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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?

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Quogwinkle · 05/02/2016 13:42

She does read it very well, can't fault it but I just found her voice too soothing for me which caused me to start drifting and feeling drowsy Blush. Honestly, though, she is a good narrator but perhaps not the right one for me, who needs no prompting to fall asleep :o

Grifone · 05/02/2016 13:31

Ah Quog I bought it last thing last night after reading that you said Niamh Cusack reads it well! Still it might be the answer to my insomnia! On the 2 for 1, I went for the Michael Faber and the Jasper Fforde. I was also tempted by Apple Tree Yard.

antimatter · 05/02/2016 09:11

loved narration of Apple Yard Tree by Juliet Stevenson! She is one of my favourites!

Quogwinkle · 05/02/2016 09:08

Oops, didn't mean to put you right off it Blush but now that you've decided not to go for it I'll confess that Niamh Cusack's narration sent me to sleep! Not boring, just too gentle and soothing a voice. I prefer male narrators for that reason - they tend to make me concentrate better.

Having said that, though, Juliet Stevenson is an excellent narrator. And I enjoyed Apple Tree Yard (read rather than listened), was a gripping story :)

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Movingonmymind · 05/02/2016 08:26

Thanks, Quog, you persuaded me against it, that and the mixed reviews (and my huge audible bill!)

Am now gripped by Apple Yard Tree which I found by chance in the 2 for 1 deal and am really enjoying it, especially the Juliet Stevenson narration. It's about a 50- something highflying geneticist whose chance fling with a stranger seems to have precipitated her life to fall apart catastrophically. Not sure how yet, but she's in a courtroom, on trial and the sense of doom is palpable. It's well-written, pacy and paints a vivid picture of the main character, her thinking and her previously ordered, careful everyday world.

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Quogwinkle · 04/02/2016 13:33

I have read Brooklyn, twice. Whilst I like some of Colm Toibin's novels, I didn't warm to this one. I don't know why, it should have been exactly my kind of novel. A longer novel really could have done Eilis's story more justice. Too much was left out, unsaid. I was ever so slightly disappointed after the first reading so read it again this year, meaning to go and see the film, but it still left me unsure about it.

Having said that, though, Niamh Cusack does narrate it very well. Still worth a punt for the daily deal, I think :) Will be interested I your opinion if you decide to go for it.

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Movingonmymind · 04/02/2016 08:38

Tempted by today's offer- the buggers draw you in, don't they?! I don't want to 'waste' a credit as an account holder when I can buy the book for only £2.99. Which I'm sure is what they're banking on much of the time, end up buying much more! Thst is partly what I meant earlierwhen I said I find audible expensive- you have to subscribe to pay anything like a reasonable amount, otherwise sometimes upwards of £20 per book as a one off. iTunes on this basis is cheaper, paper/kindle books much, much cheaper. But I decided to bite the bullet and subscribe back in Jan as have been reading so much so worth it for me.

Anyway, Brooklyn by Colm Toibin, anyone read it?

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Movingonmymind · 03/02/2016 17:05

Looking forward to it, Quog. Bought it but yet to download. I read the Crimson ages ago and absolutely loved it! So also tempted by the audiobook and surprised by the mixed reviews. And W& P? Sounds bit much for me, tremendous value, but not sure I could keep up with so many characters via audio.. I tend to fall asleep to then and then rewind what I've missed!

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Quogwinkle · 03/02/2016 16:17

I'm really enjoying Wolf Hall. The narration is superb.

Grifone · 03/02/2016 15:41

Has anyone listened to the audio of Michael Faber's Crimson Petal and the White? It is in the current Audible two for one deal. I know it has had mixed reviews on the 50 books threads in the past but am sorely tempted by the audio!

antimatter · 03/02/2016 15:34

I am listening to War and Peace on Audible narrated by Neville Jason.
I can see why people love this book! It's so far been enormous pleasure listening to it and I am looking forward to many more hours with all 500 characters. I am 10% through and really love long amazing books like this one - 60 hours of listening in total!
2 credits for this edition though.

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Movingonmymind · 31/01/2016 16:59

www.audible.co.uk/sp/2for1/ref=a_hp_tft_travNav?ie=UTF8&pf_rd_r=0877EQAYJYSQS8RX3GNJ&pf_rd_m=A2YHV2RYTDNFG3&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_i=5000&pf_rd_p=807780667&pf_rd_s=top-ftx

Above link is another audible deal for account holders, got a couple of bargains that way.

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Movingonmymind · 30/01/2016 09:10

Thanks for that, prompted me to get it 😊
They also have an audio version of e current stage play of Les Lisaisons Dangereuses for free!

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Quogwinkle · 30/01/2016 06:44

Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel is today's Audible daily deal, at £2.99. I've bought it - had been planning a re-read this year, so now I can make it a listen instead. Can't wait to get started :)

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Movingonmymind · 28/01/2016 21:53

Yes, Fry is a truly eomdeful narrator, don't like his stuff on TV anymore but he comes into his own when it's just his voice and a story.

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Helenluvsrob · 28/01/2016 21:48

Just got all the Harry potters on audible. Steven fry narrration is just "comfort food" !

(got the 3 credits for £18 offer to buy them with !)

My co favourite author is Anton Lester ( shard lake especially)

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Movingonmymind · 28/01/2016 21:38

Sorry, I really don't know, not read it. That's the beauty and occasional downside of audiobooks, I guess- narrators can make or break a book and less easy to flick back even with a rewind button. I'm struggling with a few different heavy tomes and can't quite finish any one of them, yet have just abandoned them and zipped through Meera Syal's immensely readable and perceptive House of Hidden Mothers in just a few days.

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FannyGlum · 28/01/2016 16:52

I'm a few chapters into "A Brief History of seven killings" and I'm finding it quite hard. The dialect/patois is so strong sometimes I am finding it hard to understand what is going on. Does it get better, should I persevere? It's a really interesting time period and topic, I do want to keep reading, but I keep forgetting who is talking and where we are in the story.

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Movingonmymind · 28/01/2016 10:08

I looked at that purely because of the narrator/author combo but thought it might be too heavy. Did you find it so?

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macnab · 28/01/2016 08:54

I listened to "The Testament of Mary" by Colm Toibin, read by Meryl Streep. It was brilliant, especially because I love Meryl and thought she did such a good job of 'being' Mary. It's an interesting take on the story of Jesus through the eyes of a very normal woman - his mother. I'm not religious at all but I found it really interesting to get this perspective (albeit a fictitious one)

cressetmama · 27/01/2016 17:44

DS is a Lovecraft enthusiast and has just downloaded Necronomicon from Audible: he is raving about the reader!

For the poster who wanted comic recommendations, several of the Anne Fine novels are hilarious, and your children will love them. Sadly our discs were destroyed through use.

Quogwinkle · 27/01/2016 16:10

Agree with Antimatter. Audible can be good value when you have the annual subscription, and take advantage of their 2 for 1 or 3 for 2 deals. They sometimes have up to 80% off sales too. And they also have daily deals, where I have picked up quite few good audio books for £2.99 or less.

antimatter · 27/01/2016 09:36

Audible isn't overpriced.
If you have monthly subscription it works at £7.99 per book, if you have yearly subscription - £4.99. There are events every 2-3 months where you can get 3 books for 2 credits, or 2 for 1. Or use 3 credits and get £10 voucher. Also daily offers.

If you buy your own books you would be paying similar prices in bookshops/online/kindle.

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Movingonmymind · 27/01/2016 08:36

Mini, you've made my day 😄 Just wish I could remember my damn library PIN, but great freebie from the library services. And yes to saving on audible- fab range, but it is overpriced, imho. Sometimes vastly so.

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minifingerz · 27/01/2016 06:56

I'm a massive audible fan and have been for several years. I spend more on audiobooks than I do on clothes...

I also discovered an app called BORROW BOX which enables you to download unabridged audio books for FREE (swoon) from your local library. Smile That might trim my audible spend. A bit.

Re: recommendations, just finished Dark Corners, the last Ruth Rendell. Brilliant! Also the Thomas Harris Hannibal books.

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