Hatrack River Writers Workshop   
my profile login | search | faq | forum home

  next oldest topic   next newest topic
» Hatrack River Writers Workshop » Forums » Open Discussions About Writing » Audiobook Recommendations

   
Author Topic: Audiobook Recommendations
aspirit
Member
Member # 7974

 - posted      Profile for aspirit   Email aspirit         Edit/Delete Post 
I'm moving across country in a few days and will need help keeping my mind active and not daydreaming while I drive. Do you recommend any specific audiobooks? I'm not interested in mysteries, thrillers, or war stories, as I don't want to suffer additional nightmares in strange hotels. I am also wary of audiobooks that aren't consistent in volume.

Feel free to recommend one of your own books, if it's in audio format. I would love to hear a Hatracker's work.


Posts: 1139 | Registered: May 2008  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
KayTi
Member
Member # 5137

 - posted      Profile for KayTi           Edit/Delete Post 
I haven't listened to that many, but the ones I've listened to in the last year or two have all been fabulous:

Harry Potter (I really love the voice talent - Jim Dale - he's also read the Dave Barry/Ridley Pearson books - Peter and the Starcatchers. I haven't listened to them but I keep meaning to...)
The Golden Compass - this is unique in that it's performed by a cast rather than just a voice talent. I really enjoyed listening to this one (my kids did too.)
Made to Stick - one of the more popular non-fiction books in the last year or two, like Blink or Tipping Point or Freakonomics (all of which I would also recommend but haven't personally listened to) - very interesting because it's got a ton of stories

We also listened to the Madeline L'Engle books - A Wrinkle in Time, A Wind in the Door, A Switfly Tilting Planet and enjoyed them last summer on vacation. They are all ready by Madeline herself. She passed away recently, so it's a bit of nostalgia there.

I hope you find some titles you can enjoy! We really like listening to audiobooks as a family now, it's funny how much of a relief it is to have someone *else* reading the story for me. I'm such a mom.


Posts: 1911 | Registered: Mar 2007  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
Robert Nowall
Member
Member # 2764

 - posted      Profile for Robert Nowall   Email Robert Nowall         Edit/Delete Post 
I enjoy radio dramas, as opposed to just some guy reading the book. I'll recommend the BBC version of The Lord of the Rings---more faithful to the book than the movies---and it's easily found.
Posts: 8809 | Registered: Aug 2005  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
TheOnceandFutureMe
unregistered


 - posted            Edit/Delete Post 
I spent a summer cutting grass and listening to audiobooks. My favorites:

The Wheel of Time series (at least until it starts being terrible at around book 7 - although that's Robert Jordon's fault, the recordings are still well done).

The Warriors Apprentice, and then The Vor Game, by Louis McMaster Bujold.

Magic Street, by OSC.

The Silence of the Lambs, by Thomas Harris.


IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
JeanneT
Member
Member # 5709

 - posted      Profile for JeanneT   Email JeanneT         Edit/Delete Post 
Small but important typo -- that's LOIS McMaster Bujold.
Posts: 1588 | Registered: Jul 2007  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
Bent Tree
Member
Member # 7777

 - posted      Profile for Bent Tree   Email Bent Tree         Edit/Delete Post 
Michael A. Stackpole has a good fantasy novel, Fortress Draconis You can download it free at Itunes or his website:
http://www.michaelastackpole.com/?cat=21

That way you don' have to spend forty bucks on an audiobook. I just download the audiobook, burn it to cd or Ipod then buy the regular novel to make sure the Author recieves his cut.


Posts: 1888 | Registered: Jan 2008  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
halogen
Member
Member # 6494

 - posted      Profile for halogen   Email halogen         Edit/Delete Post 
I've been using audible for almost 4 years now. Here are my favorites.

Snow Crash (Sci-Fi)

Pattern Recognition (Fiction)

A Walk in the Woods (Non-Fiction)

Discworld #1 (Fantasy)

Zeitgeist (Sci-Fi/Fantasy)

A Scanner Darkly (Sci-Fi)

Farenheit 451 (Sci-Fi)

Villa Incognito (Fiction)

Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers (Non Fiction)

The Center Cannot Hold (Non Fiction)

Hotel Babylon

A nice feature of audible is you can listen to the first 2-10 minutes of the story to see if it catches your interest.

[This message has been edited by halogen (edited July 27, 2008).]


Posts: 207 | Registered: Sep 2007  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
AWSullivan
Member
Member # 8059

 - posted      Profile for AWSullivan   Email AWSullivan         Edit/Delete Post 
I listened to all seven Harry Potter books on Audio. Jim Dale is brilliant.

That's really about all I've listened to though.

Anthony


Posts: 374 | Registered: Jun 2008  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
Lullaby Lady
Member
Member # 1840

 - posted      Profile for Lullaby Lady   Email Lullaby Lady         Edit/Delete Post 
I'll also echo the others about HP; they really fill the hours on the road, they're funny, and they're VERY well-read/voiced. Heck, I drove from Arizona to Idaho with all nine of my kids, and we didn't quite make it through HP-6! So we finished it on the way home.

Oh, and you can never go wrong with a great classic. You know, the ones you've always intended to read, but haven't done so yet? Your library probably has several. Austen or Dickens are some of my favorites.

Happy trails and drive safely!

~LL


Posts: 212 | Registered: Dec 2003  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
aspirit
Member
Member # 7974

 - posted      Profile for aspirit   Email aspirit         Edit/Delete Post 
Ooh, plenty to consider. In 2001, my family listened to the Harry Potter audiobooks existing at the time, and I agree about the quality. My mother-in-law kindly agreed to travel with me this time, so I’ll check on her preferences.

Thank you!


Posts: 1139 | Registered: May 2008  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
   

   Close Topic   Feature Topic   Move Topic   Delete Topic next oldest topic   next newest topic
 - Printer-friendly view of this topic
Hop To:


Contact Us | Hatrack River Home Page

Copyright © 2008 Hatrack River Enterprises Inc. All rights reserved.
Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.


Powered by Infopop Corporation
UBB.classic™ 6.7.2