I don’t really care too much about genre, but something engaging with a bit of mystery and action would be nice.
I think I’m a bit ADHD and easily distracted. It doesn’t have to be MTV levels of stimulation, but anything by Steinbach bores me to tears. What is an audio book that you stayed up way too late listening to?
BTW, I just finished Razorblade Tears by S.A. Cosby (god, what an unfortunate name!) and it was wonderful. Really great diverse and inclusive story that was read by a dude with the BEST voice! Really nice, deep voice. I couldn’t. lay down and listen to it because his voice would put me right to sleep, even though the story was quite engaging. (Adam Lazare-White is the narrator)
by tripperfunster
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Frank Muller did a fantastic reading of Clive Barker’s *Coldheart Canyon.*
Lincoln in the Bardo
The Iron Druid Chronicles. 9-book series, first is titled “Hounded”. Fast-paced, funny, lots of action, and the narrator is bloody brilliant.
Sadie by Courtney Summers or Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Check out the *First Law* trilogy. Steven Pacey’s narration is second to none.
Endurance
Jazz by Ted Goia
For bizarre comedy/fantasy, Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman – narrated by the incomparable Jeff Hays
Sam Tallent – Running the Light. Read by several top level comics
Joey Diaz – Tremendous. Read by himself
Doug Stanhope – all of his books. He reads the books himself, sometimes slightly drunk, and adds details which are not in printed books
The books are loosely based on lives of stand up comedians. Good stuff, all of them. No mystery, but the kind of action you would expect from degenerate comics
Fantasticland by Mike Bockoven. It’s basically Hunger Games meets Lord of the Flies but in Disney World. It’s also done in the style of interviews with survivors so good for the adhd brain and an awesome narration
I really enjoyed Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain. He also narrated it so I really felt like I was hearing the story exactly as he intended.
My recent favorite was Wizard’s Guide To Defensive Baking by T.Kingfisher.
But what I recommend is try listening to books at more than 1x speed.
Sandman. Neverwhere full-cast audio.
Lincoln On The Bardo
I pretty much only read fiction, but when it comes to audiobooks, David Sedaris.
Bloody Jack By L A Myers. The narrator is amazing.
The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet. By Becky Chambers
Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells
An Easy Death by Charlaine Harris
A Gentlemen in Moscow or Contact.
I didn’t love Daisy Jones and the Six but I did enjoy listening to the audiobook – it was narrated by all different people so it really felt like I was listening to a “play. It kept me entertained enough.
Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik.
The Abhorsen trilogy by Gareth Nix is read beautifully by Tim Curry.
Daisy Jones and the Six is really engaging but not mysterious. Multiple voice actors that are all fantastic. The Hacienda is a mysterious, spooky one that is great on audio. I love Roth Ware books on audio. Most (all?) have the same reader and she’s really good.
The Rivers of London Series – written by Ben Aaronovitch and read by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith.
Kobna has the most amazing talent – can’t recommend him highly enough. He really brings the books to life
ETA – finished a sentence properly
After It Happened by Devon C Ford
Storm Front by Jim Butcher
Fated by Benedict Jacka
Sharpe’s Tiger by Bernard Cornwell
American Assassin by Vince Flynn
Magician by Raymond E Feist
Flashman by George MacDonald Fraser
Running With The Demon by Terry Brooks
In A Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson
Misery by Stephen king isn’t a mystery but it’s scary and suspenseful through the whole thing. The audiobook is fantastic
I’m listening to world war z right now and I love it! It’s an oral history of a zombie war and each chapter is a different person in a different country, recalling a completely different event in the war, with a different voice actor too. Tons of variety and the whole thing is only 6 hours
This one is super engaging, but definitely not mysterious: Seth Rogen wrote a book of autobiographical “essays” called “Yearbook” and had all his friends read parts in it. It’s hilarious and fast-paced, and I had no idea I would be so interested in 90s Jewish-Canadian drug stories before listening to it.
Ethan Hawk reading Slaughterhouse Five is one of my favorites.
The BBC Radio play version of Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere
The BBC Radio play version of Bleak Expectations
Catch and Kill
The Hike by Drew Magary
Guy goes on a hike, hike gets weird, he has to stay on the path and see it through.
*Not an outdoor/nature survival story
I recommend American Gods full cast version. Not much action, but I found the full cast to be very well done and engaging to listen to.
Also, if you’re easily distracted maybe you would like Phreaks by Matthew Derby. It’s about phone hackers. It was one of the coolest most unique audiobooks I’ve ever listened to. It’s not really an audiobook, it’s more of an audio play. There’s only dialog no descriptive narration and all the settings and actions the characters are doing are communicated through sound effects. It was really engaging and it felt like I was listening to a movie.
I will say this til the end of my days…but Jurassic Park by Michael Chichton narrated by Scott Brick was so good I wish I could erase it and start it fresh.
14 by Peter Clines followed by The Fold also by Peter Clines. But I really love 14, and the audio book is so good! Or The Stand by Stephen King. It’s long, but there’s always something going on.
I haven’t listened to many audiobooks but the Harry Potter ones are freaking incredible. I didn’t think I’d be interested in audiobooks before, but then I came across a sample of the Harry Potter ones and oh boy, I had to get them all
https://www.audible.com/pd/B01LWUJKQ7?source_code=ASSORAP0511160006&share_location=library_overflow
This is a great narration and it’s fun because I imagine Loki and Thor being Chris Hemmsworth and Tom Hiddleson doing all of the things lol
And Stephen Frye wrote and narrates a great series on the Greek classics
https://www.audible.com/pd/1452184712?source_code=ASSORAP0511160006&share_location=library_overflow
The Martian ! By Andy weir
Anything by the author Louise Penny – that narrator is awesome!
I feel like I’m Glad my Mom Died was meant to be listened as an audiobook with Jeanette McCurdy reading it
The book thief – narrated by Dennis Olsen
OR
The first fifteen lives of Harry August – narrated by Peter Kenny
Project Hail Mart by Andy Weir
Born a crime – by Trevor Noah/read by Trevor Noah. I read almost exclusively fiction but this was fantastic, esp as an audiobook he reads himself!