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<p>Yes! She is the Goddess of Audio Books. :D</p>
<p>I’m extremely fond of the Amelia Peabody books, but I’ve never listened to any. I’ll have to get one out of the library, even if I have read it, now that I know the Divine Barbara reads them. :)</p>
<p>I enjoyed all of these, and thought that all of the readers were wonderful.</p>
<p>The P J Tracy (that’s the “author”, a mother-daughter team) mystery series, starting with Monkeewrench. Tried to read one, they work much better as recorded books.</p>
<p>“Endurance”, by Alfred Lansing. The story of Ernest Shackleton’s failed effort to cross Antarctica. Absolutely gripping up until the very end. I think all teenagers should read this book when they’re whining about how hard things are. :)</p>
<p>Second the rec for the Alexander McCall Smith #1 Ladies Detective Agency series and for Amelia Peabody. </p>
<p>Dont Lets Go to the Dogs Tonight: An African Childhood by Alexandra Fuller (memoir, very very funny)</p>
<p>Recently listened to and adored “The World to Come” by Dara Horn, but it might be deeper than what you want. Similarly, E.J. Doctorow’s “The March”, and “Atonement” by Ian McEwan. </p>
<p>Though you’re going to say I’m nuts, my final rec is “Moby Dick”. There are parts that are compelling enough to keep you in your car, parts that are really funny…and then there are the long boring bits where Melville tells you more than you want to know about each and every type of whale. Now I know what is meant by the victorian term “a brown study”. But you’re driving, so you just zone out from listening, which is pretty much what standing watch on a whaler must have been like for the author.</p>
<p>The reader (Lorelei King) for the Janet Evanovitch mysteries is fabulous. She does great voices and makes these books even funnier. I also just finished listening to The Help, which is read by several different readers. It is another book that is really enhanced by a variety of voices.</p>
<p>Had I known much about it, I never would have checked out the tape version of 'Mutant Message from Down Under" which is an Australian outback supposedly true tale. But the kids and I were spellbound for two very full days of vacation driving years ago.</p>
<p>When my younger daughter was much younger, she slept with us for years. She needed much time to unwind and since her stamina was greater than mine- I utilized books on tape quite a bit.
She really had a liking for The Giver, even though it seems she was four or five years old, and it must have been over her head. She listened to that for about a year.,Before that, it was Really Rosie, a musical written by Carole King & after that it was a BBC production of the Hobbit ( after I kept falling asleep while reading it)</p>
<p>I also really enjoy Garrison Keillior and when I was going through a depression, would listen to his stories, they are very uplifting but I admit his voice drives some crazy.</p>
<p>I’ve enjoyed a lot of the same ones already mentioned: Alexander McCall Smith’s books, Carl Hiasen, Janet Evanovich, the Harry Potter books. One of the best was “Gates of Fire” ready by Derek Jacobi. Just recently I listened to the “Dexter” books by Jeff Lindsay–they were good, if you like that sort of thing.
I’ve also very much enjoyed listening to lecture series on CD. A bunch of them are from the Teaching Company–standouts include the music ones by Greenberg (I think). There is now a competing entity called the Modern Scholar, which is also very good. They have one by Deborah Tannen that was very good.</p>
<p>I’d like to put in a word for BJ Harrison, of the Classic Tales Podcast (can access some of his work via iTunes or more via his own website [The</a> Classic Tales with B.J. Harrison](<a href=“http://www.theclassictales.com/]The”>http://www.theclassictales.com/)). He has a fantastic voice.</p>
<p>We’ve liked listening to old radio shows. We get CDs from this catalog. I like the detective shows (Sam Spade and Philip Marlowe) and the comedy shows (Fibber McGee and Molly, Jack Benny, and the Marx Brothers).</p>
<p>[Old</a> Time Radio Catalog: Classic Radio | Golden Age of Radio -](<a href=“http://www.otrcat.com/index.php]Old”>Classic Radio Shows, Golden Age Radio | Old Time Radio)</p>
<p>I think podcasts are free on itunes- This American Life, Wait, wait don’t tell me, Car Talk and Science Friday ;)</p>