
Ask HN: What are the best audiobooks you have ever listened to? - rblion
I&#x27;m interested in science, technology, engineering, art, math, music, history, biographies.<p>I am open to good works of fiction (particularly historical and science) too.<p>I have one Audible credit left and I plan to cancel after that. I have a lot of audiobooks that will last me for a long time now.
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Blakestr
Shogun by James Clavelle is one of the best "culture shock" historical epics
available. You will learn some japanese too.

Pillars of Earth, read by John Lee, is another one, simply about building a
cathedral in medieval europe. Great characters, a villain you love to hate.

If you haven't, you cannot claim to be a fan of science if you haven't listen
to Foundation by Issac Asimov.

The Name of the Wind - Patrick Rothfuss, read by Nick Podehl. It's Harry
Potter but for grownups. Fantastic story.

Edit - I'm adding this because I doubt anyone will mention it - there is an
audio production company called Graphic Audio, their tagline is "a movie in
your mind."

The absolute BEST story I have ever heard, in my entire life, is the
Stormlight Archives Series - Way of Kings & Words of Radiance books. These are
written by Brandon Sanderson. I don't actually read much fantasy when I read
fiction it tends to be scifi or historically based. But this series, with the
voice actors and the properly timed music/sfx, is absolutely fantastic. I know
OP mentioned audible and Graphic Audio isn't available there, and they are
very expensive. But if you can afford it, you won't get a better experience.
There are some "jump out of your chair and fist pump" moments in these books.

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sethammons
Stormlight and all things Brandon Sanderson. The whole cosmere series is
fantastic.

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vo2maxer
Before digital audiobooks were available, there were a number of offerings on
cassette tapes, and LP records even earlier. I remember subscribing to
Recorded Books and Books on Tape which would mail an unabridged book on
multiple cassettes. They arrived in a cardboard box after requesting them
through an 800 number. The rental was for thirty days.

The two that stand out from that time are both by Robert Graves: I, Claudius
and Claudius the God. It was such an immersive experience into the Roman
Empire that it made my long commute not only bearable but an anticipated joy.
Both books are available on Audible by a different narrator than those I
heard. If you want more of Graves’ Julio-Claudian drama, it’s hard to beat the
BBC adaption starring the great Derek Jacobi [1]. For more, top it off by
actually reading the books.

[1]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I,_Claudius_(TV_series)?wprov=...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I,_Claudius_\(TV_series\)?wprov=sfti1)

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taylodl
The _Harry Potter_ series narrated by Jim Dale. We listened to them while
driving on family vacations. Kept the kids engaged and prevented the driver
(me!) from getting bored. Another good one is _The Hitchhiker 's Guide to the
Galaxy_.

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timemachine
John Lee is one of my favorite narrators and his reading of the Count of Monte
Cristo is wonderful (even at 47 hours).

Ron Chernow’s biographies of Grant, Hamilton, and Washington.

Candice Millard‘s “Hero’s of the Empire” (about Winston Churchill) and “River
of Doubt” (Theodore Roosevelt) are both interesting looks at important
historical figures in situations we don’t often prescribe to them. Her first
book “Destiny of the Republic” (James Garfield) is also good but the other two
are superior.

“David and Goliath” by Malcolm Gladwell.

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catacombs
The Power of the Dog series by Don Winslow, read by Ray Porter.

Porter is a master narrator, using different voices for the sea of characters
in the trilogy that really immerses you in the story. I listened to all the
books -- The Power of the Dog, The Cartel, and The Border -- and am worried no
other books will match Porter's deft acting.

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senjindarashiva
If you like history The rise and fall of the Third reich was really
interesting [https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Rise-and-Fall-of-the-Third-
Re...](https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Rise-and-Fall-of-the-Third-Reich-
Audiobook/B003VWJAPA)

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stockkid
Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World narrated by Jack Weatherford
was quite cool to listen to.

~~~
satvikpendem
The Hardcore History podcast episodes on Genghis Khan (Wrath of the Khans) is
quite good. If you've listened to it, is the book similar to the podcast?

~~~
Blakestr
I'll summarize this for anyone who hasn't listened to it.

Don't fuck with the mongols.

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qzx_pierri
'Can't Hurt Me' by David Goggins - Incredible. It's actually setup like a
podcast. Every couple chapters, the narrator and David have a 5 or so minute
discussion about what just happened, more insight, etc. It's a really cool
format.

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afarrell
For a history of the start of WWI, I really liked Guns of August by Barbera
Tuchman.

Also, there are some books whose authors wrote with a musicality that they are
far better on audio than on paper. Included in this category are:

\- Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkein

\- Souls of Black Folk by WEB DuBois

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megamike
The Wright Brothers Paperback – May 3, 2016 by David McCullough Great writing
e.g Mr McCullough's description of the interior of the Wright home is
wonderful and hearing it on audio its as if you are standing in their home

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startuplife01
The Startup of You by Reid Hoffman

Start with Why by Simon Sinek

Peak Performance by Brad Stulberg and Steve Magness

Game Changers by Dave Asprey

Shoe Dog

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Japhy_Ryder
How to Change Your Mind by Michael Pollan.

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WheelsAtLarge
Napoleon A Life

by Andrew Roberts read by John Lee

Worth the time to listen to the 32+ hours.

