Be Excellent To Each Other

Basically, the thread does what it says on the tin.

I like audiobooks because I can listen to them whilst I am working, or doing things with me hands. I love to read, but if I am travelling I cannot read a book because I feel travel-sick, so I love to listen to audiobooks as I travel, too.

The trouble is, many are narrated by Americans with that particular type of accent that sounds like that have to use their nasal cavity as a throat, and I can't stand to listen to one of those.

Also, has anybody used audible.co.uk? If so, what are they like?

Neil Gaiman audiobooks are generally tops and read by good people with nice voices, or Neil Gaiman himself. I recommend Neverwhere read by the gentle Scottish voice of Gary Bakewell and American Gods by someone else.

But I'm having most fun with Susanna Clarke's 'Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell' at the moment. Very pleasant.

You are a star.

The reddwarf books are pretty good, if your into that sort of thing.

The Hitchhikers Guide To the Galaxy and Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency radio dramatisations are very good.

Gnnk.

Anyway.

I borrowed an excellent audiobook about Churchill and the leadup to Dunkirk the other week, read by some famous british actor, but can't remember the name of it. I shall do some digging.

Spike Milligan's diaries in audiobook form are read by the man himself and are excellent.

Ooh, have they got the proper original versions?
<goes to look>

I don't know if they're on there but the unabridged Discworlds are read by Nigel Planer, Celia Imrie or Stephen "Discworld Companion writer" Briggs.

All are superb at it.

Not books, but well worth looking at:

http://www.bigfinish.com/

They do some really listenable stuff.

I was thinking just generally, but I'm sure the originals are on a torrent somewhere

And the audio books, read by Douglas Adams, are also very good. The one of Life, the Universe and Everything was the source for his role in the third radio series.

I have just found 'Adventures in the English Language, by Melvyn Bragg and read by himself on that 'Audibles' site, so I may give their service a whirl.

Ooh, Ange would be interested in these while she's off work...

Is there a "wines of the world" audiobook?

I'm hoping so! It'll stop her moaning at me for at least five minutes.

Come to think of it, "wines of Lidl" would probably suffice.

I managed to get quite a lot of women listening to the Doctor Who ones, which I didn't think was even possible. It was strangely uplifting. After listening to a number I can't help thinking audio is almost Doctor Who's natural home; all the problems with budget and SPECTACLE and questionable eighties fashion decisions go away. I really want BF to aquire the rights to Red Dwarf and do a radio co-production on BBC7, but I saw a very angry post on that Red Dwarf site from someone involved with the show saying it would never happen, ever. Which is sad, because it would be fantastic.

I uploaded a while ago (to Oink sadly) the LP versions of The Hitchhiker's Guide, I could dig around and see if I could find my rips somewhere. I also have tapes from when they originally aired (not mine) as mp3.

Not so much a book but the Wars of the Worlds radio dramatisation is excellent.

The problem I have with audiobooks is that the person reading them invariably pronounces names and places 'wrong' (ie. not the way I think it in my head), particularly with books I have already read. This annoys me enough to put me off the whole thing.

The trouble, for me: if I'm going to be listening to an AudioBook, I'm going to too busy to read, and so won't pay attention. If I'm not busy, I'd rather be reading the book myself.

I've got all the original HHGTTG radio shows.

The audiobooks I have so far read have all been read by the author (as the others I tried were very poorly read by various Americans) and also the Harry Potter series, which I only acquired because Stephen Fry reads them and I enjoy his voice.

OK, I have 'Adventures in the English Language', which I enjoyed when I read it, and it is read by the author (Melvyn Bragg) so I have high hopes.

nynfortoo - when I am making jewellery or whatever, i already know what I am doing - the process is with my hands and my concentration usually resorts to daydream - though I cannot look away from my hands (so cannot read a book whilst i work, it's a great time for me to listen to audiobooks.

Travelling is the same - reading a book makes me feel very travel sick very quickly - with an audiobook I can shut off from the world and yet occupy my mind.

What is HHGTTG, Myoptika?

EDIT: never mind, Hitch Hikers - I worked it out the moment after I pressed 'go'.

Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. The Grinch mentioned it above.

Yeah, i worked it out as I pressed the button. My mind is on a 'go slow' mode.

A 'go slow mode'?

I want to find a book of short stories, and make one myself.

The Cobalt Club is a fantastic resource for downloadable Old Time Radio (OTR) shows:

http://testbox.cob.rit.edu/

You'll need to register, and then head for the Swap Forum:

http://testbox.cob.rit.edu/index.php?na ... wforum&f=4

Generally, uploaded shows only hang around for 7 days or so, so if you find a series you like that is being added to on a daily basis it is best to check back often to nab the lot.

Most of them are American, but they're old-fashioned American, so it's not so bad.