# Which books are best experienced in the audio version? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** books-writing-myths\ **Created:** [March 17, 2021, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-books-are-best-experienced-in-the-audio-version/938112 "2021-03-17T18:29:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2021, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-books-are-best-experienced-in-the-audio-version/938112/21 "2021-03-17T22:51:37Z")
Simon Prebble does a great job on the audio version of _Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell_. Ninja’d? ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2021, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-books-are-best-experienced-in-the-audio-version/938112/22 "2021-03-17T23:12:19Z")
I particularly enjoy hearing the Horatio Hornblower series of books read by Christian Rodska. There are recordings by other narrators out there, but when I listen to Christian reading, I can _feel_ the cutting wind and _taste_ the salt spray. It’s not the same reading them in written form. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2021, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-books-are-best-experienced-in-the-audio-version/938112/23 "2021-03-18T01:59:27Z")
Mark Twain and Charles Dickens both did very highly regarded ‘audio book’ versions of their work, which sadly did not survive their authors. But Tom Sawyer and Tale of Two Cities were read to me, and I think are best in that form. Not so much Huck Finn and Oliver Twist, but your mileage may vary. I’m going to try “Message to Garcia” on youtube when I get a chance. ---
**Author:** ![BippityBoppityBoo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bippityboppityboo/32/5745_2.png) [@BippityBoppityBoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BippityBoppityBoo)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2021, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-books-are-best-experienced-in-the-audio-version/938112/24 "2021-03-18T02:09:03Z")
> [@digs](#): > > Same would probably apply to David Rosenfelt’s “Private Eye Who Also Runs a Dog Rescue” series. Narrated by Grover Gardner, who’s been reading hard-boiled detective tales since The Maltese Falcon. The books are hilarious, but the reading is so tough, so “Just The Facts, Ma’m”, that it’s twice as much fun. I won’t try those in print form… I’ve learned my lesson. I recommend this author’s work most highly, dead tree books or audio, even though I’ve never read his by audio. Pure, good, rollicking fun, plus, you know, dogs. ---
**Author:** ![MonkeysBrother](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3ab097/32.png) [@MonkeysBrother](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MonkeysBrother)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2021, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-books-are-best-experienced-in-the-audio-version/938112/25 "2021-03-18T02:17:00Z")
I really enjoyed Trevor Noah’s reading of his own “Born A Crime.” ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2021, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-books-are-best-experienced-in-the-audio-version/938112/26 "2021-03-18T02:19:08Z")
I often “read” difficult books on audio book. I couldn’t get through Atwood’s Oryx and Crake on paper, I couldn’t get through A.S. Byatt’s A Children’s Hour on paper. Both are completely worth “reading” as audio books. The combination of physical work and emotional labor to get through that material is hard. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2021, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-books-are-best-experienced-in-the-audio-version/938112/27 "2021-03-18T03:28:50Z")
I liked Billy Crystal reading his own book, Still Foolin’ 'Em, mostly because when he talks about his time with Ali, he does a great impression of him. Don’t get that in the text edition. I liked Scott Kelly reading his own book Endurance, because him tlling hos own stores sounds more real than just reading them. You can hear the emotion in his voice, more than you can read it. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2021, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-books-are-best-experienced-in-the-audio-version/938112/28 "2021-03-18T05:47:01Z")
> [@Melbourne](#): > > Mark Twain and Charles Dickens both did very highly regarded ‘audio book’ versions of their work, which sadly did not survive their authors. But Tom Sawyer and Tale of Two Cities were read to me, and I think are best in that form. Not so much Huck Finn and Oliver Twist, but your mileage may vary. Funny you should mention it- I’ve read Twain’s **“Roughing It”** three or four times (since 1975) and recently listened to the Audiobook version during my daily walks. Can’t remember who read it, but I enjoyed it immensely. ---
**Author:** ![Mrs\_Fairway](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@Mrs\_Fairway](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mrs_Fairway)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2021, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-books-are-best-experienced-in-the-audio-version/938112/29 "2021-03-18T12:23:53Z")
I was also going to mention “Angela’s Ashes” and “Oryx and Crake.” Campbell Scott did a fabulous job of bringing Atwood’s book to life. ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2021, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-books-are-best-experienced-in-the-audio-version/938112/30 "2021-03-18T12:41:49Z")
> [@Melbourne](#): > > Mark Twain and Charles Dickens both did very highly regarded ‘audio book’ versions of their work, which sadly did not survive their authors. What do you mean, exactly? Dickens died long before the phonograph was invented. Are you referring to public readings of his work? ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2021, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-books-are-best-experienced-in-the-audio-version/938112/31 "2021-03-18T14:40:38Z")
Some notable audiobooks: _The Handmaid’s Tale_ by Margaret Atwood. Since the conceit of the original is that it’s a transcription of recorded memoirs made on audio cassette tapes, it was kinda interesting to actually hear it on audiotape. (Similarly, parts of Dracula – an epistolary novel – were supposed to be recorded on wax cylinders, so audiobook versions of the book ought to work in the same way. All audio versions I’ve listened to have been dramatizations, though.) _Yes, Please_ by Amy Poehler includes sections read by the other comedians who contributed to it. The Daily Show books _America: The Book_ and _Earth_ also feature sections by contributors and dramatizations. Definitely different than reading the books The audiobook of David McCulloch’s _Truman_ includes recordings of Truman’s speeches and also a recording of Truman himself playing the piano over the closing credits The audiobook recordings of James Burke’s _Connections_ and _The Day the Universe Changed_ are read by Burke himself, in his mile-a-minute style, which is itself a plus (it makes the books seem longer). The recordings really are readings from the companion volumes to the TV series, rather than excerpts from the TV series. _The Hero with a Thousand Faces_ by Joseph Campbell. The Audio Renaissance version isn’t simply a reading of Campbell’s book, but includes big chunks from lectures by Campbell himself. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2021, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-books-are-best-experienced-in-the-audio-version/938112/32 "2021-03-18T14:44:09Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Look forward to hearing more of your recommendations! I see what you did there. > [@MrDibble](#): > > Neil Gaiman’s readings of his own work are awesome. I listened to _American Gods_ last year, and it was excellent. Gaiman narrates, and the spoken parts are voice acted by a whole cast. It’s one of the best audio books I’ve listened to. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2021, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-books-are-best-experienced-in-the-audio-version/938112/33 "2021-03-18T14:53:27Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > > [@MrDibble](#): > > > > Neil Gaiman’s readings of his own work are awesome. > > I listened to _American Gods_ last year, and it was excellent. Gaiman narrates, and the spoken parts are voice acted by a whole cast. It’s one of the best audio books I’ve listened to. I agree, I thought his reading of _Neverwhere_ was sharp. I read **Heart of Darkness** in highschool a couple of decades ago and while I enjoyed it it didn’t leave a lasting impression. The audio book did. I think it was the Kenneth Branagh version but I can’t be sure and I lost the CD long ago. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2021, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-books-are-best-experienced-in-the-audio-version/938112/34 "2021-03-18T14:56:35Z")
I think satire works better spoken, generally. **The Screwtape Letters** is a fine example of something better to hear than read. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2021, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-books-are-best-experienced-in-the-audio-version/938112/35 "2021-03-18T15:14:32Z")
> [@Sitnam](#): > > I read **Heart of Darkness** in highschool a couple of decades ago and while I enjoyed it it didn’t leave a lasting impression. The audio book did. I think it was the Kenneth Branagh version but I can’t be sure and I lost the CD long ago. Hear [_sic_] ya go! > **[Heart of Darkness: A Signature Performance by Kenneth Branagh](https://www.audible.com/pd/Heart-of-Darkness-A-Signature-Performance-by-Kenneth-Branagh-Audiobook/B004AFXAZS?qid=1616080425&sr=1-3&ref=a_search_c3_lProduct_1_3&pf_rd_p=83218cca-c308-412f-bfcf-90198b687a2f&pf_rd_r=R2J5KX930A1H8767KTH7)** > > Check out this great listen on Audible.com. Prose that demands to be read aloud requires a special kind of narrator. For the Audible Signature Classics edition of Joseph Conrad’s atmospheric masterpiece, Heart of Darkness, we called upon four-time... ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2021, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-books-are-best-experienced-in-the-audio-version/938112/36 "2021-03-18T15:20:24Z")
I thought of another audio-book I really like: [_Soon I Will Be Invincible_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soon_I_Will_Be_Invincible) by Austin Grossman. The book is written as a first person narrative, which adapts well to the audio-book format. There are two protagonists who have alternating chapters and the audio book uses two narrators, Paul Boehmer and Coleen Marlo, to replicate this. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2021, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-books-are-best-experienced-in-the-audio-version/938112/37 "2021-03-18T15:58:55Z")
The Penguin audiobook version of **Tales from the Arabian Nights** works very well as an audiobook. In the first place, the story is supposed to be a written-down version of orally delivered stories, so it’s like reconstituting the original. The readers, Raad Rawi and Souad Faress (a man and a wioman, who alternate telling the stories) both have accents that are perfectly suited to the milieu. You really get a sense of hearing these old stories being told by Middle-eastern storytellers. > **[Tales from the Thousand and One Nights (Penguin audiobooks) : Rawi, Raad,...](https://www.amazon.de/Arabian-Nights-Thousand-Penguin-audiobooks/dp/0140860746)** > > Tales from the Thousand and One Nights (Penguin audiobooks) | Rawi, Raad, Faress, Souad, Dawood, N. J. | ISBN: 9780140860740 | Kostenloser Versand für alle Bücher mit Versand und Verkauf duch Amazon. ---
**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:** [March 18, 2021, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-books-are-best-experienced-in-the-audio-version/938112/38 "2021-03-18T16:37:41Z")
Thought of another one: John Hodgman’s books of fake trivia (_The Areas of My Expertise_, _More Information Than You Require_, and _That Is All_). To look at the print versions, you wouldn’t think they’d work as audiobooks, since they’re in almanac form with lists, charts, etc. But they’ve been reworked for audio and benefit greatly from Hodgman’s delivery and many guest appearances. From the description of the third volume: > [@](#): > > Read by Dick Cavett, Patton Oswalt, Jon Hamm, Paul Rudd, Sarah Vowell, Brooke Shields, Scott Adsit, Robin Goldwasser, Jonathan Coulton, John Roderick, Rachel Maddow, Wyatt Cenac, Stephen Fry, Paul F. Tompkins, and Prominent Ragnarok Denier Dr. Elliott Kalan. > > Music by Jonathan Coulton, John Roderick, John Flansburgh, John Darnielle, and Cynthia Hopkins. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2021, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-books-are-best-experienced-in-the-audio-version/938112/39 "2021-03-18T16:49:30Z")
As a general rule, any book narrated by the author adds an extra dimension of enjoyment (provided the quality of the narration and writing are both good). Autobiographies by comedians - when they aren’t just repackaged standup routines - are particularly good. Nobody knows how to deliver comedic material better than the person who wrote the jokes. I remember enjoying Tina Fey’s _Bossypants_ much more in audio. Stephen Fry was mentioned a few times; I would strongly recommend that anyone who enjoys his narration check out _Mythos_ and _Heroes_, both of which were written by him. Stephen Fry has a great spoken voice, but he also has a fantastic written voice. Combining the two of them makes for a truly entertaining experience. ---
**Author:** ![by-tor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/by-tor/32/266_2.png) [@by-tor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/by-tor)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2021, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-books-are-best-experienced-in-the-audio-version/938112/40 "2021-03-20T12:26:47Z")
I agree that the Jeeves & Wooster books are great as audio-books. The Blandings Castle books aren’t quite as good but are still funny. Other audio-books I have enjoyed and actually remember: The Expanse. All of the James Bond Books. The Day of the Jackal. Any John LeCarre. Peter Dawson’s westerns. Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn Series and The Way of Kings. Glen Cook’s The Black Company. Any Dumas. A Gray Man Series by Mark Greaney. Blacktop Wasteland by S.A. Cosby. The Kingkiller Chronicle by Patrick Rothfuss. Any Robert E. Howard, Fritz Leiber or Jack Vance. The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman. Sherlock Holmes. Red Sister by Mark Lawrence. Almost Interesting by David Spade. I remember liking a Librivox recording of the Arthurian legends but I forget which one. In general I don’t like Librivox because of that spiel that they repeat quite often (sometimes before every chapter): “This is a Librivox recording blah, blah, blah.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-books-are-best-experienced-in-the-audio-version/938112.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-books-are-best-experienced-in-the-audio-version/938112.md?page=3)