I only listen to them while driving and in that situation they beat the hell out of reading the book.
Both Steve Martin’s* Born Standing Up* and Kevin Pollack’s How I Slept My Way To the Middle are great. Mostly I listen to non fiction and find that it gives me a sense of not having wasted my commute. I am away visiting at the moment and, by the time I’m home, will have listened to two books that will contribute to a work project. Bonus.
With some players, you can adjust the speed, so that instead of making the “hurry up” motion you literally can hurry them up.
And of course, your comment doesn’t apply to someone who’s a slow reader (e.g. due to poor vision or dyslexia).
But in general, I certainly agree. For efficiency in delivering information, I’d far rather read than listen. Listening to a newspaper article, for example, would be a tedious waste of time. (This is an issue that came up in the “Does Anyone Else Find Podcasting As Irritating As All Heck?” thread.)
The books that work well in audio are those that have more than mere information to offer, and where enjoyment or appreciation or thought-provokingness or vicarious experience can be enhanced by the narration. It’d be more efficient to read the transcript of a stand-up comic’s act than to hear them perform it, but that’s hardly the best way to experience it.
Huh. I just came to this thread to complain about that series. The actor who plays Captain Aubrey in that series sounds like a prime candidate for Monty Python’s Upper Class Twit of the Year award-yeah, a sea captain of that time might very well sound like that, but to modern (American) ears it blows suspension of disbelief for me at least right out of the water. Now, if they had Russell Crowe read for it…
Two of my favorite audiobooks (and indeed, my favorite books, full stop) are** Anansi Boys **and Dark Matter. They both have the advantage of not being too dense or convoluted, so it’s not likely you’ll get lost, and the readers add *so *much to the experience.
In contrast, Wil Wheaton isn’t a terribly dramatic reader, but somehow he works with the nerdy lit I’ve heard him read. **Redshirts **and Ready Player One were immensely enjoyable in audio format.
But some genres just don’t meld with audio. **A Mortal Bane **seemed like a fun book, but I think in mysteries I’m much more likely to flip back and remind myself, “Who is that guy? What is the juxtaposition of these streets and buildings like?” and such. Obviously a reference book wouldn’t work well.
If the reader is bad, it’s game over. I tried to get through Bill the Vampire, but even if I could ignore the blistering misogyny, I couldn’t deal with the narrator consistently mispronouncing words. Particularly memorable was his reading of the name “Ozymandias” in such a way that it sounds like a Latino sidekick for the Tick or something. There’s also a pretty prolific female reader with a gravely voice, and I can’t take it - I find myself constantly clearing my throat in sympathy!
I do remember listening to James Doohan doing a ST:TNG audiobook. He mangled Data’s part so badly (having him speak in a stereotypical monotone robotic voice) that I stopped listening in disgust.
There are different audio versions of the novels - are you sure you’re talking about the ones read by Patrick Tull??
I am a sucker for cheesy Eastern period dramas (think Amy Tan). These translate beautifully into audiobook, and the format really takes me in. I listen to them when it is impractical to read- when I am cleaning, taking a shower, or running errands.
The delivery adds a lot, but I’d rather read the transcript of a stand up act than the audio book version. Descriptors like “Carlin raised his hands onto the back of his head and made a googly face” would scan better in text form than some dude reading it.
For audio books there can also be tons of narm since things that sound good on paper in your head can sound horribly cheesy when actually said aloud.
(I had to look up Narm.)
You’ve touched on some of the reasons why some books make worse audiobooks than others.
It’s not a hard and fast rule, but as a general guideline, I’ve found that books written in the first person tend to work better in audio format—provided they’re read by someone who can read with a voice and tone that are a good fit for that book’s first person narrator.
David Sedaris’ books were what I came to post as well.
shiftless, I completely agree with you about Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, a great book made greater by an amazing reader.
Another book I think was better as an audiobook was Cloud Atlas. The book is written in several very distinct voices and they used a different actor for each perspective.
A bad or annoying reader can spoil a good book, but a great story plus a great reader is heaven.
some of us probably have brains that are more predisposed to absorbing through audio than others and I am definitely one of those.
I was not impressed with The Great Gatsby on audio book other than it was interesting to have “consumed” the classic.
I deeply enjoyed The Da Vinci Code and another Dan Brown book on audio book. I cannot imagine liking them in written form. They were enjoyable crap. Like a JJ Abrahms movie.
I kept bouncing off Jonathon Strange & Mr. Norell, the dead-tree edition, but when I started listening to the audio-book, actually went out of my way to drive more so I could finish chapters, etc. The audio book improved (IMO) the written version
It’s “lou-ee”. There’s a rhyme in one of the early books where he says “Lou-ee Wu and his motley crew”. Also, Speaker keeps calling him “Lou-ee”, IIRC
I love the Harry Dresden series, but I find that I enjoy it even more as audiobooks. James Marsters does a great job of nailing the voices (though his Thomas sounds nothing like I expected him to sound).
Another one I loved was Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Don’t remember the reader, but he did a great job and I’ve come to the conclusion that that book/series needs to be experienced in a British accent for full effect. 
The Harry Potter books read by Jim Dale are great too (though the first time through I preferred to read them–all my subsequent “reads” have been audiobook versions). He gets better as the series goes on, though. His Hermione especially (“Har-EEEEEEEE!”) toned down and became less annoying. My only real beef with him is that he seems never to have heard the proper cadences for certain things (specific example, which is hard to explain without hearing it–there’s a spot in Order of the Phoenix where Harry is acquitted of charges that would get him expelled, and Fred and George are dancing around the house chanting “He got off! He got off!” In my mind, the proper cadence would be kind of a singsongy “He go-ot o-offf!” (you’d know it instantly if you heard it), but Dale reads it as “HE got off! HE got off!” with a strong emphasis on “HE”. It grated terribly. Minor point, though, in an otherwise great performance.
On the other side, Stephen King sucks donkey tush as a reader of his own books.
Books that are different in audio form:
Connections and The Day the Universe Changed by James Burke, read by him. Burke seems to talk at a mile a minute, so you feel you’re getting more than your money’s worth from these. The text, by the way, comes from the Companion Volumes to the PBS series, not from the TV series.
Truman by David McCulloch, read by the author – includes audio clips from speeches by Truman when appropriate, and the closing credits are done under a recording of Truman on the piano.
The Hero with a Thousand Faces on Audio Renaissance. Intercuts recordings of Joseph Campbell lecturing between readings from the book
Several of the Rumpole of the Bailey stories – Leo McKern recorded ruimploe for three different audio book companies. As he portrayed Rumpole on TV, and does a heluva job performing, it’s worth listening to. At least two other actors have read the Rumpole books, but even the likes of actor Micheal Hordern can’t live up to McKern’s Rumpole.
Bonfire of the Vanities by Tom Wolfe, read by John Lithgow. Lithgow does a great job of characterization.
Several of the Star Trek novels, read by James Doohan. Doohan can do an incredible job of impersonating the other Star Trek characters in his reading. Worth listening to, if the Star Trek novel happens to be.
Tales from the Arabian Nights, the Penguin Audiobook, read by Raad Rawi and Souad Faress. They read in authentic accents, so you have an uncanny sense of listening to Shahrzad telling the stories.
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood – this book purports to be a transcription from audiotapes, so, in listenming to them on audio, you’re arguably closer to the intended experience.
My wife listens to audio books all the time. When I here a man reading a woman’s speaking part in higher pitch, I always die laughing.
The only audio book I’ve ever seriously listened to was The Historian. I’m glad some other people were with me because I missed parts all the time.
Apologies for the egregious “here” error above.
Stephen Fry has read it (the first volume only, AFAIK); that may be who you heard.
On the other hand, Hitchhiker’s started as a BBC radio drama, and that’s also a good way to listen to it.
I’ve listened to the first five so far, and I agree with everything you’ve said here. Plus, I don’t like his Luna Lovegood; she just sounds creepy. And it annoyed me the way he kept pronouncing Voldemort as “Voldemor”; but he seems to have fixed that by OotP.
The audiobook versions of Spike Milligan’s war memoirs are read by Spike himself and can be alternatively hysterically funny (the adventures of ‘Plunger’ Baily) and amazingly poignant (the death in combat of one of the battery officers).
The inflection he put’s into the description of his new commander (“Jumbo” Jenkins) “He was a complete bastard!” is wonderful.