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Kestral posted:Embassytown always struck me as impossible to do as an audiobook, given the nature of Ariekei Language and how important that is to the story. How do they handle it? In the print version they show Language words stacked on top of each other, separated by a horizontal bar like a fraction.
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Nov 23, 2014 22:44
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Farecoal posted:Are any of the Discworld audiobooks any good? I'm up to Witches Abroad. I liked Night Watch and Thud! a lot. I couldn't really stand Nigel Planer as a narrator, but anything by Stephen Briggs was gold to me.
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Nov 24, 2014 22:42
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Kestral posted:I'm one of the ones polarized by the Audible version of Ancillary Justice. The book is incredible and absolutely deserves the major awards that rained down on it, but the narration was so grating that I had to go out and get a print copy to finish it. Ciulla's reading feels forced, partly because of the way she enunciates anything that isn't a normal English word (which, in this book, is a lot of words). Huh, didn't even know there was another version. On the UK store there is only the one read by Adjoa Andoh, which was the one I was praising so highly. I think both versions are available on audible.com. As for other female narrators I've enjoyed, I recently listened to the new Gibson novel read by Lorelei King, that was well done. I've a feeling she's done a lot of other stuff, though I've only heard her do a few Margaret Atwood books in the past.
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Nov 27, 2014 10:44
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I suggest The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch. It feels quite a bit like Joe Abercrombie's books in style, and though the first book is lacking a bit in characterization for Locke, it certainly makes up for it by the second and third, which are gems. The characterization and plotting isn't as good as Joe's, especially in the second book where I feel like he should have just split it into two books, but his humor and banter is hands down far better than Joe's. I get at least one belly laugh and hour. Ice Phisherman fucked around with this message at 11:30 on Nov 27, 2014 |
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Nov 27, 2014 11:24
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I'm not sure if this is better suited for here or one of the podcast threads, but can anyone recommended some kind of decent anthology of short stories in audiobook form? Preferably horror/SciFi. Just something to listen to while I'm falling asleep, what I'm after is essentially bed time stories for adults.
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Nov 28, 2014 00:56
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Tea Bone posted:I'm not sure if this is better suited for here or one of the podcast threads, but can anyone recommended some kind of decent anthology of short stories in audiobook form? Preferably horror/SciFi. Just something to listen to while I'm falling asleep, what I'm after is essentially bed time stories for adults. Welcome to Nightvale is a great horror podcast. If you like campy zombie stories (normally I don't, but it has a full cast) I would suggest We're Alive. Knights of the Night have actual play tabletop rpg with fantastic editing to keep the game going at a decent pace of which I'm a particular fan of their World of Darkness games. Also if you would like something longer that's scifi/horror I would suggest checking out role playing public radio's Eclipse Phase actual play tabletop podcasts. That should set you up for a long, long time. Not in order of how much I like it, but in order of relevance.
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Nov 28, 2014 07:01
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Tea Bone posted:I'm not sure if this is better suited for here or one of the podcast threads, but can anyone recommended some kind of decent anthology of short stories in audiobook form? Preferably horror/SciFi. Just something to listen to while I'm falling asleep, what I'm after is essentially bed time stories for adults. Could work your way through the back catalog of Escape Pod and Pseudopod if you're comfortable with podcasts.
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Nov 28, 2014 08:07
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Tea Bone posted:I'm not sure if this is better suited for here or one of the podcast threads, but can anyone recommended some kind of decent anthology of short stories in audiobook form? Preferably horror/SciFi. Just something to listen to while I'm falling asleep, what I'm after is essentially bed time stories for adults. There are audio recordings of a lot of the Best New Horror compilation series. As with most anthologies quality can be variable but each collection tends to have a few good ones from authors like Neil Gaiman, Caitlin Kiernan, Kim Newman etc. Now that I think about it you could do much worse than Gaiman's short story collections in general. Looking For Jake by China Mieville is also very good and the audio version includes a brilliant recording of Foundation.
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Nov 28, 2014 21:29
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Tea Bone posted:I'm not sure if this is better suited for here or one of the podcast threads, but can anyone recommended some kind of decent anthology of short stories in audiobook form? Preferably horror/SciFi. Just something to listen to while I'm falling asleep, what I'm after is essentially bed time stories for adults. Also if you start listening to podcasts on horror or short fiction (or longer fiction,) there is a lot of cross-advertising between shows, so if you listen to one for a while, you'll invariably learn about several others.
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Nov 28, 2014 21:50
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The New Black posted:Huh, didn't even know there was another version. On the UK store there is only the one read by Adjoa Andoh, which was the one I was praising so highly. I think both versions are available on audible.com. Sadly no, the US apparently only gets the Celeste Ciulla version. Too bad, because I was able to find a sample of the Andoh version, and yeah, she's much better suited.
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Nov 28, 2014 23:45
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Kestral posted:Sadly no, the US apparently only gets the Celeste Ciulla version. Too bad, because I was able to find a sample of the Andoh version, and yeah, she's much better suited. It's only a small part of it but I think it helps to have a British person to pull off some of the ridiculously posh accents a bunch of the characters are meant to have. Nobody's ever done snobbery quite like us.
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Nov 30, 2014 11:32
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Farecoal posted:Are any of the Discworld audiobooks any good? I'm up to Witches Abroad. If you don't mind the abridged versions, Tony Robinson's readings are very good.
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Nov 30, 2014 12:38
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^ Avoid the Death centric books though. Robinson's Death voice is awful.
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Dec 2, 2014 09:49
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I've just finished Salems Lot, and am reminded of just how good King can be. I need some more solid horror, but have run dry. This year I've gone through: It (Amazing) Salem's Lot (Amazing) The Stand (Great) Snowblind (Ok) Everything's Eventual (terrible IMO) The Talisman (Good, but not really horror) Ghost Road Blues (meh) Doctor Sleep (bad) Hell House (Ok) Carrion Comfort (meh) The Abominable (terrible after the reveal) John Dies at the End (Absolutely fantastic) This Book is Full of Spiders (Amazing) I've also read traditionally: Under the Dome (Amazing) Cell (meh) Pet Semetary (Amazing) Bleed (pretty good) Blindsight (fantastic) And a number of terrible zombie novels. I don't like Ultimate Evil! fiction with demons and angels, Zombies are getting really old, Vampires are only good if terrifying, Lovecraft clones are getting boring and the classics I've read too many times to care anymore. Help a guy out. What's out there on Audio that's a good scare?
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Dec 3, 2014 17:16
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I'm looking for a book that is both 1) intelligently written and 2) is narrated by an excellent female narrator. Something with postmodern themes perhaps. Something along the lines of Atonement or White Noise, if it exists. The last two books I finished were Donna Tartt's The Secret History (which I loved for its psychological scope) and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (which was also engaging, for its mystery plot, but I found Lisbeth and her romance subplot flat and uninteresting). Failing the postmodern criteria I'm open to anything really, as long as it fits my first two.
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Dec 5, 2014 12:46
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Wittgenstein's Mistress might fit. It's pomo as gently caress being built around allegories drawn from that philosopher's works. Basically the sole remaining living being in the world entertains herself by writing a diary where she wonders if that's a cat batting at her window or some tape being blown by the wind. e: forgot I was in the Audiobook thread... Mr. Squishy fucked around with this message at 14:37 on Dec 5, 2014 |
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Dec 5, 2014 14:25
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The further I get in The Peripheral, the more I'm like  Fall posted:I'm looking for a book that is both 1) intelligently written and 2) is narrated by an excellent female narrator. Something with postmodern themes perhaps. Something along the lines of Atonement or White Noise, if it exists. The last two books I finished were Donna Tartt's The Secret History (which I loved for its psychological scope) and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (which was also engaging, for its mystery plot, but I found Lisbeth and her romance subplot flat and uninteresting). It fits your first two criteria, but might be a little too scifi/cyberpunk for your taste.
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Dec 5, 2014 14:32
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If anybody out there is looking to read The Invisible Man (by Ralph Ellison), get the audiobook by Joe Morton. It is loving astounding, just like the book itself.
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Dec 5, 2014 14:35
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My wife has a pretty long commute (about an hour each way) and I was hoping to get her something to do audiobooks. Her stereo does USB sticks, but the problem is each time the car shuts off it resets the position in the chapter and that pretty much makes it unusable. I was considering getting her an iPod Touch 32GB (so she can do other crap with it,) a years subscription to Audible, and maybe an iTunes gift card to get more books. Her car supports iPod (and if that ends up being a pain for how it controls, it also supports line-in which means it's guaranteed to work) Anyone have any better recommendations for either player or material sources?
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Dec 9, 2014 18:21
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Bluetooth adapter and an audible subscription I use this one and it's great http://www.amazon.com/Kinivo-BTC450-Bluetooth-Hands-Free-Input/dp/B009NLTW60
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Dec 9, 2014 18:44
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Fiendish Dr. Wu posted:Bluetooth adapter and an audible subscription For reasons I don't want it to be her phone. We could already do her android phone and bluetooth since it supports it. If the ipod touch does bluetooth, that would work just as well as using the aux-in jack. It needs to be a dedicated device. Because reasons.
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Dec 9, 2014 18:54
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shortspecialbus posted:For reasons I don't want it to be her phone. We could already do her android phone and bluetooth since it supports it. If the ipod touch does bluetooth, that would work just as well as using the aux-in jack. It needs to be a dedicated device. Because reasons. lol, okay. Well, I guess the Audible recommendation still applies. Nice app, good selection, quality recordings, great listen guarantee.
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Dec 9, 2014 18:59
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Fiendish Dr. Wu posted:lol, okay. Well, I guess the Audible recommendation still applies. Nice app, good selection, quality recordings, great listen guarantee. Great, thanks! I think we'll go with that solution then.
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Dec 9, 2014 20:02
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shortspecialbus posted:My wife has a pretty long commute (about an hour each way) and I was hoping to get her something to do audiobooks. Her stereo does USB sticks, but the problem is each time the car shuts off it resets the position in the chapter and that pretty much makes it unusable. I use an old disk based iPod and line-in with an audible subscription. It works great - I don't need anything more fancy than it provides. Edit: And I've used this setup for at least 6 years now too, it really is just fine.
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Dec 9, 2014 20:04
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shortspecialbus posted:Great, thanks! I think we'll go with that solution then. http://www.audible.com/t1/30dgft_plusone_TV_at use this for 2 free books to start (1 month free) dang just thought about the refer a friend thing. Oh well.
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Dec 9, 2014 20:04
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Anybody else listen to the audiobook for Robert Bevan's Critical Failures? It's definitely a guilty pleasure type book, but man is it funny and very easy listening, which I like a lot of the time for audiobooks. The narrator uses some great voices for the characters too, especially the Orc who sounds like Willy The Touchtone Terrorist.
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Dec 10, 2014 09:15
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Can anyone recommend any good audiobooks similar to the works of Ben Macintyre or John LeCarre?
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Dec 19, 2014 05:36
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I've gotten into audiobooks as a way to entertain myself during my commute. I recently finished and enjoyed 23 Things They Don't Tell You about Capitalism and 12 Angry Men and would like some recommendations in a similar vein. Maybe something economics/market related or good audio/radio dramas. I'm currently looking at The Black Swan but hesitating to pull the trigger since the reviews on audible.com seem very mixed. Also on my wish list is Pity the Billionaire which seems a little short compared to what I usually get.
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Dec 19, 2014 08:08
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Been going through George MacDonald Fraser's Flashman series, lately. David Case does a great job... up until he has to do non-UK accents. Which happens quite a bit. I can't remember where I've heard a more tone-deaf American accent. But his take on the main character is spot-on. Other stuff I've listened to recently includes: The Marcus Didius Falco series (I'm up to A Body in the Bathhouse), by Lindsey Davis, narrated by Christian Rodska. Thunderstruck, by Erik Larson, narrated by Bob Balaban. Joy in the Morning (a Jeeves & Wooster novel), by P.G. Wodehouse, narrated by Jonathon Cecil. The Medicus series, by Ruth Downie, narrated by Simon Vance. J.G. Ballard's Complete Short Stories, narrated by, like, ten different people. The King's Gambit, by John Maddox Roberts, narrated by Simon Vance. All of the above have been pretty good, except The King's Gambit, which I had to stop after 45 minutes because the dialogue was giving me fits. "Hello, Roman! I am a foreigner! Please tell me everything you know about your empire, in exhaustive detail!"
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Dec 19, 2014 09:40
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Curently listening to The Martian by Andy Weir - Robinson Crusoe on Mars. The main character is a mix between MacGyver and John McClane. It's just great.
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Dec 19, 2014 22:50
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I subscribed to Audible a little less than a year ago to have stuff on while I do my monotonous job from home. Weirdly, I feel like I've already run out of appropriate books. First out were monotonously read books. Not necessarily a reflection on the actual quality - some of them could well be listenable, in different circumstances. Also recently I discovered that this schedule makes audiobooks of one of my favorite authors Terry Pratchett skip by too quickly, so that I come away much less satisfied than if I read the books. Then there's the fact of male narrators reading female voices, which both often makes me uncomfortable, and, again, makes me wish to read it on my own to give the character the voice I find appropriate in my head. Also, the search for the next audiobook normally takes at least a day for me, most of that time not very pleasant (partly because it feels like I'm wasting time). And I've discovered several podcasts that I enjoy to a large degree because of the spontaneity of the dialog, because there are several different and appropriate voices, and most importantly, they are free, without any limit on the sample size before I decide to "commit" to one. So I reckon it's time to unsubscribe, especially considering the economic situation in Russia where I reside (it's not bankrupting me, but from my point of view I'm paying twice the price I did in the beginning). Opinions?
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Dec 23, 2014 13:18
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Kestral posted:I'm one of the ones polarized by the Audible version of Ancillary Justice. The book is incredible and absolutely deserves the major awards that rained down on it, but the narration was so grating that I had to go out and get a print copy to finish it. Ciulla's reading feels forced, partly because of the way she enunciates anything that isn't a normal English word (which, in this book, is a lot of words). Bernadette Dunne does something similar in the MaddAddam books, this combination of cadence and over-enunciation that puts so much emphasis on the made-up words that they stand out like crazy. Really? I loved Audible's Ancillary Justice--I felt that the narrator was speaking so stilted and weird to convey how robotic and inhuman the protagonist was. Half of the reason I left the audiobook as entertained as I did was because I felt that the whole experience was immersive.
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Dec 23, 2014 18:05
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supermikhail posted:So I reckon it's time to unsubscribe, especially considering the economic situation in Russia where I reside (it's not bankrupting me, but from my point of view I'm paying twice the price I did in the beginning). Opinions? I've been able to string out about six months of Audible so far for about six dollars by just keeping an eye on places like slickdeals for discounts and free months. Even so, I still end up listening to free podcasts far far more than any of these almost free books I've gotten. I'd say ditch Audible and only pop back on when its a deal/you have a specific book in mind.
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Dec 23, 2014 20:04
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nutranurse posted:Really? I loved Audible's Ancillary Justice--I felt that the narrator was speaking so stilted and weird to convey how robotic and inhuman the protagonist was. Half of the reason I left the audiobook as entertained as I did was because I felt that the whole experience was immersive. So I got curious and checked out the alternative readings for Ancillary Justice, discovered that the sequel's out, nabbed the British(? They changed the narrator at least) version and yeah. This sounds much, much better.
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Dec 23, 2014 23:51
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Authorman posted:I've been able to string out about six months of Audible so far for about six dollars by just keeping an eye on places like slickdeals for discounts and free months. Even so, I still end up listening to free podcasts far far more than any of these almost free books I've gotten. I'd say ditch Audible and only pop back on when its a deal/you have a specific book in mind. Oh, drat. I still have 2 credits, and it says if I cancel my membership, they will be gone.  I guess I should get something with them.
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Dec 24, 2014 12:44
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supermikhail posted:Oh, drat. I still have 2 credits, and it says if I cancel my membership, they will be gone. Yeah you lose your credits if you cancel so spend them first. However if you go partway through canceling and cite "can't afford subscription" as the reason they will offer you either 20 bucks or a free credit or some discounted months. You can take those, spend them, and then immediately cancel afterwards anyway. If you need recommendations I would suggest the Locke Lamora series for fiction or Legacy of Ashes: History of the CIA/ Enemies: History of the FBI or The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich for non fiction. Sadly Wigfield: The Can Do Town That Just May Not is not on audible for whatever reason. Anyone reading this owes themselves to find that because it is pretty amazing.
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Dec 24, 2014 15:30
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I read Lies of Locke Lamora, and found it in parts too wordy (such that I skipped whole pages), didn't like the ending, although it followed through on its premise in a quite fun way. Does it change in the later instalments to my benefit by chance?
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Dec 24, 2014 16:36
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supermikhail posted:I read Lies of Locke Lamora, and found it in parts too wordy (such that I skipped whole pages), didn't like the ending, although it followed through on its premise in a quite fun way. Does it change in the later instalments to my benefit by chance? Though I loved the first book, I truly got bored in the second and never finished it. Take that as you will.
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Dec 24, 2014 16:53
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supermikhail posted:I read Lies of Locke Lamora, and found it in parts too wordy (such that I skipped whole pages), didn't like the ending, although it followed through on its premise in a quite fun way. Does it change in the later instalments to my benefit by chance? The second and third books are somewhat different in tone and structure with the second being half a caper and half a pirate adventure and the third focusing much more on characters and worldbuilding than the caper. That being said the first is still the best one and if you didn't like it you probably won't like the others.
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Dec 24, 2014 17:04
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Authorman posted:Yeah you lose your credits if you cancel so spend them first. However if you go partway through canceling and cite "can't afford subscription" as the reason they will offer you either 20 bucks or a free credit or some discounted months. You can take those, spend them, and then immediately cancel afterwards anyway. Good advice, which I'll be following once my current 3 month for $6 deal is done. Seconding Rise and Fall of the Third Reich - I quite enjoyed that, now working on the civil war audiobooks by the same narrator. I also added the FBI and CIA books to my Overdrive list. There are a bunch of fantastic, informative, entertaining Great Courses lectures too. There must be a few that spark your interest at least a little. Check out the samples and pick ones whose lecturers stick out, and you will definitely find them worthy of an Audible credit.
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Dec 25, 2014 06:23
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