Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Talk
What we're reading

Find your new favourite book or recommend one on our Book forum.

Original poster

Audiobook recommendations- shall we share our highlights & duds??

260 replies

Movingonmymind · 01/01/2016 14:25

So far, I have loved The Paying Guests, Christmas Carol (narrated by Tom Baker), Pompeii by Robert Harris. Also non-fiction Pompeii by Mary Beard and Born to Run. HATED Harry Quebert affair as badly-written, sexist tripe and also a cheapy Northanger Abbey download with a really clangy narration- should have forked out for the Juliet Stevenson narration. Wondering what next and any alternative sites to Amazon/audible?

OP posts:
Original poster
Movingonmymind · 20/02/2016 09:10

Wondering about today's deal, The Tea Planter's Wife, anyone read it?

OP posts:
Original poster
Movingonmymind · 19/02/2016 15:13

😊 it's a brand new medium, really, isn't it?
When it works well for me it's sublime- a fantastic narrator such as Juliet Stevenson or David Tennant reading a gripping, well-written book, almost one's own personal theatre, nothing beats it!

Otoh, I've listened to a couple of duds which were killed by the narration so works both ways, I guess.

OP posts:
jelliebelly · 19/02/2016 14:42

Well having downloaded audible after reading this thread I am an audiobook convert! Just finished David Mitchell's The Bone Clocks / all 29 hours which I would never have persevered with in paperback. Loved it!

whatamidoinghereanyway · 18/02/2016 08:05

Also I got sweet caress as I LOVE William Boyd and it was on my wish list.
I'm going to be busy!

whatamidoinghereanyway · 18/02/2016 08:04

Sort Brittany. I did a search for it with the intention of using a credit and it came up cheap, very lucky!

I would also say it's definitely worth using a credit for and k have also being searching her other books !

Might get entry Island Today as its on the deal.

Original poster
Movingonmymind · 18/02/2016 06:32

Just bought Peter May's Entry Island on the strength of its reviews. Never read his stuff before but persuaded by daily deal. Think will save for a long journey or something.

OP posts:
antimatter · 17/02/2016 16:45

Grifone - At home read by Bryson himself is probably nearly as bad for it's narration. Fascinating subject and it kept me going.

Readysteadyknit · 17/02/2016 14:17

brittany. I've just finished listeningand IMO It's definitely worth using one of your credits to buy it. I had 2 credits to use so have bought one of her other books "The Owl Killers" (with same narrator) and The Year of the Runaways by Sunjeev Sahota.

Just remembered 2 other audio books I'd recommend The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguru (another book I didn't want to turn off) and The Road to Little Dribbling by Bill Bryson (I had to stop listening to it on the tube as I kept snorting with laughter)

brittanyfairies · 17/02/2016 14:04

What just tried that, and it actually went up to £35.00, so you got a good deal. I've got a couple of credits in stock so I'll get it when I've finished my current book. It sounds great.

Quogwinkle · 17/02/2016 05:43

Today's daily deal Sweet Caress by William Boyd is a good one. I read it recently and thoroughly enjoyed it.

whatamidoinghereanyway · 16/02/2016 22:04

Brittany , try going to the check out and see what the price in the "total" area is, it came up as 3.99 today. I only bought it this morning so I would hope it would still be cheap!

And I've listened to a few chapters and it's gripping, beautifully narrated too.

brittanyfairies · 16/02/2016 10:31

It looks like I missed out on a bargain with Company of Liars, I went to buy it and it's back up to £31.30.

Readysteadyknit · 16/02/2016 08:30

I hope you enjoy it what

Original poster
Movingonmymind · 16/02/2016 08:26

Am finding Tanya Byron's Skeleton Cupboard an intriguing read/listen. Really recommend Apple Tree Yard if anyone's after a gripping, psychological read, well-narrated.

Grif- I bought The Crimson having read the paperback avidly on holiday a few years ago, am less than enthralled- the narration is quite nasal, almost snide- possibly to match Sugar's character? Not sure, but not a comfortable read. And very long, quite crass at times which is much more evident in an audio rather than a paperback. Am about a quarter of the way through, may revisit but not really enjoying it.

OP posts:
whatamidoinghereanyway · 16/02/2016 08:15

Knit-I've just bought company of liars after your recommendation as noticed it was 3.99. Not something I would normally choose at all but I love books about the plague and Black Death.

Lately I have listened to
-how I lost you, this was narrated well and a gripping easy to listen to thriller about a woman who is accused of murdering her baby son.
-the widow, a popular one at the moment which I also enjoyed.
-because she loves me, I actually really enjoyed this! I would recommend if anyone likes psychological thrillers!

For some reason my audiobook tastes are very different to my reading tastes. I enjoy literary fiction to read but I enjoy the psychological thrillers like girl in a train on audio.

I've recently downloaded My Name is Lucy Barton after receiving a recommendation via audible!

Readysteadyknit · 16/02/2016 07:47

I'm listening to Company of Liars by Karen Maitland at the moment. It is so good that I am always reluctant to turn it off.

Other recent good listens are A Spool of Blue Thread and Girl on a Train. For some reason I found the narration on The Help irritating and haven't finished listening to it.

brittanyfairies · 16/02/2016 07:44

I got Remains of The Day read by Dominic West recently and enjoyed it so much plugged in headphones and listened to it for three hours while I cleaned the house. It was great.

Grifone · 16/02/2016 07:38

I just bought The Godfather for £2.99. Smile

Grifone · 15/02/2016 20:07

I am really disappointed with the daily deals so far this year. I have the same dilemma with today's.

Original poster
Movingonmymind · 15/02/2016 08:22

Am wondering about today's daily deal, looks ok and cheap but it's the kind of thing I'd read on finding in my holiday home, left by someone else, not actually buy.. I kind of want to read good stuff, while recognising that sometimes I'd just want to listen to easy stuff as long as it's well-written and well-narrated. Not sure this is. Not really a big dilemma, but still.

OP posts:
Grifone · 14/02/2016 23:45

I have three credits so must use them to get the £10 offer. I am really struggling with Bill Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything right now. Love the book but the narration by Wlliam Roberts is awful.

Original poster
Movingonmymind · 14/02/2016 16:52

Yes,I'd wondered about that but got 3 to get the £10 off thingy - Morrissey's autobio, North & South and Love song of queenie Hennessy. Is it any good, so far?

OP posts:
Quogwinkle · 14/02/2016 11:31

I bought The Year of Living Danishly by Helen Russell in the daily deal earlier this week. Will probably not get a chance to listen to it this week, being half term. The DC seem to interrupt me every couple of minutes until I am forced to give up!

Original poster
Movingonmymind · 14/02/2016 10:32

How's everyone doing? Don't want thread to die off, some great suggestions on here. Currently on Lean In far more thought-provoking than i'd expected.

OP posts:
Original poster
Movingonmymind · 07/02/2016 10:00

Don't want Apple Yard to end! Juliet Stevenson narrates it brilliantly. Glad to hear am in good company 😊 It is disturbing and painful as we hear how Yvonne's life unravels but am so gripped by it. Had never come across Louise Doughy before and will look out for more of hers, she writes very well.

OP posts: