I’m trying to decide on a good book on “tape” for a drive that may be coming up — note to burglars, I am not in fact going anywhere and you would be stupid to try it — and some of the following look pretty good to me. You need a variety so I’ve divided them into poetry, humor, and novels. But I would welcome your suggestions.
Poetry
Poetry on Record — 98 poets reading their work
British Library collection of American Poets — looks like a solid, well-curated collection
Humor
I Drink For A Reason by David Cross — because it’s true for me, or it was, now I eat or eat or eat for a reason
David Sedaris: For your Listening Pleasure — not sure about David Sedaris, but everyone likes the guy
You Are All Diseased George Carlin — I love George Carlin and share his angry sense of humor
Shatner Rules by William Shatner — just plain weird
Novels
IQ84 by Haruki Murakami — it’s 38 cds, on the other hand…it’s 38 cds
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson — never read this, everyone says it’s awesome
Joan Didion: Blue Nights — musing on the death of her daughter, I love her writing style
Another suggestion: Samuel L Jackson reading “Go the Fuck to Sleep.”
http://amzn.to/rHy6tE
I’m guessing you’re not as charmed by British narrators as I am (and as most USians are), but let’s say you WERE going for a long drive (with someone staying in your house to keep it safe, of course, while you’re gone), then I’d recommendJonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke, and the Bartimaeus trilogy (starting with this one) by Jonathan Stroud. In my experience with audiobooks, literary books like the Murakami are not the best for long drives (or long walks, or workouts).
I tried to listen to Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, got to the second violent rape scene and kicked the audiobook to the curb. (I could maybe *read* the books, but listening was a little too intense.)
I wish I could loan you some of my audiobooks the way I can loan e-books! Damn you, DRM.
Game of Thrones!!!
I did Julie and Julia on a cross country trip the other year. It was well paced and the content wasn’t so deep as to make it hard to listen to while driving. I’d call it a good choice.