Audiobooks discussion
What audiobooks do you listen to more than once?
Grumpus wrote: "Kristie wrote: "I'm not a re-listener, but I'm intrigued that so many people are. I tend to view my listening time as precious and would rather spend that scarce resource listening to something I h..."Christopher Moore never ceases to make me chuckle. I have Lamb on my wish list. I keep waiting for it to go on sale. Maybe it will be an Audible daily deal around the holidays. :)
This thread hasn't been updated in ages so I'd like to bring it back to life again. Any new ideas for favorite audio re-reads? :-)
I relisten to history books, science books, and diverse non fiction books if they are dense with information. Right now I'm relistening to World on Fire, Chatter, The Quartet, and Adams vs Jefferson. I hear something new each time I listen.
So far I've mainly done it when there was a sequel and I wanted to remember the previous book. However, books that I've both read in print and listened to and could listen to again are classics like The Three Musketeers, Jane Eyre, Emma, etc. I'm tempted to relisten to some series like Amelia Peabody, Vorkosigan or Riyria, mentioned above. But I have close to 100 books I haven't started yet, so it's hard to justify a reread.
I've listened to Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein a second time recently and enjoyed it just as much as the first time - 5 stars.I'm just starting a second listen of the Chief Inspector Gamache series and enjoying Louise Penny's wonderful writing along with Ralph Cosham's wonderful narration. Well worth a second listen.
Sharon wrote: "This thread hasn't been updated in ages so I'd like to bring it back to life again. Any new ideas for favorite audio re-reads? :-)"Same old same old here :)
HP, LOTR
Probably more series I reread/listen. I'm feeling old now saying this, but back in the day books were expensive. Books bought were there to read multiple times. The once only were from the library.
I relistened a series from Audible this year, before moving to the newest edition and it was a very nice binge listen.
I will probably never read all my audibles again, but I keep them safe: if I ever fall on hard times, I will have a wealth books to keep me going.
I listen to some of my Christmas books every year. I've also relistened to Jan Karon's Mitford series, the Harry Potter books, and a few of the #1 Ladies Detective Agency books.
I'm going to echo some of the first responders here - I've listened to Karen Savage's Anne of Green Gables annually for the last three years, I think - the whole series. (And I'm very excited that Audible finally has an edition of Windy Poplars!) I'm planning on listening to the amazing Watership Down and the whole Peter Grant series by the lovely and talented Ben Aaronovitch soon - and I might do a Dresden Files reread while I'm waiting for the new book. (I think I'll have plenty of time.) I'm a huge Tolkien fan, but I've never gotten too far with the audiobooks; maybe one day. As for Harry Potter... Jim Dale is great, but I'm holding out for Stephen Fry. Someday I'll get my grubby paws on the British editions.
Oh! And also James Herriot's books, read by Christopher Timothy. For books as filled with disease and veterinary practices that would make today's SPCA collectively blanch, they're excellent comfort books.
Tracey wrote: "Oh! And also James Herriot's books, read by Christopher Timothy. For books as filled with disease and veterinary practices that would make today's SPCA collectively blanch, they're ..."O yes, Christopher Timothy's narration is a treat!
Hah! I didn't realize that I actually started this thread some time ago. Time to update my list.Brideshead Revisited - So well-written with a wistful sense of lost youth and an ambivalent longing for a way of British life.
Macbeth, Othello - Originally I was dragged kicking and screaming to Shakespeare and then the worm turned and I was hooked. Keep it up, all you English and literature instructors out there.
Dune - This book holds up over the years. Immersive before we had A.R.
I read a Fantasy Romance series a couple of years ago and really enjoyed it. It took me into a completely new world. I was about to read it again when it came out as an audiobook. I just finished listening to the whole series and absolutely loved it. It's a fantasy romance for both YA and Adults. The first book, The Treasure of Isian, has dragons, a water witch, elves, and Amazon women. It's full of adventure. The second one, The Alliance of Isian, doesn't have as much adventure but is one of my favorites out of the series. It's about an arranged marriage between two kingdoms and how two completely different people have to learn to understand one another. The third one, The Secret of Isian, has a lot of adventure like the first book and a fun romance between two independent and stubborn people: the prince and Rimelda who is a talented seer and can foretell the future. The narrator is fantastic. I really enjoyed her narration and her voices. The Treasure of Isian - The Alliance of Isian - The Secret of Isian
Kalimantaan by C. S. Godshalk read by Donada Peters. I've read the novel and twice listened. Sadly not available on Audible. On Canaan's Side by Sebastian Barry, also read by Donada Peters.
And for comfort, Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot mysteries as long as David Suchet is narrating, although I've also enjoyed Hugh Fraser.
I am a person who rereads a lot so it isn't too surprising that I have relistened to some of my audiobooks! However it is more common that I have read the book in print and then reread with an audiobook edition.Audiobooks that I have listened to more than once:
Vanity Fair by Thackeray, narrated by John Castle. Love it!
A Tale of Two Cities by Dickens, narrated by Simon Vance; I listened to this a second time because I didn't much like it the first time around (despite loving the book). I thought it might have been because I was new to audiobooks my first time around but unfortunately it is not one of Vance's best narrations...
She Stoops to Conquer by Goldsmith, a full cast production by L.A. Theatre Works. Such a funny play...
A Christmas Carol by Dickens, the Tim Curry version, I have listened to every year since I got it in 2012.
and a couple of mysteries/thrillers:
The Murder at the Vicarage by Christie, narrated by Richard Grant
The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown, narrated by Paul Michael; another one in which I was trying to decide if I was originally mistaken in my impression (this time of the book rather than the narration).
Overture to Death by Ngaio Marsh, narrated by Wanda McCaddon. This was an Overdrive library book that I had forgotten that I had already listened to! But I liked it well enough to listen again rather than just return it.
I'd have to add my voice to those saying Harry Potter - but Steven Fry is the narrator for me!I also relisten to Company of Liars and anything read by Juliet Stevenson
My favorite re-listens are series: Harry Potter, Inspector Gamache/Three Pines, Mercy Thompson, Mistborn, and Stormlight Archive come to mind, but I know there are more. I listen to new books during the day and re-listens at bedtime.
Margo wrote: "I'd have to add my voice to those saying Harry Potter - but Steven Fry is the narrator for me!Yay, HP&Fry :)
Meanwhile, I can add the Simon Serrailler series by Susan Hill. Currently relisten those, narration is very good.
I have all of Random House's Listening Library versions of the first seven of the Nancy Drew mystery series and the Hardy Boys mystery series. I love them (they're really good adaptations--Laura Linney of the original Twin Peaks fame narrates the Nancy Drew ones) and love to relisten to them, just as I reread all of the books themselves quite frequently. I wish Random House had done more than just the first seven of each series.
I try to read different genres. One Mystery, BR, Fiction, contemporary romance. What hits my fancy at the time.
I've just started my October spooky story for the 4th year: Audible's multi-voice narration of Dracula (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...). Some people re-listen or re-read special books for the Winter Holidays - I listen to Dracula for October.Well worth reading and re-reading, and not as scary as you might think.
Townie by Andre Dubus IIIAttempting Normal by M.Maron
Norwegian Wood by Murakami
Why? I guess I just felt more than once like listening to them again.
I'm not that much of a relistener, but I do relisten to some books. Favorites individual titles, favorite series (when a new book is coming out like Dresden Files) or just 'oh, I need something familiar.' Sometimes I relisten because I felt I missed a lot the first time around (complex plot or lots of characters).I too enjoy relistening to the JD Robb In Death, but also because I've acquired some of the later audiobooks for that series as well.
Oh, and when an author dies, I always relisten to their books. Sortof a tribute thing.
At this stage in my life I am not a re-listener, unless it's been awhile since I listened to a series book, and I want to skim the last few hours quickly before the latest arrives. I have so many books in my TBR and TBL pile that I don't feel a need to repeat stories. Having said that, I could see a time down the road where I'd want to go back and listen to books I know I loved awhile back but can't remember well. For example, I read several great books as part of a book club about 14 years ago. I could see revisiting some of those sometime in the future.
CatBookMom wrote: "I've just started my October spooky story for the 4th year: Audible's multi-voice narration of Dracula (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...). Some people re-listen or re-read speci..."lol -- I thought about relistening to that as I agree it is excellent. However, I acquired another audiobook edition through SYNC a few years ago so I plan to listen to that one this year instead...
I work at listening to all kinds in the Fiction genres, Mystery genres, and Historical Romance genres.
I carpool with my brother. He hadn't read the Dresden Files, so we've been going through them on our commutes. I pride myself on my memory, and I didn't imagine I'd forgotten so much! We're up to Turn Coat now. These are my first re-listens and I may have to do more. With Iron Gold coming, I'm really figuring on Red Rising after Dresden. And then Stormlight... After doing these re-listens I have a DRIVE to be fresh for the upcoming book releases! AHHH ...
William Gibson reading Neuromancer, TimeWarner Audiobooks, 1994. ISBN 9781570421563. Outstanding production, and I happen to love his performance of his work. Music by U2. (In my opinion superior to the later version.)
If we're pulling this thread back from the dead... I have now done multiple listens to Armor, the entire John Dies at the End series & Ready Player One.I've done a second listen to the Expanse series and the Dresden Files because they're both so excellent. But now that I do relistens at work I've had the opportunity to listen to many of my favorites a second time.
I have read and/or listened to the entire Dresden and Vorkosigan series multiple times. Especially the Vorkosigan books are reliable comfort reads for me.
The Vorkosigan books are high on my queue, but keep putting it off because it's such a long running series.
J. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ wrote: "The Vorkosigan books are high on my queue, but keep putting it off because it's such a long running series."Ehhhh, you can really stop the series at about any point. And I'd personally recommend not reading the last one -- Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen -- anyway! ;-)
Contrarius wrote: "J. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ wrote: "The Vorkosigan books are high on my queue, but keep putting it off because it's such a long running series."Ehhhh, you can really stop the series at about any point. And I'd ..."
I loved that series but sadly agree about the last one...
Leslie wrote: "I loved that series but sadly agree about the last one..."It's not in my head canon. All the retconning really ticked me off!
Contrarius wrote: "J. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ wrote: "The Vorkosigan books are high on my queue, but keep putting it off because it's such a long running series."Ehhhh, you can really stop the series at about any point. And I'd ..."
Good to know. Thanks. I'll bounce it up the queue.
J. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ wrote: "Good to know. Thanks. I'll bounce it up the queue."Also, some of them were published out of order -- both chronological order and the order they were written. Personally, I prefer reading a series in chronological order, but some people prefer publication order. And then there's the writing order. So the decision of how to read them can be complicated! ;-D
But if you do decide to try them out, the first four books of the main series (chronologically -- and no, I'm not counting Falling Free, which is in the same universe but without any Vorkosigans) are really the most classic of all. It's not like the Dresden books, where the first two were pretty bad. The first two are about Miles Vorkosigan's parents, and the second two are your introduction to Miles as a teenager. So IMHO you'd be best off either starting with Shards of Honour and Barrayar, or with The Warrior's Apprentice and The Vor Game. Then if you like the series, you can move on from there!
Aaaaand now you're making me want to listen to them again!
I really liked the recordings of The Warrior's Apprentice and The Vor Game, but I had the same thing happen each time. Toward the end, there was some kind of conflict going on and some double-crossing and I lost track of who was doing what and why. I didn't go on from there because of that. So I guess I should listen again or read them in print. I do like the young Miles a lot.
Contrarius wrote: "Aaaaand now you're making me want to listen to them again!"LOL -- I just reread the whole series last year or I would be feeling the same way *grin*
I would love to listen to the whole Aubrey/Maturin series again and the whole Dorothy Dunnett Lymond series again, but either one would be dozens of hours (maybe a hundred) and I can't justify it with all the TBL I own. I don't own them so I would have to get them from a library the way I did originally (on cassette). I don't even know if they are all available. Maybe someday. . .
Contrarius wrote: "So IMHO you'd be best off either starting with Shards of Honour and Barrayar, or with The Warrior's Apprentice and The Vor Game. Then if you like the series, you can move on from there!p..."Thanks, noted. I'm usually hard core written order, but it sounds like the ones you've mentioned WOULD be a better starting point.
Contrarius wrote: "J. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ wrote: "Good to know. Thanks. I'll bounce it up the queue."Also, some of them were published out of order -- both chronological order and the order they were written. Personally, I p..."
Thanks for helpful tips! I'm new to this series, so adding Shards of Honor to my TBR to get started!
Leslie wrote: "Contrarius wrote: "Aaaaand now you're making me want to listen to them again!"LOL -- I just reread the whole series last year or I would be feeling the same way *grin*"
I did too! :-)
J. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ wrote: "Thanks, noted. I'm usually hard core written order"The publication order would start Shards of Honor, Warrior's Apprentice, Ethan of Athos.
I'd recommend you skip Ethan of Athos. Not only is it full of gay guys, which I know you don't appreciate, but in general it's just not a very good book. And there's no actual Vorkosigans in it anyway.
Contrarius wrote: "J. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ wrote: "Thanks, noted. I'm usually hard core written order"The publication order would start Shards of Honor, Warrior's Apprentice, Ethan of Athos.
I'd recommend you skip Ethan of A..."
"Not only is it full of gay guys, which I know you don't appreciate"
I'm posting this as a warning to other people that I consider this offensive language. I don't believe in banning people, but this ice is awfully thin.
John wrote: "I'm posting this as a warning to other people that I consider this offensive language. I don't believe in banning people, but this ice is awfully thin."Don't look at me like that. I have spent many many hours of my life defending LGBT rights far and near. But I'm also an honest reporter when I'm talking to someone about a book or series. If I'm giving someone advice about a book, and I know they have certain likes and/or dislikes, I'm going to tell them about it. I would do the same for someone who doesn't like female protagonists (or male protagonists), or someone who doesn't like sword and sorcery, or whatever.
Contrarius wrote: "John wrote: "I'm posting this as a warning to other people that I consider this offensive language. I don't believe in banning people, but this ice is awfully thin."Don't look at me like that. I ..."
Sounds as though the two of you would be happier elsewhere.
In case you missed it, I'm the moderator, and I find that type of language offencive. Moreover, I'm not real thrilled with your combative response.
John wrote: "Sounds as though the two of you would be happier elsewhere."What in the world are you talking about, John?
If you want to see some bona fides on my LGBT attitude, just check out my review of For the Killing of Kings, here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
just for starters.
I'm not continuing this further. You have received now a warning; if you don't understand it further, then perhaps you might ask someone else to explain to you why it's offensive.
Audiobooks
Books mentioned in this topic
The Lantern Men (other topics)The Stone Circle (other topics)
No Such Thing as Werewolves (other topics)
Assassin's Apprentice (other topics)
Company of Liars (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Rex Stout (other topics)Nalini Singh (other topics)
J.D. Robb (other topics)
Shelly Laurenston (other topics)
Christopher Timothy (other topics)
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Totally agree with everything you said. I guess I can understand others wanting to reconnect with "old friends" but for me personally, there are so many new things to discover that I would prefer to use the time to find something new. The same goes for movies as well. I don't own a single movie DVD because I can't see the point in re-watching when there are so many on my list to watch.
I will confess to two books that I did listen to a second time. I was in an audiobook slump...I could find nothing that was either 4 or 5 stars for over 2 months. That frustration lead me back to my only repeat listens as I sought comfort in something known. They are Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal and The Adventure of English