What are we listening to?

Thadlerian

Thadlerian

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Jun 6, 2005
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This is a new thread with ambitions of stickiness - I felt we're lacking a thread about Chronies' endeavours in the lands of audiobooks. The purpose is simply to mention what audiobooks we're listening to, and hopefully get some discussion going.

Here's my take: I'm listening to Frank Herbert's classic Dune. It's kind of a luxury recording; they've got different voice actors for all the characters, as well as a narrator.

Personally, I think that's a bit of an overkill. A good audiobook reader can make different voices within the limited span of their own, good enough for the listener to make out the different characters. I was, for instance, very satisfied with Stephen Fry's narration of the Harry Potter books (except for how he did Hermione's voice - far too shrill and silly) - I'd forget very quickly that there was just one man reading.

But enough of that. What are your current audiobooks?
 
I'm working my way through Tolkein's works. I started with The Silmarillion, on to The Hobbit, and now LotR. I'm listening to the Two Towers currently.
Though I've read them many times before, this is my first audio experience. I bought the books as unabridged CDs, and converted them to MP3s to load them onto my player. Since I listen to them at the gym, I can also follow along with my illustrated hard cover version (usually too big and clumsy for regular reading). I like hearing the pronunciation of the names, and having the verses sung.
These are the versions I have:
Amazon.com: The Silmarillion (9780553456066): J. R. R. Tolkien, Martin Shaw:…
Amazon.com: The Hobbit (9780788789823): J.R.R. Tolkien, Rob Inglis: Books
and the LotR unabridged CDs by Rob Inglis

I will continue to buy more audiobooks, though I may just download them as MP3s rather than having the CDs to convert. I'd love to hear Malazan Book of the Fallen read.
 
I'm not a great fan of audio books themselves, but I've recently been listening to a couple of Star Wars audio dramas and have found them to be hugely entertaining. (Dark Empire, Crimson Empire and the Audio adaptation of the Jedi Knight games.)

I'd like to try some of the Doctor Who ones as i keep seeing them about and would imagine that the BBC's own would be very good. (I also believe that there are some Judge Dredd ones too.)

Of course my favourite will always be the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy.
 
Not a great success, this thread, was it?

Oh well, listening to the classic Ender's Game. Very good audiobook, the narrator does the boys' accent very well.
 
Don't give up yet mate. It's a good idea and I seem recall I did post a thread at one stage of a similar nature but can't seem to source it now.

Anyway, I will be posting here in the not too distant future regarding some audiobooks I've got including some recommendations.

Cheers....:)
 
Thadlerian said:
Not a great success, this thread, was it?
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I don't normally listen to audiobooks much - mainly because of the price. Recently I did find one where the audiobook was cheaper than the paper book, so I bought the audio book. When I expressed my surprise to the woman working there, she told me that this was common for new publications when they're only out in hardback.

Either way, it's by the Danish writer Left Daviden, who writes political thrillers. I doubt that a lot of people in here would be into that and normally I'm not, either, but Leif Davidsen is an exception for me.
 
Nikitta said:
I don't normally listen to audiobooks much - mainly because of the price. Recently I did find one where the audiobook was cheaper than the paper book, so I bought the audio book.
Click to expand...
Haven't they got them at your library? It's the reason I've started to listen. My library is growing big on classical SF/F. I've already listened to Stranger in a Strange Land and Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein, and Revelation Space by Alastair Reynolds.
 
Thadlerian said:
Haven't they got them at your library? It's the reason I've started to listen. My library is growing big on classical SF/F. I've already listened to Stranger in a Strange Land and Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein, and Revelation Space by Alastair Reynolds.
Click to expand...

Why didn't I think of that, myself? :eek: I'll try to remember to look into it. The list of what I need to look into is growing a lot. I'll need to make a list :D
 
Has anyone heard the Judge Dredd Audio Dramas? I see them advertised and reviewed in magazines.
 
I'm currently listening to the Hitchhikers guide to the galaxy narrated by the beautiful Stephen Fry.
 
Someone else has recommended podiobooks.com - free audiobooks in a serialized format. I've started listening to Nathan Lowell's Share series and currently on book five. It's basically another version of Hornblower in space, except on a trade ship for a change. It's not really a space opera like Honor Harrington as there're no big space battles or a lot of action but they're still strangely addictive. The first three books are basically one continuous feel-good story of personal growth without much conflict and only book four sees the first serious problem to resolve and a few nasty characters for the hero to deal with. Nathan Lowell also reads Michael J. Sillivan's Crown Conspiracy and its sequels so I've made a note to listen to them too.
 
TheBean said:
I'm currently listening to the Hitchhikers guide to the galaxy narrated by the beautiful Stephen Fry.
Click to expand...

I might look into that. HHGTTG and Stephen Fry should be an incredible pairing.
 
Rodders said:
I might look into that. HHGTTG and Stephen Fry should be an incredible pairing.
Click to expand...
Stephen Fry is an excellent audiobook narrator. I listened through the entire Harry Potter series with him. A very pleasant experience.

Myself, still at Ender's Game. I've got past the climax and reveal, but there's still one more CD, and I can't get myself to put it on. This book has already been talkative enough already. That chapter with Ender and Valentine on the raft - I had no memory of it being that long.
 
Just finished listening to "Wild Seed" by Octavia Butler ... which was well narrrated and generally excellent.

Started "The Desert Spear" by Peter V Brett - which might be problematic as the narrator seems to be over-acting a bit too much for my tastes.
 
I mostly listen to audio books when decorating - gives the brain something to do.

I listened to a whole batch back in 2005 and found that some books work better when read aloud than when you read them yourself, others don't seem to work well at all aloud, but most are nearly the same as reading off the page. Also, listening to an audio version of a story you've read before then details come out at you that you missed. There is also the factor when decorating that you can't listen to something very complex and fast moving (unless you've already read it before) because your not giving it quite all your attention.

Anyway, 2005, selection from the library included.

One of Lindsay Davis's Falco novels (set in ancient Rome) - I'd tried reading Falco before and couldn't get into it, but once I had the voice in my head I romped through the whole series on paper.

Arthur Conan Doyle - the White Company. Worked very well read aloud. Medieval crusades romp.

Alexander McCall Smith - one of the number one ladies detective agency. That worked well too.

Gave up on a couple of thrillers.

Terry Pratchett - The Truth and Making Money. Both excellent recordings and I heard bits I'd missed on paper.

And now getting up to this year's decorating fest.

A couple of Elizabeth Peters Amelia Peabody books - those are good for decorating to, not least because if you miss a bit it hasn't moved on a lot. They do work well as audio books, though some of Amelia Peabody's opinionated monologues are a little wearing. (As they are intended to be I suspect.) (Late Victorian and into 20th century whodunnits focussed on a female archaeologist of strong character.)

Dorothy Dunnett - part way into the Lymond Chronicles. Set in period of Mary Queen of Scots (starting age 4) focussed on the younger son of a noble scottish family who is remarkably talented, rather dangerous and an account of what he meddles with next. Embedded into real historical events and settings.
I've read these before, so while the narrator was being quite Scottish and French/Italian (for Mary of Guise the queen mother) and throwing his voice around, I didn't get lost. They came from NetLibrary.

It depends on what your library has, but with my county library service, if you log onto your online account for checking books, then one of the menu items is "NetLibrary". There are not a vast number of audio books on there, but you can download them for free and listen to them on your computer or some other player. (Downside is they are in one big lump, so good idea to keep a note of when in the book you have reached.)

Have got Terry Pratchett's The Colour of Magic saved up for next.

Travel books often work quite well as audio books.
 
Thought this was about music and was going to say "I started out with nuthin and I got most of it left" by Seasick Steve!
 
Finished The Desert Spear - I got used to the slightly over-acted characters in the end and quite enjoyed it

Pleased to see Audible have the whole Black Company on offer now, must have been released in the last month or so ... downloading now :)
 
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