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Recommend me a good Audiobook...

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  • Universal_Hamster 22 May 2007 20:26:33 4,948 posts
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    ... to buy off teh iTunes.
    Any and all books considered, as long as they are well read and unabridged!

    Also, anyone know what the Black Dahlia is like in audiobook form?
  • Shrimp 22 May 2007 22:04:06 1,081 posts
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    "The Hobbit, or There And Back Again, by J R R Tolkien. Read by Martin Shaw.

    In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit..."

    etc

    The only audiobook I own. Tis good :)

    ah... not from iTunes though. I got it on CD (5 discs)

    I would quite like to get some Shakespeare plays on audiobook... maybe some good Radio productions... I can't really find the time or energy to read them in book form.

    Edited by Shrimp at 22:06:34 22-05-2007
  • Deleted user 22 May 2007 22:14:16
    The Fatherland audioplay is quite good.

    Cheap too, IIRC.
  • TakeTheVeil 22 May 2007 22:20:05 5,058 posts
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    i listened to the BBC radio drama of Brave New World.. thought it was fantastic..truly.. i can see what our granddads and dads wouldve loved about quality radio dramas.

    I also tried Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy read by the author himself.. althou i kept falling asleep during it..
  • Universal_Hamster 22 May 2007 22:26:07 4,948 posts
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    I heard that the HH Guide read by adams was superb, but A: cant find it on iTunes, and B: you say nay.
    I think I did see brave new world on iTunes earlier, so I may give it a go.
    Fatherland seems quite pricey to me, being that its not even 2 hours long, so I'm going to take the risk with the Black Dahlia.
  • Deleted user 22 May 2007 22:30:08
    Universal Hamster wrote:
    Fatherland seems quite pricey to me, being that its not even 2 hours long, so I'm going to take the risk with the Black Dahlia.
    It's not an audiobook, per-se. It's an audioplay. Explains the length, but it's decent for what it is.
  • TakeTheVeil 22 May 2007 22:37:11 5,058 posts
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    i didn't say HH Guide was bad.. its quite good from what i heard.. his soothing middle class British tones kept sending me to sleep..but i usually listen to the audiobooks late at night in bed.. so it often happens..

    if ya want i can send you the first audio chapter of the HH Guide so you can have a listen.. its only 4mbs so i cant email it along if ya want..
  • DaisyD 22 May 2007 22:37:47 11,817 posts
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    Just for your info - audible.com tends to be cheaper than iTunes for audiobooks.
  • Universal_Hamster 22 May 2007 22:41:32 4,948 posts
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    TakeTheVeil wrote:
    i didn't say HH Guide was bad.. its quite good from what i heard.. his soothing middle class British tones kept sending me to sleep..but i usually listen to the audiobooks late at night in bed.. so it often happens..

    if ya want i can send you the first audio chapter of the HH Guide so you can have a listen.. its only 4mbs so i cant email it along if ya want..
    Please do, I'd be very interested to hear it, and my address should be in my profile.

    Cheers Daisy, I shall take my lazy ass to check audible.com from now on.
  • TakeTheVeil 22 May 2007 22:45:51 5,058 posts
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    upload..click send.. and...done..
  • Universal_Hamster 22 May 2007 22:47:55 4,948 posts
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    Woo, ta very much!
  • sirius47 9 Aug 2007 11:25:49 1 posts
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    check out heart of darkness read by toby stephens at www.silksoundbooks.com or the dupin mysterys read by the wonderful bill nighy :-)
  • Universal_Hamster 16 Jan 2008 13:03:43 4,948 posts
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    Ok, I'm in the mood for another good audiobook, and was wondering if anyone could recommend one on greek mythology? Used to be very into it as a wee 'un, and it occurred to me yesterday that I have forgotten most of the stories I used to love.

    Any print recommendations are also welcome.
  • phAge 16 Jan 2008 13:07:54 23,888 posts
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    Interesting factoid: my dad makes/narrates audio books.
  • Universal_Hamster 16 Jan 2008 13:12:34 4,948 posts
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    Ooh, examples?
  • Tiger_Walts 16 Jan 2008 13:15:41 16,257 posts
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    /looks at thread title

    Do they do dictionaries?

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  • phAge 16 Jan 2008 13:20:09 23,888 posts
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    Universal Hamster wrote:
    Ooh, examples?
    Lately he's done all the Dan Brown books (he thought they were pap as well), and tons of others. All in Danish though, so I doubt they'd be of much use to you. :)

    EDIT: If you press the button next to the word "prøvelyt" on that page (just under the various covers), you can hear my paw on teh internets! \o/
  • Universal_Hamster 16 Jan 2008 13:21:17 4,948 posts
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    Tiger_Walts wrote:
    /looks at thread title

    Do they do dictionaries?
    /Looks at thread title

    /Cries
  • S.J.Rogers 16 Jan 2008 13:25:57 3,477 posts
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    The Long Dark Tea Time of the Soul...

    It is by Douglas Adams and is better than the HHGTTG.

    I have listened to this Audio book 10 times +
  • Tiger_Walts 16 Jan 2008 13:29:26 16,257 posts
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    S.J.Rogers wrote:
    The Long Dark Tea Time of the Soul...

    It is by Douglas Adams and is better than the HHGTTG.

    I have listened to this Audio book 10 times +
    Just don't get the recent Dirk Gently BBC radio play. I caught the first episode when it aired and the humour was lost somewhere. It was a little too dry.

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  • S.J.Rogers 16 Jan 2008 13:37:14 3,477 posts
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    @Tiger_Walts

    Agree + 100

    It was very bad and not a bit funny.

    The Audio book read by Douglas Adams is fantastic with MANY lol moments.

    Worth every peny.

    Have Copied it (I mean lent it) to all my friends and they all seem to agree that is is great...

    :-)
  • DaisyD 16 Jan 2008 14:50:00 11,817 posts
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    I've been listening to a few Andrew Taylor books recently. Really like An American Boy and am currently on the last book of the Roth Trilogy (The Office of the Dead). Also listened to Kate Mosse's Labyrinth which was very good. I only ever get unabriged books though.

    I get all mine from audible.co.uk - Basic membership is £7.99 and that gives you 1 book credit a month. Works out much cheaper than
  • Audiothor 22 Jan 2008 21:16:47 3 posts
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    If anyone wants to try a shorter version of the Audiobook - The HUNTRESS series of Audiostories are available from www.audiothor.com
    Part Two has just become available and there is also a free sample if anyone wants to try it.
  • Agent_Llama 22 Jan 2008 21:19:17 3,044 posts
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    The History Boys is very good. Adapted from the stage version (very closely I might add), and far superior to the film.

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  • UncleLou Moderator 22 Jan 2008 21:22:58 34,673 posts
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    sirius47 wrote:
    check out heart of darkness read by toby stephens at www.silksoundbooks.com or the dupin mysterys read by the wonderful bill nighy :-)
    Oh, that site looks fantastic, and it's surprisingly cheap. Cheers.
  • Ignatius_Cheese Moderator 22 Jan 2008 21:30:14 10,511 posts
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    Not listened to them for a good few years but the Discworld novels read by Tony Robinson were excellent audiobooks, although they may not be quite as involving as some of the more mature audiobooks.

    Don't know if they're available on iTunes at the moment as I can't connect to the store for some reason...

  • MetalDog 22 Jan 2008 21:34:13 23,448 posts
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    The BBC Radio 4 production of Lord of the Rings is pretty great (although bizarrely, some of the music in the latter stages is lol bad). No idea if it's on itunes, though.

    Also if you can get it, Needful Things - unabridged and read by Stephen King. That rather long, rambling tale of evil-assisted social dysfunction has got me though some of the dullest tasks in the universe. Worth it simply to hear King doing an impression of a yappy neighbours dog =)

    @sirius47
    I second UncleLou's gratitude on that link - looks good!

    -- boobs do nothing for me, I want moustaches and chest hair.

  • Deleted user 22 January 2008 21:44:12
    Universal Hamster wrote:
    ... to buy off teh iTunes.
    Any and all books considered, as long as they are well read and unabridged!

    Also, anyone know what the Black Dahlia is like in audiobook form?
    Mmm, let me make some suggestions...I've been listening to Audiobooks for about 4 years or so and have come across some crackers. Itunes is poor - Audible is better (actually the iTunes audiobooks are from Audible but they tend to sell the shorter, cheaper abridged versions).

    First some advice: -

    - Avoid abridged. Unabridged is the way to go. This is important.
    - An excellent narrator can make a poor book better.
    - Inversely a poor narrator can destroy a good book.
    - your library is a good source but be prepared to have to convert CDs to your MP3 player.


    As for books I would very heavily suggest

    The Company, Robert Littel. 40 (yes, four-zero) hours based on a fictional account of the CIA. My first Audiobook ;-)
    Hearts in Atlantis, Stephen King. Read by Stephen King and William Hurt. Hurts' narration is the best I have ever heard.
    Shantaram, by Gregory David Roberts. A simply wonderful story, and again, fantastically narrated.
    The Road, Cormac McCarthy. Bleak, but the characters really come across in audio.

    I'd also recommend some of the Pratchett audiobooks and a few Neil Gaiman (Anansi Boys is well narrated by Lenny Henry). Stephen King comes across very well in audio form, so any of his (Black House is good).

    The only problem I have with Audible is poor product selection, and the subscription model. I've lost count of the times I've wasted my subscription having to scrape around for a crappy novel because all the ones I want are on the US site and not available in the UK.

    I'll stop rambling now ;-)




  • sam_spade 22 Jan 2008 21:58:21 15,743 posts
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    Outlaw Sea - William Langewiesche

    A fascinating look into the lawless, both official and unofficial, sea farers and the ships they sail in.
  • JayPee 22 Jan 2008 22:07:04 1,488 posts
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    +1 to most of what AIMcD said. I've been on Audible for a long time now - long enough to have a USA account, which means 2 books a month for $20 - not bad at all given the exchange rate.

    In addition to the aforementioned, I would recommend "Enders Game" (Orson Scott Card IIRC). I wouldn't heavily recommend Card's later stuff though.

    I love the Pratchett stuff too, but the later stuff is better ("Going Postal", "Thud", "Night Watch" all excellent) than the earlier offerings, and slightly better narration too IMO.

    In fact, the narrator is probably MORE important than the content in some ways. Even the best books are impossible to get through if the narration is poor, boring or soporific. God know haw many times I've started some of the books I have. So basically, preview the book first, to check that you don't find the voice annoying or anything.

    The LOTR stuff is really well narrated, but I have found difficult to get through, probably because you already know the story.

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