Feature
2005 GIFTS FOR LISTENERS
Audiobook solutions for everyone on your list
AudioFile's editors have compiled a great list of gifts for audiophiles. We've divided it into things you listen with (besides your ears) and things you listen to. Check "Listen With" for all the latest digital listening gadgets and accessories, as well as something for those die-hard cassette users. And check "Listen To" for foolproof choices in mystery, fiction, biography, contemporary culture, and kids' audiobooks, and even boxed sets. Mostly, what we offer here is good listening, with something for the different tastes of every listener on your list for the upcoming holiday season. (Who knows--you might even find something to "gift" yourself with.)
LISTEN TO:
Lives
CHRONICLES
Bob Dylan, read by Sean Penn (Simon & Schuster Audio)
Sean Penn has the ideal voice for reluctant pop hero Dylan's riff on the curse of celebrity.
Read Review
READING LOLITA IN TEHRAN
Azar Nafisi, read by Lisette Lecat (Recorded Books)
Lecat's reading of Nafisi's memoir of life as a woman in Iran is destined to become a classic.
Read Review
RECIPES FROM MY LIFE
Pat Conroy, read by Pat Conroy (Random House Audio)
A mouth-watering recollection of an amazing life.
Read Review
1776
David McCullough, read by David McCullough (Simon & Schuster Audio/Recorded Books)
Pulitzer Prize-winning author McCullough reads his history of the American Revolution with compelling gravitas.
Read Review
Culture
BLINK
Malcolm Gladwell, read by Malcolm Gladwell (Time Warner AudioBooks)
A thought-provoking, category-defying book, read by the author with care and conviction.
Read Review
THE CHRISTMAS COMPANION
Garrison Keillor, performed by Garrison Keillor et al. (HighBridge Audio)
All the laughs, songs, sound effects, and stories you could ask for in a new Prairie Home Companion Christmas collection.
QUIET THUNDER: THE WISDOM OF CRAZY HORSE
Joseph Marshall III, read by Joseph Marshall III (Sounds True)
Storyteller Marshall weaves the story of Crazy Horse into the larger story of the Lakota people.
Read Review
THE WORLD IS FLAT
Thomas L. Friedman, read by Oliver Wyman
(Audio Renaissance/BBC Audiobooks America)
Wyman skillfully interprets Friedman's insightful analysis of globalization--and how it impacts our everyday lives.
Read Review
Fiction
THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY
Douglas Adams, read by Stephen Fry (Random House Audio/Books on Tape)
A priceless performance of Douglas Adams's out-of-this-world cult classic.
Read Review
JONATHAN STRANGE & MR. NORRELL
Susanna Clarke, read by Simon Prebble (Audio Renaissance/BBC Audiobooks America)
Clarke's well-received tome about a magical nineteenth-century England is outstandingly performed by Simon Prebble.
Read Review
YA-YAS IN BLOOM
Rebecca Wells, read by Judith Ivey (Harper Audio/Books on Tape)
Judith Ivey's divine narration gives life to these free-spirited Southern women.
Read Review
Kids
A BEAR CALLED PADDINGTON
Michael Bond, read by Stephen Fry (Harper Audio)
Stephen Fry's delightful reading of this classic children's story is perfect family listening.
Read Review
THE HOUSE AT POOH CORNER
A.A. Milne, read by Peter Dennis (Blackstone Audiobooks)
A.A. Milne's beloved tales are given gentle, definitive treatment by Peter Dennis.
Read Review
POETRY SPEAKS TO CHILDREN
Elise Paschen [Ed.], read by Shel Silverstein, Roald Dahl, et al. (Sourcebooks MediaFusion)
A treasury of kid-friendly poems in print and on CD.
THE RUBY IN THE SMOKE
Philip Pullman, read by Anton Lesser (Listening Library)
Anton Lesser gives a spellbinding performance in this riveting mystery for teens, the first in Philip Pullman's Sally Lockhart trilogy.
Read Review
Mystery
THE ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES I
Arthur Conan Doyle, read by David Timson (Naxos AudioBooks)
A perfect audiobook for fans of British drama who also love the classic British investigator.
Read Review
THE CLOSERS
Michael Connelly, read by Len Cariou (Time Warner AudioBooks/Books on Tape)
Fans will be delighted: Harry Bosch is back, and author and narrator keep getting better and better.
Read Review
THE TRUDEAU VECTOR
Juris Jurevics, read by Robertson Dean (Penguin Audio/Books on Tape)
Robertson Dean's controlled, intense delivery ratchets up the suspense in this Arctic chiller.
Boxed Sets
THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA
C.S. Lewis, read by Kenneth Branagh, Derek Jacobi, et al. (Harper Audio)
Unabridged recordings of the complete Narnia series, packaged for kids or adults.
THE COLLECTED BOWDRIE DRAMATIZATIONS
Louis L'Amour, performed by Full Casts (Random House Audio)
These Western adventures featuring Texas Ranger Chick Bowdrie are a reminder of all that was great in classic radio drama.
THE COMPLETE ARKANGEL SHAKESPEARE
William Shakespeare, performed by Full Casts (Audio Partners)
Dazzling performances of all 38 plays--the ultimate gift for a Shakespeare fan.
ULYSSES
James Joyce, read by Jim Norton, Marcella Riordan (Naxos AudioBooks)
An unparalleled and rewarding audio production of the preeminent work of modern fiction.
Read Review
[To read more about gifts for listeners, see the October/November issue of AudioFile. Subscribe Now! ]
October/November 2005
(c)2005 AudioFile Publications, Inc.
