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Audio Book Recommendations.

I probably spend 8 hrs driving each week. Enough time to consume an audio book. What titles do you guys recommend?

I just bought Freakonomics and The Andromeda Strain. They are not boring but I am half way through first one and it is yet to present something actually relevant. The second, well sorry, but character development is poor and the plot could have been more concise. I read the printed version too, and in reality there is not much "stuff" going on. It is entertaining though.

Now I am asking your recommendations for any thought-provoking, interesting or literary masterpieces I can get in Audio book format. Any Ideas?
 
I'm an audiobook junkie, I've heard hundred if not thousands over the last 15 years, while I wouldn't recommend anything too specific because it's the same thing as recommending a book and I don't know exactly what you are looking for, I will definitely, definitely, definitely recommend you check out your local library, it's where I get nearly all of mine and it's a great place to find them and if you don't like it, so what, it's free!

Look for Shakespeare, non-fiction and the classics. They are all available on audiobook nowadays.

Best of luck!
 
I use Audible for my audio books. Like you, I drive a lot and I find that downloading the books on to my mp3 player is more convenient than fiddling with tapes or CD's while I drive. I can also take the "book" with me when I leave the car and play it in my room.

In considering the weight you should give your first two responses, you should bear in mind that both respondents have avatars featuring Warner Bros. cartoon characters. Best, Sam
 
I am a sucker for anything by Robert Ludlum...so enthralling that when you get where you're going you go "uhh how did I get here?!"
 
I am also a huge Audiobook junky.
It is hard to recommend without knowing what kinds of books you like, but I find that the reader also makes a huge difference. That being said, there are some that I really enjoyed, and others might too.

I would recommend the first 23 Discworld novels (after that the reader changes and he's crap.)

Stephen King's Dark Tower novels are also pretty good in Audio, as was Cujo.

I would also HIGHLY recommend you check out the classic radio dramas on the internet archive. Great stuff, though the audio quality is variable, and free as a bird. I especially like the Nero Wolfe stuff.

Also, check out decoderringtheater.com. Great old-style radio dramas out of Canada.
 
I have been listening to 4 or 5 audio books a month for over ten years. What I have found to be one of the most important factors in deciding which books to chose is the narrator. A good narrator can really draw you in and a bad one can destroy a great book. My favorite narrators are George Guidell, Richard Ferrone, Alexander Adams and Scott Brick.
 
When I read, I read passages more than once. It helps me with my memory, which is especially important in law. Also, I enjoy the physical activity of reading a book. Is it easy to remember audio books?
 
Is it easy to remember audio books?

I think it depends on your mind. For me I remember audiobooks much, much easier and more effectively than reading. But for others, it's in one ear and out the other, so to speak. Try them out and see how it works for you. My guess, Telly, is with how bright you are and musically gifted, I think you'd remember audiobooks just as well as reading.
 
I think it depends on your mind. For me I remember audiobooks much, much easier and more effectively than reading. But for others, it's in one ear and out the other, so to speak. Try them out and see how it works for you. My guess, Telly, is with how bright you are and musically gifted, I think you'd remember audiobooks just as well as reading.

I'm really just a curious sort. Thanks for the help.
 
Look for UNabridged versions, I always am left with a feeling that I missed something in an abridged audiobook....
 
Look for UNabridged versions, I always am left with a feeling that I missed something in an abridged audiobook....

Thaks for your rec. so far.

First, to answer TstebinsB, I would not recommend an Audio book as a substitute for a reference book. With a printed version, not only are you more concentrated on the material, but you also have an idea of where it is located and it is much easier to reference it later.

As for unabridged versions: well, they are not always available. I read and heard The Andromeda Strain and yes, the unabridged version did not include the 4-5 most philosophical pages of the book. While I think the premises of those pages were inaccurate, and they were not all that relevant to the plot, it was the most enjoyable part of the book for me. Other than that, I felt the summary was well done.

The one thing that annoys me is when a male narrator tries to imitate the voice of a 60 year old woman :confused:
 
I've come across Bernard Cornwell thanks to Audio Books. If you are a fan of historical fiction with lots of good action check out his Sharpe or his Norse series, they have been fantastic.

I second the suggestion for the classics and using your library. Most libraries will interlibrary loan for free if they don't have what you are after. My library has a deal with Net Library, which it took me months to discover, and allows me to download audiobooks to my mp3 player.
 
I found this site.
http://librivox.org/ :w00t::w00t::w00t:

I already have a dowload queue of 50 books. I could have added more, but I decided to wait 'til I finish those.

Hold on, it's not as good as you think. Listen to one of the books first before you download any others.

It is a nice site, but I can't listen to their books. Every few minutes upon change of track, it announces the librivox thing and it bugs the hell out of me. Great concept, but I just can't listen to their books.
 
Any suggestions for something other than crime/mystery/suspense and Sci-Fi, which is about all I seem to be able to find at the library.

How about some non-fiction suggestions?
 
Hold on, it's not as good as you think. Listen to one of the books first before you download any others.

It is a nice site, but I can't listen to their books. Every few minutes upon change of track, it announces the librivox thing and it bugs the hell out of me. Great concept, but I just can't listen to their books.

How can you say no to free stuff?!
True, It can be annoying. The noise in the background is actually perceptible and you can hear the narrator breathing. These are amateur recordings, but I already created a special EQ setting on my MP3 player to help with those disturbances.

OTOH, at Audible rates, I am saving $460, and when compared to B&N, where i bought my first 3 audiobooks, I am saving $1250. Moreover, they are all unabridged which is a big plus. Also, the audio quality of some of the Audible samples I downloaded is just as poor, if not worst, than what I have heard from Librivox.

I am still planning to go to my local library, but I have not had the time to drop by.

I have heard 8 books in less than 1 month :w00t: I am getting hooked again. I remember back in highschool, I used to download some free E-books and run them through a Text to Speech program. The quality of the the TTS software back then sucked even more than today's TTS, but I heard quite a few books that way :D
 
If you like older books look here: Audio Books for Free Despite the name of the site you have to pay if you want the books at a decent resolution.

I bought the collection of over 600 books as MP3 files on 10 DVD's. Does the player in your car play MP3 files? If not you can convert to .wav files and burn these to CD's that will play on any CD player with Windows Media Player.
 
Any suggestions for something other than crime/mystery/suspense and Sci-Fi, which is about all I seem to be able to find at the library.

How about some non-fiction suggestions?

One Hundred years of solitude. Grabriel Garcia Marquez.
Ulysses by James Joyce. I have to hear the Librivox version, hopefuly it is good, becuse I am not paying $100 for the unabridged version :eek:
1984 if you have not read it already.
Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka

Non Fiction.
Freakonomics. Half of the book is boring and tedious. The other half is actually interesting.
The world is flat. I am the first one to criticiee some of his conclusions, but it is still a good read.
The structure of scientific Revolutions by Thomas s. Kuhn
Universe in a nutshell and a brief(er) history of time by Hawkin.
The Art of War by Sun Tzu
Into thin air.
 
If you like older books look here: Audio Books for Free Despite the name of the site you have to pay if you want the books at a decent resolution.

I bought the collection of over 600 books as MP3 files on 10 DVD's. Does the player in your car play MP3 files? If not you can convert to .wav files and burn these to CD's that will play on any CD player with Windows Media Player.
Thanks!
Today I bought an mp3 player. 50 bucks 4Gs. Who needs Ipods?
 
Thanks, those are some good suggesions, I have read quite a few of them, and there are some i have been meaning to read, and some I have never heard of. All of which are good signs.

If you had any more suggestions, I'm eager to have more.

One Hundred years of solitude. Grabriel Garcia Marquez.
Ulysses by James Joyce. I have to hear the Librivox version, hopefuly it is good, becuse I am not paying $100 for the unabridged version :eek:
1984 if you have not read it already.
Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka

Non Fiction.
Freakonomics. Half of the book is boring and tedious. The other half is actually interesting.
The world is flat. I am the first one to criticiee some of his conclusions, but it is still a good read.
The structure of scientific Revolutions by Thomas s. Kuhn
Universe in a nutshell and a brief(er) history of time by Hawkin.
The Art of War by Sun Tzu
Into thin air.
 
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