21st Century Literature discussion

I'd like to listen to more audio books this year. Are there any books you've listened to that were especially good in this format?

I can think of three - Milkman by Anna Burns (I don't think the print would have worked for me), Doc by Mary Doria Russell and Marlena by Julie Buntin.

Nadine in California wrote: "Are there any books you've listened to that were especially good in this format?..."

Nadine, I'm enjoying Learwife by J.R. Thorpe, narrated by Juliet Stevenson, one of my favorite UK narrators and my go-to choice for Austen et.al. The novel is written in a lush sort of prose that benefits beautifully from spoken performance.

lark wrote: "Nadine in California wrote: "Are there any books you've listened to that were especially good in this format?..."

Nadine, I'm enjoying Learwife by J.R. Thorpe, narrated by Juliet S..."

I just listened to a sample - it sounds amazing - the language feels Shakespeare-adjacent in the best way. There's something incantatory about it, yet not in a fussy, poet-voice way. I hope my library gets a copy - even the print isn't on order yet. The audio is a bit too pricey for me right now, even finagling with my Audible plan. There's a less expensive audio version, but not available in the US yet, apparently. (I did the free trial but didn't quit in time, so I did buy Several People Are Typing last month - highly recommended on audio! - but I can't be doing that for long....)

Nadine in California wrote: "lark wrote: "Nadine in California wrote: "Are there any books you've listened to that were especially good in this format?..."

Nadine, I'm enjoying Learwife by J.R. Thorpe, narrate..."

Thanks for the Learwife recommendation, Lark, I just downloaded the audio. It was on my To Read shelf, am looking forward to it.

Nadine, I loved listening to the audio version of Claire Keegan’s
Small Things Like These. It’s quite short, more like a novella, and the narrator has a wonderful voice. It was truly one of this year’s most memorable reads for me.

I loved The Neapolitan Novels on audio. Also listened to and enjoyed In Search of Lost Time this past year.

Both are a time commitment, but well worth it.

Current read The Night Watchman is excellent on audio.

Some others that were great on audio:
Circe and On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous

I did a reread of almost all of Octavia Butler, and all her books work great on audio.

There were many, may others I enjoyed on audio, but those were the standouts, where I felt audio added a lot to the experience.

I agree with Whitney, Circe is a favorite audiobook!

Janet wrote: "I loved listening to the audio version of Claire Keegan’s Small Things Like These. It’s quite short, more like a novella, and the narrator has a wonderful voice. It was truly one of this year’s most memorable reads for me"

That sounds perfect, I had the print version on hold at my library - but they actually have it on audio so I've made the switch! Thanks!

Some really good non-fiction audiobooks I read this year (some of these are Audible exclusives and also some of them are FREE for Audible Plus members):

The Coming Storm by Michael Lewis
The Demon Next Door by Bryan Burrough
Exposure: Poisoned Water, Corporate Greed, and One Lawyer's Twenty-Year Battle against DuPont by Robert Bilott

Also I really enjoyed the fiction/mystery audiobook of March Violets by Philip Kerr but the subject matter is very dark and violent.

RJ - Slayer of Trolls wrote: "Some really good non-fiction audiobooks I read this year (some of these are Audible exclusives and also some of them are FREE for Audible Plus members):

The Coming Storm by [author..."

Thanks RJ - I don't read much nonfiction these days, but a 'free' Michael Lewis is too great to pass up!

Love an audio book. Some I’d recommend are those with a local dialect, like Milkman, or a complex structure like Girl, Woman, Other. Love ones read by the Author, like Becoming or the fantastic The Storyteller: Tales of Life and Music . Also loved Stephen Fry’s Mythos: The Greek Myths Retold and Simon Callow’s A Tale of Two Cities. Or if you want a scary one I terrified myself walking home in the dark listening to The Silent Companions. Enjoy 😊

Nadine in California wrote: "Thanks RJ - I don't read much nonfiction these days, but a 'free' Michael Lewis is too great to pass up!"

You're welcome, and it's a good one! He also has Playing to Win available for free for Audible Plus members, and that one is also very good but oriented more towards "sports parents." I liked it a lot.

Oh, and I just listened to a good one (free on Audible Plus) while driving to Sacramento yesterday. The Didomenico Fragment by Amor Towles, read by John Lithgow. Really good and not too long, maybe a couple hours.

There is also a free full cast recording of Les Liaisons dangereuses by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos, that is abridged but worth a listen.

RJ - Slayer of Trolls wrote: "The Didomenico Fragment by Amor Towles, read by John Lithgow. Really good and not too long, maybe a couple hours...."

Thanks, this sounds great, and makes the Audible subscription feel more worth it, $-wise.

Another good freebie on Audible Plus is Upon Reflection by Sting. If you enjoy his music you'll like hearing stories about his life, his career, and his music, and he plays a few songs as well. I really enjoyed it.

I read a lot of audiobooks and have for years, as they make great companions for long walks and indoor bike rides. I think some of the best audiobooks ever are those in the Harry Potter series. The narrator is superb. I read almost all of them in audio. They spoiled the movies for me. Another excellent series for audio is the The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency. Never would have figured out how to pronounce the names without the audio! For standalones, I recommend The Poisonwood Bible and Neverwhere.

Glad you asked! It's all about the reader and here are two of the greats. Son of the Circus (John Irving) read by David Colacci and Moby Dick read by Frank Muller. Also anything Dickens because all the readers are fine.

I struggle a lot with audiobooks. I find that I can't process what I am hearing, unless I am doing nothing else. (I mean, I cannot even drive. I will go off the road.) So they save me no time, and generally I find that I can read the printed page faster.

But I try from time to time, for instance while walking my dog. Right now I am listening to The Ravenmaster: Life with the Ravens at the Tower of London, which the author narrates. It was recommended by a friend who loved the author's narration, but I am finding his accent distracting. I lived in England as a child and have spent plenty of time there; it's not the British accent per se that sets me off, it's his particular accent. Though he's from Dover, I don't think it's a Dover accent. Among other things some of his Rs are Ws, and his TH slips to an F, and it drives me batty. It's a strange thing to mind, but I'd take Michael Caine reading it in a straight Cockney accent over this. As far as memoirs are concerned, I've heard that As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride, read by the author, is very funny, and it is next on my list.

For fiction, I listened to most of Pastoralia on a few long walks home from the office. I've listened to Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in French while driving to work, simply to stay immersed in the language. My ten-year old listens to His Majesty's Dragon and its sequels, over and over, while she builds lego sets.

Erika wrote: "I've listened to Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in French while driving to work, simply to stay immersed in the language. .."

Listening to books in French is what got me started with audiobooks. I often listen to and read the French texts at the same time. I find it’s a big help. I do have to play with the speed to sync my reading ability with my listening ability.

But I no longer restrict my audio listening to French novels. I just recently finished listening (for the second time because my book group is discussing it this week) to Edward St Aubyn’s Double Blind. It’s narrated by Benedict Cumberbatch, who gave a fantastic reading, not only throwing in foreign accents, but also putting emotion behind the words and giving characters their own voice.

Since Double Blind is a novel of ideas, it may not be everyone's cup of tea, even though it's quite witty. But Cumberbatch's talented reading really does bring characters, even minor ones (especially the minor comic characters) to life.

For those who enjoy Don Winslow (Savages, The Power of the Dog, The Cartel, etc) he has three free short stories on Audible that are free for Plus members. I listened to the first one - Free Billy - and enjoyed it (the others are Deep Hole and The Heron). The stories are all narrated by actor Ed Harris so they're very listenable. I think all the stories are set in Wilson's "Dawn Patrol" series but they can be listened to as stand-alones.

Also, in the Words and Music series, I listened to the bio of Snoop Dogg who is from Long Beach where I live. "From the Streets to the Suites" is pretty good with a lot of adult language, as usual per Snoop. I also listened to the one with Pete Townsend of The Who ("Somebody Saved Me"), but unfortunately it focuses on his career after Tommy, which is when I thought The Who went downhill. I've always thought Townsend was a bloated egotistical pampered superstar ass, and this didn't change my opinion at all. But it did have a really good version of "Eminence Front" which is a song I don't even like much, so there's that.