Audiobooks - better than the real thing
 

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.

Re: Audiobooks - better than the real thing
 

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

Re: Audiobooks - better than the real thing
 

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.

Re: Audiobooks - better than the real thing
 

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.

Re: Audiobooks - better than the real thing
 

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:

Re: Audiobooks - better than the real thing
 

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!!

Re: Audiobooks - better than the real thing
 

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

Re: Audiobooks - better than the real thing
 

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??

Re: Audiobooks - better than the real thing
 

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

Re: Audiobooks - better than the real thing
 

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??

Re: Audiobooks - better than the real thing
 

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.

Re: Audiobooks - better than the real thing
 

Thanks Z, I will check them out!

Re: Audiobooks - better than the real thing
 

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.

Re: Audiobooks - better than the real thing
 

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.

Re: Audiobooks - better than the real thing
 

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.