Getting into audiobooks--suggestions, please!

[tzikeh]

I'm thinking of diving into the deep end of audiobooks. I'd love some recommendations, but I'm not just interested in the quality of the book (of course, I think it goes without saying that I'd like to hear some great books, fiction or non-). Flist -- would you give me the names of your favorite audiobook performers? Whose voice soothes you, or revs you up? Which readers infuse their readings with life and excitement? Who makes you laugh like crazy? Who does a wonderful job of differentiating characters?

Comments

[raincitygirl.livejournal.com]

The late, great Douglas Adams recorded his own audiobooks for the Hitchhiker's series, and he is a hysterically funny reader.

[tzikeh.livejournal.com]

That sounds terrific!

[lydiabell.livejournal.com]

I really enjoy hearing Bill Bryson read his books. He's playful much of the time, but can be serious when it's called for, and isn't afraid to express wonder.

[tzikeh.livejournal.com]

Oooh - I love his books - thanks for the rec!

[cesperanza.livejournal.com]

IMO, the best audiobook in the history of the world is Jeremy Irons reading Lolita.

[tzikeh.livejournal.com]

... Just the idea of that makes me feel naughty in my ladyparts.

I need icons that convey some of the things none of my icons convey.

[aurora]

I really, really love Neil Gaiman's voice. REALLY.

[tzikeh.livejournal.com]

Ooh, me too. His performance with JoCo and Paul and Storm had me laughing and shivering at the same time.

[j00j.livejournal.com]

Neil Gaiman does a fabulous job of reading his stuff.
As far as performers go, I am fond of Barbara Rosenblat. She seems to do a lot of mysteries, if you like those.

[tzikeh.livejournal.com]

Not a fan of mysteries as a genre, no - but Gaiman reading his own stuff? I'm totally there.

[lapillus]

I"m not much help on the readers but I do like the ones of Simon Winchester's work that I've listened to (interesting non-fiction). He reads his own stuff and you can find the unabridged versions pretty easily. For instance here.

[tzikeh.livejournal.com]

What kind of non-fiction does he write?

[lapillus]

The first work of his I encountered had to do with the creation of the Oxford English Dictionary, and two of the particular people involved. The rest of his that I've read have been very chatty, highly narrative and personality driven histories of science, particularly geology. He does a nice job of interweaving the the people and the science. he has ones on the San Fransisco earthquake of 1906 and of Krakatoa and a couple of others, all of which I've found interesting and memorable. They are definitely written for the layperson and tie up various disciplines in one place (the one on Krakatoa, for instance, talks a bit about the history of undersea telegraph cables and the importance of rubber plantations there to). My folks have had fun with the ones I've had, too.

[tzikeh.livejournal.com]

The first work of his I encountered had to do with the creation of the Oxford English Dictionary, and two of the particular people involved.

Is that The Professor and the Madman? Great book.

[lapillus]

Yup :) And if you like his writing style in that, you'll have fun with the others.

[kirbyfest.livejournal.com]

I'm far from an expert, but Sir Derek Jacobi and Alan Cumming have both recorded audiobooks, and-- unsurprisingly-- neither sucked. ;)

[tzikeh.livejournal.com]

unsurprisingly-- neither sucked.

Imagine that.

[kirbyfest.livejournal.com]

Cumming read Anil's Ghost, and did just a wonderful job with the hypnotic tone of the book. I almost ran off the road, actually.

Now, I drive to nonfiction. Safer. ;)

[tzikeh.livejournal.com]

I almost ran off the road, actually.

Dear me.

(I will admit to er, reading a zine while driving down I-55, many years ago. When I was young. And stupid. And, er, had just gotten into slash and it was my first slash zine and I CANNOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR MY ACTIONS.)

[yahtzee63.livejournal.com]

Boyd Gaines is awfully good.

[tzikeh.livejournal.com]

omg my sekrit boyfriend.

What kind of books has he read?

[slb44.livejournal.com]

Keith Szarabajka and Martin Shaw.

[tzikeh.livejournal.com]

What have they read that you've enjoyed?

[natlyn.livejournal.com]

I second Keith Szarabajka. I've listened to Fear Nothing and Seize the Night both by Dean Koontz. Here more of his reading (http://www.randomhouse.com/author/results.pperl?authorid=74556).

[carbonel]

IIRC, Martin Shaw read the unabridged version of Tolkien's Silmarillion.

[mchand.livejournal.com]

Scott Brick is great for non-fiction. I listened to Alexander Hamilton and Devil in the White City. Both were excellent.

[grace-om.livejournal.com]

Rene Auborjonois is one of my favorite narrators.

I also listened to a book recently called "The Shadow of the Wind," which wasn't the greatest book ever, but was set in Spanish Civil War era Spain -- it was read by Jonathan Davis, who read the various characters in the sexiest Spanish accents ever. Yes.

I'm also starting to lose my hearing a bit, and find women narrators (unless they have fairly low-pitched voices) harder to hear/understand than men. Hopefully this doesn't apply to you.

[iko.livejournal.com]

Lenny Henry doing Neil Gaiman's Anansi Boys is a thing of sheer and utter brilliance. The way he is able to make each character have a distinct voice is wonderful.

Also, I have a thing for the two audio plays of Neil's Murder Mysteries and Snow Glass Apples. They're in a collection called Two Plays for Voices. The former stars Brian Dennehy and is about the first murder, in heaven. The latter stars Bebe Neuwirth and is an alternative retelling of the Snow White story. What made both especially great for me is that they made me realize how much inspiration there is in the stories I've heard many times over. Take an idea, turn it on its head, and sometimes utter brilliance comes out.

[darchildre.livejournal.com]

/delurks

George Guidall is generally pretty marvelous and is incredibly prolific. Simon Vance has a lovely voice. I've only ever heard Simon Prebble do Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell but that was pretty much awesome, so I would recommend him. Michael Pritchard is...well, very good at reading Nero Wolfe novels. I've never heard him read anything else but he seems to have done all of those and they're pretty uniformly excellent.

I generally avoid books that are read by the author (as reading aloud is a very different skill than writing) but, as several other people have said, Neil Gaiman is quite good at reading aloud and has a lovely voice.