beautiful art student, and Henry, a librarian, who have known each other since Clare was six and Henry was 36, and were married when Clare was 22 and Henry 30. Impossible but true, because Henry has Chrono-Displacement Disorder: periodically his genetic clock resets and he finds himself misplaced in time, pulled to moments of emotional gravity in his past, present, and future. The Time Traveler's Wife depicts the effects of time travel on Henry and Clare's marriage and their passionate love for each other.

This was the second Audiobook I ever listen to and absolutely loved it. Again this has a multiple readers, and William Hope and Laurel Lefkow who read for Claire and Henry (and I think for the other characters as well but I could be wrong) are my absolute favourite narrators. I thought I would have trouble keeping up with all the shifts in time but the book is so well written that I could pause in any place and still be able to pick up the story easily enough. Although it is a love story the characters don't fall into the trap of being perfect people torn apart by there circumstances but are more well rounded and flawed than in many other love stories.

robert

06-30-2005, 10:04 PM

5* Benjamin Franklin UA Walter Isaacson's lively biography of this remarkable man -- scientist, philosopher, franschisor (really, of print shops), and founding brother. Left me with a warm feeling and gratitude for Franklin. Audible only has abridged 7:17 version vs UA 25:00. Lot to miss.

4+* Mountains Beyond Mountains. Tracy Kidder's true story about a remarkable doctor fighting poverty and TB in Haiti and other parts of the world. Inspiring and interesting. Avail Audible. Was made more interesting to have recently listened to The Dew Breaker and its Haiti roots.

4+*True Notebooks. Mark Salzman (Lying Awake; Iron & Silk) takes on teaching creative writing in the Juvenile Justice Prison. Poignant true story of dead-end kids with unfulfilled and mostly unrealizeable promise and capacity. Avail audible

5* 1776 David McCollough has another fine book that takes the reader beyond dull history and into the mind of Washington and others in this crucial year of US history. Slow start picks up. Read by the author -- could have done better. Avail audible UA and A

All my listens were unabridged.

Hey, hey, hey -- audible has improved its search: search results show book cover, short description, user rating, author, narrator, length. Quite an improvement to the previous two-step search. Slow tonight on the last day of the $9.95 sale.

Bufflehead

07-06-2005, 04:25 PM

If you did not like Last Orders, please try Waterland. Waterland is the book Swift should have won the Booker and is one of my favorites, ever.

On the reply to my Atonement post, everyone is ofcourse entitled to their opinion, and I can easily see how that book is not for everyone. But, to say Atonement was poorly written is a very strong statement, much stronger than not enjoying the novel.

Bufflehead

07-06-2005, 04:35 PM

Originally posted by BigD
Anyone listen to (or listening to) the Narnia books by Lewis? Read by Mr. York?

Would like to know your thoughts on it...

Thanks,
Denise

I have listened to ths 1st 2 of 7 so far and have really enjoyed them. IMHO they have been done very well.

robert

07-06-2005, 05:43 PM

Originally posted by Bufflehead
...

On the reply to my Atonement post, everyone is ofcourse entitled to their opinion, and I can easily see how that book is not for everyone. But, to say Atonement was poorly written is a very strong statement, much stronger than not enjoying the novel.
I agree, "... is a very strong statement, much stronger than not enjoying the novel." Another contrarian view, said much better than I could ever have, from sarafmc, an Amazon.com reviewer :
Astonishingly tedious., June 18, 2005

Astonishingly, because of all the rave reviews!

I could not care was going to happen on the next page, the narrative meandered around pointlessly, the writing was literate but nothing special, the characters were inconsistent and hard to believe in or care about, I suspected the author of a certain amount of misogyny*, and historical inaccuracies cropped up with great regularity. The plot had no momentum and the descriptions were lackluster. To say it starts slowly is to put it mildly. A book can't be great if the first quarter of it is a plod! No great novel does that to readers.

I add this to the list of bestsellers with great reviews, wonders of marketing, that I wish I hadn't wasted money on.

I read a lot of fiction of all kinds, and I love many authors, old and new, who require some patience. This book did not reward me. Who knows, all these other people loved it so perhaps you will too. But I'd check it out of the library, if I were you.
*(I had to look it up: Hatred of women: "Every organized patriarchal religion works overtime to contribute its own brand of misogyny" (Robin Morgan). yourDictionary.com

I stand by my opinion and respect that of yours and many others who put mine in the distinct minority.

Edit: Out of curiosity, I went back and perused the all negative and a few of the positive of the first 100 of 487 amazon.com reviews. I would guess that the negatives are at least 1/3 of the reviews with many of those criticising the writing. Clearly, the book engenders strong reaction -- both positive and negative -- with few in the middle.

robert

07-12-2005, 08:53 PM

4.5*Everything Is Illuminated: A Novel, Jonathan Safran Foer’s first novel contains a book the fictional Jewish hero writes alongside the story about the search and discovery of the hero’s Lithuanian roots. Humor, pathos, tragedy (holocaust), and extremely interesting and well-developed characters permeate the story-within-a-story book. One of the main characters speaks English with fascinatingly humorous choices of words. To be a movie in Sept 05. 11:36 UA NetLibrary and Audible.

Reviews are mixed on this book, with quite a few negative ones, so check it out carefully to be sure it is your cup of tea.

New York Times Review (free registration) (http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B01E4D81E3AF937A25757C0A9649C8B 63&n=Top%2fFeatures%2fBooks%2fBook%20Reviews)

robert

07-13-2005, 11:03 PM

Some sources of quality book lists:

TOP 100 HARVARD BOOK STORE BOOKS (HTTP://WWW.HARVARD.COM/ONOURSHELVES/TOP100.HTML)

The 100 most meaningful books of all time.
(http://library.christchurch.org.nz/Guides/GoodReads/100alltime.asp)
2002 survey of around 100 well-known authors from 54 countries voted for the "most meaningful book of all time" in a poll organised by editors at the Norwegian Book Clubs.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Robert Teeter’s What Books to Read page with links to (http://www.interleaves.org/~rteeter/whatbooks.html)
Book Reviews, including RSS feeds,
Great Book Lists
Award Winners
American Library Association Recommendation Lists
Automated on-line book Recommendation Services (give them criteria and site gives you book recommendations) http://www.allreaders.com/ and http://www.whichbook.net/
And more.

Click on Teeter’s home page to see more
--------------------------------------------------------------------

Oprah’s Book List with links to individual book reviews: (http://www.oprah.com/obc/obc_landing.jhtml)

tarheelsXL

07-17-2005, 01:17 AM

Any Dan Brown books :) ... they're always suspensful

robert

07-20-2005, 08:41 PM

Updated with availability on 7-2-05 at NL = Net Library or AC = Audible.com:

Here is the list of Oprah's books. Not all are on audible, and I have not listened to or read all of them, but there are enough jewels on the list to reasonably believe they are all or mostly good books.

Oprah's Book Club Library

NL-AC - Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
No - Back Roads by Tawni O'Dell
The Best Way To Play by Bill Cosby
NL - Black and Blue by Anna Quindlen
No - The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
AC - The Book of Ruth by Jane Hamilton
No - Breath, Eyes, Memory by Edwidge Danticat
AC - Cane River by Lalita Tademy (Abridged only)
AC - The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen
AC - Cry, The Beloved Country by Alan Paton
no - Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende
No - The Deep End of the Ocean by Jacquelyn Mitchard
AC - Drowning Ruth by Christina Schwarz
no - East of Eden by John Steinbeck
AC - Ellen Foster by Kaye Gibbons (Abridged only)
No - Fall on Your Knees by Ann-Marie MacDonald
AC - A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry
AC - Gap Creek by Robert Morgan (Abridged only)
AC - The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers
no - The Heart of a Woman by Maya Angelou
No - Here on Earth by Alice Hoffman
AC - House of Sand and Fog by Andre Dubus III
No - I Know This Much Is True by Wally Lamb
AC - Icy Sparks by Gwyn Hyman Rubio (Abridged only)
No - Jewel by Bret Lott
AC - A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines (Abridged only)
No - A Map of the World by Jane Hamilton
No - The Meanest Thing To Say by Bill Cosby
No - Midwives by Chris Bohjalian
No - Mother of Pearl by Melinda Haynes
No - One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Márquez
AC - Open House by Elizabeth Berg
No - Paradise by Toni Morrison
No - The Pilot's Wife by Anita Shreve
No - The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
NL - The Rapture of Canaan by Sheri Reynolds
No - The Reader by Bernhard Schlink
No - River, Cross My Heart by Breena Clarke
No - She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb
No - Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison
No - Songs In Ordinary Time by Mary McGarry Morris
No - Stolen Lives: Twenty Years in a Desert Jail by Malika Oufkir
AC - Stones from the River by Ursula Hegi (Abridged only)
No - Sula by Toni Morrison
AC - Tara Road by Maeve Binchy
The Treasure Hunt by Bill Cosby
No - Vinegar Hill by A. Manette Ansay
AC - A Virtuous Woman by Kaye Gibbons (Abridged Only)
AC - We Were The Mulvaneys by Joyce Carol Oates (Abridged Only)
No - What Looks Like Crazy on an Ordinary Day by Pearl Cleage
No - Where the Heart Is by Billie Letts
No - While I Was Gone by Sue Miller
AC - White Oleander by Janet Fitch (Abridged only read by Oprah)

mallu2u

07-28-2005, 01:45 PM

Right now I am listening to "The Alienist" by Caleb Carr. Surely recommend it. Set in 1896, its a story about a serial killer. Think its based on a true story. Long audiobook but quite interesting.

robert

07-28-2005, 06:27 PM

Dostoevsky's classic 1866 novel was a forerunner of the movement from romaniticism to modern realism (presenting life as it really is). Crime and Punishment describes investigative techniques and psychogical characteristics of criminal mind that pre-date and anticipate Freud and modern criminal interrogation. The police investigating officer may remind you of a polished Peter Faulk's Columbo, or vice versa.

From the title and early descriptions of the main character's state of mind, the listener knows much of what will happen over the course of the book. In no way does this knowledge detract from the power of this novel as Dostoevsky examines the state of mind of the principal character and leads the reader through unpredictable twists and turns of the multi-hued characters and sub plots. Highly recommend for 25 hours of excellent listening. Narrator's voice does not lend itself to fast listen.

See this excellent Cliffs Notes Introduction to this novel (click here) (http://www.cliffsnotes.com/WileyCDA/LitNote/id-67,pageNum-3.html). It may be helpful to view the list of Characters (here) (http://www.cliffsnotes.com/WileyCDA/LitNote/id-67,pageNum-6.html) and to click on |< at the top of either page to see more Cliffs notes information on this novel.

Available at NetLibrary and audible.com

arsolot

08-04-2005, 06:01 PM

This is a highly enjoyable book. It is extremely well written and very thought-provoking.

The reader does a first-rate job. The reader's use of his voice is quite subtle, but very effective.

The book is set in Victorian England and provides one a very close examination of life in those times. Very interesting comparisons between modern times and the Victorian days. For instance, the protagonist, engaged to be married, is very troubled when he falls in love with another woman, but doesn't think twice about sex with a prostitute.

Highly recommended.

robert

08-04-2005, 06:08 PM

Edit 9-8-05: Harry Potter now avail iTunes Music Store -- Jim Dale narration.

Check out e-bay for good deals on Harry Potter complete sets of CD's or DVD mp3's as well as individual copies of the the Half Blood prince. All are unabridged. Look at e-bay item 6971470746 , for example. Note restricitions. Search ebay for Harry Potter Audio Books, or for specific titles. If you do an advanced search and check completed sales only, you can get an idea of past auction results.

I have just discovered BuyerTools (http://www.buyertools.com/), freeware which will place last minute bids (last 15 seconds, actually) for you as well as group bids. With group bids, you can set up bids for several Harry Potter auctions with individual price limits, and should you win an auction, the remaining group bids will be cancelled. I have seen no spyware or spam from it thus far. You have to have an always-on internet connection for this to work (So Buyertools can make the bid for you).

Then use MarkAble to convert to iPod files with the CD wizard.

Some of the versions are UK, read by Stehen Fry, but most of the Half Blood Prince versions and some of the complete versions are read by Jim Dale. Both narrators are highly regarded.

arsolot

08-04-2005, 06:30 PM

I've listened to several Harry Potter books. Jim Dale is excellent. I've listened to Order of the Phoenix narrated by Stephen Fry, and he's even better.

I've got the Jim Dale version of Half Blood Prince on hold at my local library. I'm 24th of 220 holds, but there are 59 copies of the audiobook.

moriond

08-07-2005, 11:29 PM

Originally posted by arsolot
This is a highly enjoyable book. It is extremely well written and very thought-provoking.

The reader does a first-rate job. The reader's use of his voice is quite subtle, but very effective.

Highly recommended.
Is your recommendation for the unabridged BBC WW book read by Paul Shelley? There's also a very good (but abridged) reading of this work narrated by Jeremy Irons.

arsolot

08-08-2005, 12:02 AM

Originally posted by moriond
Is your recommendation for the unabridged BBC WW book read by Paul Shelley? There's also a very good (but abridged) reading of this work narrated by Jeremy Irons.

Sorry for the confusion. The one that I have is the one read by Paul Shelly. I'm sure that J. Irons is very good as well, but I prefer unabridged audio books when possible.

Again, I think that Paul Shelly's work on this book is first-rate.

moriond

08-08-2005, 03:28 AM

I occasionally like to listen to author interviews, because in the best cases they offer insights into the books, the circumstances under which they were written, and the authors themselves. There have been some excellent suggestions about sites in past forums postings. I summarize some of these here (with credits to the contributors), and make general suggestions for sites with good interviews.

The interviews are available in a range of formats: transcripts, mp3 downloads (some with podcast subscriptions), streaming video, and streaming audio. Some of these have question and answers with a moderator, others open up to listener questions. Many interviews are about books that others have recommended in this thread. Unless noted, interviews are RealAudio streaming recordings.

Wired for Books http://www.wiredforbooks.org/ suggested by arsolot in a 03-24-2004 forums post (http://forums.ilounge.com/showthread.php?s=&postid=156870#post156870) contains a series of excellent author interviews. Of particular note are the archived interviews conducted by Don Swaim for his nationally syndicated CBS radio program, "Book Beat". This daily broadcast ran for more than ten years and focused on books and authors. The uncut author interviews that provided material for his shows are available in their entirety, and form a compendium of many recent and significant English-language authors, speaking about their work. The audio and video content of this site, run by Ohio University's Telecommunications Center, goes well beyond interviews. This Chronicle of Higher Education article (http://chronicle.com/free/99/05/99052802t.htm) gives a flavor of the range of material.

SFFAudio http://www.sffaudio.com/ was suggested by Alex Wilson in a 04-24-2005 thread on Sci-Fi Audiobooks Review Sites (http://forums.ilounge.com/showthread.php?s=&postid=545060#post545060). Earlier this week SFFaudio added The Diane Rehm Show (http://www.wamu.org/programs/dr/) (npr) with its weekly Readers Review program to their Online Audio (http://www.sffaudio.com/OnlineAudio.html) page. An hour-long interview (http://www.wamu.org/programs/dr/04/09/16.php) with the author of Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell from October 2004 is particularly interesting. Susanna Clarke describes how she came to write this work, and answers questions from the audience at the end.

A few of SFFAudio's Reviews (http://www.sffaudio.com/Reviews.html) are of authors reading their own works in the course of radio interviews. Of special note is their selection (http://www.sffaudio.com/Reviews.html#OnVenus) of an interview with William Tenn (http://www.wnyc.org/shows/spinning/episodes/11222002) on WNYC's Spinning on Air in November 2002. The whole program is slightly under 2 hours long. Apart from the interview, William Tenn (aka Philip Klass) gives an excellent reading of his story, "On Venus, Have We Got a Rabbi!"; skip 41 minutes into the RealAudio program to catch its start. The whole story is 67 minutes long, and Tenn does a wonderful job. The Spinning on Air archives seem to go back 3 years, so try to catch this one soon.

The Lannan Foundation http://www.lannan.org/ In a 08-15-2004 forums post Audible.com Insufficiently Eclectic? Other Recommendations (please post your own) (http://forums.ilounge.com/showthread.php?s=&postid=257260#post257260) Periphrast noted that Audible spoken word recordings read by authors were particularly sparse, and suggested a number of alternative sources of audio material on the web. The Lannan Foundation audio archives contain several hundred hours of programs, including more than 15 years worth of recorded material from their sponsored programs of Lanan Readings & Conversations - a public events series held in Santa Fe, NM bringing authors before audience. Some examples of series authors who have recommended audiobooks in the present forum thread:
-Amy Tan (The Joy Luck Club, The Kitchen God's Wife, The Bonesetter's Daughter) March 05, 2002
-Margaret Atwood (The Handmaid's Tale, Alias Grace, The Blind Assassin, Oryx and Crake) December 1, 2004
-Michael Cunningham (The Hours, A Home at the End of the World, Specimen Days) November 14, 2001

The Lannan audio archives also include the interviews of Michael Silverblatt (see KCRW's Bookworm)

Bookworm http://www.kcrw.com/show/bw This weekly radio broadcast is also available as a podcast, and is billed as: A must for the serious reader, "Bookworm" showcases writers of fiction and poetry -- the established, new or emerging -- all interviewed with insight and precision by the show's host and guiding spirit, Michael Silverblatt. You can also subscribe to Bookworm podcasts in iTunes (http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=73330484) and obtain programs as mp3 downloads for up to 30 days after broadcast. Programs generally feature a specific book and author combination, although sometimes shows feature a few authors discussing a theme or topic.

RealAudio streaming versions of past programs are available in the searchable archives along with program descriptions. Examples of interviews on titles previously recommended in this thread are:

-Jhumpa Lahiri (January 22, 2004) The Namesake
-Yann Martel (September 11, 2003) The Life of Pi
-Alice Sebold (August 29, 2002) The Lovely Bones
-Jeffrey Eugenides (February 13, 2003) Middlesex
-Margaret Atwood (August 7, 2003) Oryx and Crake
-Marilynne Robinson (March 17 & 24, 2005) Gilead

Online Audio and Video Recordings: UC Berkeley Lectures and Events http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/MRC/audiofiles.html This is another site suggested in Periphrast's 08-15-2004 forums post (http://forums.ilounge.com/showthread.php?s=&postid=257260#post257260), and is a link to the Media Resources Center collection of Berkeley's Moffitt Library. The entries on this web page include interviews, but extend to a larger list of lectures and readings. Since they have been collected over a long period, many of these items don't correspond directly with current recommended readings. Still, consider listening to Aldous Huxley speaking about modern techniques for controlling human behavior along with your audiobooks for Brave New World or 1984, or hearing Robert Frost read this own poetry. Other recordings include physicist Dr. J. Robert Oppenheimer (who directed the project to develop the atomic bomb during WWII and afterward lobbied for international control of atomic energy to avert the nuclear arms race) speaking about the problems of Atomic Energy, Bishop Desmond Tutu speaking on human rights, and many others, including several modern poets reading their own works. Some of these programs are also available in RealPlayer streaming video format.

BBC Radio 4 Bookclub http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/arts/bookclub/ conducts interviews hosted by James Naughtie that are available under the Listen Again section of the page. These interviews are notable for the very active participation of audiences in the question portion. Recent interviews covering recommended books in this thread include
-Bill Bryson (February 2005) A Short History of Everything
-Terry Pratchett (July 2004, listed under Highlights) Mort

Booknotes http://www.booknotes.org C-Span's Brian Lamb interviewed contemporary non-fiction authors for the 16 year period from 1989-2004. The audio programs are available for purchase from Audible.com and many book descriptions (e.g., Azar Nafisi's Reading Lolita in Tehran, Iris Chang's The Rape of Nanking, David McCullough's Truman, etc.) contain links to the Booknotes interview. However, you can also browse the archives of the site and read transcripts for every show, listen to streaming audios of the interviews, and watch streaming videos for roughly 500 of the 800 interviews in the archives.

TimesTalks http://www.nytimes.com/criticschoice/ Brief streaming RealPlayer streaming video clips from the TimesTalk lectures with links to John Irving (Cider House Rules) and Jon Stewart (America). [Books given in parentheses have been recommended in this forum, they are not discussed in these very short samples. For other short TimesTalk video samples on non-book subjects see past highlights (http://www.nytimes.com/marketing/alweekend/watch_past_highlights.html) and A Times Talk Event: Bono (http://www.nytimes.com/ref/arts/music/20030417talks-bono.html?8hpib).Serendipity rules. An interview with V.S. Naipaul (http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/07/books/review/07DONADIO.html) (may need to register at NY Times to read) showed up just as I was reading A Bend in the River to test out the OverDrive library audiobook experience as discussed in this post (http://forums.ilounge.com/showthread.php?s=&postid=644330#post644330). Naipaul's quotes on the decline of the novel (http://graphics.nytimes.com/audiosrc/books/20050807_AUDIO_NAIP1_hi.mp3) and on Islam, China, India and the 21st Century (http://graphics.nytimes.com/audiosrc/books/20050807_AUDIO_NAIP2_hi.mp3) are available in mp3 format.

Interview information can be saved as separate audio tracks and added to iTunes, added in pdf files (http://forums.ilounge.com/showthread.php?s=&postid=444038#post444038) (for transcripts) along with images such as suggested here (http://forums.ilounge.com/showthread.php?s=&postid=499498#post499498). (I've been wanting to thank carbon rods a long time for that reference without using a gratuitous post). In future, iPod users may be able to use ChapterTools to add web links to their audiobooks.

You can almost certainly find other sites for specific books, especially soon after they are released. And, of course, there's other great material at these sites for books that haven't yet been released through Audible, and may be harder to find. A good starting point for audio interviews of new works is the ABA's Bookselling this Week: On the Radio (http://news.bookweb.org/mediaguide/673.html) site. YMMV

zarvox

08-10-2005, 04:07 PM

Assassination Vacation by Sarah Vowell is just phenomenal. This is one example where I think the audiobook is much more entertaining than the paper book. It's mainly Vowell's unusual voice, but a lot of other people including Conan O'Brien and Jon Stewart play parts. The book is both funny and insightful, with lots of interesting and surprising tidbits.

I also love all three of the Song of Ice and Fire books by George R.R. Martin, which have been recommended many times here. But for those it may be better to first read them the old-fashioned way.

arsolot

08-20-2005, 06:46 PM

William Faulkner's The Sound and the Fury is among the best audio books I've had the pleasure of listening to.

The book is challenging, interesting and well-written. It's especially challenging in the first chapter, which is told in the first person of a severely mentally adult, in stream-of-conciousness style. I'm re-listening to that first chapter now, after completing the book. The book is interesting as a novel about the decline of a Southern aristocratic family.

The narration by Grover Gardner is clearly among the best, if not the best, I've had thus far in over 70 audio books in the past two years.

Highest recommendation.

Nb: "re-tarded" is spelled like that to avoid the #'s that are automatically placed in lieu of the word ######ed.

bakari

08-21-2005, 09:30 PM

The Spoken Word Revolutin: Slam, Hip Hop & the Poetry of a New Generation. The book comes with an audio CD. I like many of the slams on it.

whatsthtagain

08-21-2005, 11:05 PM

Sarah Vowell's

Partly Cloudy Patriot and

Assasination Vacation

History, Humor, read by the author very touching at times

Total Recorder for $11.95 let's one download any streamable content.
NPR has archived of a lot of author interviews and book reviews
search at npr.org. Terry Gross' Fresh Air is a very good source here

robert

08-31-2005, 07:37 AM

Edit 10-11-05: Bee Season, was named a New York Times Notable Book in 2000 and made into a film.

Goldberg's first novel creates a dramatic and gripping unraveling of a family of fully-developed and realistic characters. 25 yo author narrates very effectively and gives a delightful interview at end of audio. The title does not do justice to the book. The totally unexpected spelling bee successes of the daughter are merely a vehicle for the story as each of the four principal characters search for greater meaning to thier lives.

Available at NetLibrary. Not available at audible.com

robert

08-31-2005, 07:46 AM

This classic novel written in the late 19th century is regarded by many as Balzac's finest. The writing is superb, but the dreary circumstances and fickle human relations conveyed in the novel create a melancholy mind-set. All-in-all, I much preferred reading about people reading Balzac than reading Balzac (the excellent Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie)

robert

09-14-2005, 06:48 PM

Zafón's European best-selling and long novel luxuriates in its Barcelona setting. A bit of a literary page turner as a young boy grows to young manhood searching for the story behind the author of a book he has come across and loves. The lives of the boy and the mysterious author begin to parallel in a plot full of surprises. The narration is puncuated with occasional piano music written by Zafón himself. Well translated and narrated.

The Washington Post says: ...anyone who enjoys novels that are scary, erotic, touching, tragic and thrilling should rush right out to the nearest bookstore and pick up The Shadow of the Wind. Really, you should.

Edit: Thanks to moriond:
Carlos Ruiz Zafón's Shadow of the Wind was the subject of an author interview on KCRW's Bookworm (November 18, 2004):

http://www.kcrw.com/cgi-bin/db/kcrw...tmplt_type=show

robert

09-20-2005, 11:18 PM

Even though I am an economic conservative and somewhat agree with Ayn Rand's philosophy, I found the extreme caricatures, dated language and social mores, unrealistic hyperbole relative to political systems in a 1940's vision of a 1955 US in Vol 1 of 3 of audible's unabridged Atlas Shrugged, tedious. So, I bought a new cassette tape version of the abridged version on e-bay for little less than the two remaining volumes cost at audible and converted the cassettes into iPod files (see Guide 2 and supplement) to finish listening. I usually avoid abridged versions, but was pleased that I had left the UA version. As a transparent vehicle for Ayn Rand's philosophy of Objectivism, the plot and characters were thin but not totally off-putting. I found Ayn Rand a lesser Margaret Atwood. One must keep in mind that Atlas Shrugged was written in the late 40's by an author who had experienced first hand the excesses of communism/socialism and appears to have extrapolated those experiences into a vision of the future with this novel as a vehicle for expressing her philosophy. The radio address given by John Gault (at one hour to completion in the abridged version) sums up her philosophy nicely.

The audio book version was released in 1951 and the audible.com audio quality is poor. However, my tape conversion to iPod bookmarking file was very satisfactory audio quality. I will soon offer for resale on ebay the audio cassette set along with a cd of bookmarking iPod files (5 hour segements, of course, since even longer mp3 bookmarking files skipped out of the audio and lost my bookmark).

Many others clearly disagree with my assessment since this audio is one of audible.com's best sellers.

2.5*Cod: A biography of the Fish that Changed the World by Mark Kurlansky This 7:37 audio book is interesting enough as it describes how cod had an economic, political, and social impact upon the world. However, it eventually is overwhelmed by the same sort of filler described in the huge number of recipes for preparing cod. Like potatos in the recipes, the recipes themselves become an extender for the book, giving it length but not substance. Substance is used up about half way through. However, like Germs, Guns, and Steel, this book provides insight into how overlooked factors often strongly influence peace, politics, and economics.

5*Typhoon by Joseph Conrad This short (3:13) classic book retains its freshness with an entertaining account of a ship, its crew and "passengers," and their encounter with a typhoon. Great for short attention span youngsters, and fun for adults. Conrad's colorful pen brings special life to this story.

robert

09-22-2005, 09:21 PM

Just in case anyone is interested, since the post limit on length was grossly exceeded, I have consolidated all my book recommendations here:

Link 7. Roberts Audible Book sorta literary Recommendations (http://audiobookrecommendations.blogspot.com/)

This is now the url for link 7 in signature below.

Cheers,

Robert

robert

09-28-2005, 05:06 PM

3*Fierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates by Tom Robbins. This long (16:48) audio does not live up to its seductive title. If you like my 4/5 recommendations, you probably will not like this book. Irreverent, flippant, sometimes offensive, perpetually young-man-of-the-world with an axe to grind, in-your-face, CIA operative embarks on a journey that will possibly entertain, bore, fascinate, offend, or confuse you with highly colorful, frequently redundant, imaginative prose that fizzles out in a weak ending. Robbins fans love this book, but make certain you share their enthusiasm before embarking on any of his books.

4+*The Lady and the Unicorn. Paralleling 3.5*Girl with a Pearl Earring, Tracy Chevalier has woven clever and unpredictable fiction around
the breathtaking tapestries now hanging in the Paris Musée de Cluny. (http://orion.it.luc.edu/~avande1/unicorn.html#) Even having seen the tapestries, re-visiting them at this site during their descriptions in the audiobook added enjoyment to the audio. Male narrator is weak; Female narrator fine.

Roberts Audible Book sorta literary Recommendations (http://audiobookrecommendations.blogspot.com/) consolidates and replaces the post, with its 120+ audio books, far exceeds maximum post length.

ChelSE

10-01-2005, 08:09 AM

I don't know if you've seen any of his BBC television programmes in the US, but former Monty Python star, Michael Palin has a terrific catalogue of travelogues that is a great listen! Dry humour and observations as he navigates the world.

Originally he tried to copy the Jules Verne character Phineas Fogg by travelling around the world using only the transport availabe at the time the book was written.

The original TV series, then made into a great audiobook, was Around The World In Eighty Days.

He's also travelled... Pole to Pole.
Sahara.
Full Circle.

A great listen, and the TV series is very well recommended too!

Steve

Stensvaag

10-01-2005, 10:23 AM

Originally posted by ChelSE
I don't know if you've seen any of his BBC television programmes in the US, but former Monty Python star, Michael Palin has a terrific catalogue of travelogues that is a great listen! Dry humour and observations as he navigates the world.

Thanks for the tip! These look fascinating. If you have any advice on where to find these, please let us know. It appears that a couple are available on Audible, but advice about where you found the others would be appreciated.

John-Mark

moriond

10-01-2005, 10:55 AM

Originally posted by Stensvaag
Thanks for the tip! These look fascinating. If you have any advice on where to find these, please let us know. It appears that a couple are available on Audible, but advice about where you found the others would be appreciated.

John-Mark Audible currently has 5 Palin travel books: Full Circle: A Pacific Journey with Michael Palin, Around the World in 80 Days, Pole to Pole, Himalaya, and Sahara

Stensvaag

10-01-2005, 10:59 AM

Originally posted by moriond
Audible currently has 5 Palin travel books: Full Circle: A Pacific Journey with Michael Palin, Around the World in 80 Days, Pole to Pole, Himalaya, and Sahara

Thanks! I had the "unabridged" filter on, because I pretty much hate to purchase abridged works from Audible, but your post is helpful.

ChelSE

10-01-2005, 05:45 PM

Hi again,
I'm not allowed to post hyperlinks as I'm a new contributor, apparently, but amazon would get you some relevant feedback!

The posted items are really first class..........trust me!!:-)))

Incidentally. I forgot to mention that Full Circle doesn't mean the equator, but a trip around the Pacific Rim.... maybe more interesting to some of you!!

Steve

EDIT...
Further to the above, the UK iTunes store has the audiobooks mentioned, some unabridged, some abridged.

honeybee1236

10-01-2005, 11:25 PM

I went back a few pages to see if this was already posted but didn't see it but sorry if it is -
Going Postal - by Terry Pratchett and narrated by Stephen Briggs - 11 hrs & 27 mins.

5*- Arch-swindler Moist von Lipwig never believed his crimes were hanging offenses, until he found himself with a noose around his neck, dropping through a trap door, and falling into...a government job? Getting the moribund Postal Service up and running again, however, may be an impossible task. Worse, the new Postmaster could swear the mail is talking to him. Worst of all, it means taking on the gargantuan, money-hungry Grand Trunk clacks communication monopoly and its bloodthirsty piratical head, Mr. Reacher Gilt.

But it says on the building 'Neither Rain Nor Snow Nor Glo m Of Ni t'...Inspiring words (admittedly, some of the bronze letters have been stolen), and for once in his wretched life Moist is going to fight. And if the bold and impossible are what's called for, he'll do it; to move the mail, continue breathing, get the girl, and deliver that invaluable commodity that everyone requires: hope.

I found this book to be very funny, read well and help my attention. It got me from the very beginning and I would highly recommend this audiobook.

robert

10-09-2005, 02:38 PM

NYT’s review (free subscription required) – (http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9402EED71030F932A25752C1A9679C8B 63&n=Top%2fFeatures%2fBooks%2fBook%20Reviews) overly favorable review, IMHO.

Francis J. Mcinerney (Top 50 Amazon reviewer with 21,159 helpful votes) gives 4* in a very thorough review in which he says: “If a reader were to select this work by Jenkins they would not gain a complete insight into the legendary figure that Sir Winston Spencer Churchill is… The primary differences between the two books I mention are of style and completeness. Martin Gilbert in an accomplished historian, while Mr. Jenkins writes from a perspective of a man who sat in the House of Commons, witnessed Churchill in action, and documents his life primarily as a politician. There are formative episodes that are not included at all, which in the end prevents this very fine work from being a well-rounded documentary …” and suggests “Sir Martin Gilbert's single volume work [Churchill: A Life – not available NL, OD, or audible] remains the standard.” See Mcinerney’s full review (click here) (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0452283523/qid=1128873233/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/002-9056740-6328017?v=glance&s=books) , currently second down in reader reviews at amazon.

For my entire and consolidated audio book recommendation list, click on link 7 in signature below.

robert

10-09-2005, 10:43 PM

Robert's Audio Book Recommendations Blog (http://audiobookrecommendations.blogspot.com/)
ROBERT'S AUDIO BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS
Short descriptions of mostly literary audio books ranked from 1 (worst) to 5 (best) stars (*). Few mysteries, page-turners, science fiction, romance, or abridged.
has been edited to include, where I did not have a description, audible.com's short description and possibly more, and duplicates deleted. It is amazing how many of the books are no longer available on audible. Some recommendations carry Average Customer Ratings. Ideally, all should look something like this:

4+*Wish you Well UA 10:01 David Baldacci. Lovely story requiring modest suspension of credulity. Two young, urbane NYC children abruptly & tragically transferred to the Appalachian mountains of SW Virginia to join their great grandmother. Mountain farming without electricity & phone in the 40s. Average Customer Rating: 4.37 ( based on 98 vote(s) )Short Description: This is the story of Louisa May Cardinal, a precocious 12-year-old girl living in the hectic New York City of 1940 with her acclaimed but sadly underpaid writer father...

Unfortunately, few have the Customer Rating or length of play. Perhaps in time, and certainly for audio books added as listened to. The blog is currently four times the max length allowed for an iLounge post, so it has become necessary and much easier to maintain a blog than several posts (now that I have discovered the word add-on for editing and updating google's eblogs).

robert

10-10-2005, 12:03 AM

Just found this one:

Road Trip America AudioBook Recommendations (http://www.roadtripamerica.com/read/goodbooks.htm)

Includes moderate description without having to follow a link, lists new releases. Checked out two that caught my fancy and they were both on audible.com. The site provides linked full book reviews of each audio book.

robert

10-10-2005, 09:53 AM

Originally posted by Stensvaag
I have listened to dozens of audiobooks, amounting to hundreds of happy hours, over the past three years. "War and Peace" is still my #1 favorite, but I have a new #2 -- The Forsyte Saga. This is a long book that takes just a bit of time to get into, but the arc of the story is wonderful, tracing an extended British family over three generations at the end of the Victorian age. I hated to have it end.

This book is available from Audible.com, and even though it runs to more than 42 hours, it used up only one book credit. GREAT value!

Stensvaag,

There are three versions of "War and Peace" at audible, one abridged at 5:10, each requiring only one book credit. May be the best value per hour on all of audible.com for what is cited as possibly the greatest novel ever written:

Which narrator did you listen to? Was he good? Edit: See below on reviews trashing Zimmerman narration.

War and Peace (Unabridged)
Author: Leo Tolstoy
Narrator: Frederick Davidson
Audio Length: 60 hours and 42 min.
Price: $48.97
Release Date: 09-01-1998
Provider: Blackstone Audiobooks
Average Customer Rating: 4.78
( based on 9 vote(s) )
Short Description: Often called the greatest novel ever written, War and Peace is at once an epic of the Napoleonic wars, a philosophical study, and a celebration of the Russian spirit.... more ...

The Davidson narrated version is available at OverDrive.

-OR-

War and Peace (Unabridged)
Author: Leo Tolstoy
Narrator: Walter Zimmerman
Audio Length: 62 hours and 18 min.
Price: $81.87
Release Date:
Provider: Books on Tape
Average Customer Rating: 3.91
( based on 77 vote(s) )
Short Description: Leo Tolstoy's sweeping epic describes Russia between 1805 and 1820, centering on the 1812 invasion of... more ...

I may want to select the narrator who takes two hours longer since his voice may be more suited to listening at faster speed.

Can't imagine how the abridged reduces 60+ hours to 5+:

War and Peace
Author: Leo Tolstoy
Narrator: Neville Jason
Audio Length: 5 hours 10 min.
Price: $18.89
Release Date: 01-01-1995
Provider: NAXOS AudioBooks
Average Customer Rating: 3.5
( based on 8 vote(s) )
Short Description: War and Peace is one of the greatest monuments in world literature. Set against the dramatic backdrop of the Napoleonic Wars... more ...

Thanks,

Robert

Edit: Upon looking at the reviews of Each audio version, I find several strong complaints about the Zimmerman narration and this review at the Davidson narration:

4* Audible listens!
Reviewer: ired, from Grapevine, TX, USA Date: February 16, 2005

Subscribers asked for a better narrated version of the awesome "War and Peace," and quietly Audible recently offered this superb rendition. The narration is excellent and unlike the droning Zimmerman, Frederick Davidson brings the material and the characters to life. My opinion of Audible has risen substantially, and I am thoroughly enjoying one of the greatest novels ever written.

Stensvaag

10-10-2005, 10:01 AM

Robert asks which version of War & Peace I listened to. I listened to the Walter Zimmerman one. Was his reading a bit robotic? Probably. It certainly seemed that way at the beginning. At the time, I was so blown away by the book that Zimmerman's narration did not concern me.

Apparently, Audible now offers a different version, precisely because so many folks complained about the Zimmerman one. There is no way that I can compare, really, because I spent 62 hours with Zimmerman and got lost in the story. If the consensus is that the other one (Davidson?) is read better, by all means pick it.

I would say that a 5-hour abridged version is for sissies. You gotta get the whole thing!

arsolot

10-10-2005, 10:12 AM

I've listened to a few P.G. Wodehouse books read by Frederick Davidson. Davidson is excellent and, I would guess, one of the best readers available. I'm certain his reading of any book would add to the experience.

I know nothing about Zimmerman.

I'd be very interested in War and Peace, but 62 hours is quite a commitment!

robert

10-10-2005, 10:24 AM

decision made: Davidson version is available at OverDrive.

Arsolot, thanks for the comments on Davidson. Some very good long books are a good reason to subscribe to audible's much more flexible Ultimate Listener Plan -- just committ a couple or more months to the one audio book. I quailed at my first 40 hour book (The Company), but found it quite manageable. It just takes getting into and if the book is worthwhile, sucks you in. I just finished Churchill at 37:00+ hours. I do hope for a narrator whose narration satisfactorily accomodates faster listen -- especially on a long book.

I am finding Linda Greenlaw doesn't, after all, accomodate faster, so I am listening to my first bookmarking mp3 on my nano.

Thanks.

Stensvaag

10-10-2005, 10:40 AM

Originally posted by robert
I quailed at my first 40 hour book (The Company), but found it quite manageable. It just takes getting into and if the book is worthwhile, sucks you in. I just finished Churchill at 37:00+ hours.

Are "The Company" and "Churchill" worth it? Being a big fan of monster books, I actually purchased "The Company" but then never really got into it; I have been tempted by Churchill (the Jenkins' version?) for more than a year now.

robert

10-10-2005, 10:45 AM

Re: Churchill and The Company

I thought "The Company" was. Probably not on "Churchill." It is primarily a political biography in contrast to, say, Samuel Adams where one gets a real taste of the complete man. I was relieved to be able to listen to Churchill at faster speed. The reviewer I quote and refer to in my blog and post on the book cites as better another one volume Churchill biography that I can't find in audio.

One thing I didn't cite in my post or blog about Churchill were things like a reference to Churchill keeping the Duke of Windsor from returning to UK from Spain during WWII and Churchill's admonishing him to not express opinions different from Parliament or the PM. Never identified him as the former King Edward (I think this is the case) nor gave the reason for keeping him out of UK or expressing any opnions that the Duke of Windsor had that may have been damaging to the cause. This is also one of the few times I have felt at a disadvantage on audio vs print. That is, Jenkins does not put years in all his dates. I think if reading from paper, one could glance back and figure out the year. Not a waste of time, but probably not a good choice since each of us has a limited time to listen with so many good books to listen to.

I have got to find the exact quote in "Shadow of the Wind" that the world is full of good writers -- what it needs are more good readers.

robert

10-12-2005, 12:58 AM

From the author of the delightful Lobster Chronicles, we have rousing afternoon of fishermen stories told in a seaside bar, in a lively narration by the author (real-life character in The Perfect Storm). Holds together well. Fun, short, and interesting. Would be a great auto trip audio. Available OverDrive or CDs only.

robert

10-20-2005, 10:55 AM

New York Times Author Interviews and Readings (free subscription required) (http://www.nytimes.com/ref/books/books-audio-archive.html) Index by author to audio readings of their works or presentations as well as links to reviews of their books. Just found this great source.

Book Browse (http://www.bookbrowse.com/index.cfm) Excerpts, reviews, author interviews & more

Book Sense, Independent Book Sellers Site (http://www.booksense.com/) Best Sellers (actual sales unlike NYT shipment count), reviews, book picks, etc.

Book Reporter (http://www.bookreporter.com/index.asp), same as above

Reading Group Guides.com (http://www.readinggroupguides.com/) 1750 reading group guides available plus how tos and suggestions for book Groups.

New York Times Book Page (free subscription required) (http://www.nytimes.com/pages/books/index.html) Links to reviews, Editors' Choice, Paperback Row, Reading Group Picks, The 10 Best Books of 2004, 100 Notable Books of the Year, Children's Books, Featured Authors, Audio Readings

Road Trip America (http://www.roadtripamerica.com/read/goodbooks.htm) Unlike other links in this post, exclusively audio books.

CJNeverWinter

10-24-2005, 09:29 PM

Richard K. Morgan - Altered Carbon

its a very good listen. especially if you like Sci-Fi. Takeshi Kovacs is a former Envoy, a specially trained soldier/investigator who is sent to Earth from another planet to investigate the death of Laurens Bancroft, a multi-century old aristocrat.

this book suits not only sci-fi fans but fans of detective novels. the book has a good pace and a very good reader who does a very good job at creating different voices with accents for the different characters in the book.

moriond

10-27-2005, 03:34 PM

NPR Books (http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=79687272), a newly inaugurated podcast described as "NPR book reviews, news and author interviews -- for people who love to read. The best of Morining Edition, All Things Considered, and other award-winning NPR programs." Link is to the iTunes podcast listing (this appears to work even if your iTMS is set to Australia :) ), but you can also access this from the NPR Books Web Page (http://www.npr.org/templates/topics/topic.php?topicId=1032). The web page allows you to browse the items covered in the podcast. There's also a RealPlayer audio stream with additional content on the featured item at the top of the web page.

BookTV (http://www.booktv.org/) is C-Span's web site collection of non-fiction programs of books and author inteviews. They maintain streaming Real Player video archives for Encore Booknotes (http://www.booktv.org/booknotes/index.asp), their author interviews, and for their series on History, Public Lives, In Depth, and After Words, which focus on selected books.

A few more podcast book sources for Pete that I will delete after he picks them up for the podcast sticky; top level entries appear in the iTunes podcast lists:
Lady Chatterly's Lover by D.H. Lawrence at UAA Audio Books (http://blog.urbanartadventures.com/index.html)
The Road to Oz by Frank L. Baum at Kara's Free Audiobooks Podcast (http://kayray.org/audiobooks/)
The Secret Agent by Joseph Conrad at LibriVox (http://librivox.org), which also links to Kara's Free Audiobooks Podcast (http://kayray.org/audiobooks/),
The Mysterious Affair at Styles (http://librivox.blogsome.com/the-mysterious-affair-at-styles-by-agatha-christie/) by Agatha Christie read by Alex Foster, and Call of the Wild (http://librivox.blogsome.com/call-of-the-wild-by-jack-london/) by Jack London read by Gordon Makenzie, Kristen McQuillin, Jean O'Sullivan, and Miette

P.S. Shouldn't that podcast list include Alex Wilson's Spoken Alexandria (http://www.spokenalex.org/) project offerings, now that they are separated out from his paid (at very modest price) Telltale Weekly pieces? These are also available for subscription through iTunes, and include a variety of pieces from short stories (e.g. Araby from James Joyce's The Dubliners) to poetry (Kubla Khan by Coleridge).

Cloysterpeteuk

11-02-2005, 08:43 PM

I'll have a look at them cheers moriond.

CJNeverWinter

11-03-2005, 12:12 AM

Richard K. Morgan - Broken Angels

This is the sequel to Altered Carbon, featuring Takeshi Kovacs as the main character once again.

Unlike Altered Carbon, Broken Angels is almost a straight up sci-fi novel. There is not much in the way of a detective story in Broken Angels.

Kovacs leads a team of mercenaries to claim an alien spacecraft for a corporation which is paying him multi-millions of dollars to claim the spacecraft for them. To claim the space craft the team has to survive deadly radiation, nano technology that has been unleashed to kill, and Kovacs former military battalion.

Broken Angels is a lot more faster paced than Altered Carbon. The characters are well thought out. The narrator who is that same from Altered Carbon once again did an excellent job with different voices and accents for each character.

robert

11-09-2005, 11:34 PM

Myla Goldberg lectured in captivating and entertaining fashion tonight at Agnes Scott [Women’s] College where she was the visiting author for the freshman class assigned English reading selection of her book Bee Season (NetLibrary only). The movie version is to be released Nov 11. Goldberg discussed writing in general, Bee Season, and her newest book, which revolves around the 1918 flu pandemic, Wickett's Remedy: A Novel (UA at Audible, 10:57) Average Customer Rating: 4 (based on 5 votes. Short Description: In a multidimensional, intricately wrought narrative, Myla Goldberg leads us back to Boston in the early part of the twentieth century and into two completely captivating worlds....

Notable lecture quotes: “Each character is trying to escape the banality of every day life and it is about what it takes to become your own person in the world. In the end, Eliza becomes herself, says this is not my quest, she says no, this is not really her goal.” The latter was in response to a student expressing dismay about possible interpretations of the ending. Goldberg said that the reader owns fiction, and encouraged the student to put whatever interpretation on the ending that she wanted. In regard to [i]Wickett’s Remedy, she responded to the question about how to read the integral notes in the margin as a second story and that the reader owned the story and could read it however the reader preferred. I learned that Goldberg’s audio narration intersperses the margin notes into the audio version in “different voices.” Goldberg’s narration of Bee Season is superb and I gather Wickett’s Remedy is also well-done. I will put it high on my next read list.

robert

11-10-2005, 03:31 PM

5* The Human Stain (UA, Audible.com 14:30) Author: Philip Roth Narrators: Arliss Howard, Debra Winger Average Customer Rating: 4.04 ( based on 129 vote(s) ) Publisher’s Summary: In 1998, the year in which America is whipped into a frenzy of prurience by the impeachment of a president, and in a small New England town, an aging classics professor, Coleman Silk, is forced to retire when his colleagues decree that he is a racist. The charge is a lie, but the real truth about Silk would have astonished his most virulent accuser.

Caution: After finding the audio version of Roth’s Pulitzer Prize winning American Pastoral disappointing, I read The Human Stain in print. Finding Roth’s character defining prose long and tedious, it was easy to fast read those portions in print. Having thusly enjoyed The Human Stain, I may return to an American Pastoral print version to see if the same reading technique improves it for me. Roth’s thorough character development is both a strength and weakness.

robert

11-10-2005, 03:41 PM

5*Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the Westby Gregory Maguire, Audio CD only, 20 hours. Excellently narrated by John McDonough. An adult fantasy book with “… both idealism and cynicism in its discussion of social, religious, educational, and political issues present in Oz, and … in our day and time. The idealism is whimsical and engaging; the cynicism is biting. Sometimes the earthy language seems appropriate and adds to the sense of place; sometimes the four-letter words and sexual explicitness distract from the charm of the tale. The multiple threads to the plot proceed … It is for good readers who like satire, and love exceedingly imaginative and clever fantasy.” Judy Sokoll, Fairfax County Public Library, VA – School Library Journal. Somewhat Tolkien-like in its appeal and complexity. Number 7 NYT Paperback Best Seller List.

5*Son of a Witch by Gregory Maguire, moderately well narrated by author. UA audible.com, 14:16. Average Customer Rating: 3.6 ( based on 11 votes). Maguire returns to the land of Oz. "Masterfully imaginative....Ten years after Wicked (which is still on Broadway [Tony Award winning]), fans will once again be clicking their heels with wonderment." (Publishers Weekly) "A tale that adroitly mixes drama, humor, and political satire into a well-knit examination of good and evil." (Library Journal). Number 9 NYT hardback bestseller list.

An interview with Gregory Maguire is included in the Son of a Witch audible version. Audible also offers the Gregory Maguire interview in a separate and free download. Maguire says that imploring letters from young girls prompted him to write the sequel.

Recommend listening to [i]Wicked[i] prior to Son of a Witch. Wicked is not available at audible.com, NetLibrary or OverDrive, so I bought a CD audiobook version.
Offering the following for resale on Amazon.com, each includes a CD burned with both m4b iPod bookmarking and mp3 files (CDs and cassette tapes are pristine):
- Wicked Unabridged CD set, including m4b and mp3 files burned on DVD $24.95 [b]SOLD 11-11-05
http://s1.amazon.com/exec/varzea/ts/exchange-glance/Y03Y4047711Y1822565
- Atlas Shrugged Abridged cassette tape set, including m4b and mp3 files burned on CD $7.98
http://s1.amazon.com/exec/varzea/ts/exchange-glance/Y03Y5433537Y1565003
- The Broker, Abridged CD set, including m4b and mp3 files burned on CD $9.95
http://s1.amazon.com/exec/varzea/ts/exchange-glance/Y01Y0047351Y4075326
- Skinny Dip, Abridged CD set, including m4b and mp3 files burned on CD $8.98
http://s1.amazon.com/exec/varzea/ts/exchange-glance/Y03Y1216610Y1841122

Amazon.com offers CD mp3 versions of Wicked and Atlas Shrugged and is a source of inexpensive used CDs and cassette tapes for many audio books. Click on "see all editions" link while in book.

Edit, 11-15-05: No longer see mp3 version of Wicked and Atlas Shrugged, but The Fountainhead UA mp3 CD is there for $35 new or $35 in the new and used section direct from Blackstone Audio. Also offerred at at prices up to $73. Don't see any reason why one couldn't buy this very popular and expensive audio book for $35 new, and reoffer at nearly the same price on amazon used and new with added inducement of including an iPod/mp3 ready CD or DVD. See post (here) (http://forums.ipodlounge.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=129969) on reselling at amazon.