Simon Prebble does a great job on the audio version of Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell.
Ninja’d?
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.
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.
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.
I really enjoyed Trevor Noah’s reading of his own “Born A Crime.”
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.
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.
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.
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.
What do you mean, exactly? Dickens died long before the phonograph was invented. Are you referring to public readings of his work?
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.
I see what you did there.
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.
I think satire works better spoken, generally. The Screwtape Letters is a fine example of something better to hear than read.
Hear [sic] ya go!
I thought of another audio-book I really like: 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.
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.
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:
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.
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.”