Best products from r/audiobooks

I'm going to make your day. If you have Kindle Unlimited and or Audible membership (if you don't then why not?), search for The Rho Agenda, The Second Ship by Richard Phillips.

Amazon allows you to Read and listen For Free on Audible for no extra charge once you borrow the book on the Kindle app (it may be 2 or 3 bucks for the Audible version of the 1st book in the series -- It's worth every penny you may have to spend too accomplish this whole scheme).

Even if you just do the one month or two months that it will take you to listen to the nine audiobooks in this series, it is the best hard science fiction series I've found in a while and the most suspenseful and exciting by far.

The narrator is Macleod Andrews and he is exactly what you're looking for in a narrator from the description in your post. Trust me, if it wasn't, I wouldn't be spending 15 or 20 minutes writing this "roadmap" out for you!!!

KEEP THIS IN MIND AS YOU BEGIN:

When you begin this audiobook, it's going to seem like a teenager-geared sci-fi book with maybe a little too much "drama" in it, but trust me. Stick with it until the middle of that first book and it starts to get good, really good!!!

The science contained in this series is super-specific and detailed and not glossed over like some authors tend to do. Richard Phillips (not the Captain Phillips from the Maersk Alabama cargo ship that got taken hostage in the Indian Ocean...Lol...different dude) is a great writer and with Macleod Andrews narrating, it is badass! You won't find a better pairing! The second book is fucking really good. I'm on the third now, and I'm telling you, it's the best sci-fi I've listened to in months, maybe my favorite series I've ever come across (still have a lot of books left to listen to) and interestingly enough, every time I think I've found the best sci-fi series bc this guy Macleod Andrews is narrating, I end up finding one that's even better.

The plot is simply fascinating. Just when you think shit can't possibly get more complicated...BOOM...another crazy, fucked-up twist. So far the entire series is one giant crescendo that builds and builds and just never seems to let up!

So, just follow the links below and check out his work. You will not be disappointed.

Macleod Andrews does characters and accents better than anyone I've found. He does the narration parts in character like you were mentioning and he is uber-talented at it. It's like listening to an amazing movie that lasts for days and days in these multi-voice narrations he is usually narrating.

Project Eden Thriller by Brett Battles is another of his narrations. There are 7 books in that series.

It's so funny that you posted this, bc I was literally just talking to the guy on Twitter, telling him how much I was enjoying this Rho Agenda series bc of that very aspect of it. He has that voice that can be anyone with any accent and it flows so well. You will end up losing hours of sleep listening, and it's sooo worth it.

NOTE:

I do have both the $9.99 Kindle Unlimited membership and the $14.99(?) Audible membership, and I think I may have had to pay a few dollars for the Audible version (it's way cheaper once you have the Kindle book purchased (or borrowed from the Kindle Unlimited Library) of the 1st book, but I know the 2nd through the 9th books were all "Read and Listen For Free" under the Kindle app, so I went ahead and downloaded all the audiobooks...just in case they decided to change their mind about that bc it was so good!

Damn I have to stop being a fanboy and go back to listening. Good luck with it and if you need help getting it to work out to listen for free just message me.

Enjoy!!!

Audible Link: The Second Ship (The Rho Agenda Book 1)

Kindle: The Second Ship (The Rho Agenda Book 1)

Macleod Andrews's Narrated Audiobooks on Audible

TL;DR:

Listen to Rho Agenda Series by Richard Phillips, narrated by badass (never thought I'd day that about an Audibleb narrator...hahaha) Macleod Andrews. It's exactly what you're looking for.

Audible Link: The Second Ship The Rho Agenda Book

Kindle: The Second Ship (The Rho Agenda Book 1)

Yes Please by Amy Poehler, performed by Amy P with a little help from her friends. Now this is why I love audiobooks! Amy does a great job narrating this - it doesn't even feel like she is reading text at all, it just feels like she is having a conversation. I'll admit I am biased by being a fan going in, but it was one of my favorite audiobook experiences so far. There are great cameo voices throughout, and the last chapter read in front of a live audience is awesome. It makes it 10X funnier hearing a crowd laugh along to the reading. (Are there any other audiobooks recorded in front of an audience?) As for the actual writing - I really loved the positive message throughout the book, and some passages were unexpectedly deep (why she believes in time travel for example). The SNL and UCB stories were great as well for a long-time fan like me. Coming after Lena Dunham's book and her bored, flat-lined reading, hearing a true performer narrate a book was a breath of fresh air. (I just had to throw one more dig at that Lena Dunham audiobook...)

Hatchet by Paulsen, narrated by Peter Coyote (great name for this book). This is a short one (~3:30) and more for younger readers, but it was still enjoyable. The writing had an interesting style with a lot of short, repetitive phrases. The narrator did a fair job, and I learned that all this time I've been pronouncing cro-magnon wrong.

Ok lets answer this for real. No personal anecdotes about what I've liked in the past. I've used a lot of earphones. Lets get into it.

What you are looking for in an audiobook earphone is a mids-focused presentation balanced with good comfort levels. The middle part of the audible range is where we hear vocal. This sits between the bass and treble. Now the earphone in question doesn't need to emphasize this range but shouldn't have it recessed either.

You seem to be looking for really good sound isolation from the environment. The Etymotic MK5 is excellent for this, and you'll have a hard time finding better sound isolation. It has very precise and analytical sound especially in voices. The comfort is what takes a hit for this level of isolation. Some people really don't like triple flange tips. https://www.amazon.com/Etymotic-Research-Isolator-Noise-Isolating-Earphones/dp/B00OQG7IC2

For a more comfortable headphone that still have great mid presentation but warmer sound with more present bass, look at the Thinksound TS02. Its my favorite durable and just plain fun earphone. Much more exiting for music than any etymotic and still works great for audiobooks. Their isolation isn't as much as the etymotic, but you can improve that. https://www.amazon.com/Etymotic-Research-Isolator-Noise-Isolating-Earphones/dp/B00OQG7IC2

They are so discounted on that amazon link from what they used to come for that I'd recommend throwing a few bucks of your savings toward some Comply earphone tips. Improve isolation greatly. Its memory foam in your ear. Whichever earphone you intend to use them with, make sure you get the right version on their site, but I find the 200s pretty versatile.
https://www.amazon.com/Comply-Foam-Premium-Earphone-Tips/dp/B004HKIABA/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1493866044&sr=1-1&keywords=comply+200+foam+tips

The best "Standard" deal is the
Platinum Annual
24 Credits/Yr.
You pay $9.57 per credit
$229.50 per year

That's always available and offers the most credits at the cheapest price per credit.

If you follow the Audible sub then you'll find signup deals on there from time to time. The last I took advantage of was the
Discount Gold Annual
12 Credits/Yr.
~$8.29 per credit
$99.50 a year

You could sign up for that one until April 5th. Sometimes if you call and ask you can still sign up for one of these deals, but I haven't done/tried that so I can't say much about it. I don't know of any sign-up deals going on right now, they usually happen around holidays.

Depending on the genres you enjoy, your best bang for your buck might be a Kindle Unlimited subscription and then picking up some cheap audiobooks through whispersync. You can pick up a KU subscription for $0.99 for two months (https://www.techbargains.com/deals/amazon-kindle-unlimited-membership) and if you hunt around you can find a bunch of good books for $1.99. It's mostly Sci-Fi and Fantasy, but as a few examples:
https://www.amazon.com/Are-Legion-Bob-Bobiverse-Book-ebook/dp/B01LWAESYQ
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MFGX5GI/
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00SLWQGUM/
https://www.amazon.com/Thru-Hiking-Will-Break-Your-Heart-ebook/dp/B00W4RICAM

Those aren't endorsements, just examples (I've only read the first one, which I would endorse if you like Sci-Fi)

Beyond that if you like classics you can usually find some of those cheap:
https://www.audible.com/pd/Siddhartha-Audiobook/B07HK6JZSC

On occasion, if you go to cancel your subscription you'll be offered a deal to keep it. I haven't signed up for any of those, and don't know what those deals are, but it's an option.

Last but not least, you can just buy more credits. If you've run out of credits (or if you contact Audible Support) you can usually buy 3 credits for $36 ( I think that's the correct amount). I generally wouldn't recommend this option, it's a bit more expensive to buy the Gold Plan, but you get a year's membership with that. Whereas buying credits straight out still leaves you paying a monthly subscription as well.

The Road by Cormac McCarthy, narrated by Tom Stechschulte - This is a very bleak book about a father and son trying to survive in an apocalyptic wasteland. McCarthy's prose is very stream-of-consciousness, and imo works better as an audibook than a standard book.

Bird Box by Josh Malerman, narrated by Cassandra Campbell. Bird Box is a literary post-apocalyptic horror story about a young mother trying to survive in a world where something outside will make you suicidal and homicidal if you see it. The characters spend much of the story blindfolded. Bird Box does a great job with tension, but the explanation and resolution are pretty thin. Cassandra Campbell's narration is one of the best I've ever heard.

The Girl with All the Gifts by M.R. Carey, narrated by Finty Williams. This is a slightly literary take on the zombie apocalypse, with the focus on a relationship between teacher and student.

N0S4A2 by Joe Hill, read by Kate Mulgrew. Hill is Stephen King's son, and he's almost as good as dad. N024A2 is about "collector" of souls who picks the wrong kid to abduct. Kate Mulgew's narration is terrific.

Pines by Blake Crouch, narrated by Paul Michael Garcia. Pines is about a secret service agent investigating a small town where everything seems too good to be true. It feels like a mixture of The Twilight Zone, The Fugitive, and Twin Peaks. Sci-fi elements slowly appear in the first book but are a big part of the second and third. It's fast, fun read.

Run by Blake Crouch, narrated by Phil Gigante. Run is one of Crouch's earlier books, and it's rougher around the edges, but it's also darker and grittier.

Infected by Scott Sigler, narrated by Scott Sigler. This is about an alien disease that drives people mad. Lots of body horror.

The Dinosaur Four by Geoff Jones (me), narrated by Nick Podehl. This is a B-movie adventure about ten everyday strangers in a cafe that gets sent back in time. They have to work together to figure out how to get home... but one of them isn't quite right in the head. If you check out the first few chapters and decide it isn't for you, please return it and try something else.

Mountain Man
by Keith C. Blackmore, narrated by R. C. Bray. This is a pulp-y series about a loner who drinks his way through the zombie apocalypse. There is a short story prequel called The Hospital you can try out for free.

The Mist (Full Cast Dramatization) by Stephen King. This is short, but it's great. It's about a small group of people trapped in a supermarket when a monster-filled mist rolls into town. Note that the story has an ambiguous non-ending, which is quite different from the wrenching, nihilistic ending of Darabont's film adaptation. (Not available at Audible.)

Alien: Out of the Shadows (Full Cast Dramatization) This story takes place between Alien and Aliens, and reads like really well-done fan fiction. Laurel Lefkow sounds exactly like Sigourney. It's got some contrivances, but it's fun.

You don't list all of the books you've read by King, but two excellent ones to consider are The Stand (post apocalyptic) and Misery (psychological terror).


Best,

Geoff Jones

Author of The Dinosaur Four

(Narrated by Nick Podehl)

The Off To Be The Wizard series is really good and funny. I caught myself smiling most of the time I was listening to it.

You can get it with a whisper sync combo for about $6 per book. $4 for the Kindle version and then $2 more to add audible version.

Also, since you are used to the podcast format, you should look into some long form fiction podcasts.

Take a look at www.podiobooks.com
I'd like to recommend The Rookie by Scott Sigler, which is a cross between star wars, Friday night lights, and the god father. A football story set 500 years in the future.
I am not a sports person, football doesn't really interest me that much, and I didn't think of it as much more than a bunch of guys throwing a ball and running into each other. This series really gave me more of an appreciation of the game and how it all works from the inside.
My brother is big into sports, and he really enjoyed it too.

Also Quarter Share by Nathan Lowell. This is an amazing series. The characters are great, the story is great, and the universe is somewhere I think I'd like to live. It just feels very alive. Definitely worth checking out.

So I have become a big fan of the style of bluetooth headphones that rest around your neck, as I am frequently up and moving around, and love the easy convenience of them always being right there so I can pop them into my ear.

They kept dyning on me though, because eventually I would snag one of the wires on something, and kill the sound in that ear.

Several months ago, I decided to try this set from Bluenin, mostly due to the fact that the earbuds retract, so the wire is stored inside, and they can't get snagged on anything.

Well, the built-in speakers were just a novelty when I bought them, but they have turned out to be the feature I never knew I always needed.

With two speakers pointing right up to your ears, they don't need to be loud (at all) in order for you to clearly hear them, and with two additional speakers on the under-side for surround-sound, it is a truely immersive experience, that still lets me hear other things going on around me as well (kids or wife calling from anther room, or driving for example).

I pretty much always use the speakers now, if I'm at home, in the car, or really anywhere that there aren't other people in close proximity.

At the grocery store, or the office, I'll pop the earbuds in so at not to bother anyone. It has a built-in mic as well, which was necessary for me as I also use it as the hedset for my phone when making calls. It works great for that purpose as well. Especially for long conference calls, when I need to stay on the phone, but also want to be able to get up, move around, and even do some other stuff since my hands are free.

They have enough battery life that I can use them pretty much all day, and just charge them up overnight.

TL;DR: This neckband headset from Bluenin has built in speakers that provide immersive surround sound, and rests comfortably around your neck. It also has retractable earbuds for when you are around other people, a mic so it can be used for phone calls, and all-day battery life.

Random thoughts on stuff I've read or listened to in the sale:
The Hobbit, JRR Tolkien - It's The Hobbit, and Rob Inglis is the perfect narrator for it. Worth every penny.

Off to Be the Wizard, Scott Meyer - Lighthearted and highly entertaining. The only caveat I'd offer is that independent of the sale, you can get the full Whispersync combo for $6, which includes what appears to be a fancy, multi-media Kindle version as well as the audio.

The Complete Sherlock Holmes, Arthur Conan Doyle - I've been slowly working my way through this one story at a time and loving it. 60 hours of Holmes with an incredible narrator for $5 is just insane.

The Mists of Avalon, Marion Zimmer Bradley - I'm super conflicted about this one. I thought the book was phenomenal... and then I looked up MZB on wikipedia. Saying she was a horrific human being would be a gross understatement. It significantly recolored my feelings about the book, but maybe others have an easier time separating the art from the artist.

Farewell My Lovely, Raymond Chandler - Not my favorite of the Philip Marlowe detective novels I've read, but still good. Ray Porter is great. It's the second book in the series, but I've yet to find any reason why you need to read them in order. They're all pretty self-contained.

Iliad & Odyssey box set, Homer & Rouse (translator) - I've seen a lot of "Which translation of Homer should I read?" discussions and Rouse is never anyone's top pick, but Anthony Heald does a fantastic job narrating and it's $5 for the pair.

Beyond that, I've got my eye on Masters of Doom (literally the first thing I ever added to my Audible wishlist, and yet for some reason I've never gotten around to grabbing it before) and the Great Course on the Medieval World (mostly because I thought Dorsey Armstrong did a fantastic job with the King Arthur GC).

The two I switch between are the iLuv fit active and the Medis UrbanEars. I like earbud style that do not go into the ear canal, which limits the choices. I imagine I'd like the apple Earpods, but I don't have a pair.

The UrbanEars are slightly less comfortable, but the cord is wrapped in fabric, which makes it tangle....never. They're a bit more durable, and they are basically glued to your ears, so they never fall out even when doing something active like jogging.

The iLuvs are more comfortable, but have a much lower overall quality/durability in terms of construction (sound is good). The rubbery cable gets tangled more. The joints are more delicate, and I've had a pair conk out on me pretty quick (my second pair is still going strong, though). The "fins" keep them in my ear when walking around, but I do have to readjust them periodically. I don't think they'd stay in for something as active as jogging, but I can walk to the store without a problem.

I don't have a good lead on the over-ear style, but here are two I like.

Set one -- slightly more comfortable, but less durable.

Set two -- a bit less comfortable for extended wearing, but better build quality, and the fabric cable doesn't get tangled.

I'm with you, in that I don't like the in-canal style of earbuds. These are both safe enough to wear when walking/biking, as they are not noise isolating. They both use a fin type apparatus that fits in the folds of your ears to hold them in place, and they're basically cemented into you ears (especially the second set!) and don't come out when running/being active.

Hey there, In response to the Free audible codes for our book CALL OF AGON, I'm sorry to inform you that after giving out 75, we ran out...

However, you can still get a copy with a monthly audible credit if you have any from being a member, or, if you buy the ebook for only $0.99 while it's on sale this week, you can add the audio on for $7.49 with Whispersync. If you do purchase a copy, send us a receipt and we'll send you a bestselling Fantasy E-book free as our thanks.

Thanks so much for showing interest! It means a lot. We're so sorry about running out of codes, but we hope you might give the audiobook a chance anyway! 

Audible Link: https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Call-of-Agon-Audiobook/1772309834

Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.com/The-Call-of-Agon/dp/B07V9ZDXL9

https://www.amazon.com/Heir-Empire-Legends-Anniversary-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B00513HWXO

Better sound quality. Some extras. Narrator does a fantastic job.

I have read all the Thrawn books but to be honest they way they write him now I dont like. The original he was more of "grey" character. Now he is pretty much written as a straight up Hero / Good guy. Also he is written is 100% infallible. He constantly makes Vader look like a dumbass which I did not like at all

Rosamund & Ben Zander - https://www.amazon.com/Art-Possibility-Transforming-Professional-Personal/dp/0142001104 - I don't know how you listen to your audiobooks but I listen to mine for free on two different apps - OverDrive and Hoopla, for which I need a local library card. Hoopla, from my library, provides this book for free. Hope that helps.

So many choices!

I am half way through "Infinite by Jeremy Robinson" and it is fab. I would highly recommend. Also Bobiverse is a great book by Dennis Taylor (3 in the series). Finally, I would add "Expeditionary Force" by Craig Alanson.

They all good sci-fi shouts in my opinion. In fact, I would say get all 3!! :)

I loved Ready Player One, written by Ernest Cline and read by Wil Wheaton.

I just finished this book last night, I listened to it at every moment it was so fun. Engaging, interesting, exciting, new, GOOD.

Ready Player One book reviews on Amazon

Ready Player One on Audible

Even though it is considered Young Adult, my vote goes for the KingFountain series. It is free on Kindle Unlimited (including audio). There are 6 books in the series. It is entertaining and well done. Narrator does a great job w/ the voices and it's a fun listen.

https://www.amazon.com/Kingfountain-6-Book/dp/B01MU2DVWN

Thanks for the advice!

Where would you suggest I purchase thicker foam? That is just foam bedding that I bought at Walmart =(

The gruff voice is the main character, but apart from the introduction, where the main character narrates "first person", he really doesn't speak for long portions so my voice never really got too tired.

I still can't seem to make myself record for more than an hour at a time, maybe two, or at the most, three times a day.

I've recorded in entirety the first book:

http://www.amazon.com/RazorWire-Apocalyptic-Dystopian-Western-Civilization-ebook/dp/B01AH2T1Z0

...and second book.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01AHPOCFQ

I still need to record the third.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01AHQJTUI

I also need to figure out how to upload to Audible.

Again, thanks for the advice. I mean it when I say you seem to be a very talented narrator. I listened to the intro to the Mongol Sci Fi book and was impressed. I'll have to buy one of your books for one of my next audible downloads.

Thanks.

Troy

Sorry about that. I don't have a good way of figuring out whether any price is honored in any other territory. I don't think that there are nearly as many UK Whispersync for Voice deals overall -- 90% of the titles I just checked around on didn't offer it, and some that did the combined price was actually more than the audiobook alone, e.g. Ben Winter's The Last Policeman. Did see one, Andy Weir's The Martian, for £3.49 + £3.99 which is only a little less than the £9.20 audiobook alone price, which is actually more than the £7.99 you guys pay per credit over there. The credit price rules out other titles like The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August (£2.99 plus £5.99).

One area where you guys can I think still make out really well is with self-published Kindle/Podium Publishing audiobook titles, e.g.:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Harbinger-Fates-Forsaken-Book-1-ebook/dp/B008RCI29Y/

Another of my usual "go to" deal strategies only offers a small discount, that being Amazon's 47North/Brilliance Audio titles, e.g.:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Off-Wizard-Magic-2-0-Book-ebook/dp/B00EF8Z32I/

The £3.49 plus £3.49 is less than the monthly credit price, but not by too much.

Hope some of that is helpful and takes a bit of the sting of "US only? rageface!!" out of the post!

This is one of the best, if you liked Z, it's easy better. Excellent narrator too.

I got them on audiocassette from Amazon. Demon Haunted World was one of those old-school cassettes where you have to have the adapter because they use all 4 tracks (Side 1 L+R and Side 2 L+R). So if you just put it in a tape player, you'll hear two "sides" playing at the same time.

I finally got one of these adapters to convert my old tapes to wav files:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000KW2YEI/. It's better than the audio-in on a computer.

Then I use something like Audacity to record and edit as needed. I get old tape players from places like Good Will.

Here's a recording of it on Youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGkfs9WU98s

American Gods - by Neil Gaiman narrated by Dennis Boutsikaris, Daniel Oreskes, Ron McLarty, and Sarah Jones. Worth the 20 hours. Great social commentary, great story, excellent narrators. I can't wait to see this adapted into a tv series, on Starz expected in 2016.

Amy Poehler - Yes Please. I wanted to like this, I think she's hilarious, and I laughed out loud multiple times in this listen, but I was bored by the time it got to the 7 hour mark. She says multiple times how much she hates writing a book, and IMO it showed. It felt very similar to Bossypants by Tina Fey, only less funny. I suppose it probably had something to do with diving right into this 12 hours after finishing American Gods, but I wasn't a fan.

perfume by Patrick Suskind and read by Sean Barrett.

Amazing book, it is the perfect bait for a nibbling audiophile.

Perfume narrated by Sean Barrett. In his review Roger Ebert labels it "the best audio performance I have ever heard". So I had to track it down, and I have to agree, it's an amazing performance. He also goes on to say, "I once almost destroyed a dinner party by putting it on for "five minutes," after which nobody wanted to stop listening". I don't know why Sean Barrett's version is not on Audible, but there appears to be a new version scheduled to release Oct. 30th. If you have the chance to locate the original, defiantly give it a listen. Edit: It is on Audible! Highly reccomended

Could also look at just keeping an eye on whispersync sales. For example
We Are Legion (We Are Bob) (Bobiverse Book 1) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LWAESYQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_JSy5Cb6VQWR2M
Kindle book and audio for $7... this is cheaper than any credit I can get from audible.