# What should be my first Audiobook? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 17, 2009, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-be-my-first-audiobook/500010 "2009-06-17T00:48:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Justin\_Credible](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a8b319/32.png) [@Justin\_Credible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Credible)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2009, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-be-my-first-audiobook/500010/1 "2009-06-17T00:48:53Z")
Hi. I’ve never listened to an audiobook before, but I’d like to give it a try. I was watching _The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford_ the other day, and I noticed how much I enjoyed listening to the narrator of that movie. I’d like to listen to an audio book where the reader really brings something to the story, much like how that movie’s narrator did. I’m not too picky about genre, but I think I would like it to be fiction. And a related question: Is there an unabridged audio book of The Lord of the Rings? If so, how is it? ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2009, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-be-my-first-audiobook/500010/2 "2009-06-17T01:30:35Z")
I have a real liking of the audiobook of Heinlein’s Moon is a Harsh Mistress … The guy reading it has the spiffiest loonie accent, a sort of spanish/russian/american blend that matches what I think Mannie sounds like. Hmmm… Blackstone Audio, read by Lloyd James, I got it on [emusic.com](http://emusic.com). ---
**Author:** ![Leiko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Leiko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leiko)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2009, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-be-my-first-audiobook/500010/3 "2009-06-17T02:35:00Z")
Anansi Boys, by Neil Gaiman, read by Lenny Henry, is my favorite audiobook in the world. Lenny Henry does amazing voices for every character, from the ancient old Floridian women to the weasel-y Brit to the mythical/religious figure Tiger, in ways that I believe and love. Plus it’s a good book on paper too. ---
**Author:** ![BrassyPhrase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea666f/32.png) [@BrassyPhrase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrassyPhrase)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2009, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-be-my-first-audiobook/500010/4 "2009-06-17T02:50:29Z")
> [@Leiko](#): > > Anansi Boys, by Neil Gaiman, read by Lenny Henry, is my favorite audiobook in the world. Lenny Henry does amazing voices for every character, from the ancient old Floridian women to the weasel-y Brit to the mythical/religious figure Tiger, in ways that I believe and love. > > Plus it’s a good book on paper too. I’ll have to look for that. I like to get audiobooks for long drives or when I have to work by myself. Not to hijack, but is there a good review site for audiobooks? (I usually get them secondhand at HalfPrice books or something.) Some good books I’ve listened to have had awful readers and mediocre books have been made better. Anthony Heald [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0372217/](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0372217/) is great reading “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil” There are few more, generally not ‘name’ actors, but character actors that do stage work, some tv and movie work that are great. David Sedaris reading his own work (often with Amy doing some of the voices) is INCREDIBLE. Funny and moving. (I got the box set for Christmas.) ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2009, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-be-my-first-audiobook/500010/5 "2009-06-17T03:23:34Z")
> [@BrassyPhrase](#): > > There are few more, generally not ‘name’ actors, but character actors that do stage work, some tv and movie work that are great. In my (limited) experience, it tends to be the Brits who do really good audiobook narrations. > [@](#): > > David Sedaris reading his own work (often with Amy doing some of the voices) is INCREDIBLE. Funny and moving. (I got the box set for Christmas.) A great example of where listening to the audio version is a significant improvement over the print version. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2009, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-be-my-first-audiobook/500010/6 "2009-06-17T03:28:04Z")
George Guidall is a fantastic narrator - I recommend _Tender is the Night_ or _Crime and Punishment_. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2009, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-be-my-first-audiobook/500010/7 "2009-06-17T03:29:48Z")
> [@BrassyPhrase](#): > > Not to hijack, but is there a good review site for audiobooks? (I usually get them secondhand at HalfPrice books or something.) Well, there’s AudioFile Magazine. You could also go to [audible.com](http://audible.com) and check out the customer ratings/reviews (similar to Amazon’s) of the audiobooks they offer. ---
**Author:** ![Hockey\_Monkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a183cd/32.png) [@Hockey\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hockey_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2009, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-be-my-first-audiobook/500010/8 "2009-06-17T04:14:39Z")
Tim Dorsey’s _Torpedo Juice_ is the best audiobook I’ve ever heard. I can’t remember who narrates it, but he’s very good and adds so much to the experience. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2009, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-be-my-first-audiobook/500010/9 "2009-06-17T05:02:53Z")
I enjoyed the \*Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy \*audiobooks. Also, if you can find it, \*The Autobiography of Foudini M. Cat \* by Susan Fromberg Schaefer is narrated by David Hyde Pierce and he does a fantastic job with it. Unfortunately it’s only available on cassette, though. The Harry Potter series were quite good too, though they might be a bit young for you. ---
**Author:** ![NAF1138](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naf1138/32/3245_2.png) [@NAF1138](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NAF1138)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2009, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-be-my-first-audiobook/500010/10 "2009-06-17T05:23:33Z")
> [@Leiko](#): > > Anansi Boys, by Neil Gaiman, read by Lenny Henry, is my favorite audiobook in the world. Lenny Henry does amazing voices for every character, from the ancient old Floridian women to the weasel-y Brit to the mythical/religious figure Tiger, in ways that I believe and love. > > Plus it’s a good book on paper too. I can’t second this strongly enough. It’s my go to recommendation for this sort of thing. > [@BrassyPhrase](#): > > David Sedaris reading his own work (often with Amy doing some of the voices) is INCREDIBLE. Funny and moving. (I got the box set for Christmas.) This too. I love Sedaris, but his stuff is actually better as audiobook read by him than it is on the page. It comes to life when he reads it in a way it just doesn’t when it isn’t read out loud. I feel the same way about Sarah Vowell’s stuff. > [@winterhawk11](#): > > I enjoyed the \*Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy \*audiobooks. If you can track down the old dove audio versions read by Douglas Adams, I highly recommend them. Also the radio plays are great, but that’s a different thing. Almost all of the Terry Pratchett on audio book is fantastic, though the woman who did the first two witches books was less good than the other narrators. I also thought that \*\*\*Doublestar \*\*\*by Heinlein narration by Llyod James was \*significantly \*better as an audio book than it was as a regular book. And I enjoyed the heck out of \*\*\*Fluke \*\*\*and \*\*\*Lamb \*\*\*(both by Christopher Moore) as audio books. Though I liked Bloodsucking Fiends and You Suck (A Love Story) better as regular books. One more I really liked was a nonfiction book called _ **The Devils Teeth** _, about great white shark researchers off the coast of California. Fantastic book, and the narrator was equally fantastic. There are a couple versions of the Lord of the Rings Unabridged that I know of. The one I listened to was dry as toast, but it looks like the version that is readily available these days is one done by an ensemble which might be better. Yeah, I listen to a lot of audio books. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2009, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-be-my-first-audiobook/500010/11 "2009-06-17T05:38:15Z")
I’m a bit baffled by the recommendations for _Anansi Boys_. Perhaps my hearing was off that day, but the guy’s accent was so thick that I could only make out about one word in three. It was very irritating and I finally gave it up. Maybe I’ll give it another go soon; I did just finish listening to another audiobook before starting it and so the voices might have clashed in my head. For my own recommendations, especially if you’re less concerned about the book and more interested in the reader, Simon Prebble does a wonderful job with Jasper Fforde’s _The Big Over Easy_ (a Nursery Crime tale, good novel in itself). I have to second the recommendation for George Guidall. He did the narration for the first three books of _The Dark Tower_ series, and he’s easily the single best reader I’ve ever heard. Unfortunately he was in a terrible accident some years back and, though he survived, was and is unable to continue his work. ☹ If you like the _Harry Potter_ series, Jim Dale is an excellent reader for those. When I want lowbrow entertainment, I find that full cast fiction audiobooks are always a lot of fun, as it’s more like listening to a radio dramatization than a book. _Redwall_ and _Ai! Pedrito!_ are the two that come most quickly to mind, but there are others. Sheesh. Looking at that list, my preferences in audiobooks is a little obvious. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2009, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-be-my-first-audiobook/500010/12 "2009-06-17T12:34:26Z")
Came in here to recommend Jim Dale and Harry Potter. Another excellent reader, but not quite is [Jim Weiss](http://www.greathall.com/onlinebro.html) I own most of his work, which is condensed classics. Great narrative and excellent voice. It is for kids from toddlers through adult listening. A+++++ ---
**Author:** ![mj\_2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6a8cbe/32.png) [@mj\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mj_2)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2009, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-be-my-first-audiobook/500010/13 "2009-06-17T14:50:12Z")
On a recent trip to Houston I listened to Charles Frazier’s Thirteen Moons read by Will Patton. It’s one I was glad I listened to rather than try to read. Maybe it’s an indication of a man-crush but I would love to hear a book read by Matthew McConaughey. One more thing: Your local library is a great place to pick up audio books. Just sayin’. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2009, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-be-my-first-audiobook/500010/14 "2009-06-17T14:55:26Z")
> [@Bosstone](#): > > I have to second the recommendation for George Guidall. He did the narration for the first three books of _The Dark Tower_ series, and he’s easily the single best reader I’ve ever heard. Unfortunately he was in a terrible accident some years back and, though he survived, was and is unable to continue his work. ☹ Actually, this wasn’t Guidall. It was Frank Muller, another excellent reader who did a lot of work with Stephen King’s books. Apparently he died in 2008. I didn’t realize this until I looked him up today. ☹ Speaking of which: IMO, Stephen King himself is a lousy audiobook reader. I would recommend against anything of his that he reads himself (such as _Bag of Bones_). ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2009, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-be-my-first-audiobook/500010/15 "2009-06-17T14:59:08Z")
> [@winterhawk11](#): > > Actually, this wasn’t Guidall. It was Frank Muller, another excellent reader who did a lot of work with Stephen King’s books. Apparently he died in 2008. I didn’t realize this until I looked him up today. ☹ :smack: Thank you, I knew that didn’t sound right. I doublechecked the name on Audible before posting, but I must have glanced at a later book and didn’t realize it. Guidall was the replacement reader, and while he was…sufficient, he couldn’t compare to Muller, who _is_ the best audiobook reader I’ve ever heard. I’ve got to stop posting when I’m half asleep… ---
**Author:** ![TheMerchandise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b487fb/32.png) [@TheMerchandise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheMerchandise)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2009, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-be-my-first-audiobook/500010/16 "2009-06-17T16:40:40Z")
_Fool_, by Christopher Moore and narrated by Euon Morton. The book is hysterical and Morton is almost preternaturally good at doing all the different voices. I must second (third? fourth?) the recommendation of Frank Muller. ---
**Author:** ![Meurglys](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/258eb7/32.png) [@Meurglys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meurglys)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2009, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-be-my-first-audiobook/500010/17 "2009-06-17T16:52:58Z")
> [@Justin\_Credible](#): > > And a related question: Is there an unabridged audio book of The Lord of the Rings? If so, how is it? Yes, there is. Rob Inglis reads it cover to cover and chants the songs as well… This is [the complete set](http://www.amazon.com/Lord-Rings-Trilogy-Gift-Set/dp/1402516274/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1245257340&sr=8-1), although it’s also available as 3 separate releases. I’m told it’s very good, and the reviews on that Amazon page agree. ---
**Author:** ![Sr\_Siete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6de8d8/32.png) [@Sr\_Siete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sr_Siete)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2009, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-be-my-first-audiobook/500010/18 "2009-06-17T17:04:11Z")
Gonna recommend the “Song of Ice and Fire” books, a magnificent tour de force for actor Roy Dotrice, giving a unique voice to dozens of characters. There’s also the Dresden Files books, read by James “Spike from Buffy” Marsters. In any case, avoid any book read by the author. Most can’t act. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2009, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-be-my-first-audiobook/500010/19 "2009-06-17T17:08:12Z")
> [@Sr\_Siete](#): > > In any case, avoid any book read by the author. Most can’t act. Conversely, books read by actors are usually pretty good. Case in point, James Marsters as you mention (although I haven’t listened to those books yet) and John de Lancie (who happily reads many of the Star Trek audiobooks). They’re used to acting and often voice acting, so they typically manage to avoid a dull monotonal performance. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2009, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-be-my-first-audiobook/500010/20 "2009-06-17T17:39:02Z")
I greatly enjoyed the audio version of Max Brooks **World War Z** , some incredible voice talent on that one even if it is abridged from the book version. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-be-my-first-audiobook/500010.md?page=2)