Jeremy, even though I will always default to a real book, audiobooks are great for specific situations. I listen on my daily commutes and when I am walking my dog. Usually get through 2-3 a month. Some favorites include:
The Dharma Bums by Jack Kerouac and narrated by Ethan Hawke
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver and narrated by Charlie Thurston
The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese and narrated by the author. (This was my book of the year for 2023. Absolutely brilliant!)
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte and narrated by Thandiwe Newton (Ms. Newton is one of my favorite narrators. She did an amazing job with War and Peace also.)
Oooh, fun question! For classic lit, I always look for books read by Juliet Stevenson. She's so good, especially with 19th-century classics. Makes them super accessible and immersive.
Two books that I thought were very good on the page but were *fantastic* as audio because of the narrators:
- The Cherry Robbers by Sarai Walker, read by January LaVoy
- Piglet by Lottie Hazell, read by Rebekah Hinds
And the grand poobah for me is the Wolf Hall trilogy, performed by Ben Miles. If you've been curious about those books and are skeptical or intimidated, start with the audio. He makes the story come alive and his voice work makes the many, many characters distinct from each other.
Oh, that is awesome! I've been wanting to read that for ages. It's hard to squeeze in other books when we're doing production on our podcast, but your schedule and commentary is keeping me on track. Listening to the audio helps, too, so great to know the audiobook of A Place of Greater Safety is one of your favorites.
Have you read Beyond Black? That's on my really-want-to-read list, too.
The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, read by Rob Inglis, are pure magic. Inglis also reads the Earthsea books by Ursula K. Le Guin, and is again perfect.
Frank Muller and George Guidall are great as well — try Muller's version of Moby Dick and Guidall's Gilgamesh.
Recorded Books was the gateway to a lot of great aesthetic experiences in the 1990s.
Three superlative audiobooks: Alan Rickman reading The Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy (he embodies that book!); Juliet Stevenson reading Learwife by J R Thorp (she **is** Learwife); and Jonathan Keeble reading Hilary Mantel's A Place of Greater Safety – best audiobook I've ever listened to, just incredible.
I've already mentioned Three June's by Julia Glass. Incredible narration by John Keating. Also A Gentleman in Moscow was brilliant.
But I have to switch gears and talk Sci-fi books namely everything by John Scalzi narrated by Wil Weaton. Yes that Wil Weaton. He's such a good narrator and the combination of his voices (he does so many) and the wit of Scalzi is outstanding. Try Agent to the Stars, a standalone comic Sci-fi set in Hollywood. Also Redshirts.
I love love love Richard Poe's reading of "Blood Meridian" by Cormac McCarthy. It's also hard to argue against Neil Gaiman reading any of his own work. His voice is just so soothing. I'm partial to his reading of "Norse Mythology."
George Saunders' "Lincoln in the Bardo" is amazing, with narration by folks like Nick Offerman, David Sedaris, Ben Stiller, Julianne Moore, Don Cheadle, and more.
I love Hilary Mantel's Thomas Cronwell trilogy narrated by Ben Miles, Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings narrated by Andy Serkis, and Katherine Addison's The Goblin Emperor narrated by Kyle McCarley. Kevin Free's narration of The Murderbot Diaries series by Martha Wells is great, and anything Robin Miles narrates is fantastic.
Don't Sleep, There Are Snakes by Daniel Everett, narrated by the author because no one else could even attempt this. Everett was a missionary trying to convert the Pirahãs people in the Amazon Rainforest in Brazil. However, they convert him. He shows the slow and meticulous steps by which he gradually mastered their language, which is only spoken by a few hundred people, and realises that the language affects his perspectives on the world. It's a gripping audiobook that is better than reading because Everett's mastery of the Pirahãs language is evident in the narration.
Karl Ove Knaussguard's, My Struggle, read by Edoardo Ballerini, is a fantastic work! He's definitely the Proust of our time! I'll listen any book read by Ballerini! He's got a great reading voice. I'm currently reading/listening to Robert Alter's translation of the Old Testament and it's read by Ballerini. Fantastic.
I listened to Mike Finkel's "The Art Thief," which is narrated by Ballerini. Great stuff. He might just elevate a book beyond its written content. I've not read any Knaussgard; I'll have to check him out!
For an introduction to Knausgaard, I would read his Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter series, Jeremy. It’s all about raising his kids and its joys and tribulations. I’m sure with young kids you’d relate!
Also Ballerini read Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter and it was a fantastic read.
Daisy Jones & the Six is a full cast production. I also really loved the unique format of the Illuminae Files (trilogy) which also has a full cast. And the Ember Quartet by Sabaa Tahir! Also, pretty much anything narrated by Julia Whelan.
Demon Copperhead, narrated by Charlie Thurston was amazing! Fulfilled both requirements, great book and great narrator.
I second this. It was a brilliant narration and a great story.
Nice, that one is high on my list!
I third this! Wonderful narration. Terrific story for our times.
Jeremy, even though I will always default to a real book, audiobooks are great for specific situations. I listen on my daily commutes and when I am walking my dog. Usually get through 2-3 a month. Some favorites include:
The Dharma Bums by Jack Kerouac and narrated by Ethan Hawke
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver and narrated by Charlie Thurston
The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese and narrated by the author. (This was my book of the year for 2023. Absolutely brilliant!)
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte and narrated by Thandiwe Newton (Ms. Newton is one of my favorite narrators. She did an amazing job with War and Peace also.)
Oooh, fun question! For classic lit, I always look for books read by Juliet Stevenson. She's so good, especially with 19th-century classics. Makes them super accessible and immersive.
Two books that I thought were very good on the page but were *fantastic* as audio because of the narrators:
- The Cherry Robbers by Sarai Walker, read by January LaVoy
- Piglet by Lottie Hazell, read by Rebekah Hinds
And the grand poobah for me is the Wolf Hall trilogy, performed by Ben Miles. If you've been curious about those books and are skeptical or intimidated, start with the audio. He makes the story come alive and his voice work makes the many, many characters distinct from each other.
Between you and Simon's gentle prodding, I might just have to embark on Wolf Hall this year. :)
If you're going to read the books, the Wolf Crawl is a fantastic way to do it.
Cheers Melissa, the whole Wolf Hall guide is now on one page: https://footnotesandtangents.substack.com/p/wolf-hall
Oh and next year we're doing A Place of Greater Safety!
Oh, that is awesome! I've been wanting to read that for ages. It's hard to squeeze in other books when we're doing production on our podcast, but your schedule and commentary is keeping me on track. Listening to the audio helps, too, so great to know the audiobook of A Place of Greater Safety is one of your favorites.
Have you read Beyond Black? That's on my really-want-to-read list, too.
Love Beyond Black too. Trying to do themes from next year (probably the French Revolution in 2025!) so need to think what Beyond Black would fit with.
Why, how, did I forget these!?
Forest/trees... ;-)
The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, read by Rob Inglis, are pure magic. Inglis also reads the Earthsea books by Ursula K. Le Guin, and is again perfect.
Frank Muller and George Guidall are great as well — try Muller's version of Moby Dick and Guidall's Gilgamesh.
Recorded Books was the gateway to a lot of great aesthetic experiences in the 1990s.
Three superlative audiobooks: Alan Rickman reading The Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy (he embodies that book!); Juliet Stevenson reading Learwife by J R Thorp (she **is** Learwife); and Jonathan Keeble reading Hilary Mantel's A Place of Greater Safety – best audiobook I've ever listened to, just incredible.
YES, Juliet Stevenson. I love her voice and delivery so much.
I've not read any of those! Thanks for chiming in, Simon!
I've already mentioned Three June's by Julia Glass. Incredible narration by John Keating. Also A Gentleman in Moscow was brilliant.
But I have to switch gears and talk Sci-fi books namely everything by John Scalzi narrated by Wil Weaton. Yes that Wil Weaton. He's such a good narrator and the combination of his voices (he does so many) and the wit of Scalzi is outstanding. Try Agent to the Stars, a standalone comic Sci-fi set in Hollywood. Also Redshirts.
Tom Lake by Ann Pachett read by Meryl Streep.
Such a good one! An example where the narrator really elevates the text to the next level.
And The Dutch House narrated by Tom Hanks!! Fantastic. I think it was probably a good book but Tom made it a great book for me.
Yes! I think about this book so much more because of his narration. Hope he does another.
I love love love Richard Poe's reading of "Blood Meridian" by Cormac McCarthy. It's also hard to argue against Neil Gaiman reading any of his own work. His voice is just so soothing. I'm partial to his reading of "Norse Mythology."
I haven't listened to any Gaiman — I bet that's a great experience though. Thanks for the tip!
Agree with Neil Gaimen and Norse Mytholgy. His Chivalry is fun short read, about the Holy Grail.
George Saunders' "Lincoln in the Bardo" is amazing, with narration by folks like Nick Offerman, David Sedaris, Ben Stiller, Julianne Moore, Don Cheadle, and more.
Oh that sounds great! I read it years ago, but listening with a full cast may be worth jumping back into it.
Oh I tried that just couldn’t get into it.
I did love The Bird Hotel by Joyce Maynard on audio! And No Two Persons by Erica Bauermiester(?)
I have also heard that this audiobook is amazing. I have it, but have not listened yet.
Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell is superb.
I love Hilary Mantel's Thomas Cronwell trilogy narrated by Ben Miles, Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings narrated by Andy Serkis, and Katherine Addison's The Goblin Emperor narrated by Kyle McCarley. Kevin Free's narration of The Murderbot Diaries series by Martha Wells is great, and anything Robin Miles narrates is fantastic.
The Great Gatsby narrated by Frank Muller was excellent, got me back into reading the classics.
Ah, one of my all time favorite books! I've read it a handful of times but haven't listened — I should do that one of these days.
Don't Sleep, There Are Snakes by Daniel Everett, narrated by the author because no one else could even attempt this. Everett was a missionary trying to convert the Pirahãs people in the Amazon Rainforest in Brazil. However, they convert him. He shows the slow and meticulous steps by which he gradually mastered their language, which is only spoken by a few hundred people, and realises that the language affects his perspectives on the world. It's a gripping audiobook that is better than reading because Everett's mastery of the Pirahãs language is evident in the narration.
Awesome, I've not heard of that one! Thanks for the rec.
Karl Ove Knaussguard's, My Struggle, read by Edoardo Ballerini, is a fantastic work! He's definitely the Proust of our time! I'll listen any book read by Ballerini! He's got a great reading voice. I'm currently reading/listening to Robert Alter's translation of the Old Testament and it's read by Ballerini. Fantastic.
I listened to Mike Finkel's "The Art Thief," which is narrated by Ballerini. Great stuff. He might just elevate a book beyond its written content. I've not read any Knaussgard; I'll have to check him out!
For an introduction to Knausgaard, I would read his Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter series, Jeremy. It’s all about raising his kids and its joys and tribulations. I’m sure with young kids you’d relate!
Also Ballerini read Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter and it was a fantastic read.
Daisy Jones & the Six is a full cast production. I also really loved the unique format of the Illuminae Files (trilogy) which also has a full cast. And the Ember Quartet by Sabaa Tahir! Also, pretty much anything narrated by Julia Whelan.
Hands down, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson, narrated by Simon Vance.