I am in my car at least 2.5 hours (on a good day) each day. Sometimes the only thing keeping me sane is a good audio book. My first suggestion is “The Rosie Project”
http://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Rosie-Project/Graeme-Simsion/9781442363021
Incredibly funny book about an emotionally challenged geneticist who’s determined to find a suitable wife. Well written and well read.
Rosie Project - Former IT consultant Graeme Simsion’s debut novel, The Rosie Project, is a scientific romp about a probably-Asperger’s-affected genetics professor who falls in love with a free-spirited woman during a search for her biological father. Reviewer Heller McAlpin says it’s an “utterly winning screwball comedy.”
I enjoyed The Rosie Project, too, tho I read it in print. I also commute 1.5 hours a day and listen to lots of audiobooks, so I am glad to join this thread!
My first suggestion is another “project,” The Jane Austen Project. It is well-written sci-fi time travel … researchers from the future go back to Jane Austen’s time to try to ingratiate themselves with the Austens and get access to a lost manuscript. The audio version is nicely voiced.
George Saunders’s story collection The Tenth of December is another huge favorite of mine.
I’m 3/4 if the way through James Comey’s book A Higher Loyalty - he reads it - I think it’s good - worth the listen.
Also thoroughly enjoyed Billy Crystal’s Still Foolin’ 'Em: Where I’ve Been, Where I’m Going, and Where the Hell Are My Keys? - also read by him.
If you like history, look for books by Sarah Vowel - informative and amusing.
Lincoln in the Bardo (fiction) is terrific. It has an all star voice cast.
+1 on Lincoln in the Bardo! One of the best ever.
I tend to choose audiobooks that are “re-reads.” If I read and enjoyed the book a few years before, I don’t feel as much need to backtrack if I stop paying attention in bad traffic. (Cassettes were better than CDs and MP3s in this regard.)
Currently listening to an old favorite, “The Crocodile on the Sandbank” by Elizabeth Peters, read by the stellar Barbara Rosenblat.
I recently listened to “Saxons, Vikings and Celts: The Genetic Roots of Britain and Ireland.” Sounds dry, but actually it was fascinating and a wonderful listen.
I only discovered how much I love audio books about 5 years ago. I’m a voracious reader, and really enjoy what to me is a completely different literary experience hearing books aloud. Most important to me in an audio book is the person who “performs” it. If the voice or accents are off, forget it.
While I’m not much of a thriller/mystery fan, I find myself listening to more of them in the car. Just finished The Flight Attendant by Chris Bojalian and also listened to The Wife Between Us by Sarah Pekannen and Greer Hendricks. I don’t think I would have read either of them. Now I’m listening to Almost Sisters by Joshlyn Jackson with great southern accents. Anne Lamott reads her own books, and I love her dry, sardonic voice and humor.
I just tried my first audiobook and am wondering if they all feel really slow? I was trying to finish a book quickly so was listening on earbuds while doing housework, but the slow pace of the person talking surprised me.
I listen to my books, almost exclusively. I’ve found reading speed varies by the narrator.
I usually skim the reviews at Audible before deciding on a book. The reviewers there are sensitive to the style of the narrator, as it can make or break the experience.
I was just skimming some reviews this morning for a highly recommended book, and several reviews mentioned it was difficult to tolerate the slow overly dramatic voice of the narrator. Some reviews mentioned the need to listen at a higher speed, 1.25?
Eh, I might pass on that book.
So, no, not all slow. You can experiment with the speed setting. I find listening to be easier or a better experience while driving some distance, or walking.
I hope that helps!
@psychmomma if you are listening via Audible or Overdrive or something similar, you can change the speed of the narration. Depending on the narration, it might sound a little funny, but other books it’s fine. I’m currently listening to a book set in Ireland and it’s fine at regular speed b/c the narrator speaks quickly. The last book I listened to the author talked at a snail pace, so I changed the setting to 1.25 and it was much better.
I’ve been listening for decades, so generally find the pace reasonable. As I transition to e-audio, I sometimes choose to multiply the pace by 1.2 or even more when I need to hurry and don’t expect to miss anything.
Ooh. I’m glad I saw this thread. Like @Barbalot, I think listening to an audiobook is a completely different experience than reading, so I’m always careful to say “I listened to this” when I recommend one. I tend to look for longer books to get the most for my Audible credits. Here are some I’ve listened to and enjoyed lately:
The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah
Beartown by Fredrik Backman
West Cork by Sam Bungey, Jennifer Forde (an Audible podcast series)
Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate
The Alice Network by Kate Quinn
Beneath a Scarlet Sky by Anthony Horowitz
@psychmomma I think pace really depends on the narrator, and sometimes the story. I don’t like a narrator who’s too slow, but I usually listen in 30 minute chunks or less during my commute, so perhaps I don’t notice it as much.
@psychmomma One of the things I love about Audible is the option of adjusting the speed. I, too, find many readers to be slow.
My daughter actually listens at double-speed in many cases!
Other apps have adjustable speeds as well. I know Overdrive does. It’s awesome to use your library card to check out audiobooks for free (your tax dollars at work).
I find the books I enjoy listening to the most are the ones read by the author. It feels more natural, and to my ear, even inflections come through better.
Next on my list Carole Bayer Sager (the prolific songwriter) They’re Playing Our Song -
and
Trevor Noah Born a Crime
A few among many I have listened to: I recently listened to Stephen King’s 11.22.63, just finished The Wife Between Us, and just started Stephen King’s The Outsider today.
I listen to books while I ride my bike, so I’ve read a LOT of books lately.
I agree about the pace, especially when the book is really good. When you are reading, and the book is a page turner, you can get through it so fast. No so with audio books. But I have messed with the speed on occasion, with varying degrees of success.
I love to listen to audiobooks on my commute and my car is so old that my phone won’t play through the speakers. Consequently, it’s CDs from the library, and no adjusting the tempo.
When I read fiction, I am always in a hurry to find out what happened, so I have been guilty of skimming the descriptive passages. With audiobooks I can’t easily do that and it’s been a good discipline for me. I have noticed some beautiful language (which, of course, is why many folks read in the first place.)
The choice of narrators can make or break an audiobook. I was listening to one and it seemed so cheesy…I looked up the NY Times review and was surprised to learn that the book had been very well received. I realized that the trouble with the book was that the female narrator’s “low voice” male characters sounded really tacky, ruining the writing.
I have also been guilty of powering through long descriptive passages in order to get on with the plot!
Listening on audio, I have more patience.
The best thing about audio for me is hearing a foreign language spoken correctly. Meaning, if I were reading, I’d be butching pronunciations left & right!
I’m finishing up the Red Sparrow trilogy by Jason Matthews & hearing the Russian words spoken (correctly, I assume) makes the experience all the more rich.
Editing to add…
Sometimes a slow narrator can give an overall languid almost eerie feeling to a story, which really works. I cannot think of an example off the top of my head. Maybe if I scrolled thru my Audible account.
Thanks for the speed info. I had switched from ebook to audio on overdrive and just played it without learning how to use it. I’ll try another book and see what it’s like with a speed adjustment, if needed. I love that in minutes we can read or listen to books from our library without leaving the house.