scrappinghappy
Pearl Clutcher
“I’m late, I’m late for a very important date. No time to say “Hello.” Goodbye. I’m late...."
Posts: 4,307 
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Post by scrappinghappy on Apr 17, 2016 19:34:18 GMT
Having read the other thread, I think I'd like to give audiobooks another try. I absolutely LOVED the original Harry Potter series with Jim Dale then tried another audiobook where the reader was just horrible and I thought no one would ever live up to Jim Dale so I never tried another.
I have a couple of long drives coming up and this would be a good time to listen to a book.
So...favorites?
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mlana
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,523
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Post by mlana on Apr 17, 2016 22:40:08 GMT
You are right that the narrator makes the audio book more enjoyable. I once got a copy of Pratchett's Disc World that had some recording issues and I never got another one of his books on audio until DD asked to get Wee Free Men. Now we have a lot of his books on audio.
In the interest of full disclosure, I will tell you that our family are avid audio book listeners. If you wanted to find a way to make us sit together quietly, a good book read by a gifted narrator will work every time.
If you like YA fantasy, you might enjoy The Thirteenth Child by Patricia Wrede. DH and I are listening to it, or the 2nd in the series, now and we are really enjoying it.
My DD really enjoyed Terry Pratchett's series that started with Wee Free Men. I'll probably listen to it next, since she enjoyed it so much.
Anne McCaffrey's books about the girl who finds the little dragons...maybe Dragonsinger? were really great to listen to.
Our family loved Tamara Pierce's books. My DD considers her Lioness Rampant series to be THE definitive books of DD's childhood. DD says that the heroine's acceptance of the consequences of her actions as well as her thoughts on relationships were an important part of shaping DD's personality. I do know that every member of our family has listened to the books more than once and enjoyed them each time. Again, this is a YA fantasy series.
If you have kids or just like really well read YA fantasy, Bruce Coville's books are gold. He is one of the founders of The Full Cast Family (Tamara Pierce is another) and the parts are read by different voice actors, usually including the authors. Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher, was our very first audio book and it completely hooked our family. Sometimes we travel just because a new book came out on audio.
Martha Wells series on the Raksura was good.
Jim Butcher's Codex Alera was wonderful. Could be considered YA, but DH and I really, really enjoyed it. DD, not so much. She doesn't care as much for books without a lead female character. I think Butcher's new series, The Aeronaut's Windlass, will also be a good listen.
The Brisinger series by Christopher Paolini was good. Not as good as some others I've mentioned, but good.
DH suggested the George R R Martin books, Game of Thrones. I haven't listened to them, but he did and he really liked them.
He also liked Rick Riordan's books, the one that the Percy Jackson movies are based on.
Not fantasy, but I loved Fannie Flagg's book Standing in the Rainbow. It's my go to book when I need to remember that life is a circle and that things come and go.
If you haven't read Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum books, they are a good and funny listen. I also liked her Diesel books on audio. Our library had them, so they were free!
If you give us more of an idea of what kind of books you like to listen to, I am sure we can help you find plenty to listen to.
I agree, though, that coming anywhere close to as good a reader as Jim Dale is almost impossible. I have been told, though, that Stephen Fry did a similarly excellent job on the UK version of the books. Since I love most things SF does, I believe it.
Marcy
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Post by babybuttoneyes on Apr 17, 2016 23:15:50 GMT
I just listened to "As You Wish : Inconcievable tales from the making of the Princess Bride" by Cary Elwes. He mostly narrates his own point of view through making the movie but so many others have also joined in the audiobook, like Robyn Wright, Rob Reiner, Billy Crystal and Carol Kane, and Mandy, and more. It's like going to a dinner party with all these folks telling me their stories, I highly recommended that audiobook a listen during car rides, it was great.
I also enjoyed Carol Burnett narrating "This Time Together: Laughter and Reflection".
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Post by sugarmama on Apr 18, 2016 0:24:05 GMT
I listened to LONESOME DOVE, narrated by Lee Horsley and it was very well done. I'd listen to it again.
I also love to hear George Guidall. He narrated THE GOLEM AND THE JINNI, which I really enjoyed. I look for his name now when I'm picking a book.
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Post by jackietex on Apr 18, 2016 2:32:09 GMT
I am a totally obsessed with all things Outlander, but I truly do LOVE listening to the series. I also loved Looking For Me and Saving CeeCee Honeycutt.
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caangel
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,667
Location: So Cal
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Post by caangel on Apr 18, 2016 4:10:40 GMT
LOVE, LOVE , LOVE HP audio books!
I listened to the Narnia books with my kids. Each one is done by a prominent English actor, such as Patrick Stewart.
I also really like listening to The Book Thief. Really well done.
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Post by pjaye on Apr 18, 2016 8:59:58 GMT
I think Jim Dale is OK...there's definitely a lot of equal or better narrators out there.
Like everything else though it is a very personal thing. I've been listening to audiobooks exclusively for 3 years (almost 300 books), but for every narrator that I love someone else in the audiobook group hates them...and vice versa.
You have to spend some time finding the ones you like, Audible and the various library systems have a samples of the book to listen to before you buy or borrow.
You need to always listen to those before you commit and if you are still undecided after one sample, then also listen to one or two others by the same narrator...and gradually you'll become familiar with the different names and who you like and who you don't.
I consider myself relatively fussy about narrators, but even then, my 'dislike' list is quite small compared to me 'like/love' list.
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