# 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:** 6\ **Page:** 3
**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 22, 2021, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-books-are-best-experienced-in-the-audio-version/938112/41 "2021-03-22T12:23:48Z")
> [@Johnny\_Bravo](#): > > 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) Some authors ought to be banned from reading their own works. To my surprise, Hemingway is one of these. To call T.S. Eliot reading his own poetry a “soulless robot” is an insult to soulless robots. He’s terrible. John McPhee reading his own book sounds like someone who has just been shown the script for the first time. He seems to have no idea what’s coming next, or what inflections to use. Did he even write his own book? Michael Lewis did a bad job of reading his book **Liar’s Poker**. It sounded amateurish. ---
**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 22, 2021, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-books-are-best-experienced-in-the-audio-version/938112/42 "2021-03-22T12:30:54Z")
A few more Good readings – John Lithgow did a fabulous job on Tom Wolfe’s **Bonfire of the Vanities**. He varied the voices on the different characters, turning it almost into a dramatic reading. James Doohan did something similar in his readings of Star Trek novels. He does an amazing job impersonating the other Star Trek actors. Spider Robinson, a huge Heinlein fan himself, did an amazing job reading the audiobook version of **Rocket Ship Galileo**. RSG is arguably the least of Heinlein’s juveniles (it was the first of them, and Heinlein was obviously still trying to figure out what he was trying to do with what would become a series). It’d avoided re-reading it for years. But Robinson’s reading is extremely good – he’s as good as any professional reader, and probably better than some. I’ve listened to the book countless times. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2022, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-books-are-best-experienced-in-the-audio-version/938112/43 "2022-04-08T00:11:16Z")
:BUMP: Phil Dragash did a full reading of Lord of the Rings. He does all the voices, used Howard Shore’s music, and you will find it hard to believe just one guy did the entire thing. Free of charge. He had to pull the copies off his website due to the fact that he did the whole thing with no rights to the book or the music. They are amazing if you can find a copy, though. The only way to read Lord of the Rings for me now. > [@MrDibble](#): > > Like I said in that thread, I think Stephen Fry’s _Harry Potter_ audiobooks are better than reading the books or seeing the films. This is what I am again listening to and it is true. There is no other way to experience them that is better than Stephen Fry’s read-aloud of them. It’s incredible. ---
**Author:** ![tim-n-va](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim-n-va/32/3001_2.png) [@tim-n-va](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tim-n-va)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2022, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-books-are-best-experienced-in-the-audio-version/938112/44 "2022-04-08T02:23:20Z")
_Lincoln in the Bardo_ Multiple voice performers made it more like a staged production. ---
**Author:** ![MonkeysBrother](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3ab097/32.png) [@MonkeysBrother](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MonkeysBrother)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2022, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-books-are-best-experienced-in-the-audio-version/938112/45 "2022-04-08T03:00:48Z")
_Born A Crime_, great fun listening to Trevor Noah telling the stories of his pretty amazing childhood. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2022, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-books-are-best-experienced-in-the-audio-version/938112/46 "2022-04-08T03:14:46Z")
I was carrying a paper copy of _On The Road_ in my art bag, but I was losing interest since I’d read it years ago. Then I found the audiobook, read by Will Patton. It’s like I’m reading (/hearing?) Kerouac for the first time! . (NB: One of my favorite things to do with a long audiobook is to pick up the paperback, too. I can switch off reading a chapter on a park bench, then listen to the next chapter while walking around the park.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-books-are-best-experienced-in-the-audio-version/938112.md?page=2)