Listening to audiobooks lends an entirely new perspective to the reading experience since, to a large extent, you as the listener are at the mercy of the reader's talent (or lack thereof): a bad reader can hammer a stake through the heart of even the most energetic and delightful prose; a good reader, however, can elevate an already fantastic book into something approaching a religious experience.

I've been a devoted audiobook fan since college when I had a job filing billing statements in a 10 x 10 foot windowless room in the dark underbelly of a veterinary hospital. My fellow prisoner/employee and I were not the best of friends (i.e. we fought like two cats in a bag at the slightest provocation). The only thing in the entire universe we agreed on was our mutual love of literature. So, after a trip to the local library to load up on stacks of audiobooks, hey, presto! a truce was forged and a new bookish obsession born. Although the truce didn't last long, (he accused me of listening ahead on The Return of Sherlock Holmes tapes because I kept guessing the end to the stories. Let me tell you, those are fightin' words) I haven't stopped listening to audiobooks since.

After hundreds of hours of listening, here are the productions that stand out from the crowd.

 

1. His Dark Materials (The Golden Compass; The Subtle Knife; The Amber Spyglass) by Philip Pullman; full cast recording produced by Listening Library

While this stellar fantasy series is a riveting read, listening to these full cast recordings is even better, believe me.

The author, Philip Pullman, is the narrator and leads a tremendous group of adult and child actors through an unabridged reading of all three books in the series. The young actors who play Lyra Belacqua and Will Parry are outstanding: they pack more emotion and nuance into their voices than many adult actors can manage onscreen. Even if you've already read and enjoyed the books, listening to this production will be like experiencing them anew all over again.

 

2. The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series by Alexander McCall Smith; Unabridged audio production by Recorded Books, narrated by Lisette Lecat

I simply couldn't warm up to this series until I heard Lisette Lecat's delightful interpretation of Mma Precious Ramotswe, Botswana's answer to Miss Marple; then I went buck wild and listened to them all in one fevered fortnight.

Lecat's voice is like sun shining on honey: rich, deep, and smooth. It is especially helpful for those of us who don't have enough experience with African accents to hear her glide through the different voices and tongue-tying words.   

 

3. The Arkangel Shakespeare series of The Plays of William Shakespeare; Produced by AudioPartners; unabridged, full cast recordings

Shakespeare didn't write novels -- he wrote plays; and plays, of course, are meant to be experienced as a performance, not read in some deadly dull sophomore English class with Ms. Thingummy glaring at you. While I am a firm believer that Shakespearean plays CANNOT be taught effectively without seeing a performance, these outstanding audio productions really are the next best thing.

The plays are performed by professional Shakespearean actors, many of whom, like Kenneth Branaugh (Professor Lockhart in Harry Potter, remember?) and Amanda Root (Anne Elliot in the movie Persuasion--outstanding!) belonged to the Royal Shakespeare Company, England's premiere Shakespeare acting company. So it goes without saying that their performances are among some of the best Shakespeare stuff out there.

 

4. Doomsday Book - Connie Willis; Recorded Books, unabridged recording, read by Jenny Sterlin

It's a crying shame that this science fiction/fantasy tour de force (which won both the Hugo and Nebula awards) isn't more popular with readers. It's one part history, one part thriller, and incredibly emotional, and Jenny Sterlin's reading is pretty much the best damn piece of vocal acting I've ever heard. It's long -- 26 hours and 30 minutes -- but it is worth every second.  

 

5. Redwall by Brian Jacques; Full cast unabridged production by Listening Library

Gather the kids around and listen to this rollicking hero/fantasy tale; you'll all love it (in fact, if you're travelling over the river and through the woods this holiday season, this might be just the thing to pop into the car's CD player).

Narrated by the author with a full cast playing the parts of all the animals, this recording is a real delight. And, for the record, Redwall is one of the very few books that manages to be a great read, a great audiobook, AND a great movie.

If you get or your young ones get into Redwall, don't stop there: the series goes on for another 20 some books and are all equally adventurous and enthralling.

 

6. The Queen and I by Sue Townsend; Recorded Books unabridged production, read by Barbara Rosenblat

I absolutely adore this book; in fact, it sits pretty high up on my favorite books of all time list. The Queen and I imagines what life would be like for the Royals if they were stripped of their titles and made to live in government housing with the salt of the earth. The results are understandably hilarious: imagine Fawlty Towers meets the humor of Hot Fuzz meets Queen Elizabeth and you've got a pretty good idea of what it's like.

The best thing about listening to this book instead of reading it is that the differences between the accents of the various characters is a major part of the story, and we uncouth Yanks just can't appreciate it fully without hearing it. Ms. Rosenblat's reading is pure gold.

 

7. Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton; Unabridged production by Blackstone Audiobooks, read by Michael York

Mr. York's passionate and emotional reading is what makes this already powerful novel even more stunning. It's one thing to read about Stephen Kumalo's pain and struggle against disillusionment; it's entirely another to hear it as if he is opening his soul directly to you. If you haven't read this book, please give this production a try.

 

8. Any of the BBC Radio 4 Agatha Christie mystery productions; full cast dramatisations

BBC Radio 4 is probably the best radio station in the world for book lovers and their full cast series of dramatised Agatha Christie mysteries is some of their best work. While they aren't unabridged and some of the plots are a bit tweaked, the acting, sound effects, and music more than make up for any departures from strict Christie orthodoxy.

Nearly all of the Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple mysteries are available, though I much prefer the Miss Marple ones; her first mystery, Murder at the Vicarage, is my favorite.

 

9. The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver; Unabridged production by Brilliance Audio, read by Dean Robertson

The story of the Price family's ill-fated and darkly humorous missionary excursion into the Congo absolutely comes to life under Robertson's handling. Each of the four Price sisters sounds so different (and so believeable) it was actually difficult sometimes for me to remember that I was listening to only one reader's performance. A powerful book made stellar by an outstanding reader. A word to the wise: get your hankies ready for this one.  

 

10. Ender's Game and Ender's Shadow by Orson Scott Card; Unabridged, full cast recording by Macmillan Audio

I saved my favorite for last; if you loved Ender's Game, you will go nuts over these fantastic full-cast recordings. Ender's Shadow even includes an all new introduction and epilogue read by Mr Card in which he discusses why he wrote Ender's Shadow and why he feels that the audio performances of Ender's Game and Ender's Shadow are better mediums for the books than the movie that he has been relentlessly pestered to sign off on. (Hey, I admit, I want a movie version too; however, Mr. Card makes it clear that unless the essence of Ender's Game is preserved, he won't approve any movie deals. Amen, brother. The closest he has gotten is a proposed deal that would combine Ender's Game and Ender's Shadow into the same screenplay, so that both sides of the story are told at once. Here's hoping.)

Heard any good books lately? Let us know: leave a recommendation as a comment or email your suggestions to michellekerns@surewest.net.