I had listened to the audiobook version of Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes few years ago. But when I read the book afterwards, I found out that there were certain details which would have been better if I had read the book instead of listening to it.
While reading House of Leaves by Mark Danielewskyi I remember thinking that it would never make sense as an audiobook.
On the other hand, I've read Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir, but the audiobook experience was far superior than reading it. The same goes for Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman.
So I'm curious. Which books should not be listened to as audiobooks as it detracts certain aspects of the original book and which are the ones that are enhanced when experienced as audiobooks?
by Mostly_Harmless_N42
40 Comments
The Expanse books. I read the books and watched the TV show but the audiobooks really sold me on the series for some reason.
I think it would also be incredible to read, but the audiobook of Born A Crime by Trevor Noah is next level. His narration of it makes an already amazing story so powerful.
I listened to I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jeanette McCurdy on audiobook, she reads it herself and I think her tone provides so much context and emotion you wouldn’t get just from reading it.
A few that I thought were better as audiobooks include Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir, Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus, and 11-22-63 by Stephen King.
Daisy Jones and the Six. I have only read it as an audibook and I can honestly say that I don’t think I would have read it as a physical book. The format is just so well suited for an audio medium.
Alot of my non fiction picks are great as audio books. I find self help read by the Dr author themselves is easier to listen to and understand.
Better as book: _Marabou Stork Nightmares_
Better as audio: _Project Hail Mary _ and _Atlas of the Heart_ (non-fiction)
A couple books I didn’t fully get into reading them, but LOVED as audio books
Three Men in a Boat – the humour really shines with a good narrator. it’s laugh out loud funny. Good to read too, but _amazing_ as an audiobook.
A Brief History of Nearly Everything – I really liked this one as an audiobook, after I had trouble getting hooked reading it…
I noticed The Iliad and The Odyssey translated by Robert Fagles audiobooks are abridged and didn’t like that. Augustus: First Emperor of Rome was really good as an audiobook, probably due to it being nonfiction. The Way of Kings and Pet Sematary – I tried listening to both as audiobooks but I just don’t like consuming fiction this way for some reason so I stopped. The weird and numerous names of The Way of Kings was hard to hold onto verbally and Pet Sematary I just didn’t like the narration. I’ll likely reread them as physical books.
I’m Glad My Mom’s Dead is fantastic as an audiobook. She talks about her mom in the same tone I do and it really connected with me.
The Book of Dragons by E.Nesbit was made for audiobook imo
Also I love WWI/WWII historical fiction but I find it easier to listen to it than to read it – Flight Without End by Joseph Roth for example
Classic Literature set in England (ie Bridgerton, The Rosary or anything by Florence L. Burnett) when the narrators are British as they really help the story come alive
Everything else, I prefer to read
The Convanent of Water, I would not have pronounced words, names correctly. It’s read by the author Abraham Verghese and his accent is just lovely.
I’ve seen some people listen to Bunny on audio but I really think it needs to be read because the way it’s written gives some extract context clues. Same with Foe by Iain Reid.
The Disaster Artist works better as an audiobook, mainly due to Greg Sestero’s flawless Tommy Wiseau impression.
Right now I’m listening to The Diviners by Libba Bray. It’s a fantasy set in 1926 NYC. I think all the 1920s slang would grate on me if I was reading it but the audiobook narrator pulls it off.
There are a few classics that I personally found a bit hard to get into until I found just the right audiobook. I like Dan Steven’s narration of Frankenstein, Ben Barnes’ narration of The Picture of Dorian Gray, and Emily Wilson’s translation of the Iliad, narrated by Audra McDonald.
I also enjoy the audiobook for Remarkably Bright Creatures—the narrator for Marcellus’ chapters is particularly great! I’m seconding what someone else said above: the audiobook for Daisy Jones and the Six is great, too. The interview style of the book lends itself really well to the audiobook format, and the voice actors are great.
Mark Lanegan’s sing backwards and weep is read by himself and since he has such a unique voice it does add to the experience.
The First Law series by Joe Abercrombie is way way better in audiobook form. The books are good. The audiobooks take it to a whole nee level.
The version of Blood Meridian they have on audible is excellent. Ditto for Black Hawk Down. Most things narrated by Richard Poe, Grover Gardener or Kenneth Branagh as I think they add a nice weighty seriousness to the material.
I think fantasy generally does worse than other genres as audio. Don’t care for any version of Game of Thrones or LOTR I’ve listened.
It’s subjective.
I went to a social gathering yesterday where we were discussing audiobooks. Many people agreed that the ones for A Song of Ice and Fire did not work well as audiobooks because there were way too many characters to keep track of.
Books meant for audio, both read by the author: Bright Shiny Things…. and Know My Name.
Endurance by Alfred Lansing. Read by Simon Prebble.
Incredible audiobook.
Lord of the Rings is written to be read aloud. The audiobook experience is just so good!
“Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers,” by Jesse Q. Sutanto Absolutely best in audiobook format.
I used to save the “good” books for actually reading but I’ve come to realize that audiobooks are just the way to go. At least for me, but part of that reason is because I don’t have much time to sit and read anymore but always have time for listening.
Favorite audiobooks: daisy jones and the six, the outlander series because the narrator is just excellent with characters voices, and Imogen church who narrates all of Ruth ware books is also a favorite.
Least favorite narrators: whoever read the song of ice and fire books… just no. Terrible with character voices.. would often use high pitch for male and low pitch for females and it just got confusing. Sometimes would even change tone within the same dialogue paragraph.
Demon Copperhead came across great as an audiobook.
World War Z for sure on audio, it’s literally titled “An Oral History of the Zombie War.” The author reading as the nameless interviewer is so-so but the rest of the cast, the ones actually telling the stories, are exceptional.
Do NOT listen to the audiobook version of any Discworld book. Frankly, I’ve yet to find an ebook version that incorporates the footnotes properly. For those of you who haven’t read Pratchett (please do so), his books frequently use footnotes for amusing asides and world building. They have some of the best jokes in the books! Missing out on them really negatively impacts the experience.
If you ever go for the Game of Thrones series, I recommend reading instead of audiobook, solely because of some of the voices and pronunciations the narrator does in the audiobook.
The Star Wars audiobooks involve sound effects, which really enhances the experience. I especially enjoyed Lockdown.
I recently finished The Bluest Eye narrated by Toni Morrison herself and it was wonderful. All of her literary prowess coming out through her voice… so moving
I tried listening to Lincoln In The Bardo as an audiobook. I listened to the sample and it was great. Got into the actual book and it made no sense. I think it is one that is better to read as a physical book.
I’ve been listening to Braiding Sweetgrass, read by the author Robin Wall Kimmerer, and her gentle voice is so soothing. I’m having all the feels about it.
The Lesser Dead by Christopher Buehlman was a surprisingly good audiobook read by the author.
World War Z is a great read (I initially read it in paperback), but the audiobook really does justice to the different voices.
This is How You Lose the Time War was a fine audiobook, but those in my book club who read it rather than listened all rated it higher – the audio was a bit hard to follow. The book features two time travelers writing back and forth – there were two narrators, but they sounded far too similar. If I wasn’t hyper focused, it was very easy to miss where chapters transitioned (they really should have announced chapter beginnings).
The Cradle audiobooks by Travis Baldree and the Red Rising series by Tim Gerard Reynolds are both fantastic. The narrators put such personality into each character that I can’t imagine how different it would be if I was reading it and doing it myself.
I generally avoid audiobooks for more literary/“prose-heavy” books. I tried to listen to Love in the Time of Cholera but found that Marquez’s writing was way too dense and esoteric for me to be able to listen properly, but loved the book when I read it and could reread sentences and phrases
The Eyes and the Impossible is an absolute treat to listen to on audiobook. Ethan Hawke is incredible as the dog MC. I do recommend flipping through the print book though because the illustrations are so beautiful.
i’ve been making my way through harry potter for the first time since i was in middle school, and the audiobook narrators stephen fry and jim dale really make the books feel more magical!
I can only do particular books as audio books. Anything too deep, too many characters, changing perspectives, heavy prose, classics, nonfiction – none of those work for me as audiobooks – I’m just not tuned in all the time enough to fully absorb everything.
For lack of a better term, I only do ‘popcorn books’ as audio. Fantasy, sci-fi, horror, adventure – Stephen King, Michael Crichton, Brandon Sanderson, Expanse series, Joe Abercrombie, Christopher Buehlman, etc. I tried the Malazan series (fantasy) as audio and I just couldn’t get into it. Too much happening and too much nuance to every scene. I later read them on my Kindle and have been totally devouring them.
I’ve just learned to be selective on which audiobooks I buy and save all my classics and more engagement required reading for Kindle or physical reads.
Audiobooks really come down to the performance. The reader has walk the line of being animated enough to pull you in and distinguish between characters, but not over power and become distracting.
I do a ton of audiobooks. Mostly for me, but also with the kids while in the car.
The Jim Dale Harry Potters are kind of the gold standard imo.
The Romona Quimby collection read by Stocker Channing is pretty great. (On second listen with that)
Mark Branhall who reads the Jeff Shaara books is excellent. I think I have a few others he reads and he’s solid all around.
There are a bunch of good ones and a ton of not so great.
Also, you got to bump the speed to 1.2 so it sounds like a natural talking speed.
Edit//short of text books or things you’ll need to reference with a bunch of lists, I find they all work pretty well.
This may be an unpopular opinion, but I loved William Roberts’ read of _Jurassic Park_ better than reading the book. When I had first read it, it felt rather dry. I have listened to the audio version so many times, I can quote it now.