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While Jim Dale's Harry Potter readings are fine and dandy, I have somewhat of a preference to Stephen Fry's readings of the series from the UK.
I'm not an audiobook person, I probably will find that James Frey book in audiobook, the writing orientation seems confusing to me, so I'd like to hear it read by Ben Foster. Though I love to listen to David Sedaris reading his own stuff, it's the work of true genius.

I think that I would like to hear Larry the Cable Guy read the complete works of Shakesepeare, simply because the amount of unintentional comedy would be staggering.

In a serious note, I'd like to hear any book read by Morgan Freeman, Sam Jackson, or James Earl Jones, even a shitty book would be improved by them.

I have to say that my favorite is "How to Make Love the Bruce Campbell Way" read by the greatest B-movie actor Bruce Campbell. The fact taht he turns it into a radio play and has friends act out various scenes of the fictional biography is great. It is fun, hilarious and keeps you with it the entire time.

But as for consistant and having done multiple readings, Jim Dale is amazing and he makes the Harry Potter books and really keeps you so involved.

As for a dream pairing, there is already Jeremy Irons reading Lolita which is perfect but I would love to have Kevin Smith reading "Soon I will be Invincible" because I believe he could inject the true fun and mythos into the book. And I like Sam Rockwell for any smart ass detective book.

I've never tried an audiobook. I'm not opposed, but since I enjoy reading, I haven't had a reason to listen.

I'm sure I could do with Ian McKellan reading The Lord of the Rings books, or for that matter just about anything.

And if I were to listen to an author reading his own books, I'd choose Ian McEwan.

I also love hearing David Sedaris reading his own work. But what I want to know is whether anyone here has ever found an audiobook to enhance the book. I love them in certain situations--long car trips, crowded subway commutes--but given the choice, I'd still prefer to read (I have the same problem as Shay). Anyone feel differently?

Also, I've been told I'd make a great audiobook reader. (?) So I'll vote for myself. Although, on second thought, I can't stand hearing a recording of my own voice. Dilemma...

Morgan Freeman, telephone book.

i'm going to second (third? fourth?) the jim dale/harry potter love. he does amazing things with those books. i totally started bawling listening to them at work simply because he can infuse so much feeling into it. also, the woman who reads the sookie stackhouse books does a great job. sure they're trashy, but they're fun, and she's rather delightful.

i was saddened upon listening to some of bill bryson's self-narrated books, however. i simply adore his writing, but when he read it aloud, i found myself enjoying my own interpretation instead of his. it's like he didn't find half of his writing funny when it clearly was. boo.

Phillip Pullman reading His Dark Materials. Granted, the character's voice work is done by a cast, but his narration kick-started puberty for me.

Whoever the dude that read the Confederacy of Dunces audiobook was highly annoying. Forced me to read the book.

If I had a wish, it would be to hear Hugh Laurie read Dune. Sweet!

Best audiobook: "America: The Audiobook" performed by Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, Ed Helms, Rob Corrdry, and Samantha Bee.

Audiobook Wish: I was inspired by someone's film casting choice on the "Good Omens" post a week or so ago; I'd love for Stephen Fry to narrate.

Audiobook to avoid: The Sound and the Fury read by Wolfram Kandinsky. The Mr. and I were taking a Faulkner and Morrison class (because we HATE ourselves) at a college about an hour's drive from home, so we got some audiobooks for the drive. I'm sure he's a lovely man, but oh, sweet jesus, I wanted to break the CD player in the car. His voice is pompous, and the southern accents are terrible.

Oh, and this:

3) Dream: Douglas Adams' "Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy" series read by the cast of "Futurama".

Genius. I *heart* you, Captain Sausagefingers.

Jim Dale's readings of the Harry Potter series come in at #1, followed by Simon Jones reading The Bartimaeus Trilogy. If you haven't heard of/read the Bartimaeus Trilogy, it's required reading for fans of nontraditional fantasy.

On a recent road trip, I got two of the Narnia books on audio (my girlfriend never read them as a kid, loves the movies, but doesn't have time to sit and read). Voyage of the Dawn Treader was read by Derek Jacobi, but he got really screechy and high-pitched a lot. This might be from having to voice Reepicheep the mouse, but even his voicing for Lucy was just . . . shrill.
The next book, The Silver Chair, was read my Jeremy Northam and WOW. He does a great job.
I'm also a big fan of the Harry Potter audio books.
If I had my way, I would be a session director for audio books. I could finally use my background in dialects, maybe.

My personal favorite is Matt Dillon reading "On the Road".

Aw, crap, I forgot to mention Lenny Henry doing Anansi Boys. He's right up there with Tennant.

j.ann I was so about to say Lenny Henry/Anansi Boys - consider yourself seconded.

And now I am kind of pining for an Alan Rickman/Stephen Fry version of Good Omens. How well would that work? Sigh.

Enjoy reading and listening.
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Jeremy Irons reading Lolita may have been one of the best things ever. Alan Rickman should be required to read all things...has anybody else heard his recitation of Sonnet 130? Oh god, it's perfect.

I just finished listening to Denis Leary reading his own audiobook for Why We Suck. The book itself isn't great, but Leary's voice and accent are perfectly suited to his own writing - that is, he writes exactly how he talks. I laughed pretty frequently, especially during the "conversations" with his mother and the whole chapter on Oprah.

I also have a copy of Stephen Fry reading The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and I quite like it. He and Alec Baldwin should narrate everything.

It's been years since I've commented on this site, but here it goes.

First, I might be a nerd to the nth degree for stating this; however, I never got over the Dark Empire series on cassette. My dad and my brother adored this series, and I was forced to listen to it on long rides over the Midwest terrain. It is a fixture of my childhood whether I want it to be or not. It also didn't hurt that this series was infinitely better than the prequel movies, as if that is saying a lot.

Secondly, I know I will get significantly more slack for this one, but Charlton Heston did a bang up job of presenting The Bible. I might be an agnostic, but I can still respect a man's voice. Heston will always be the voice of god for me.

Finally, I think David Sedaris wins hands down in this category. If you have never heard him speak his own words that is a fucking travesty. Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim is not complete without the author's own fantastic vocals.

Go ahead and laugh derisively now, my fellow commenters!

AvB, audiobooks are super-expensive but there's a pretty easy way around it: local libraries generally have a lot of them in stock (for the older population, who may not be able to see so well anymore). Borrow, rip or burn, and return. voilà - free audiobooks.

also, logar, I would have never put those two together in my mind, but now that you have suggested it . . . it makes my heart ache for such a pairing.

Bob Dylan Chronicles read by Sean Penn

I've never listened to an audiobook myself (I think I prefer actually reading the pages and interpreting the voices myself) but I did have one creepy audiobook experience. A co-worker of mine offered to take me to the shop after work to pick up my car which was being worked on, and he asked me if I minded that he listened to his audiobook while on the way. I said no problem.
So on the way to get my car, I get to hear about cavepeople on a journey and how sexually frustrated the caveman is, and how he proceeds to "take care of business" himself, and bury the evidence in the ground.
I stared out the window while my co-worker stammers "um...they're not, uh, all like this". The worst part was he didn't bother to turn it off. I got to listen to 15 minutes of caveman self-love.
You never saw someone jump out of a truck so fast at an NTB. I must have looked like a kidnapping victim that just escaped.
Slightly off topic, but it is my only audiobook experience. :)

I won't lie to you- I'm kind of shocked that the Whedon-obsessed, Buffy loving, anything-with-James-Marsters fellating superfans on Pajiba haven't mentioned Marsters' readings of the Dresden Files. I'm not a huge fan of audio books; I've always enjoyed fleshing out the characters (voices included) in my mind. But Marsters really gives a nice, reassuring read that gives solidarity to the pillar of awesome that is Harry Dresden.
If he wasn't so damn pretty looking I'd say he'd be perfect to actually PLAY Harry in a non-SciFi (or is it SyFy now? Fucking ad execs...) movie adaptation or something of the books. As it is though his voice is more than good enough to help enrich the whole tapestry of complex characters that is the Dresden Files.

People I Have Heard/Would Like to Hear Reading an Audio Book:

- Robert Sean Leonard (who did a good job with Bridge to Terabithia)
- Stanley Tucci (who did a good job with Breakfast of Champions)
- Dylan Baker
- Helen Mirren
- Liam Neeson
- Ron Perlman (who's done the audiobook version of The Strain for bff Guillermo Del Toro)

Perfect Pairings:

- The Kama Sutra, as read by Leslie Nielsen.
- Goodnight Moon, as read by Hugh Laurie in the voice of Dr. Gregory House
- (If) I Did It, as read by the author O.J. Simpson

And on a final note: Chris Noth and Vince Vaughan BOTH should be required to record the entire catalog of Mickey Spillane and Raymond Chandler.

Oh, and I'm late to the game, but I also vote David Sedaris as an excellent reader of material. The material is hysterical, and he only helps it along with his vocal pacing and tonality.

Avery Brooks, reading Roots

I also really enjoy the first three books of A Song of Ice and Fire read by Roy Dotrice. A Feast for Crows is read by someone else and I don't care for it.

I must agree with this. I'm listening to another series where the first few books were read by one person, while the most recent one is read by someone else who not only voices the characters in a way I don't like as much, but pronounces some of the words/names differently. The new woman isn't a bad reader, but the change is jarring.

Is it too late for one last entry? Watchmen, as read by the cast of the motion picture; complete with the pop music soundtrack and musical accompanyment by Michael Giacchino.

Anna von Beaverplatz:
Along with audiobooks in CD form, many libraries have electronic copies of audiobooks, using platforms such as NetLibrary and Overdrive Media, that allow you to put them on your mp3 player. While the selection isn't always awesome, you can sometimes find a few gems.

I'm not a big user of audiobooks - I always want something to look at, too, and since there's nothing related to what I'm hearing, my mind wanders. I suppose I'm wired for video. Or paper.

But audiobooks I've enjoyed on flights (the only time I will listen to them) have been:
the Harry Dresden series, read by James Marsters; John Barrowman's autobiography, read by himself; and Cormac McCarthy's 'All The Pretty Horses', read by (seriously) Brad Pitt. Something about his laid-back delivery works with it.

Books I'd like to hear might be:
James Ellroy reading his own books (I once attended an event where he read a chapter, and he was awesome. I ought to take a look, actually - maybe he's already done it).
And Wentworth Miller, reading almost anything classy. Prison Break viewers may have been distracted by the pretty, but he has a very pleasant voice, too.

Gillian did Exit to Eden. It was good.

appwitch: In the case of A Song of Ice and Fire the narrator difference is the authors fault. If Martin didn't take so fucking long to complete his goddamn series, or if he simply stuck to the motherfucking schedule, Mr. Dotrice might be available for the reading.

Agent Scully: Hrmmm, that's a whole new comment diversion right there, isn't it? Authors who take their sweet time getting to the next book in a series... after they released only half a book the last time... and are working on other stuff I don't care to read...

OK, I'm a dork. I love audiobooks. Since having kids it's harder to sit down and enjoy a good book (though I manage once in a while) so I put audiobooks on my iPod and play them while going around cleaning house or sorting laundry or whatever. It's nice to have my brain otherwise engaged when I'm doing dull mindless tasks. I am another one who loves Jim Dale's readings of the Harry Potter books, but would love to hear Stephen Fry read them as well (will have to see if I can get that here in the U.S.)

I can't think of specific examples but I loathe audiobooks when the narrator has bad flow, if that makes sense, or when he breathes too heavy. I also dislike a lot of music in the background (a little between chapters is fine). I also hate it when it's put on like some kind of dramatic play. A simple reading works better.

Fear Itself: A Fearless Jones Novel
by Walter Mosley
Narrated by Don Cheadle

Oh, yeah its great.

I listed to ALL of the Series of Unfortunate Events books on CD on road trips. They were read by Mr. Tim Curry, which made them infinitely more bearable. However, they had intro and outro music by Satan's own band, The Gothic Archies. It was AWFUL. If you pretend the last book didn't happen, it was a great time-waster on the 6 hour trip to my momma's house.

Neil Gaiman reading any of his own stuff
A.MAZING!

appwitch: Amen, my friend!

Anne (in Reno): Yes, the very same Simon Jones! He's doing a very good job with Bartimaeus; I am enjoying it immensely. Additionally, thanks for the link regarding Martin. I completely agree with Gaiman's point (that's why I don't leave rude comments on Martins blog, rushing him along and spewing other nonsense), however, I'm a selfish bitch and I want the next book NOW! I try to keep this under control with only minor outburst as exemplified earlier.

Nth'ing Jim Dale's reading of the Harry Potter books and seconding the audiobooks of "His Dark Materials", which feature author Phillip Pullman narrating with a cast performing the dialogue. It's like a blend of the best parts of audiobooks and radio drama.

"The Dark Tower" series is one of my favorites as well in audio form, and both of the readers--George Guidall for books 1, 5, 6, and 7 and the late Frank Muller for books 2, 3, and 4--do a fine job, though Frank's voice took me longer to get accustomed to.

Also, if you can find Douglas Adams' readings of the Hitchhiker's books, I highly recommend those as well (they are the only audiobooks to never leave whatever current mp3 player I am using; I have to have them with me always). Haven't seen them for sale anywhere, but I found online them back when Audiogalaxy was still around.

I "read" the entirety of the Ender saga by Orson Scott Card while doing 5 weeks of manual labor and the weeks flew by. Great voice casting, great reading, great material.

"To Kill a Mockingbird" read by Sally Darling (the Recorded Books version) is amazing and made me fall in love with the book all over again. Darling's voice is rich, plummy, and just dripping with deep-southern charisma.

Does anyone else think David Sedaris sounds like Piglet?

Hillary Duff reading the Twilight series... or how to make an annoying serial so much worse...