Audiobooks - better than the real thing

[ijusluvit]

I've been addicted to audiobooks since the cutting edge was cassette. Readers add another dimension to good writing, and there's a small group of brilliant readers out there who bring out the best in their author partners. My eyes and arms never get tired and I get dragged into a good story in chapter 1. If anyone is interested I could come up with a long a long list of favorites, but you might start with The Laws of Our Fathers, by Scott Turow or The Green Mile series by Stephen King.

[ijusluvit]

whoops - senior moment - the really terrific Scott Turow book is Ordinary Heroes. The rest of his stuff runs from so-so to pretty good.

[Muncle]

i do love them, especially mysteries. don't care for nonfiction where one might thumb back in the book to reread/check passages. seem to work especially well with books that use a lot of dialogue. Elizabeth peters archeology books featuring amelia peabody are marvelous, as are anthing by tony hillerman or ludlum (& co). many's the roadtrip that i've circled the motel for 20 more minutes just to hear another chapter.

i used to plan my long trips around the availability of cracker barrels, as they had great tape selections.

there is a danger, of course. listen to an ann george southern sisters mystery and you might find yourself laughing too hard to see the traffic.

[KCinBAMA]

... many's the roadtrip that i've circled the motel for 20 more minutes just to hear another chapter....

I, too, have extended trips unnecessarily just to finish hearing a story. Audio books are an absolute must for long car trips, the miles simply fly by when my mind is occupied by the story.

[Boomer]

there is a danger, of course. listen to an ann george southern sisters mystery and you might find yourself laughing too hard to see the traffic.


Hey Munc,

I had not heard of these mysteries. And so I Amazoned the author just now. Sounds good. Sounds like fun. The next time Borders sends me one of those online coupons they send me every 15 minutes or so, I will run right over there and get a couple of these.

I do so love anything set in the South.

Thanks.

Miss Boomerbelle :read:

[zcaveman]

I used to enjoy them on my drives to and from work until I realized I never remembered the ride. I figured that they were a menace to driving - just like cell phones - and quit doing it on the road.

If you get a good narrator that are a reall good time!!

[Boomer]

. . .If you get a good narrator that are a reall good time!!


I have heard that the secret to getting a narrator that's good is to read the description and make sure the narrator is an actor and not just the author who is insisting upon reading his own book for audio. I think most of the time though, actors do the reading.

Boomer

[Taltarzac]

I really liked this Stephen King audio book The Cell as read by Campbell Scott. http://www.amazon.com/Cell-Stephen-King/dp/0743554337

There have been some read by their original authors whose voices were so hard on the ears I could not listen to them for more than a few pages.

Actually, I think that Stephen King was one of these authors for one of his other books??

[nONIE]

Can someone tell me where I can buy Audiobooks other then online?

[Taltarzac]

Interesting article by Stephen King on why he likes audiobooks and his top ten list from Entertainment Weekly . http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,1551492,00.html

Perhaps I was wrong about King's voice as being not one soothing for a listener's ears??

[zcaveman]

Can someone tell me where I can buy Audiobooks other then online?


Barnes and Noble and All Booked Up are a couple of places I can think of. You can also check them out at the libraries.

[nONIE]

Thanks Z, I will check them out!

[Barefoot]

Nonie, you can pick them up at a Cracker Barrel restaurant and drop them off at another one. I take them out from the local library and Fireboy copies them for our long trip south.

I love anything by John Grisham, make the miles fly by.

[Muncle]

The library by southern trace has a limited selection. While living in Fairfax Co VA, i discovered the library system there had thousands of books on tape. i was in hog heaven. for the 1st time, i could plan a road trip/drive-about without using the cracker barrel map. and unlike cb, the library had primarily unabridged versions.

aside-- originally all were on cassettes. now many, maybe most, are on cd. i prefer the tape.

[villages07]

Slightly off-topic :cop: but related....

Today's Daily Sun announced that All Booked Up will be opening a second store in Colony Plaza shopping center (466A) later this year (November'ish). FYI for the snowbirds and other out of towners.

[graciegirl]

Hey Munc,

I had not heard of these mysteries. And so I Amazoned the author just now. Sounds good. Sounds like fun. The next time Borders sends me one of those online coupons they send me every 15 minutes or so, I will run right over there and get a couple of these.

I do so love anything set in the South.

Thanks.

Miss Boomerbelle :read:




Have I told you Miss Boomerbelle, that I think you are a hoot and a half. Your name was mentioned several times on the back porch this morning as my daughters and I were having coffee. Gretchen asked when she could meet you. HUMPH. sigh. :dontknow: Oh well. (These are guilt inflicting expressions that have worked well on my kids)

[/quote]

[uujudy]

Muncle, I wrote down the names of the authors. I hadn't heard of them, either. I do love a good mystery!

Dorothy Sayers' Lord Peter Wimsey series is on cassette tape. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lord_Peter_Wimsey

I spent many hours in the car listening to Lord Peter's stories and his man Bunter's shenanigans. You really need to listen to them in order. He starts as a bachelor, then about 4 books later he marries, then the kids come along, but he always solves the mysteries!

[Boomer]

. . .there is a danger, of course. listen to an ann george southern sisters mystery and you might find yourself laughing too hard to see the traffic.


I had not heard of the "Southern Sisters Mysteries" by Anne George before I read this recommendation here from Munc a couple of weeks ago. About a week after that, I asked a friend who is a great fan of light mysteries if she knew about these. She walked immediately to her bookshelves, retrieved one of them, and put it in my hands. This one is called Murder on a Girls' Night Out.

I have another book going right now, American Wife, and The Story of Edgar Sawtelle is waiting for me after that. But I could not resist reading the first few chapters of this one from the "Southern Sisters."

The main characters are two sisters. One is a fairly serious retired teacher.That one is Patricia Anne. Her sister Mary Alice comes on like a force of nature. She has outlived a few husbands and she can be pretty impulsive and quite hilarious.

And things happen in the lives of the sisters. Stories to tell. Mysteries to solve. And all with a wonderful southern accent. You can hear that accent even if you are not listening to the book on audio. These books are light, funny stuff.

I just have to throw the other titles in the series in here, too: Murder on a Bad Hair Day; Murder Runs in the Family; Murder Makes Waves; Murder Gets a Life; Murder Shoots the Bull; Murder Carries a Torch; and Murder Boogies with Elvis.

And something else that I really liked finding out about these books is that one of the sisters is 60 and the other one is 65. These ladies are a lot of fun.

So if you are feeling like maybe a light touch is in order, and if you like your humor southern style, the "Southern Sisters Mysteries" might just work for you.

So thanks for the recommendation, Munc. I took your advice.

Boomer :read:

[graciegirl]

I had not heard of the "Southern Sisters Mysteries" by Anne George before I read this recommendation here from Munc a couple of weeks ago. About a week after that, I asked a friend who is a great fan of light mysteries if she knew about these. She walked immediately to her bookshelves, retrieved one of them, and put it in my hands. This one is called Murder on a Girls' Night Out.

I have another book going right now, American Wife, and The Story of Edgar Sawtelle is waiting for me after that. But I could not resist reading the first few chapters of this one from the "Southern Sisters."

The main characters are two sisters. One is a fairly serious retired teacher.That one is Patricia Anne. Her sister Mary Alice comes on like a force of nature. She has outlived a few husbands and she can be pretty impulsive and quite hilarious.

And things happen in the lives of the sisters. Stories to tell. Mysteries to solve. And all with a wonderful southern accent. You can hear that accent even if you are not listening to the book on audio. These books are light, funny stuff.

I just have to throw the other titles in the series in here, too: Murder on a Bad Hair Day; Murder Runs in the Family; Murder Makes Waves; Murder Gets a Life; Murder Shoots the Bull; Murder Carries a Torch; and Murder Boogies with Elvis.

And something else that I really liked finding out about these books is that one of the sisters is 60 and the other one is 65. These ladies are a lot of fun.

So if you are feeling like maybe a light touch is in order, and if you like your humor southern style, the "Southern Sisters Mysteries" might just work for you.

So thanks for the recommendation, Munc. I took your advice.

Boomer :read:

You know Boom? I have enough problems of my own with this buying books issue. Now you are aiding and abetting. Keep this up and we are going to have to sell that house on Havana Trail and we will be stuck here in Cincinnati with you. (I have bought two books in the last 24 hours that you recommended, HARDBOUND too! Alright they were on ebay)

You really are a librarian, aren't ya. Huh? Huh?

Your worked for a publisher. Hmmm The only publisher I know in Cincinnati is/was...Marian?? something. Help me here Boom.

[Hyacinth Bucket]

I am off topic so :cop: please be kind and do not :edit: me.

There is a series of mysteries that take place in Venice by Donna Leone. The ending of her books are not always what you would expect. She takes into consideration what will happen to people if they testify and this at times has affected the outcome of the mysteries.

HB