the ask@AAR: What’s your favorite audiobook?
I’ve always been an audiobook listener and, wow, has that market exploded. There are so many great choices now–I find myself overwhelmed when I go to Audible and try and choose a new one.
If you were to recommend just one truly great listen, what would it be? And why?
Tough question. I started out with Books On Tape in the 90’s- my first listens were George Guidell’s narration of the Cat Who books and Barbara Roseblatt’s of the Mrs. Pollifax series. Such wonderful and professional voices. If I had to pick one out of the hundreds I have listened to (99% while driving), it would be Outlander with Rosalyn Landor. All of her narrations are terrific and no one is better with accents. I admit I prefer professional narrators over authors or actors and I almost always prefer single narrators to duos or cast recordings. It is wonderful when the same narrator does an entire series such as Susan Ericksen and the In Death series or Amanda Ronconi and all of Molly Harper’s books.
My favorite audio book (the one I re-listen to most often) is Sandra Burr reading Jennifer Crusie’s Agnes & the Hitman. It is one of the few books I’ve never been able to finish reading off the page, but I truly love the audio book. (She makes me laugh everytime, even though I know what is coming.)
I have favorite narrators that have been mentioned already but are worth repeating. Pretty much anything by these women is worth listening to: Anna Fields, Susan Ericksen, Kate Reading, Karen White, and Lorelei King (her voices for the characters in the Stephanie Plum series are absolutely spot on).
A couple more specific recommendations:
JF Harding narrates several Josh Lanyon, Annabeth Albert and ZA Maxfield m/m titles and does an excellent job.
Deanna Hurst narrates Jennifer Crusie’s Bet Me.
Alexander Doddy narrates Alexis Hall’s Waiting for the Flood.
Joel Leslie narrates Alexis Hall’s How to Bang a Billionaire series.
(already mentioned but seconded because it is just SO GOOD) Nicholas Boulton reading Laura Kinsale’s Flowers From the Storm.
Absolutely The Spymaster’s Lady by Joanna Bourne. Kirsten Potter does an amazing job of distinguishing between each person. Her German accents, French accents, different English accents bring this outstanding book to life. Ms. Potter’s narration does not have awkward pauses, breathy gasps, strange uplifting or fading out at the end of sentences, or emphasizing ending consonants in a weird way, all quirks that I have noticed some other narrators do. Her voice is music to my ears.
I love Bourne and all her works so I would be really curious to hear one of her books narrated.
I totally agree. I was going to mention the Spymaster’s Lady, too. Kirsten Potter does a fabulous job with the accents and the male and female characters. I might have to re-listen immediately, lol. I, also, am a huge fan of the Susan Elizabeth Phillips’ novels narrated by Anna Fields and the JD Robb novels. Karen White, also, did a great job narrating Julie James’ FBI lawyer series.
Is the Stephen Fry Harry Potter an abridged version? I can’t imagine anyone better than Jim Dale, he was so comfortable to listen to. I replaced the first three books several times because of heavy use by my kids.
Another great audiobook series is The Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch. The narrator Kobna Holbrook-Smith is so great at portraying Peter Grant, Nightingale and crew. It’s another series we listen to on road trips when our boys were older.
Nope, they’re the UK versions and are unabridged. I have no idea why a different narrator was used for the US version – maybe someone thought Stephen Fry wasn’t famous enough in the US?
I have listened to Jim Dale’s narration of the Prisoner of Azkaban, but perhaps because I grew up listening to Stephen Fry’s version, I enjoyed Fry’s narration more.
I’m staggered to find out that Jim Dale narrated the Harry Potters in the US. He will forever be the ‘young one’ from the Carry On films to me! Good on him for getting a second career.
If this isn’t too off-topic, do any of you have a preference for male or female narrators when it comes to m/f romance audiobooks? I would think it would be awkward to have a single narrator reading a sex scene while swapping back and forth between male and female voices unless the narrator was super good at being convincing (I’m sure some of them are). Actually, I think just hearing someone else read a sex scene would be kind of embarrassing, less private than reading the author’s words in your own head. What do you all think?
Unless it’s a dual or duet narration, it’s usual practice for narrators of fiction to voice characters of the opposite sex. As an audiobook reviewer, it’s something I always listen out for and comment on in reviews as in romance especially, it’s really important that the protagonists sound convincing.
Most romance narrators are very accomplished when it comes to sex scenes – it goes with the territory! Personally, I don’t find it awkward to listen to sex scenes, or that there’s lots of swapping back and forth. If you think about it, most CR is written in alternating first person so you’ll only be in one characters’ head at any one time – and there isn’t usually a huge amount of dialogue in sex scenes.
The really good narrators get right into the swing of things without going over the top ;) But some people can listen to them some can’t, it’s personal preference.
In general I prefer male narrators – but I listen to a lot of m/m, so that’s the norm. I have a very few go-to female narrators – Rosalyn Landor and Kate Reading, who have been mentioned upthread, are superb narrators of historicals but there aren’t many younger American female narrators who work for me. I don’t listen to much m/f contemporary romance, but I do listen to m/f romantic suspense, and I prefer male narrators in that, too.
“Actually, I think just hearing someone else read a sex scene would be kind of embarrassing, less private than reading the author’s words in your own head. What do you all think?”
I am curious about this as well. A lot of the authors I read now tend get pretty graphic and many use some NSFW words pretty freely. (It all works for me on the page). I would have no problems listening to say a Carla Kelly novel but I wonder how an Elizabeth Hoyt or more explicit author comes across.
That’s one of the reasons why I don’t listen to modern romance audiobooks, although I have listened to plenty of books in other genres that have some sex in them. Sex that might be fine on the page can often become ridiculous when read aloud, in my opinion. And I skim a lot of sex scenes in print books out of boredom, to be honest. But it all comes down to the narrator. The best voice actors completely immerse you in the characters’ emotions and you forget they are reading at all.
“The best voice actors completely immerse you in the characters’ emotions and you forget they are reading at all.”
That’s it, exactly. I can’t remember how I felt the first time I listened ended to a sex scene – I’d been listening to audiobooks and audio drama for years before I actually listened to a romance. I think I was… surprised more than anything else! But it was a good story and the narrator was fabulous so I went with it. It just didn’t bother me, but I think I was lucky in that I stumbled upon a terrific narrator for my first few romance audios – if she’d not been so good, I may have been scarred for life!!
“A lot of the authors I read now tend to get pretty graphic and many use some NSFW words pretty freely. (It all works for me on the page.)”
Yeah, I agree. I like to think nothing can shock me at this point, but I also think I’d want to crawl into a hole with embarrassment if I heard someone narrating a sex scene. Except for that time I watched the YouTube clip of Gilbert Gottfried narrating excerpts of Fifty Shades of Grey in a College Humor sketch. That one had me howling with laughter- but behind a closed door.
I’ve been listening to audiobook romances for 20 years, and the sex scenes aren’t a problem for a good narrator, as long as they have good material. For me, a really great narrator “disappears” into the story and all I hear are the voices of the characters. I don’t think of the person reading anymore than I think of myself reading when I read print books. I honestly don’t consciously think, “There is someone reading this.” Sex scenes are no different and don’t present any awkwardness unless they are poorly written, and that bothers me in print, as well. (Simone Prebbles does a good job narrating Stephanie Lauren’s’ Devil’s Bride, but I fast-forwarded though the pages of “transcendent” sex scenes while rolling my eyes.)
When I was homeschooling my kids I read aloud several hours a day. It was actually one of the best ways for my very ADHD son to learn. As long as he could occupy his hands, with toys, building blocks, drawing implements or hanging upside down from a chair, he could focus on my reading. I think that’s why listening to audiobooks works well for my ADD brain. As long as I’m occupied– driving, cleaning, playing games on my tablet–I can listen for hours on end.
I listen to a lot of audiobooks but none are modern romance novels, which I prefer to read in print. But I have two recommendations: Mackenzie Lee’s The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue read by Christian Coulson and Barbara Vine’s No Night is Too Long read by Alex Jennings. Both books have strong romantic elements and both narrators give astonishingly emotive performances. You get the feeling the main characters are speaking directly to you.
My favourite audiobooks have been largely non-romance books, Stephen Fry is my absolute favourite narrator of all times, and his narration of the Harry Potter series is why I joined audible in the first place. I’ve also throughly enjoyed Hugh Fraser’s narration of the Poirot series by Agatha Christie. Some of the Georgette Heyer audiobooks are fantastic, specifically those narrated by Nicholas Rowe and Phyllida Nash.
The Amelia Peabody books read by Barbara Rosenblat are a lot of fun.
I’ve heard a lot of people say those are really excellent.
The first audiobook I listened to was Amanda Quick’s Wicked Widow narrated by Barbara Rosenblat and I was hooked. She was marvelous. Sadly they re-did all the books with the most insipid and grating narrator and I never listened to another AQ book again. I still have the CD of the WW with BR narrating which at the time was horribly expensive! I might have to dig out the old Sony Disc Player!
Female readers that have husky voices, like Rosenblat, work better for me. I also like Juanita McMahon’s voice. She did a lovely narration of Eva Ibbotson’s Madensky Square.
I’m not an audiobook listener for various reasons (don’t like being read to, poor attention span, just general awkwardness), but I did enjoy an excerpt of a multicast performance I heard once of The Godfather. I was impressed with how well the ensemble mimicked the voices of the actors in the movies, making it sound like I was just listening to the movie in the background.
LOL – I’m the same. I just can’t listen that long. Sometimes I will start something during my commute to work, but if I like it I get impatient and just go finish by reading the book instead.
However, I really loved listening to Jon Krakauer’s Into Thin Air. I listened to it a few years ago and was riveted, even though the whole thing happened so long ago. That’s probably the last audiobook I even tried.
The only audiobook I have ever listed to was of 82 Charing Cross Road many years ago. It was excellent and I think because the book is epistolary it worked really well.
I know lots of people love them and I have often thought I should try a romance one but I think my problem is I am used to the sound of my own voice in my head when I read and someone else’s would seem more like watching a movie or having a conversation. For me it wouldn’t have that same quiet and intimacy.
Like you, Chrisreader, I’ve listened only to one audio book and it was Sean Bean reading one of the Sharpe adventures. This was, of course, a perfect fit and I love the sound of his voice and he also does some commercial voiceovers in the UK. His accent is very distinct.
I also hear my own voice and wonder if British-set books are read by people with the “right” accent. For example I would find it disconcerting to hear Georgette Heyer read with an American or Australian accent or a book set in New York read by someone with, say, a Liverpudlian accent. I accept that actors can use different accents but it’s just one of my quirks that I am hyper-aware of less than perfect efforts. Maybe because I grew up in one English-speaking country and now live in one where local accents and dialects can vary every 20 miles and it’s a particlar interest of mine. Also in the UK accents historically have huge class implications unlike the USA.
Accents are my “thing”, too, and I mention them frequently in reviews. It’s fairly rare these days to find books read in the “wrong” accent, I’m pleased to say, although it happened more often in the past. While I’m fairly critical when it comes to British regional accents, I do recognise that it’s just one tool in the narrator’s tool box and that it’s rare for one actor to be able to do every single one, so there has to be a bit of leeway. I will call out someone who uses a Scottish accent for an Irish character, or something equally heinous, or an obviously American narrator doing a terrible English accent! I have yet to hear the NY story narrated by a Scouser, thankfully!!
Richard Armitage has narrated a number of books and I love his voice so I would probably try one of those if the mood takes me. I agree on the proper accent for a certain book and would prefer a British narrator for a Heyer or an Austen novel for certain.
I also adore Sean Bean and I loved that it was his accent that made the creators of Game of Thrones decide that everyone from the North of Westeros should speak with an accent similar to his. It really helped to convey with a few words who people were as soon as they opened their mouths on the show.
I do think the U.K. is famous for their accents havIng more class implications than in the the U.S. but I think the U.S. is also pretty guilty as well. I know in my state I can tell roughly what town/city people are from and it often can cause a socio-economic judgement by many.
I love it when people say they can do an “English accent” or “British accent” like there’s one. (And they usually either go bad cockney or bad royal family). I love the regional accents in the U.K. and that a stereotypical farmer on a U.K. show will have a West Country accent and etc. It’s also funny hearing someone do an “American” accent and they either go Deep South or Texas.
“…but I think my problem is I am used to the sound of my own voice in my head when I read and someone else’s would seem more like watching a movie or having a conversation. For me it wouldn’t have that same quiet and intimacy.”
I’ve never thought of it quite this way. You make some great points that help illuminate some of my own problems with audiobook listening.
I’m glad I don’t see/hear it that way. If I did, I’d have missed out on some of the most amazing storytelling/performances. Everyone is different and I get it’s not a medium that will suit all tastes, but I’d say that listening to an audiobook engenders a sense of greater intimacy and connection to the story, not less. The best narrators can make it a truly immersive experience.
Hey, I’m just glad the options for literature consumption keep growing. It wasn’t so long ago that audiobooks were considered an extremely niche product. I seem to recall an episode of Seinfeld where George faked being blind so he could qualify for audiobook borrowing through the public library. (Nobody ever said George Costanza was the nicest or most ethical person…) Now such an episode wouldn’t make any sense.
Also, I remember when a lot of librarians were leery of graphic novels. Plus, I read debates from way back in the early 1900s on the subject of whether or not libraries should allow access to popular literature as opposed to just the classics and other so-called edifying works. I’m sure glad library science keeps evolving!
“Hey, I’m just glad the options for literature consumption keep growing”
Yes! absolutely! it’s wonderful that so many audiobooks exist today. I know several people who rely on them almost exclusively now because of their eyesight as well as their enjoyment of them. People also enjoy them in different ways. Some people listen during their commute in the car or train and for others I know it’s to wind down at night in their rooms before bed.
For me it’s that I think of it differently than I do reading. I’m sure there are ones I would enjoy. I recently got a free subscription to “Calm” (which anyone with an American Express card can receive for free I believe) And there are “sleep stories” narrated by Eva Green and by Jerome Flynn that are very soothing to hear and enjoyable.
But to me it is not exactly like “reading” but more like watching a TV adaptation or a radio play. Similar but different.
My favorite audiobooks of all time are the multicast version of Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials. They are superb.
It’s my favorite too! It’s absolutely captivating and a wonderful work of art. Having Philip Pullman as the narrator with a full cast is genius.
The gold standard for me! Did you watch the show?
I just picked it up from the library yesterday!
Yes, and Michael Sheen’s narration of the Pullman’s latest trilogy! I would say my favourite audiobook of all time is Stephen Fry’s reading of the Harry Potter series; a classic! I also recently listened to the multicast version of the Sandman by Neil Gaiman (with Michael Sheen, Riz Ahmed, James McAvoy) – another fantastic book!
We listened to the Harry Potter books narrated by Jim Dale who was phenomenal. I have also thought Sheen’s narration is superb!
Wow, those are all great and diverse accents on the people you mention above. Riz Ahmed and Tom Hardy did a small piece on English or London Slang and I enjoyed the two of them talking and their respective accents so much I think I watched two or three times.
The cast is fantastic. The Sandman volumes are actually graphic novels, but the audio version works seamlessly! They are diverse accents, but in the series, Riz uses an American accent:) I must check out that clip of Riz and Tom Hardy, both great actors!
I have several that I adore, but my very favorite is Match Me If You Can by Susan Elizabeth Phillips, narrated by the late, great Anna Fields. She was superb. Her different voices were spot-on. I also like her narrations of other Chicago Stars series and Kiss An Angel, all SEP novels.
Natural Born Charmer is my favorite Anna Fields.
Mine too. I think Anna Fields was a great narrator.
I used to listen to audiobooks on my commute. The ones that stand out are:
Judith Ivory: Proposition
Janet Evanovich: Fox and O’Hare series (all 5 full length novels)
Linda Howard: Drop Dead Gorgeous
Sarah Addison Allen: Garden Spells
J.D. Robb—misc from the Eve Dallas series
The two Blair Mallory books by Linda Howard, narrated by Joyce Bean were so well done. And Susan Ericksen is perfection for the In Death/Eve Dallas series.
Circe, by Madeline Miller, narrated by Perdita Weeks. The story is fascinating, but the narration is sublime.
I have to love the narrator to really enjoy a book I’m listening to, and for me, Kate Reading can take a good book and make it great. I particularly love her narrating Loretta Chase. So, so, sooooo good.
That’s my fave of the year, for sure.
I love almost all things Georgette Heyer on audio. The narrators are all fantastic. Stand outs are The Talisman Ring, Venetia, A Civil Contract, Beauvallet, and An Infamous Army.
Some of my stand-out favorites include The Curse of Chalion and Shards of Honor by Bujold. (She’s another author who has an incredible audiobook legacy, including the entire Vorkosigan series.)
For romantic suspense, few books rival Envy by Sandra Brown, narrated by Viktor Slezak. The “book within a book” plot and Slezak’s narration are pure gold. Lethal is another Brown/Slezak winning combination. Also, Ice Blue by Ann Stuart and narrated by Gabra Zackman is amazing.
Morning Glory by LaVyrle Spenser and narrated by Kate Forbes is a beautiful book all the way around.
I recently finished The Marigold Chain by Stella Riley and narrated by Alex Wynnham. It’s one of the best books I’ve ever listened to on audio. Loved it. Stella Riley and Alex Wynnham make an incredible pair.
For Sci-fi with romance, Primary Inversion by Catherine Asaro is wonderful. It’s narrated by the incomparable Anna Fields.
Happy listening!
Wait until you get as far as A Splendid Defiance – that’s still my favourite of all her books, even 30+ years after it was published, and Alex is superb in it.
I am with you on Georgette Heyer. I just finished listening to Arabella. Phyllida Nash Narrated and she is really good. However I will listen to Alex Wyndham Read the phone book! I love the Stella Riley’s and The Black Madonna Is up next on my list..Caz I will have to check out A Splendid Defiance.
I also enjoy the J.D. Robb series read by Susan Erickson.
Connie, I agree about Wynnham. He’s marvelous! I was tempted to put the In Death series on my list, but my “one favorite audiobook” had already morphed into a lengthy post. Lol. Susan Erikson does such a good job with those books.
I can’t pick just one! And because the enjoyment of an audiobook depends so much on the narrator, a really great book may not be so great in audio if you don’t like the narration. It’s said often, but a poor narrator can easily ruin a good book. And, of course, opinions on narrators differ – there are some I can’t stand who seem to be very popular at the moment, and some I like that don’t work for others.
These days, I listen and read about 50/50. Sometimes I listen to books I’ve already read, sometimes not – and I’m very much a narrator-led listener. I don’t care who the author is, or what book it is – if I don’t like the narrator, I won’t listen to it, even if it’s my favourite book of All Time Ever. I’ve found some fantastic books and new-to-me authors because when I find a narrator I like, I will follow them to other books and genres.
I’d definitely second the recommendations by Wendy F for Lord of Scoundrels and Glitterland, and to those I’d add most of Laura Kinsale’s books, which are superbly narrated by Nicholas Boulton (personal faves would be Flowers from the Storm, Seize the Fire and Lessons in French, which I think is hugely underrated). Kate Reading in Loretta Chase is wonderful, although I’d also give high props to her performance in Sherry Thomas’ His at Night. Rosalyn Landor in Julia Quinn’s Bridgerton series and Courtney Milan’s Brothers Sinister books (and pretty much anything else she narrates)… In m/m, Annabeth Albert’s Out of Uniform series has some wonderful stories and narrators (At Attention and Tight Quarters and are two faves, but they’re all good), and Dal Maclean’s brilliant Object of Desire and Blue on Blue will make my Best of 2020 in audio list, no question.
I could name many, MANY more – and if anyone wants recommendations, feel free to hit me up – I’ll be happy to help if I can.
Ha, I’d actually managed to prune down to a Very Favourite list of 7 but was trying to be good!
I toyed with the idea of adding a favourite Romantic Suspense, which would have been Dal MacLean’s Bitter Legacy trilogy, narrated by Gary Furlong. I particularly enjoyed Blue on Blue.
Anyway, the others are:
Two narrated by Rosalyn Landor – A Rogue by Any Other Name by Sarah MacLean and Ten Things I Love About You by Julia Quinn. I adore Bourne and Penelope in ARBAON and much prefer Quinn’s London series to the Bridgertons.
Any Old Diamonds by KJ Charles, narrated by Cornell Collins. I have read and listened to this book so many times that I know a lot of it by heart!
And one more contemporary m/m – Heated Rivalry by Rachel Reid, narrated by Tor Thom. I love this book and I think his voice for Ilya is just perfect.
Case in point – I can’t stand Tor Thom (he’s like the poor man’s Aiden Snow!). He has a great voice, but his breathing is all over the place and his character differentiation isn’t great. (I’ve reviewed him at AG a couple of times). But I love Heated Rivalry, so I gave it a try and – just nope. Thankfully, the next book in the series is using someone else, so I’ll be all over that like a rash!
(I didn’t include Bitter Legacy simply because it came out in 2019 and I mentioned a 2020 best of list – that whole series is fantastic and I think contains Gary F’s best work so far.)
I usually get the audio of books that I have really enjoyed reading. I’ve always reread well-loved books and have added listening to their audio versions.
For me, a really great audiobook is one that enhances the experience – makes it even better than when I read it myself.
Kate Reading’s narration of Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase did this for me. By the time I first read this book I had read a LOT of HR, but hadn’t yet read the book that I kept seeing at the top of lists of best ever HR books. Anyway, I read it and thought, ‘yes, this is a pretty good book’. Sometime later, I listened to the audiobook and understood why it’s rated so highly. A superlative narration of a wonderful book that takes it to another level.
I’m going to cheat and also mention a contemporary m/m romance.
Nicholas Boulton gives a perfect rendition of Alexis Hall’s Glitterland. He handles the darkness and the comedy brillantly and gives an excellent portrayal of Darian, which could have gone so wrong if narrated differently.