My first brush with audiobooks was in the early 90s. As a gift, I had received C.S. Lewis’s The Magician’s Nephew (in audio cassette form), narrated by Claire Bloom. It made such an impression on me that I can recall her voice with perfect clarity: imperious; by turns sharp enough to cut glass or soothing as a soft ermine cape. I wish I could reproduce that voice for you here, but the tape doesn’t seem to be digitally available (although there is a version narrated by Kenneth Branagh, which I suppose is a reasonable enough surrogate).
Regrettably, I only rediscovered the magic of audio entertainment about three years ago (by way of the cornucopia of freely-available podcasts), but now I’m making up for lost time. It’s not always easy to select which book to read next (shout out to Goodreads for streamlining the process), or indeed to find uninterrupted stretches of time for reading. But audiobooks change all that. You can consume them while travelling or waiting, or as you drift off to sleep (Jude Law and James McAvoy, if you ever read this, please consider audiobook narration as a supplementary career avenue). Audio entertainment is a particularly good way to speed up hours spent pipetting and centrifuging. I don’t know what laboratory researchers did before the advent of podcasts and audiobooks.
Here is my curated audiobook wishlist for 2017, part I. Four-minute audio clips of each title are available at Audible.com
(1) Contact by Carl Sagan, narrated by Jodie Foster
As mentioned in the music in gaming post, this is one of my favourite books of all time. Despite knowing that a lifetime is not long enough to read all the books I would like to, I have re-read this no less than six times. It insightfully and sensitively considers topics as diverse as science, religion, feminism, enduring friendship, and what it would mean for humanity (and individuals) if we weren’t alone. Goodreads rating: 4.1. Excerpt:
“You’re an interesting species. An interesting mix. You’re capable of such beautiful dreams, and such horrible nightmares. You feel so lost, so cut off, so alone, only you’re not. See, in all our searching, the only thing we’ve found that makes the emptiness bearable, is each other.”
(2) Talking As Fast As I Can by Lauren Graham, narrated by Lauren Graham
Gilmore Girls alumna, the singular Lauren Graham, reflects on her professional life (including the portrayal of Lorelai Gilmore) in a series of essays. Goodreads rating: 4.1. Excerpt:
“For a very long time I worked and worked and worked, and then I looked up one day and all my friends were married with children.”
(3) Hard Choices by Hillary Rodham Clinton, narrated by Hillary Rodham Clinton and Kathleen Chalfant
An autobiographical account of Hillary’s time as Secretary of State, a position she accepted at Obama’s request after her 2008 presidential campaign. Goodreads rating: 3.6. Excerpt:
“When you are in a common boat, cross the river peacefully together.”
Bonus: Obama’s The Audacity of Hope
(4) What if? by Randall Munroe, narrated by Wil Wheaton
I have yet to be disappointed by any of Munroe’s geeky/creative projects. Stand by Me’s Wil Wheaton is the perfect choice of narrator for this book: Munroe answers hypothetical science-related reader questions to the best of his ability, seeing them through to their inevitably extreme conclusions. Goodreads rating: 4.2. Excerpt:
“We don’t know what astatine looks like, because, as Lowe put it, “that stuff just doesn’t want to exist.” It’s so radioactive (with a half-life measured in hours) that any large piece of it would be quickly vaporized by its own heat. Chemists suspect that it has a black surface, but no one really knows. There’s no material safety data sheet for astatine. If there were, it would just be the word “NO” scrawled over and over in charred blood.”
(5) Unfaithful Music & Disappearing Ink by Elvis Costello, narrated by Elvis Costello
Costello is a prolific British singer-songwriter whose career has spanned the pub rock, punk, and new wave movements, and is still going strong today. This is an honest and lyrically-observed memoir from a pedigreed musician; as the New York Times review by Dwight Garner points out: “Mr. Costello has been cagey and word-drunk from the start. Had he not picked up a guitar, and put on the black glasses and porkpie hats, he might easily have been a poet.” Goodreads rating: 3.8. Excerpt:
“There was a Fender Palomino acoustic lying in the corner in an open case, which, as you know, often symbolizes low morals or easy virtue in paintings of antiquity.”
(6) The End of the Affair by Graham Greene, narrated by Colin Firth
A classic about a surprisingly self-aware protagonist trying to come to grips with his infidelity (after the death of his mistress). He discovers much deeper truths in the process. Goodreads rating: 4. Excerpt:
“The sense of unhappiness is so much easier to convey than that of happiness. In misery we seem aware of our own existence, even though it may be in the form of a monstrous egotism.”
(7) The Passage by Justin Cronin, narrated by Edward Herrmann
A beautifully-written, gripping story of a dangerous future, woven through with mystery and heart. Narrated by another Gilmore Girls alum, the late, great Edward Herrmann. There are two subsequent books in this trilogy, which I only *wish* I could say they were as good as the first. Goodreads rating: 4. Excerpt:
“It was what you did, Wolgast understood; you started to tell a story about who you were, and soon enough the lies were all you had and you became that person.”
(8) Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari, narrated by Derek Perkins
In the tradition of Guns, Germs, and Steel, Dr. Harari presents the critical events that have shaped human history. Goodreads rating: 4.4. Excerpt:
“Ever since the Cognitive Revolution, Sapiens have thus been living in a dual reality. On the one hand, the objective reality of rivers, trees and lions; and on the other hand, the imagined reality of gods, nations and corporations.”
(9) The Millennium Trilogy by Stieg Larsson, narrated by Simon Vance (CDs only)
A mysterious disappearance, a complicated family, and two unlikely heroes who forge an even unlikelier bond. Again, these are some of my favourite books of all time. Sink into the story – told in Vance’s gentle Scottish brogue – as though into a comfortable sofa, and make yourself some coffee and a plate of ham sandwiches, because they are mentioned a lot, and it’s going to make you hungry.
It takes a little while to get to the meat of the first book, but it’s definitely worth the wait. Sadly, Stieg Larsson, a journalist, died under mysterious circumstances shortly after completing this trilogy, leaving behind a number of unpublished manuscripts. Goodreads rating: 4.5. Excerpt:
“She wondered why she, who had such difficulty talking about herself with people of flesh and blood, could blithely reveal her most intimate secrets to a bunch of completely unknown freaks on the Internet.”
Against Larsson’s estate’s wishes, a fourth book (The Girl in the Spider’s Web
(10) An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth by Chris Hadfield
Delve into the life, training, and missions of soft-spoken astronaut, Commander Chris Hadfield, who tells a series of entertaining and awe-inspiring stories containing a strong dose of practical wisdom. Goodreads rating: 4.1. Excerpt:
“Early success is a terrible teacher. You’re essentially being rewarded for a lack of preparation, so when you find yourself in a situation where you must prepare, you can’t do it. You don’t know how.”
Four Honourable Mentions (CDs only):
(1) The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, narrated by Jake Gyllenhaal
Goodreads rating: 3.9. Excerpt:
“And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees, just as things grow in fast movies, I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer.”
(2) Think Like a Freak by Stephens J. Dubner and D. Levitt, narrated by Dubner
Goodreads rating: 3.8. Excerpt:
“Solving a problem is hard enough; it gets that much harder if you’ve decided beforehand it can’t be done.”
(3) Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah, narrated by Noah
Goodreads rating: 4.6. Excerpt:
“We tell people to follow their dreams, but you can only dream of what you can imagine, and, depending on where you come from, your imagination can be quite limited.”
(4) The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher, narrated by James Marsters (Spike from Buffy)
Goodreads rating: 4.8. Excerpt:
“Most of the bad guys in the real world don’t know that they are bad guys. You don’t get a flashing warning sign that you’re about to damn yourself. It sneaks up on you when you aren’t looking.”
What are some of your favourite audiobooks, or audiobooks you’ve been meaning to listen to? Which ones should I include in part II of the wishlist? Tweet at me (@acnotesblog), find me on Facebook, or leave a comment below. I’d love to hear from you.
Happy listening!
P.S. Song of the day: Planetary by Blair (ft. Argonaut & Wasp)
If you like Planetary, please consider helping to support Acoustic Notes by getting it here
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