Looking for engaging audiobooks... for someone who hates audio books.

April 10, 2022 5:26 PM

I'm a voracious reader but trying to limit my screen time these days. What are some particularly exciting audio books that will keep me interested and not put me to sleep?

Ok without getting into the whole story (that'll be another askme), I'm having some trouble with my eyes lately. I'm getting some tests done in the next few weeks but in the meantime, my doctor has advised me to go easy on my eyes for a while. No ipad, no tv, computer limited to work.

I read a LOT of books, both in print and on my kindle/ipad. I'd like to listen to some audio books instead but.... I haaaaate audiobooks. If I'm doing anything else like driving, washing dishes, working etc, I get distracted and stop listening, and if I'm just sitting quietly in bed or on a train or something, I fall asleep. So I really need engaging exciting books. No slow moving dramas or memoirs, etc. I generally like horror, fantasy, adventure, comedy I guess? NOT slice of life type stuff.

Right now I'm listening to The Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King which is perfect. Good voice performer, exciting fairy tale like story. I'm looking for something like that. But no more Stephen King. I've already read everything by him.

It has to be readily available from my library, so nothing brand new. And it has to have a decent voice actor. Help me get through the next few weeks without going crazy!

posted by silverstatue to Media & Arts (26 answers total)

What about scripted podcast audio dramas? Your list of interests leads me to believe you would be into Bubble (short episodic Buffy-esque show about a hipster woman who protects her hipster dome town from the monsters that live outside it), The City In The City In The City (short radio play, a woman goes on an absurdist creepy quest to discover the last know communique from her estranged father), and Welcome To Night Vale (long podcast about a town where Lovecraftian weird stuff happens; episodes largely stand alone but have recurring characters and some arcs that occasionally reappear). I would say all of those have great voice acting, Bubble and Night Vale have superb audio quality as well, IMO.
posted by Night_owl at 5:47 PM on April 10, 2022 [2 favorites]

If you haven’t already read it, I enjoyed the audio book of The Girl On the Train. I am like you, big reader, never do audio books, but this one was a gripping story and good narration (there’s more than one POV in the book and I remember them using different narrators to good effect). Hope this helps!
posted by Zephyrial at 5:51 PM on April 10, 2022 [1 favorite]

Some fantasy audiobooks I’ve enjoyed:

The Graveyard Book, read by the author himself. Unlike most authors who read their own work, Neil Gaiman is an excellent narrator.

The Bone Clocks, by David Mitchell, multiple narrators. This was exciting and fast paced and all the narrators were good.

The Rook, by Daniel O’Malley, read by Susan Duerden. The protagonist wakes up surrounded by dead bodies but she has no idea who they are or who she is. Exciting and fun.

I recommend speeding up the narrators if you’re finding then too slow. I rarely listen to an audiobook at the “correct” speed.
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 5:57 PM on April 10, 2022 [1 favorite]

If you like Sci-Fi, The Interdependency by John Scalzi is great, and performed by Will Wheaton.

I'm not quite sure how to categorize it, but Dungeon Crawler Carl is well produced, and completely hilarious.

The Name of the Wind is another of my favorites.
posted by genrand at 6:00 PM on April 10, 2022 [1 favorite]

Lovecraft Country by Matt Ruff

Murderbot series by Martha Wells

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Any of the Chester Himes adaptations
posted by nickggully at 6:12 PM on April 10, 2022

Hummingbird Salamander by Jeff Vandermeer. Lots of action and a great narrator.

Tip: I tend to nod off during audiobooks, but it helps if I increase the playback speed to 1.25x.
posted by Comet Bug at 6:21 PM on April 10, 2022 [2 favorites]

The Gentleman Bastard series by Scott Lynch - starts with The Lies of Locke Lamora (fantasy, but often laugh-out-loud funny)

Ready Player One was an excellent listen. (I still haven't gotten around to seeing the movie.)

John Sandford's Prey series is excellent written - a friend of mine is current on the audiobooks, and says they're good

Mercedes Lackey's Hunter trilogy was good and I enjoyed it on audio

I've discovered that it's easier for me to stay tuned-in to what I'm listening to when it's podcasts, rather than audiobooks. It also makes it easier for me to stay awake; I suspect because lately I'm listening to nonfiction podcasts. (Unless I'm laying down, because with my recent sleepiness issues, laying down is almost a guarantee I will fall asleep.) So, you might consider trying podcasts, too.

I also - since people interrupt me a lot when I'm home - have found that open-ear bone conduction headphones are PERFECT for me. (Shokz) For some reason, they feel much more immediate than earbuds - like the sound is coming from inside my own head, literally - and yet for some reason at the same time, my subconscious thinks the whole room can hear it. That change has also made it easier to stay awake and actively listening, which is surprising, because I would've thought it'd make me more distractible.

On preview: yeah, I use the speed-up trick, too. The particular audiobook/podcast/speaker's voice/accent changes the speed I can handle, but usually 1.25 is ok. It doesn't change the sound much, but for some reason, tricks your brain into paying better attention. (Too fast, though, and it's too easy to lose track of it and your brain will just stop listening.) Plus, it means I get to feel extra productive, lol.

And hey? Can I offer some (((hugs))) if you want them? The thought of being unable to read the written word terrifies me - audio could never sufficiently replace it for me. (Unfortunately, my vision is at risk, too, due to a rare disease I have... so far, I've been fortunate.)
posted by stormyteal at 6:48 PM on April 10, 2022

See what your library has that’s narrated by RC Bray. I’ve listened to sci fi and mystery/thriller novels read by him and they’ve been some of my favorites. As a random example, I recently listened to The Heavens May Fall by Allen Eskins (because my library had it on CD and the reviews were pretty good), not having read or listened to anything else in that series, and it kept my attention for hours on a long drive. I have also liked Stephen King books while driving, so maybe you’d like the mystery stuff too.
posted by wondermouse at 7:06 PM on April 10, 2022

My daughter says:

I don’t do great with audiobooks but the Wayward Children series worked well for me. The first book, Every Heart a Doorway, is a portal fantasy / murder mystery, with lots of fun accents to keep you entertained.

posted by mbrubeck at 7:15 PM on April 10, 2022

Any Terry Pratchett that's narrated by Stephen Briggs is absolutely A++++ audiobook material. I zone out really easily on audiobooks but these buck the trend.
posted by babelfish at 8:02 PM on April 10, 2022 [3 favorites]

In the weird mixed category of fast-paced, light, comedy-horror-fantasy, I've enjoyed The Rise and Fall of D. O. D. O., The Laundry Files (series), and The Kaiju Preservation Society. The voice acting is great in some and and bad in none.

(Most of my other recommendations that might fit are in more straightforward space-opera science fiction. If that's of interest, let us know.)
posted by eotvos at 8:54 PM on April 10, 2022

I very much recommend John Scalzi's audiobooks as well. He's got one book of short stories that are quite good, and also take a short enough time that they fit in with whatever else I'm doing. His books The Dispatcher and Murder by Other Means are read by Zachery Quinto, who does an excellent job in my opinion given the subject matter. One other thought, there's a podcast called Levar Burton Reads that I enjoy. He is a great reader and he really enjoys the stories he's reading, which in turn encourages my own interest. I've only gotten into audio books and such since Covid started, and I am finding that I do much better with short fiction and sci fi fantasy sorts of stories. If it's an epic or a history I start to nod off no matter how much I am interested in the subject matter. The key to staying engaged in the listening is for the piece to have interesting developments in short enough succession that I'm waiting to hear what happens next, and short stories in particular fill that mold particularly well.
posted by Rufous-headed Towhee heehee at 9:07 PM on April 10, 2022 [1 favorite]

You definitely want to listen to World War Z by Max Brooks. It’s an episodic recounting of the rise of a zombie apocalypse and how the living fought back, told by many storytellers in different locales, voiced by many different and excellent actors.

If you’ve ever seen the movie, put it out of your mind entirely—the book is very different and much better.
posted by ejs at 9:19 PM on April 10, 2022 [2 favorites]

I both love reading and listening to audiobooks; they both have their benefits and drawbacks. Most of the audiobooks I've listened to, I've read as well (separately), and these are the few that I felt the audiobook was a better experience than the book being read.

Project Hail Mary - Andy Weir (I cannot recommend this enough. It's a fantastic book and really benefitted from the narrator's reading.) Hugo Award nominee! My advice, don't read about it. Dive in blind; it's such an incredible experience.

The Lies of Locke Lamora - Scott Lynch (Gentlemen Bastards Trilogy)

And if you're looking for epic, Dive into the Robin Hobb Rhelm of the Elderlings. Enough content to occupy you for the foreseeable future.
posted by wile e at 11:18 PM on April 10, 2022

Thanks for asking this question! I love audiobooks.

Seconding World War Z recommendation.

The Rivers of London (Peter Grant) series by Ben Aronovich is excellent contemporary fantasy with a lot of humour. The narrator, Kobna Holdbrook Smith, is seriously one of the very best audiobook narrators I've ever heard.

Other audiobooks I've loved:
The Girl with all the Gifts by MR Carey. Also by him, The Boy on the Bridge, Fellside, and Someone Like Me.
These are all pretty intense, violent, gruesome at times but emotionally honest and compassionate.
I'm listening to Gideon the Ninth at the moment and it's really good too.
posted by Zumbador at 11:39 PM on April 10, 2022 [2 favorites]

Nthing trying to up the speed, while doing nothing but listening. I'm a bit of a outlyer and use speeds from 1.25 - 2, depending on the performer and my energy level.
posted by skaggig at 4:44 AM on April 11, 2022 [1 favorite]

Thirding upping the speed to 1.25x or 1.5x. Audiobooks are often incomprehensible to me unless I increase the speed.
posted by Winnie the Proust at 4:46 AM on April 11, 2022

If you like scifi at all, I think almost all the Philip K Dick books on Audible are excellent. I’m a PKD superfan, and now I’ll choose the audiobooks every time. I’ve listened to them dozens of times each. Some good ones: Our Friends From Frolix 8, Ubik, Clans of the Alphane Moon, Now Wait for Last Year, Galactic Pot-Healer, The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch. Sometimes you need to give it a chapter to really grab you, but there is so much going on and so many ideas, and the narrators are really good.
posted by asimplemouse at 5:28 AM on April 11, 2022

You want Gideon the Ninth. SUCH good narration, the work itself is smart queer horror? It’s absolutely the best audiobook I’ve listened to and I listen to hundreds a year. Also recommend Lincoln In the Bardo.
posted by tatiana wishbone at 6:13 AM on April 11, 2022 [2 favorites]

Everyone I know says the Andre Leon Talley book, narrated by himself, is wild!
posted by RJ Reynolds at 7:21 AM on April 11, 2022 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Thank you so much, everyone! I will check out as many of these as possible. And good suggestion to increase the speed. I never tried that before but maybe that will be the ticket to keeping me from nodding off :)

And thank you stormyteal for the hugs.... saying this has been the scariest week of my life would be an understatement. But fingers crossed my tests will come back ok or with hope for improvement.
posted by silverstatue at 7:53 AM on April 11, 2022 [1 favorite]

Just here to third Gideon the Ninth. I listen to a lot of audiobooks and the performance here is stellar, especially the comedic timing (she is a standup by trade).
posted by Cogito at 8:25 AM on April 11, 2022 [1 favorite]

You'll also find that this is much more about the narrator than the content. I recommend the laundry series read by Gideon Emory.
posted by edbles at 11:16 AM on April 11, 2022

I'll second the Rivers of London series and Daniel O'Malley's Rook (which has one sequel published an another coming soon). There is another book called Rook by Sharon Cameron, which is a play on The Scarlet Pimpernel. It is set in a sort of alternate Victorian era Europe. Parts are slow moving, but overall worth a listen if you like spy/mystery stuff. I'm a 1.5-2x listener for most books read with American accents. I struggle with British narrators at those speeds, so it is usually 1.25 for me.
I read plenty of cozy mysteries that would put you sleep, and I assumed the Mrs Pollifax series would be the same. In fact she works for the CIA and has adventures in other countries. Again there are some slow parts, but even if you zone out a bit, you can pick the story up again quickly with context.
The best part about using Libby is that you can ditch a book that is just not grabbing you with zero guilt.
posted by soelo at 11:22 AM on April 11, 2022 [1 favorite]

I also love reading and hate audiobooks, but listen to them during boring work tasks.

Books by comedians read by themselves are usually good, I especially enjoyed Tiffany Haddish's The Last Black Unicorn.

Adjoa Andoh is a fabulous narrator - I've listened to Ann Leckie's Ancillary Justice and The Raven Tower read by her and her voices are wonderful. She's also an actor and FWIW plays Lady Danbury in Bridgerton.

I also found the Girl on a Train audiobook to be well done. It was a random library download because it was available and I had [boring work task] and I was pleasantly surprised.
posted by momus_window at 4:17 PM on April 12, 2022

The Aubrey & Maturin series by Patrick O'Brian is an oldie but goodie that should be available from most libraries. It follows the adventures of a Royal Navy captain (Aubrey) and his ship's surgeon and naval intelligence officer (Maturin) during the Napoleonic wars and shortly after. The audiobooks narrated by Simon Vance are wonderful.
posted by Quietgal at 10:26 AM on April 13, 2022 [1 favorite]