Audiobooks discussion
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Name your top 3 favorite AudioBooks---GO!
I'm new to GR but I've been lurking for a while, digesting remarks and researching recommendations. Just finished The Song of Achilles. I would not have known about this book but for GR so a huge thank you for the tip. I spend a lot of time in my car and found myself stopped in the parking lot at work listening to the last few pages. I have an enhanced appreciation for the Trojan War, the prowess of Achilles and I won't soon forget tender loyal kind and sensitive Patroclus... Hard to distill my 3 best audiobooks but I especially enjoyed: Someone Knows My Name by Lawrence Hill, Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese and Innocent Traitor by Alison Weir. Thanks for all who recommended The Song of Achilles. Wow.
Brianna wrote: "I just finished the audio of The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. I am now looking for other must listen books, give me your favorites!"
'Book of Unknown Americans" Stranger in a Strange Land
Cutting for Stone
The Cousins' War series by Philippa Gregory (most read by Bianca Amato)The Highland Witch by Susan Fletcher (read by Rosalyn Landor)
Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden (read by Bernadette Dunne)
update: good one, Jeanne, I must add:
The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult (read by several narrators)
another good one:
Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman (read by author)
Suzanne wrote: "I'm new to GR but I've been lurking for a while, digesting remarks and researching recommendations. Just finished The Song of Achilles. I would not have known about this book but for GR so a hug..."Welcome! We seem to have very similar tastes. I just finished The Song of Achilles last week and thought it was very well written. A couple of my favorites you have on your list. I loved Someone Knows My Name and Cutting for Stone.
I will recommend another one called The Blood of Flowers.
I'm going to have to see if my library has Innocent Traitor.
Blood Work - Michael ConnellyUp Country - Nelson DeMille
The Storyteller - Jodi Picoult
Lisa, Good to know you. I listened to or read The Blood of Flowers a few years ago and yes I enjoyed the story. I remember marveling at the strength of the young woman heroine to endure her plight and succeed despite the setbacks. I confess it hardened me in my disregard for current state of the treatment of women in many eastern cultures. I like books that give me not just a compelling and well written story but throw in a little history and I am buckled in and ready to roll. Perhaps you can turn me on to other books you liked... Innocent Traitor is about Lady Jane Grey.
I love historical fiction especially in other countries so I can get a flavor of the culture. One of my other favorites is Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption. I think most people have read it but I just can't imagine how someone could go through what he did and be mentally okay. That was a very compelling book. I highly recommend if you haven't read that one.
Tima wrote: "I'm fairly new to the realm of audiobooks and now I'm kicking myself for not getting into them sooner! I'm so hesitant on buying them because narrators can make or break a story so I'm always scour..."you need to borrow them from the library!!
I listen to audiobooks exclusively due to my commute to and from work AND I can continue to listen with my mounted CD player in my kitchen, as I love to cook. I have listened to thousands. I love the historical fiction, certain authors and genres BUT off the top of my head I would have to say 3 top ones were:THE RED TENT
THE BOOK THIEF
SAM'S LETTERS TO JENNIFER
BUT again I must stress that I like them all. Always up for some new suggestions!!
Man, pick just 3? That's a tall order...Let's see how close I get.Patient Zero, narrated by Ray Porter, is outstanding! He absolutely kills it in the entire series. I think he's so good I actually by books I would never read, if he's narrating. The book itself is also great. It's a fast paced technothriller, with fantastic character development, and really good dialogue.
Theft of Swords narrated by Tim Gerard Reynolds is another fantastic story and performance.
Ready Player One, narrated by Wil Wheaton was really good.
11/22/63 narrated by Craig Wasson, i really enjoyed.
Mistborn Trilogy Boxed Set or The Way of Kings narrated by Michael Kramer
Ghost Road Blues narrated by Tom Weiner
I could probably name more, but that should suffice. I will mention a couple of narrators i always enjoy....Paul Boehmer does great work. Simon Vance is always solid. Claudia Black is awesome. Roy Dotrice, of course. Etc.
Kingslayer By Honor RaconteurJaunten By Honor Raconteur
Teh Book Thief
Someone should compile the list and number of votes
Jessica wrote: "Stacy wrote: "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn narrated by Anna Fields is my favorite book on CD. Blackstone Library had Anna as one of their narrators and she was so talented. She died a fe..."Thanks! I will look those up and listen to them.
Nathan wrote: "Man, pick just 3? That's a tall order...Let's see how close I get.Great choices, I loved Theft of Swords and all the sequels/prequels. I think I would have liked them in print but I got so much more from the audio. Same thing for 11/22/63, the narration was great. And Ready Player One, I might not have read at all, since I'm far from the target audience, but I love everything Wil Wheaton does.
I'm finding it really hard to choose, I don't think I'm easy to please but if I get into a book it is the best book I've listened to while I'm listening. If the narrator is good I can enjoy almost anything but the same goes for a poor narrator, I also hate dramatisations....the strange attempt to make it sound as if you are listening to the sound of action taking place somewhere out of sight with the narrators all taking 'turns' breaks the flow of the narrative for me. It's almost as if each character is 'read' separately and then the audio book is pieced together later. The same goes for bad accents or incorrect pronunciations in books set in non English speaking countries, sorry waffling on...City of Dark magic by Magnus Flyte
Wool by Hugh Howey
Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
I loved Neverwhere but I do find Neil Gaiman's narration difficult to get into, any one else have an issue with his reading?
I have been tempted to say that I do not care for Neil Gaiman several times when his name comes up. I, too am easy to please and like most books I choose to read. I mostly choose books rated 4 and 5 in my favorite genres. I "think" the only fantasy books I have ever read (on purpose, knowing they are fantasy)are Harry Potter and Twilight books. I read The Ocean at the End of the Lane a few weeks back and the verdict is still out. It was very weird and I am undecided if I liked it or not.
I agree...I don't typically read fantasy. The verdict is still out on The Ocean at the End of the Lane for me as well. However, I listened to the audiobook.
1. Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance2. Tao Te Ching - Steven Mitchell
3. The Art of War - (read by Scott Brick)
Stacy wrote: "I have been tempted to say that I do not care for Neil Gaiman several times when his name comes up. I, too am easy to please and like most books I choose to read. I mostly choose books rated 4 an..."Neil Gaiman is definitely very strange, I loved the Graveyard book, it's definitely my favourite book by him, but I know what you mean about his stuff being weird, disturbing. I like the Ocean at the end of the Lane, I like what it said about the adult vs child relationships, guess his books are not really about escape, they make you think about human nature...I loved his Good Omens he did with Terry P,that was very funny.
I find I'm a lot more open to fantasy and scifi with audibooks, I often get books I wouldn't try reading, if I like the audiobook I tend to search out the authors other texts in print, so audible has really widened my horizons a far as literature.
Lisa wrote: "I agree...I don't typically read fantasy. The verdict is still out on The Ocean at the End of the Lane for me as well. However, I listened to the audiobook."I tried reading it first then I got the audiobook and listened to it. Had I read it, I would have said I do not like his writing. Listening on audio is probably the only saving grace. I will try the books you mentioned when I have forgotten his weirdness.
Stacy wrote: "Lisa wrote: "I agree...I don't typically read fantasy. The verdict is still out on The Ocean at the End of the Lane for me as well. However, I listened to the audiobook."I tried..."
This book didn't do much for me, either.
I enjoyed American Gods, even though most of the references went over my head...probably because so much of it was staged in the Midwest in places I've visited before. For me, the jury's still out on Gaiman.
I like Gaiman's work - the American Gods stories, particularly - but don't like his narration much. I must admit, talented as he is, I find his personality insufferably smug.HBJ
Hunchback wrote: "I like Gaiman's work - the American Gods stories, particularly - but don't like his narration much. I must admit, talented as he is, I find his personality insufferably smug.HBJ"
You are right...he does sound a bit smug, it takes me ages to get into his narration so I do in fact prefer to read his books. I have a copy of American Gods but it's quite a thick book, prefer to read on my kindle, easier to carry around with me so I've not yet got around to reading it yet.
John Lee is a master! I love anything he reads.
My favorites:Pillars of the Earth and World without End -- both read by John Lee.
and
Ken Follett's Century Trilogy -- also read by John Lee.
My favorite of the audio books I've listened to this year so far are:Romulus Buckle & the Engines of War
The Firebird
Hamlet, Prince of Denmark: A Novel
The Immortal Rules
Wheel of TimeDresden Files
Harry Potter
L wrote I find I'm a lot more open to fantasy and scifi with audiobooks
I have found the same thing. I did read some fantasy along with many other genres before audiobooks, but I find a large proportion of my choices are now in fantasy/scifi and many of my favorites. For fantasy maybe it's because they are sort of extended fairy tales that work well for an oral rendering.
The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom (Narrated by Erik Singer)Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls (Narrated by Richard Thomas)
The Dark Tower Series by Stephen King (Narrated by Frank Muller & Stephen King)
lolita read by Jeremy Irons.Any of the Harry Pottery books.
The Night Circus also read by Jim Dale, of Harry Potter fame.
Very hard to pick three, I'm sure there are more, but those are the first ones I came up with. I also loved Lenny Henry's narration of Anansi Boys. Clearly I have a thing for British accents. :)
Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls (Narrated by Richard Thomas) This is going to against my speculative fiction genetics but Where the Red Fern Grows read by Richard Thomas sounds perfect.
Leona wrote: "Hunchback wrote: "I like Gaiman's work - the American Gods stories, particularly - but don't like his narration much. I must admit, talented as he is, I find his personality insufferably smug.HBJ..."
'
I listened to the The Graveyard Book which he narrated and I thought he did a fantastic job. But then I listened to Anansi Boys narrated by Lenny Henry and wow, he was truly amazing.
Bobby wrote: "Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls (Narrated by Richard Thomas) This is going to against my speculative fiction genetics but Where the Red Fern Grows read by Richard Thomas sounds perfect."
Richard Thomas? As in John Boy Walton?
Kristie wrote: "Bobby wrote: "Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls (Narrated by Richard Thomas) This is going to against my speculative fiction genetics but Where the Red Fern Grows read by Richard Thomas so..."
Kristie,
The narrator of the audio format of Where the Red Fern Grows is the actor Richard Thomas, who portrayed John-Boy Walton in the TV series.
I've "read" so many that I like but will stick to three:1. The Gernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society
2. The Art of Racing in the Rain
3. The Ladies #1 Detective Agency
Hi! :) I have only recently started listening to audiobooks, and I'm really enjoying them. I signed up for Audible membership during the week. I've noticed that a lot of people are recommending "The Book Thief." So, I was thinking of getting it. I have one credit, but I'm still keeping an eye on prices, because if a audiobook is on sale, then I might be better off buying it, and saving my credit for another audiobook.
Anyway, I am trying to figure out how prices work? I thought audiobooks would be the same price on Amazon.com as they are on Audible.com. But "The Book Thief" seems to be a lot more expensive on Audible.com. Is there a reason for this? I thought they were the same sites?
On Audible.com, "The Book Thief" is $41.27, reduced to $26.95 for audible members. Or else you can use one credit:
http://www.audible.com/pd/Fiction/The...
But on Amazon.com, "The Book Thief" is $27.26, reduced to $16.64 for audible members, or one credit:
http://www.amazon.com/The-Book-Thief/...
Is it normal for the price to differ this much on both sites? I live in Ireland, so some times the prices are different to the prices for people living in the US. But I'm really surprised at this huge difference in prices... I think I'll buy my audiobooks from Amazon.com in future. I'm just surprised because I thought they were basically the same site?
Has anyone else come across this? Thank~you. :)
Gillian, it depends on the type of membership you have, but credits are generally less than the $16.64 you quoted above. I have Gold Annual and my credits work out to approx $12.50 each. I'm thinking of moving to Platinum Annual and my credits will be around $9.50. So, Audible's prices are still better than Amazon's.
Gillian, be sure to watch the Audible Offers thread... sales, special offers, and wisperSinc deals are posted there. There are some books that aren't available depending on the country you live in so some sales may not be available for you, but you'll soon find more bargains than time to read!
Yes, there are better deals with some memberships. But regardless, some audiobooks are considerably cheaper on Amazon.com then they are on Audible.com. I checked a few other audiobooks last night, after I noticed the the price difference in "The Book Thief," and I came across more audiobooks that are much cheaper on Amazon.com. It seems really strange...Thanks for the tip, Jeanie. I'll keep my eye on the Audible Offers thread. I love a good bargain. :)
Gillian, I'm confused about how you think buying the audiobook from Amazon's site is cheaper.The most a credit would cost on Audible is $14.95 (that would be the Audible Gold Plan, 1 credit a month). So using those figures and your example above:
Audible purchase for a member using credit card: $26.95
Amazon purchase: $16.64
Purchase on Audible using a credit: $14.95.
It looks to me like the best price is Audible's credit at $14.95, lower than Amazon by $1.69. I have yet to see a price lower on Amazon than what I pay for Audible credits.
You had asked if Amazon and Audible were the same site. Audible is owned by Amazon, but the two sites are different.
The other thing you need to be aware of on Amazon is that they list three different prices:
Amazon's price
New from
Used from...
The "New From" and "Used From" are not Amazon. If you click on the "new from" list, you will see the brokers that are selling the book.
I've only just joined Audible membership, so it's all still new to me. In a month I'll probably buy three, maybe four audiobooks. I get one credit. So after I use my one credit, I can get my audio book at a reduced rate.The Book Thief at the reduced rate for audible members on Audible.com is $26.95. But on Amazon.com it is only $16.64 for members. So, once I've used my one free credit it would be cheaper to buy from Amazon. Or am I missing something? Because I've only just signed up for Audible membership, so it is still new to me. But I've checked and rechecked the prices on a few Audiobooks, and Amazon is cheaper a lot of the time.
Also, I was pointing out the price difference for people who don't have Audible membership. The same book is $41.27 on Audible.com and only $27.26 on Amazon. That's a big difference, or am I missing something? Have I got something wrong?
Okay, now I understand your point of view. If you stick to the plan where you buy one credit and use it, then look to purchasing at members' prices, that would be logical.But, if you want to save money, and get the best deal, take a look at some of Audible's membership plans and purchase your books with credits.
Like I mentioned, the highest you'll pay for a credit is the $14.95 for the Gold (1 credit/month).
Gold Annual (12 credits) works out to $12.46/credit
Platinum (2 credits/month) works out to $11.48/credit
Platinum Annual (24 credits) works out to $9.56/credit.
I'm thinking of switching to the Platinum annual myself because I like the savings, and I was always purchasing extra credits last year anyway.
Something else I was thinking about was whether or not Amazon's prices are for CD's or for digital downloads. If they are for CD's, there would be an additional shipping charge.
Yep, I've looked at the other plans. I might upgrade at some stage, but I find Whispersync great value. This month I used my credit and then used Whispersync. The Amazon prices are for digital downloads, I posted links in my original comment.
Yes, whispersync is a great deal when the combined prices are below the price of a credit. I bought quite a few whispersync deals this year. I just got Pines and it's sequel Wayward for $1.99 each on Kindle and because I have a promotional $10 coupon on Audible, I got the audiobooks for free. I love a bargain too, and it's getting worse the older I get. LOL!
The Longest Ride by Nicholas Sparks
In the Blood by Lisa Unger
You Belong to Me by Karen RoseThese are the first 3 that stick out in mind mind!!
Kiss an Angel by Susan Elizabeth PhillipsHalfway to the Grave by Jeaniene Frost
Written in Red by Anne Bishop
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Audiobooks
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Memory by Lois McMaster Bujold - my favorite of the books in the Vorkosigan series,
Treachery in Death by J. D. Robb - one o..."
Guernsey, how could I forget Guernsey? Also a Beautiful narration job.