Recommend repetitive audiobooks?

May 16, 2009 5:53 AM

Recommendations for repetitive audio literature? While driving to work, I enjoy audiobooks that won't punish me if, for instance, I stop listening for a second while making sure not to crash my car.

The two books I've enjoyed most as audio are The Old Man and the Sea and Robinson Crusoe. It's probably not an accident that these are both books about repetitive actions required for survival. The memoir Black Boy also worked well, though I'm really looking for fiction recommendations. My attempts to listen to books by authors such as Dostoevsky and Faulkner were much less successful, even though I enjoy reading both of them in traditional book form. It would also be swell if your recommendations were available on CD through the Chicago Public Library. Thank you!

posted by HeroZero to media & arts (5 comments total)

Ned Raggett Reads the Almanac

Ned Raggett recites pi
posted by Eater at 6:29 AM on May 16

I always always always listen to David Sedaris in the car. May not be quite what you're looking for, but I think it's worth a try.
posted by easy_being_green at 11:27 AM on May 16

I find the SALT talks at longnow.org to be great for driving.

You will need to burn your own CD though.
posted by b1tr0t at 12:50 PM on May 16

David Rakoff, David Sedaris, and Sarah Vowell -- long, tangential digressions, easy to follow, and generally awesome. Or Car Talk -- where you can just tune in whenever you need to. Or the Diane Rehm show -- long-winded and slow, and easy on the ears.

yes, puck listens to public radio.
posted by puckish at 1:42 PM on May 16

Jane Austen is fantastic as a recorded book. Dickens probably would work too. They were both meant to be read out loud.

More importantly, just ignore the tape when you're in danger, and hit the rewind button when you're past the danger.
posted by musofire at 7:47 PM on May 16