Recommendations for a First Time Listener

[Augusto]

Just got an Audible subscription and I'm looking or recommendations. What book(s) hooked you on audiobooks?

[Andy]

The book that got me hooked on audiobooks was EarthCore by Scott Sigler. It's not available on Audible, but through a site called podiobooks.com where authors narrate their books (mostly unpublished) and put them on that website (and iTunes) as free podcast downloads.

All of Scott Sigler's books are on podiobooks.com and a few are on Audible. His narration and stories is what got me hooked on audiobooks. I'd check him out! Such a great writer and narrator. BTW, he's a NYT bestselling author now.

[Jan]

You might really enjoy the Dresden Files. Storm Front is the first book.

[Kristie]

I'd say just keep following discussions on this Audiobooks group. You'll see lots of good books discussed. I like to also watch for members in the Audiobooks group who seem to have a similar taste in books as me. I will often send those folks a friend request. It's nice, because when I'm deciding whether or not to get a book on Audible, I'll look it up on Goodreads, and GR will tell you if any of your friends read it and how they rated it.

Audible puts together some lists that are helpful, too.

Monthly customer favorites:
http://www.audible.com/int/Monthly_Cu...

Popular features (lots of different lists):
http://www.audible.com/mt/popFeatures...

Great first listens:
http://www.audible.com/mt/GFL/ref=amb...

[Natalie]

Wow- that's a dangerous question! That's the same as standing in a big library and asking for a book. What genre? What author? How big of a book?

I would recommend something from an author you like. This way you are familiar with the writing style, and it would probably be an easier entry into the audio world.

[Augusto]

Andy wrote: "The book that got me hooked on audiobooks was EarthCore by Scott Sigler. It's not available on Audible, but through a site called podiobooks.com where authors narrate their books (mostly unpublishe..."

Free is always nice -- thank you!

[[deleted user]]

My first listen was Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter (in 2010, I think). It's a novel about race relations in Mississippi. I could not get into it at all in print, but once I started listening, I finished it fairly quickly. I knew about "books on tape", but had no idea that audiobooks had evolved so much. I could kick myself now for not discovering them earlier.

[Augusto]

Kristie wrote: "I'd say just keep following discussions on this Audiobooks group. You'll see lots of good books discussed. I like to also watch for members in the Audiobooks group who seem to have a similar taste ..."

Whoa, thank you for the links! I'm loading up my queue. . .

[Kristie]

Augusto wrote: "Kristie wrote: "I'd say just keep following discussions on this Audiobooks group. You'll see lots of good books discussed. I like to also watch for members in the Audiobooks group who seem to have ..."

You're welcome. The first book I ever listened to was When You Are Engulfed in Flames, written and read by David Sedaris. It was short and hilarious. I was totally hooked.

[Alina]

Augusto wrote: "Andy wrote: "The book that got me hooked on audiobooks was EarthCore by Scott Sigler. It's not available on Audible, but through a site called podiobooks.com where authors narrate their books (most..."

For Free audiobooks, have you tried your local library? I have access to two libraries and always check for my audiobooks there first. I use Audible for books I want right away or really long audiobooks that would accrue a large library late fine.

[Jeanie]

The audiobook that first captured my--and many others--imagination was the Harry Potter series read by Jim Dale.
Then I purchased my favorite book ever, Lord of the Rings, read by Robert Ingliss and was in heaven.
Pillars of the Earth read by John Lee, David Copperfield read by Martin Jarvis, Trollope read by Simon Vance, Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky by anyone but Frederick Davidson, Ender's Game read by a full cast, Rudyard Kipling's Kim read by Sam Dastor, any Agatha Christie read by Hugh Fraser, any Nero Wolfe read by Michael Prichard, The Dresden Files read by James Marsters, the Iron Druid Chronicles read by Luke Daniels... and many more lead me down the path to audio -nirvana. The resources of this group, as mentioned above, will be invaluable in guiding you along the path to the world's most positive addiction!

[Augusto]

Jeanie wrote: "The audiobook that first captured my--and many others--imagination was the Harry Potter series read by Jim Dale.
Then I purchased my favorite book ever, Lord of the Rings, read by Robert Ingliss an..."

We have similar tastes.

[Robin P]

If you like fantasy beyond Harry Potter & LOTR, there are some great audiobooks. I think the genre lends itself well as it is basically storytelling. For series, I really like authors Scott Lynch (starts with the Lies of Locke Lamora) and Michael J Sullivan (starts with Theft of Swords.) Sullivan published his whole series at once which avoids the problem of getting hooked on a series and waiting years for the author to finish (Patrick Rothfuss and George RR Martin!)

For a combination of action and humor, lots of us liked The Martian by Andy Weir.

The reviews on Audible are terrific and helped me discover the authors above. Even the negative reviews are helpful as I can tell if the reviewer just has different tastes than I do and I might still like the book.

[Jeanie]

Two paranormal/wizard series that are great but get less notice than their more famous cousins are the Peter Grant series by Ben Aaronovitch and the Alex Verus series by Benedict Jacka. These are both very funny and very well-narrated takes on adult wizards in England... very worth the reading time.

[Sue]

The Book Thief was the absolute best audio book I've ever listened to. The narrator was first rate and the story was just amazing. You can't go wrong with this one.

[Sue]

I can't remember which one got me hooked, but I would recommend "The Help". Read it in print, saw it at the movies and then listened to it and loved it even more. The narration just brought a whole new dimension to it.

[Scott S.]

14

Monster Hunter International

The Princess Bride

The Hobbit

Confessions of a D-List Supervillain

[Scott S.]

Andy wrote: "The book that got me hooked on audiobooks was EarthCore by Scott Sigler. It's not available on Audible, but through a site called podiobooks.com where authors narrate their books (mostly unpublishe..."

You just have to schedule his books AWAY from meal times.

[[deleted user]]

I'm glad 14 is good. It's been in my wishlist for over a year.

[Evo]

Andy wrote: "...through a site called podiobooks.com where authors narrate their books (mostly unpublished)..."

Not completely accurate. Most of the books on our site are narrated by the author, that much is true. But with the advent of self-publishing as a viable model, the majority of the serialized audiobooks we give away for free are also available as an ebook on the major marketplaces. When we started nine years (holy crap nine years) ago, KDP didn't exist, and self-publishing was akin to vanity publishing. Amazing how times have changed.

Thanks for mentioning us, Andy!

[Jay]

Jennifer (Horrendously off-topic and proud of it!) wrote: "My first listen was Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter (in 2010, I think). It's a novel about race relations in Mississippi. I could not get into it at all in print, but once I started listening, I f..."

LOVED that book.

[Don]

I paint while I listen so audio books have been a fantastic way for me to listen to great stories.
I really go for characterization and productions that are suited to the story.
When done well an audio book adds whole new dimensions to a story.

I've tried to list my favorite stories with great narration.

Hands down the one book that hooked me was one of Kerouacs mythical favorites:

The Forsyte Saga, John Galsworthy Author, Fred Williams Narrator
Most excellent saga and fantastic cadence - perfectly suited to the story.

John Lee and Simon Vance are pretty legendary - a couple of my favorites by these narrators are:
Under the Volcano Malcolm Lowry Author, John Lee Narrator
The Painter of Battles by Arturo Perez-Reverte Author, Simon Vance Narrator

Appointment in Samarra. John O'Hara Author, Charles McGrath Narrator

The Woman Upstairs, Claire Messud Author, Cassandra Campbell Narrator

The Goldfinch, Donna Tartt Author, David Pittu - this man is a superb narrator.

The Magus, John Fowles Author, Nicholas Boulton Narrator

Cloud Atlas, David Mitchell Author, Many great narrators - excellent characterizations

Gentlemen & Players, Joanne Harris Author, Steven Pacey Narrator

All of the Oryx and Crake MaddAddam Trilogy by Margaret Atwood have excellent characterizations

[Victoria]

Jeanie wrote: "The audiobook that first captured my--and many others--imagination was the Harry Potter series read by Jim Dale.
Then I purchased my favorite book ever, Lord of the Rings, read by Robert Ingliss an..."

Thank you for listing good narrators with your recommendations. Ever so helpful.

[Victoria]

Don wrote: "I paint while I listen so audio books have been a fantastic way for me to listen to great stories.
I really go for characterization and productions that are suited to the story.
When done well an..."

Thank you for listing good narrators with your recommendations. Ever so helpful.

[Nancy]

I'm checking out podiobooks and am tickled with what I'm finding!

[Jim]

Sue wrote: "The Book Thief was the absolute best audio book I've ever listened to. The narrator was first rate and the story was just amazing. You can't go wrong with this one."

I wonder how they got (view spoiler)[Death (hide spoiler)] in the studio to read it!

:)

[Jim]

Ready Player One read by Wil Wheaton was amazing!

And I like Paul Giamatti's reading of A Scanner Darkly . It really got in my head.

Their Eyes Were Watching God read by Ruby Dee was fantastic.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series is read by Simon Vance - and his characters have such a specific sound, you can tell them apart from the first to the third book. He does great with differentiating the characters.

I thought Lin-Manuel Miranda did an amazing job with the accents in Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe .

As far as non-fiction goes, I loved Let's Pretend This Never Happened: A Mostly True Memoir by Jenny Lawson and Stories I Only Tell My Friends by Rob Lowe both read by the authors.

Sorry - didn't mean to make my list so long, but those have been my favorite audiobooks.

[Heidi]

I second The Book Thief, Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, Ready Player One, Harry Potter, and Princess Bride. I would say my top ever "listens" would be the Harry Potter series, The Help (AWESOME), Book Thief, and Bloody Jack but my list changes!