Audible suggestions

[Pluvia]

I've been struggling to find anything interesting and intriguing and well-read. Just returned a third book after the first hour and been given a warning.

Favourite book that I go back to is Restless by William Boyd — well-written, interesting plot line, a bit of mystery, a bit of history and very well-read. Or the Cicero trilogy by Robert Harris. I like decent quality writing. Just tried a Donna Leon but the writing is so slow and repetitive and dated.

Years of Radio 4 and BBC drama means that I just can't bear it when it's clear that the reader hasn't done any prep. The bloke reading Wolf Hall mangled so much of it: clearly hadn't pre-read the book, hadn't worked on the different voices. Would love to listen to Kate Atkinson's Brodie series, but the reader of those mispronounces names (he went through two books pronouncing one character, Niamh, as Nee-am) and is really clunky. Kate Atkinson deserved better.

So — long shot, I know — is there anyone out there as picky as me and if so have you found anything that might fit the bill?

I go for the narrators as much as the book. Here are a few of my favourites:

My Dear, I wanted to tell you
and
The Hero’s Welcome
both read by Dan Stevens. WW 1 theme….perfection.

Freedom by Jonathan Franzen…not to everyone’s taste, but I loved the narrator. Also Purity by same author . Sorry, just seen you don’t want American but they really are brilliantly narrated

Brooklyn read by Niamh Cusack (far better than the film)

Currently absolutely hooked by Beyond Black

Miss Benson’s Beetle

Ben Macintyre narrating his own books is surprisingly enjoyable if you enjoy spies/ WW 2/ Cold War themes

American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins. A gripping story and enhanced by Yareli Arizmendi’s excellent narration. I felt quite bereft when it finished.

I've just finished listening to The Curfew by TM Logan. It's quite a crappy thriller thing but kept me interested mostly because it was read by Richard Armitage. He almost did too good a job!

I always recommend Rebecca read by Anna Massey and The Paying Guests read by Juliet Stephenson.

I also recommend Howard's End read by Edward Petherbridge.

Robert Bathurst has read some of the Dorothy L Sayers Peter Wimsey books which are really good.

A pp recommended Jonathan Keeble narrations. I've heard a few of his non fiction history readings and they're good and straightforward. But then I listened to his reading of British History for Dummies and he made it really humorous and very listenable.