Got a few hours to spare? Why not curl up with a good novel on audio? Even if time is tight, the great majority of audio books have chapter breaks so you can stop and come back to where you left off.
Fiction
Got a few hours to spare? Why not curl up with a good novel on audio? Even if time is tight, the great majority of audio books have chapter breaks so you can stop and come back to where you left off.
Big Night Out (various authors, various readers, Bolinda, 7CD, 7hrs). Jessica Adams and her co-editors choose some of the best stories from the star-studded line-up of the ‘Night In’ series—and all royalties go to charity.
Grave Secrets (Kathy Reichs, read by Katherine Borowitz, Random House Audio, 4cass, 6hrs, abridged). Forensic anthropologist Dr Temperance Brennan heads for Guatemala to look into a series of disappearances dating back to 1982.
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy: The Tertiary Phase (Douglas Adams, full-cast, BBC Audio, 3CD, 3hrs10). A brand new radio dramatisation of the third book in Adams’ hilarious ‘five-book trilogy’.
The Journey (Josephine Cox, read by Carole Boyd, HarperCollinsAudio, 2cass, 3hrs, abridged). Three strangers are thrown together by chance in this story full of joy, drama and tragedy.
One Shot (Lee Child, read by Kerry Shale, Random House Audio, 4CD, 6hrs, abridged). Jack Reacher returns to investigate a shooting in Indiana.
Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith (Matthew Stover, read by Jonathan Davis, Random House Audio, 4CD, 5hrs, abridged). The audio adaptation of the screenplay of the latest installment in the ‘Star Wars’ series.
The Time-traveller’s Wife (Audrey Niffenegger, read by Maggi-Meg Reed & Christopher Burns, ABC Audio, 2MP3, 12hrs, abridged). Niffenegger’s debut novel has been a surprise worldwide bestseller and critical favourite.
The Vesuvius Club (Mark Gatiss, BBC Audio, 2CD, 2hrs30). Mark Gatiss of The League of Gentlemen reads his debut novel, set among the high society and the low life of Edwardian England.
Australian fiction
ABC Audio, Bolinda and Louis Braille Audio are among the audio publishers offering Australian stories both classic and contemporary, read in Australian voices.
The Anatomy of Truth (Kate Wild, Bolinda, 6CD, 6hrs20). A powerful and disturbing debut set in a small Australian country town.
The Broken Book (Susan Johnston, read by Anna Volska & Lucy Bell, ABC Audio, 1MP3 + bonus DVD, 7hrs30). A mother and daughter narration team read Johnston’s intricate book, based loosely on the life of author Charmian Clift.
Eucalyptus (Murray Bail, read by Robert Menzies, ABC Audio, 3CD, 3hrs). Renowned stage actor Menzies (not the one-time Prime Minister!) reads Bail’s award-winning love story, which may yet be made into a film.
The Loaded Dog and More Classic Favourites (Henry Lawson, read by Colin Friels, ABC Audio, 1CD, 48mins). Quintessential Aussie actor Friels reads Lawson’s quintessential bush tales.
Picnic at Hanging Rock (Joan Lindsay, read by Jacqueline McKenzie, ABC Audio, 3CDs, 3hrs, abridged). ‘Miranda! Miranda!’ Jacqueline McKenzie’s reading gives new life to Lindsay’s eerie classic, accompanied by Gheorghe Zamfir’s haunting music.
The Power of One (Bryce Courtenay, read by Humphrey Bower, Bolinda, 2MP3, 12hrs30). Courtenay’s much-loved novel is now available on MP3.
Sixty Lights (Gail Jones, read by Caroline Lee, Louis Braille Audio, 8CD, 9hrs). Sixty Lights is one of the three of this year’s Miles Franklin Award shortlisted titles produced by Louis Braille Audio.
Whodunnit?
There are audio thrills, chills and mysteries galore for crime fans.
Cold Granite (Stuart McBride, read by John Sessions, HarperCollins AudioBooks, 5CD, 6hrs, abridged). Aberdeen copper DS McRae’s first day back on the job after a year off isn’t going well …
Dalziel & Pascoe: Secrets of the Dead (Reginald Hill, full-cast dramatization, BBC Audio, 2CD). The familiar voices of Warren Clarke and much of the cast of the TV series bring the irascible ‘fat man’ of the force and his long-suffering colleagues to life.
Fetish & Split (Tara Moss, Bolinda, 14CD, 15hrs30). Model-turned-author Moss reads her two bestsellers featuring the glamorous model/detective Mak Vanderwall.
The Hound of the Baskervilles (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, read by David Timson, Naxos, 5CD, 6hrs17). One of a number of timeless Sherlock Holmes mysteries in Naxos’ Complete Classics series.
Iced (Jenny Siler, Bolinda, 7CD, 8hrs). Ex-con Meg Gardner has a semi-legit job: she repossesses cars. But then one day, she takes a car with something in it that someone wants back …
One, Two, Buckle my Shoe (Agatha Christie, full-cast, BBC Audio, 2CD, 2hrs30). John Moffatt stars as Belgium’s most famous detective, Hercule Poirot, in this classic Christie mystery—who killed the dentist?
The Straw Men (Michael Marshall, read by Kerry Shale, HarperCollins AudioBooks, 3CD, 4hrs, abridged). Ward Hopkins, a man with a past so secret even he doesn’t know about it, is on the trail of a serial killer.
Nonfiction
Who says you can’t learn anything from sitting on the couch (or on the bus, or in the car) and listening to your Walkman?
American Dream, Global Nightmare (Ziauddin Sardar & Merryl Wyn Davies, Naxos, 4CD, 5hrs18). Looks behind the myths that sustain the American dream—fear, ignorance, war and celebrity loom large.
Eyewitness 1940–1949 (various, BBC Audio, 4CDs, 3hrs30). The BBC has access to an unequalled archive of radio programs that re-tell the history of the 20th century as it occurred. One of 10 volumes.
Great Speeches in History (read by Norman Rodway et al, Naxos, 2CD, 2hrs38). From ancient Greece to today, here are some of the most stirring speeches in history.
Introducing Postmodernism (Richard Appignanesi et al, Naxos, 2CD, 2hrs). Described as ‘the perfect audio guide to the maddeningly enigmatic concept that has been used to describe the cultural condition’ of our times.
The Lost Continent (Bill Bryson, read by William Roberts, 1MP3, 10hrs18). Bryson’s travels through small-town America are simultaneously hilarious and heart-rending.
Thus Spoke Zarathustra (Friedrich Nietzsche, read by Alex Jennings with Jon Cartwright, Naxos, 4CD, 5hrs18). This classic of philosophy, long tarred by its association with Nazism, is now being reassessed. Listen and decide for yourself.
Australian nonfiction
A Fortunate Life (A B Facey, ABC Audio, 2MP3, 13hrs). Roger Cardwell reads Facey’s classic Australian life story.
Joe Cinque’s Consolation (Helen Garner, read by Alice Garner, Louis Braille Audio, 8CD, 9hrs15). Actor and historian Alice Garner reads her mother’s latest book—a chilling look into a murder.
The Justice Game (Geoffrey Robertson, ABC Audio, 3CD, 4hrs, abridged). Celebrity lawyer Robertson reads from his memoir, recounting some of his most memorable cases.
Stargazing: Memoirs of a Young Lighthouse Keeper (Peter Hill, ABC Audio, 2CD, 2hrs15, abridged). In 1973, intending to take a summer break from art school, the 19-year-old Hill ended up keeping a remote Scottish lighthouse for a whole year.
Poetry & Plays
Fewer and fewer of us have the time to read poetry or attend the theatre these days—audio books bring some classic performances to life at any time.
The Essential Dylan Thomas (Dylan Thomas, Naxos, 4CD, 4hrs53). Includes Richard Burton’s famous 1954 recording of Under Milkwood, Thomas reading his own poems and fresh, new recordings of old favourites.
The Importance of Being Earnest (Oscar Wilde, Naxos, 2CD, 1hr50). A recording of the classic 1951 production of Wilde’s timelessly funny farce, starring John Gielgud.
Poems 1972–2002 (Michael Leunig, ABC Audio, 1CD, 37mins). Geoffrey Rush reads a selection of Leunig’s amusing, stimulating and sometimes provocative poems.
Classics
BBC Audio and Naxos lead the pack when it comes to all-time classics. These are just the tip of the iceberg:
Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen, read by Irene Sutcliffe, BBC Audio, 2MP3, 11hrs30). Renowned stage actor Sutcliffe doesn’t miss a witty word in this faithful reading.
Pride and Predudice (Jane Austen, read by Emilia Fox, Naxos, 11CD, 13hrs). Dear reader, Miss Fox must be dallying with Darcy, as her reading is an hour-and-a-half longer than the competition’s!
King Richard III (William Shakespeare, full-cast, Naxos, 3CD, 3hs20). Kenneth Branagh leads an all-star cast performing one of Shakespeare’s great dramas.
Inferno (Dante, read by Heathcote Williams, Naxos, 4CD, 4hrs10). One of a number of Naxos recordings from Dante’s Divine Comedy read by poet, playright and actor Williams.
Kids
The range of children’s material on audio is vast, and ranges from the classics to the contemporary, from littlies to teens.
Boy Overboard and Boy Underground (Morris Gleitzman, read by Morris Gleitzman & Mary-Anne Fahey, Bolinda, 6CD, 6hrs50). Gleitzman and his partner read his contemporary, controversial books centred on children in detention centers.
Fireshadow (Anthony Eaton, read by David Tredinnick, Louis Braille Audio, 8CD, 9hrs30). Anthony Eaton is a fast-rising star in YA. Fireshadow looks at the experiences of two very different men to war and its aftermath.
Huckleberry Finn (Mark Twain, read by Garrick Hagon, Naxos, 2CD, 2hrs40). Twain’s timeless story is just one of many children’s classics in Naxos’ range.
So Feral! (J A Mawter, Bolinda, 4CD, 4hrs). Even grosser that So Gross!—boys of a certain age will love it!
Spot’s Bedtime Stories (Eric Hill, various readers, ABC Audio, 1CD, 33mins). These ten Spot stories are perfect for bedtime listening.
The Magic Faraway Tree (Enid Blyton, read by Kate Winslett, ABC Audio, 4CD, 3hrs40). Kate Winslett joins the fairy-folk in her reading of this much-loved classic.
A Year full of Stories (Georgie Adams, various readers, Bolinda, 8CD, 8hrs15). With over 300 stories, it’ll take quite a few bedtimes before even the keenest ear will detect any repetition.
MBS
Audio books aren’t just for entertainment—with titles like these, there may well be some enlightenment to be gained as well.
Angel Medicine (Doreen Virtue, Hay House, 2CD). Virtue leads listeners on a guided meditation to a virtual Atlantean healing temple.
E-myth Mastery (Michael E Gerber, Harper Audio, 5CD, 6 hrs). Gerber reveals the seven essential disciplines for building a world-class company.
Hot Relationships (Tracey Cox, Bolinda, 2MP3, 21 hrs). A funny and realistic guide to relationships from the author of Hot Sex.
Relaxation Gift Pack (Gillian Ross, ABC Audio, 2CD, 2hrs). These two CDs offer time-poor beginners an introduction to stress-busting relaxation routines.
Right and Wrong (Hugh McKay, read by Bud Tingwell, Bolinda, 7CD, 9hrs). Psychologist and social reseacher McKay’s offers strategies to help us survive the moral minefields of modern life.
Secrets and Mysteries of the World (Sylvia Browne, Hay House, 2CD). Psychic Browne reveals amazing facts about some of the world’s most mysterious places.
Stephanie Dowrick Gift Pack (Stephanie Dowrick with Tony Backhouse, ABC Audio, 3CD, 2.75 hrs). Combines The Universal Heart and Guided Meditiations to offer listeners consolation, joy, peace and hope.
A Walk in the Park: Tasmania (Jane Stapleton & Roger Penny, ABC Audio, 2CD+DVD, 2.5hrs). A guided walk through ten Tasmanian national parks, accompanied by rangers and a variety of experts.
Your Life Matters (Petrea King, ABC Audio, 2CD, abridged). King survived leukemia and has dedicated her life since to helping others find their way to peace, health and well-being.
Not quite (or not just) audio books
If we were being strict, we could define audio books solely as readings of previously published books. But audio producers are offering a range of products that are more than just adaptations of books.
Bolinda have had great success with Stig Wenyss’ Trip Diaries series, which offer a great solution for the cries of ‘are we there yet?’ from the back seat. The Trip Diaries aren’t just someone reading from a book, nor are they just for kids—Wemyss and his cast have created a complete ‘in-car entertainment package’ with stories, songs, comedy sketches and in-car games.
The Five Mile Press has developed a series of book and CD packages using the well-known faces of the ‘Hi 5’ crew. Dazzler Ducks and Penny the Clown offer a ‘listen as you read’ approach, perfect for building the confidence of kids just learning how to read. With Shirley Barber’s Bedtime Stories, Five Mile Press have gone even further, packaging a 3D-illustrated book with special 3D glasses and a CD. It’s very pink!
Listen to the shortlists
Louis Braille Audio (LBA) produces about 90 audio titles a year, almost all by Australian authors (with a few New Zealanders thrown in). LBA’s titles are all unabridged and read by professional actors.
LBA seems to have cornered the market on audio versions of this year’s Miles Franklin Award shortlisted titles, with Charlotte Woods’ The Submerged Cathedral, Gail Jones’ Sixty Lights and Steven Carroll’s The Gift of Speed all out on CD now.
LBA also offers audio versions of more than 15 of the titles on this year’s CBCA shortlist.
This article from Australian Bookseller & Publisher magazine is reproduced by kind permission of Thorpe-Bowker, a division of R R Bowker LLC. © Copyright 2005, Thorpe-Bowker