Slate Audible Recommendations

World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks.

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 09:05:51 -0700

Gabfest listener Joshua Leach recommends this oddly hopeful story of a zombie-near-apocalypse read by Alan Alda, John Turturro, Rob Reiner, and others.

Beat the Reaper, written by Josh Bazell. Narrated by Robert Petkoff

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 08:58:18 -0700

Recommended by Culturefest listener Jenny Spaulding.

From the publisher's description: Meet Peter Brown, a young Manhattan emergency room doctor with an unusual past that is just about to catch up with him. His morning begins with the quick disarming of a would-be mugger, followed by a steamy elevator encounter with a sexy young pharmaceutical rep, topped off by a visit with a new patient - and from there Peter's day is going to get a whole lot worse and a whole lot weirder.

Because that patient knows Peter from his other life, when he had a different name and a very different job. The only reason he's a doctor now is thanks to the Witness Protection Program-and even they can't protect him from the long reach of the New Jersey mob. Now he's got to do whatever it takes to keep his patient alive so he can buy some time...and beat the reaper.

Beat the Reaper is not just the only work that will be compared to Quentin Tarantino's films, Grey's Anatomy, and Chuck Palahniuk - it's also the most original and entertaining debut thriller you'll listen to this year.

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield. Narrated by Bianca Amato and Jill Tanner.

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 08:53:51 -0700

A ghost story and murder mystery with lots of flips and twists, recommended by Gabfest listener Steve Flynn.

The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami. Narrated by Rupert Degas.

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 13:52:56 -0800

Recommended by the Culture Gabfest crew. From Audiofile: Toru Okada is a friendly, easy-going fellow, but his life is foundering. After quitting his job, he loses his cat, then his wife. Strange people pop inexplicably into his life, complicating his story with their own. Is it possible these mean something? Narrator Rupert Degas juggles this rich layering of stories into a kind of clarity, if not exactly meaning--though meaning is really what Toru and the reader are both after. With its continuously nonplussed tone, Degas's relaxed acceptance of the story's ambiguity plays right into Murakami's hand. Writer and narrator conspire thus to betray the reader's fondest hopes: easy answers! There are none, after all, but nothing is spoiled by this discovery. Instead, we have Murakami's most mature exploration of Japan's war-ravaged past meeting the present.

I, Claudius by Robert Graves. Narrated by Frederick Davidson.

Thu, 4 Mar 2010 13:50:59 -0800

Recommended by Political Gabfest listener MaryClaire King. Set in the first century A.D. in Rome and written as an autobiographical memoir, this colorful story of the life of the Roman emperor Claudius stands as one of the modern classics of historical fiction.

Under the Dome by Stephen King. Narrated by Raul Esparza.

Wed, 3 Mar 2010 13:47:24 -0800

Recommended by Political Gabfest listener Bridget Braney. From the Publisher's Summary: On an entirely normal, beautiful fall day in Chester's Mill, Maine, the town is inexplicably and suddenly sealed off from the rest of the world by an invisible force field. Planes crash into it and fall from the sky in flaming wreckage, a gardener's hand is severed as "the dome" comes down on it, people running errands in the neighboring town are divided from their families, and cars explode on impact. No one can fathom what this barrier is, where it came from, and when--or if--it will go away.

On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King. Narrated by the author.

Wed, 3 Mar 2010 13:44:56 -0800

Recommended by the Culture Gabfest crew.

The Ricky Gervais Show podcast, by Ricky Gervais, Stephen Merchant, and Karl Pilkington.

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 13:40:53 -0800

The Painted Veil by W. Somerset Maugham. Narrated by Kate Reading.

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 13:37:41 -0800

Recommended by the Culture Gabfest crew. From the Publisher's Summary: This is the story of Kitty Fane, the adulterous wife of a bacteriologist stationed in Hong Kong. When her husband discovers her deception, he exacts a terrible vengeance: Kitty must accompany him to the heart of a cholera epidemic in China.

Thinking in Pictures: My Life with Autism, by Temple Grandin. Narrated by Deborah Marlowe.

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 12:45:47 -0800

Recommended by the Culture Gabfest crew. 'Temple Grandin, Ph.D., is a gifted animal scientist who has designed one third of all the livestock-handling facilities in the United States. She also lectures widely on autism - because Temple Grandin is autistic, a woman who thinks, feels, and experiences the world in ways that are incomprehensible to the rest of us.' This is her 'report from the country of autism.' - Publisher's Summary.

The Adventures of Augie March by Saul Bellow. Narrated by Tom Parker.

Wed, 3 Feb 2010 12:39:30 -0800

Recommended by the Culture Gabfest crew. ugie is a poor but exuberant boy growing up in Chicago during the Depression. While his friends all settle into chosen professions, Augie demands a special destiny. He tests out a wild succession of occupations, proudly rejecting each as too limiting - until he tangles with the glamorous perfectionist Thea.

Shop Class as Soul Craft: An Inquiry into the Value of Work. Written by Matthew Crawford and narrated by Max Bloomquist.

Fri, 5 Feb 2010 16:35:22 -0800

Recommended by Political Gabfest listener Nathan Wood. An Audible Editor says: Shop Class takes critical and incisive aim at the corporate workplace, consumerism, our educational system's unbalanced tilt towards higher education at the expense of the skilled manual trades, and our relations with our own "stuff". The central concept enveloping and linking these various themes is "agency".

Brother, I'm Dying by Edwdge Danticat. Narrated by Robin Miles.

Wed, 20 Jan 2010 17:46:37 -0800

Recommended by the Culture Gabfest crew. From the Publisher's Summary: Award-winning, best-selling author Edwidge Danticat taps her exceptional storytelling gifts for this memoir of the two men who raised her. When the author was only four years old, her parents emigrated from Haiti to New York in search of a better life, leaving their daughter in the care of her uncle Joseph. A peaceful pastor in Port-au-Prince, Joseph raised Edwidge with the love and devotion of a father, despite facing many hardships in politically turbulent Haiti.

Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman. Narrated by Lenny Henry.

Fri, 15 Jan 2010 13:05:21 -0800

Recommended by Political Gabfest listener Gary Vandiver. Independent on Sunday says: "Mixing farce and fantasy, epic mythology and domestic drama, Gaiman's novel is a clever piece of storytelling and a celebration of the magic of make-believe."

Born on a Blue Day: A Memoir. Written by Daniel Tammet and narrated by Simon Vance.

Wed, 13 Jan 2010 17:58:35 -0800

Recommended by the Culture Gabfest crew. The Publisher's Summary says: Worldwide, there are fewer than 50 living savants, those autistic individuals who can perform miraculous mental calculations or artistic feats. (Think Dustin Hoffman's character in Rain Man.) Until now, none of them has been able to discuss his or her thought processes, much less write a book. Daniel Tammet is the first.

Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key. Written and narrated by Jack Gantos.

Fri, 8 Jan 2010 13:19:05 -0800

Recommended by Political Gabfest host Emily Bazelon. Publisher's Weekly says: "An accurate, compassionate and humorous appraisal of a boy with attention-deficit disorder.... For young readers touched by ADD - and for their teachers and parents - Joey gives us the key to his world."

Lloyd Alexander's Prydain Chronicles. Narrated by James Langton.

Fri, 8 Jan 2010 13:26:44 -0800

Recommended by Emily Bazelon. From the Publisher's Summary: Taran dreams of adventure, but nothing exciting ever happens to an Assistant Pig-Keeper, until his pig runs away. A chase through the woods leads Taran far from home and into great danger, for evil prowls the land of Prydain. With a collection of strange and wonderful friends whom he meets on his journey, Taran finds himself fighting so that good may triumph over evil, and so that his beloved home will not fall to a diabolical fiend.

Endurance, a story of Ernest Shakleton's botched Antarctic voyage in 1914. Written by Alfred Lansing and narrated by Simon Prebble.

Fri, 8 Jan 2010 13:11:24 -0800

Recommended by Political Gabfest listener Diane Cochran. From the Publisher's Summary: In August of 1914, the British ship Endurance set sail for the South Atlantic. In October 1915, still half a continent away from its intended base, the ship was trapped, then crushed in the ice. For five months, Sir Ernest Shackleton and his men, drifting on ice packs, were castaways in one of the most savage regions of the world.

Angels and Ages: A Short Book About Darwin, Lincoln, and Modern Life. Written and narrated by Slate's Adam Gopnik.

Wed, 6 Jan 2010 18:03:56 -0800

Recommended by the Culture Gabfest crew. Written 200 years after Charles Darwin and Abraham Lincoln shared a birthday on February 12, 1809, Gopnik sheds new light on two men who changed the way we think about the meaning of life and death.

Dubliners by James Joyce. Narrated by Gerard McSorley.

Thu, 31 Dec 2009 12:53:45 -0800

Recommended by Political Gabfest listener Rachel Carr.

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith and Jane Austen. Narrated by Katherine Kellgren.

Wed, 30 Dec 2009 13:23:07 -0800

Recommended by the Culture Gabfest crew. The Publisher's Summary claims: Complete with romance, heartbreak, swordfights, cannibalism, and thousands of rotting corpses, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies transforms a masterpiece of world literature into something you'd actually want to read.

The Evolution of God by Robert Wright. Narrated by Arthur Morey.

Thu, 24 Dec 2009 13:01:15 -0800

Recommended by Political Gabfest listener Glenn Shephard. From the Publisher's Summary: In this sweeping narrative, which takes us from the Stone Age to the Information Age, Robert Wright unveils an astonishing discovery: there is a hidden pattern that the great monotheistic faiths have followed as they have evolved. Through the prisms of archeology, theology, and evolutionary psychology, Wright's findings overturn basic assumptions about Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, and are sure to cause controversy.

To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf. Narrated by Virginia Leishman.

Wed, 23 Dec 2009 13:25:55 -0800

Recommended by the Culture Gabfest crew.

Shadow Divers: Two Americans Who Risked Everything To Solve One of the Last Mysteries of WWII. Written by Robert Kurson and narrated by Michael Prichard.

Fri, 18 Dec 2009 12:20:33 -0800

Recommended by Political Gabfest listener Erica Hatfield. Shadow Divers is the story of two scuba divers who, in 1991, discovered a sunken German U-Boat off the coast of New Jersey. Over the next six years, these divers became experts in forensics, learned German, and constructed theories corrective of the history books, all in an effort to identify this sunken U-boat and its crew.

The Ruby in the Smoke by Philip Pullman. Narrated by Anton Lesser.

Wed, 16 Dec 2009 12:47:34 -0800

Recommended by the Culture Gabfest crew. From the Publisher's Summary: In search of clues to the mystery of her father's death, 16-year-old Sally Lockhart ventures into the shadowy underworld of Victorian London. Pursued by villains at every turn, the intrepid Sally finally uncovers two dark mysteries, and realizes that she herself is the key to both.

Shadow Country: A New Rendering of the Watson Legend. Written by Peter Mathiessen and narrated by Anthony Heald.

Fri, 11 Dec 2009 12:16:45 -0800

Recommended by Political Gabfest listener Ted Tripp. From the Publisher's Summary: Inspired by a near-mythic event on the wild Florida frontier at the turn of the 20th century, Shadow Country re-imagines the legend of the inspired Everglades sugar planter and notorious outlaw E. J. Watson, who drives himself relentlessly toward his own violent end at the hands of neighbors who mostly admired him, in a killing that obsessed his favorite son.

Then We Came to the End by Joshua Ferris. Narrated by Ian Porter.

Wed, 9 Dec 2009 12:53:09 -0800

Recommended by the Culture Gabfest crew. From the Publisher's Summary: Then We Came to the End is about how we spend our days and too many of our nights. It is about being away from friends and family, about sharing a stretch of stained carpet with a group of strangers we call colleagues. It is about sitting all morning next to someone you deliberately cross the road to avoid at lunchtime. Joshua Ferris' fabulous novel is the story of your life, and mine. It is the story of our times.

Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly. Written and narrated by Anthony Bourdain.

Fri, 4 Dec 2009 15:59:20 -0800

Recommended by Political Gabfest intern Amman Sood. Bourdain narrates the book himself and uses his trademark sarcastic wit to keep listeners engaged, even those who aren't huge fans of cooking.

The Third Man by Graham Greene. Narrated by Joseph Cotten.

Wed, 2 Dec 2009 15:49:38 -0800

Recommended by Culture Gabfest listener Maya Archer-Doyle. Arriving in post-WWII Vienna, an American pulp writer finds that his friend has been murdered under mysterious circumstances.

The Portrait by Iain Pears. Narrated by Peter Capaldi.

Wed, 2 Dec 2009 15:46:07 -0800

Recommended by Culture Gabfest listener Maya Archer-Doyle. From the Publisher's Summary: In the early years of the 20th century, influential art critic William Nasmyth travels to a remote island off the coast of Brittany to sit for a portrait painted by his old friend, the gifted but tormented artist Henry MacAlpine. Over the course of the sitting, MacAlpine recalls their years of friendship, the double-edged gift of the critic's patronage, the power he wielded over aspiring artists, and his apparent callousness in anointing the careers of some and devastating the lives of others.

Richard Burton Reads the Poetry of John Donne

Wed, 2 Dec 2009 15:42:56 -0800

Recommended by Culture Gabfest listener Maya Archer-Doyle.

The Stieg Larsson Millenium Trilogy: 'The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo,' 'The Girl Who Played With Fire,' and 'The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest'. With various narrators.

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 15:46:10 -0800

Recommended by Political Gabfest listener Jeffrey Cuvilier. An Audible editor explains: Stieg Larsson was a crusading Swedish journalist, committed to the fight against political extremism and racism in his home country. In his spare time he completed a trilogy of striking crime novels, which he delivered to his publishers just before his untimely death in 2004.

Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfield. Narrated by Elizabeth Sastre.

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 15:52:01 -0800

Recommended for children by the Culture Gabfest crew, Ballet Shoes tells of three English orphans, Pauline, Petrova, and Posy, who join the Children's Academy of Dancing, only to discover that their true talents lie outside the world of the theater, and it's going to take courage to follow their dreams.

Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese. Narrated by Sunil Malhotra.

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:34:22 -0800

Recommended by Political Gabfest listener Alissa Perlman. A partial review from AudioFile states: 'Malhotra slips into the skin of Marion, a moody, bookish boy and later a talented surgeon, who, against a background of African poverty, war, and medical breakthroughs, is oddly detached but always compassionate. Malhotra's ease with the sometimes-complex medical terminology and the broad cast of Indian, African, English, and even some Bronx-accented characters makes for a fascinating listening experience.

Manhood for Amateurs by Michael Chabon. Narrated by the author.

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:17:01 -0800

Recommended by Political Gabfest listener Karen Iker. From the Publisher's Summary: The Pulitzer Prize-winning author offers his first major work of nonfiction, an autobiographical narrative as inventive, beautiful, and powerful as his acclaimed, award-winning fiction.

Henry and Ribsy by Beverly Cleary. Narrated by Neil Patrick Harris.

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:14:30 -0800

Recommended for children by Political Gabfest listener Karen Iker.

The Bonfire of the Vanities by Tom Wolfe. Narrated by Joe Barrett.

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 14:11:53 -0800

Recommended by the Culture Gabfest crew. Sherman McCoy, an elite Wall Street bond trader, is living the high life: wealth, power, and prestige, a Park Avenue apartment, a beautiful wife and an enchanting mistress are all his - until one wrong turn sends it all up in flames.

Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen. Narrated by Juliet Stevenson.

Thu, 5 Nov 2009 12:07:03 -0800

Recommended by Political Gabfest listener Robert Sloan.

Farm City: The Education of an Urban Farmer by Novella Carpenter. Narrated by Karen White.

Thu, 5 Nov 2009 12:05:25 -0800

Recommended by Gabfest listener Jim Bosiljevac. "Farm City" tells the story of a woman who turned a small garden in a vacant lot into a working farm with its own slaughterhouse.

The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith. Narrated by David Menkin.

Wed, 4 Nov 2009 11:59:51 -0800

Recommended by the Culture Gabfest crew. From the Publisher's Summary: Tom Ripley is struggling to stay one step ahead of his creditors and the law when an unexpected acquaintance offers him the chance to start over. Ripley wants money, success, and the good life, and he's willing to kill for it. When his newfound happiness is threatened, his response is as swift as it is shocking.

Wolf Hall, by Hilary Mantel. Narrated by Simon Slater.

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 16:05:35 -0700

(NOTE: This book requires two Audible credits, and so is not eligible for the Gabfest free book offer.) Recommended by Political Gabfest host David Plotz. Set against the rejection of the Catholic church by England's Henry VIII, this novel tells the story of Henry's pragmatic right hand man Thomas Cromwell.

Black Dogs by Ian McEwan. Narrated by Steven Crossley.

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 12:50:13 -0700

Recommended by the Culture Gabfest hosts, who will be discussing the book on the Nov. 11, 2009, Culturefest as a way of marking the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. From the publisher's description of Black Dogs: "A fictional memoir set in late 1980s Europe, Black Dogs contemplates individuals responding to vast impersonal forces. Orphaned at the age of eight, Jeremy finds the course of his life transient and groundless until he marries and begins writing a memoir of his wife's estranged parents."

Rammer, Jammer, Yellow Hammer, by Warren St. John. Narrated by Michael Kramer.

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 12:55:40 -0700

Recommended by Hang Up and Listen host Stefan Fatsis. From the publisher's description: "Warren St. John decided to find out why people care so much about the outcomes of games they're not playing in by joining a group where the particulars of the fan psyche would show themselves in sharp relief: the caravan of hundreds of RVs that follow the Alabama Crimson Tide across the South, taking over college towns with a moveable feast of Weber grills, karaoke machines, Igloo coolers, and fast-draining liquor bottles."

The Penderwicks on Gardam Street by Jeanne Birdsall. Narrated by Susan Denaker.

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 13:35:08 -0700

Recommended by Culture Gabfest correspondent Hanna Rosin.

Enduring Love by Ian McEwan. Narrated by Steven Crossley.

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 14:24:39 -0700

Recommended by the Culture Gabfest crew.

Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder. Narrated by Paul Michael.

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 15:14:57 -0700

Recommended by Political Gabfest listener Sarah Keegan. The book chronicles the work of infectious disease specialist Paul Farmer, who travels around the world lobbying for lower prices for drugs necessary to treat tuberculosis.

Homage to Catalonia by George Orwell, narrated by Frederick Davidson.

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 14:48:22 -0700

Recommended by the Culture Gabfest crew.

Step by Step: A Memoir of Hope, Friendship, Perseverance, and Living the American Dream by Bertie Bowman

Fri, 9 Oct 2009 13:57:09 -0700

Recommended by Political Gabfest listener Glenn Hochberg. Step by Step tells the story of a boy who leaves the Jim Crow South at 13 and heads to Washington, D.C. It chronicles his rise from sweeping the Capitol steps to working as hearing coordinator for the Senate foreign relations committee.

Ruth Reichl, famed food writer and former editor-in-chief of Gourmet.

Wed, 7 Oct 2009 15:11:48 -0700

Today's recommendation is for Ruth Reichl's memoirs, such as "Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise," and "Comfort Me with Apples: More Adventures at the Table".

A Soldier of the Great War by Mark Helprin. Narrated by David Colacci.

Fri, 2 Oct 2009 13:56:49 -0700

Recommended by Political Gabfest listener Imogene Hatch. Publisher's summary: On his last long walk, septuagenarian war hero, deserter, and professor Alessandro Giuliani shares his past with an illiterate young factory worker, spinning a remarkable tale of heart-stopping escapes, of loves unrequited and won, of madmen, dwarfs, and mafiosi. But overshadowing all is his most miraculous and terrible adventure, the Great War: a surreal parade of horrors that devastated and defined Alessandro, yet enabled him to experience fully the magic and beauty of the absurd human comedy called life.

Bright Lights, Big City by Jay McInerney. Narrated by Daniel Passer.

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 14:10:57 -0700

Recommended by the Culture Gabfest crew.

Lucy Rose: Here's the Thing About Me by Katy Kelly. Narrated by Tara Sands.

Fri, 25 Sep 2009 14:01:51 -0700

Recommended by Political Gabfest host Emily Bazelon. This funny children's book features an 8-year-old girl named Lucy Rose writing about life during her parents' separation.

The Olive Route by Carol Drinkwater, narrated by the author.

Wed, 23 Sep 2009 15:19:16 -0700

Recommended by the Culture Gabfest crew.

The Way of All Flesh by Samuel Butler. Narrated by Frederick Davidson.

Fri, 18 Sep 2009 14:14:20 -0700

Recommended by Slate Editor-in-Chief David Plotz. Narrated by Frederick Davidson. The book tells of the hardships one must go through to overcome the oppression of parents and affirm one's own personal freedom of expression.

Bob Dylan's Chronicles Vol. 1, read by Sean Penn.

Wed, 16 Sep 2009 15:22:14 -0700

Recommended by the Culture Gabfest crew.

The Big Rich: The Rise and Fall of the Greatest Texas Oil Fortune by Brian Burrough. Narrated by James Jenner.

Fri, 11 Sep 2009 13:39:22 -0700

Recommended by Political Gabfest listener Robert Tracy. The Big Rich chronicles the scandals, tragedies, and conflicts of Texas oil tycoons.

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, by Stieg Larsson. Narrated by Simon Vance.

Wed, 9 Sep 2009 15:31:58 -0700

Recommended by the Culture Gabfest crew.

All the Shah's Men by Stephen Kinzer. Narrated by Michael Prichard.

Fri, 4 Sep 2009 14:38:20 -0700

Recommended by Political Gabfest reader Justin McMahan. All the Shah's Men tells the story of Operation Ajax, a U.S.-and-U.K.-led plot to oust Iranian Prime Minister Mohammed Mossadegh in 1953.

The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, by Edward Gibbon. Narrated by Bernard Mayes.

Wed, 2 Sep 2009 15:36:12 -0700

Recommended by the Culture Gabfest crew. From the Publisher's Summary: Considered one of the finest historical works in the English language, The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire is lauded for its graceful, elegant prose style as much as for its epic scope. Remarkably accurate for its day, Gibbon's treatise holds a high place in the history of literature and remains an enduring subject of study.

The Story of a Marriage by Andrew Sean Greer. Narrated by S. Epatha Merkerson.

Fri, 28 Aug 2009 16:14:39 -0700

Recommended by Political Gabfest correspondent John Dickerson. This is a brilliant story set in 1953 about a woman named Pearlie and the pitfalls of married life.

Explaining Hitler by Ron Rosenbaum. Narrated by Barrett Whitener.

Wed, 26 Aug 2009 15:41:35 -0700

Recommended by the Culture Gabfest crew. From the Publisher's Summary: When Hitler's war ended in 1945, the war over Hitler, who he really was, what gave birth to his unique evil, had just begun. Hitler did not escape the bunker in Berlin, but, half a century later, he has managed to escape explanation in ways both frightening and profound.

The Ballad of the Whiskey Robber by Julian Rubinstein. Narrated by Eric Bogosian, Demetri Martin, Tommy Ramone, Jonathan Ames, Gary Shteyngart, Arthur Phillips, Darin Strauss and Samantha Power.

Fri, 21 Aug 2009 16:14:48 -0700

Recommended by Political Gabfest listener Marc Baus. Set in Hungary, the book tells the true story of Attilla Ambrus—a hockey player who began to rob post offices and banks in the early 1990s while Hungary was resurfacing from communist rule.

Heat by Bill Buford. Narrated by Michael Kramer.

Wed, 19 Aug 2009 15:46:46 -0700

Recommended by the Culture Gabfest crew. From one of our most interesting literary figures, former editor of Granta, former fiction editor at The New Yorker, acclaimed author of Among the Thugs, a sharp, funny, exuberant, close-up account of his headlong plunge into the life of a professional cook. Expanding on his James Beard Award-winning New Yorker article, Bill Buford gives us a richly evocative chronicle of his experience as "slave" to Mario Batali in the kitchen of Batali's three-star New York restaurant, Babbo.

Blind Side by Michael Lewis. Narrated by Stephen Hoye.

Fri, 14 Aug 2009 13:31:00 -0700

Recommended by Political Gabfest listener Edward Butler. Blind Side tells the story of Michael Oher, a young man born to a crack-addicted mother who found salvation through football.

The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. Read by Jim Fyfe.

Wed, 12 Aug 2009 15:53:24 -0700

Recommended by the Culture Gabfest crew as an audiobook of the week.

Life of Pi by Yann Martel. Read by Jeff Woodman.

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 15:21:37 -0700

Recommended by Political Gabfest listener Janet Martin, particularly for Woodman's character portrayals.

Patchwork Planet by Anne Tyler. Read by Jeff Woodman.

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 15:44:49 -0700

Recommended by Political Gabfest listener Janet Martin. Publisher's summary: "Ex-thief Barnaby Gaitlin works for Rent-a-Back, Inc., compassionately performing household chores for shut-ins and the elderly. The 30-year-old black sheep of an "old" Baltimore family, he is a disappointment to everyone in his life, including himself. Living in a basement, and haunted by his shady adolescent past, he can't seem to do anything right - until he meets kind and sensible Sophia. Could hers be the love that will alter his life? When Anne Tyler explores the complexities of navigating this perplexing little planet, her fans come away with a feeling of somehow being understood.

The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt by Edmond Morris. Narrated by Harry Chase.

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 15:21:10 -0700

Recommended by Nathan Stanley and Slate editor David Plotz.

Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates. Narrated by Mark Bramhall.

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 15:21:03 -0700

Recommended by Slate editor David Plotz.

The Gunpowder Plot by Antonia Fraser, narrated by Robert Powell.

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 19:00:38 -0700

Recommended by the Culture Gabfest crew. Fraser tells the story of the failed conspiracy of 1605, wherein a group of provincial English Catholics plotted to assassinate King James I of England.

33 1/2 Series by various authors.

Fri, 12 Jun 2009 15:20:55 -0700

Recommended by Political Gabfest listener Brian Glaser. Each book is "a short, focused look at a single rock album," from artists across the musical spectrum and from multiple eras. While the audiobooks do not include any of the music discussed, they make a great companion for favorite albums and artists.

Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer. Read by Scott Brick.

Fri, 5 Jun 2009 15:41:58 -0700

Recommended by Political Gabfest listener Andrew Karduna. Weaving the story of the Lafferty brothers and their fanatical brethren with a clear-eyed look at Mormonism's violent past, Krakauer examines the underbelly of the most successful homegrown faith in the United States, and finds a distinctly American brand of religious extremism.

The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan. Read by Scott Brick.

Fri, 5 Jun 2009 15:24:13 -0700

Recommended by Political Gabfest listener Andrew Karduna.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett. Read by Cassandra Campbell, Jenna Lamia, Octavia Spencer, and Bahni Turpin.

Fri, 29 May 2009 13:50:31 -0700

Recommended by Political Gabfest listener Cecilia GaposchkinThe story of two black women working as help in the homes of two white women in 1960s Jackson, Miss., The Help is a fantastic tale, and this reading of it is mind-blowing, according to Cecilia.

Good Book: Things I Learned When I Read Every Single Word of the Bible, by Slate editor David Plotz. Read by the author.

Fri, 22 May 2009 15:47:11 -0700

Recommended by the entire Political Gabfest crew. At a time when wars are fought over scriptural interpretation, when the influence of religion on American politics has never been greater, when many Americans still believe in the Bible's literal truth, it has never been more important to get to know the Bible. Good Book is what happens when a regular guy - an average Job - actually reads the book on which his religion, his culture, and his world are based.

Barbara Rosenblat, a recommended Audible book narrator.

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 16:00:35 -0700

This recommendation from Political Gabfest listener Sean Oskea is for a narrator rather than a book. Sean says Barbara Rosenblat has an incredible vocal range, and the ability to make each character in a book instantly recognizable, regardless of gender, age, nationality, or anything else.

Suite Française by Irene Nemirovsky. Read by Barbara Rosenblat and Daniel Oreskes.

Fri, 15 May 2009 15:46:58 -0700

Recommended by Political Gabfest correspondent Emily Bazelon.

How We Decide by Jonah Lehrer. Narrated by David Colacci.

Fri, 8 May 2009 15:46:48 -0700

Recommended by Slate V executive producer Andy Bowers. The entertaining tales of airplane pilots, poker players, football players, and lab monkeys all serve to highlight very serious analytical data of how humans — and more importantly, their brains — make decisions. Lehrer skims the surface of modern research throughout, digging down only deep enough so the average listener can clearly understand.

Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely. Narrated by Simon Jones.

Fri, 1 May 2009 15:46:37 -0700

Recommended by Political Gabfest listener Christopher Proctor. In a series of illuminating, often surprising experiments, MIT behavioral economist Dan Ariely refutes the common assumption that we behave in fundamentally rational ways. Blending everyday experience with groundbreaking research, Ariely explains how expectations, emotions, social norms, and other invisible, seemingly illogical forces skew our reasoning abilities.

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. Narrated by the author.

Fri, 1 May 2009 15:46:29 -0700

Recommended by Political Gabfest listener Bill Walthall, The Graveyard Book is a scary children's book that won the 2009 Newbery Medal as the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.

The Pleasure of Finding Things Out by Richard Feynman. Narrated by Dan Cashman.

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 16:23:28 -0700

Recommended by Political Gabfest listener Iain DeWitt. The late Richard P. Feynman won the 1965 Nobel Prize in physics for his many contributions to physics, especially for his work on quantum electrodynamics.

The Kissinger Transcripts, edited by William Burr. Narrated by Theordore Bikel and Richard Gilliland.

Fri, 24 Apr 2009 15:46:21 -0700

Recommended by Political Gabfest listener Iain DeWitt.

A History of the Arab Peoples by Albert Hourani. Narrated by Nadia May.

Fri, 24 Apr 2009 15:46:11 -0700

Recommended by Political Gabfest listener Iain DeWitt.

Fry and Laurie Read Daudet and Jerome: Letters From My Windmill & Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow. By A. Daudet and J.K. Jerome. Narrated by Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie.

Fri, 17 Apr 2009 16:00:27 -0700

Recommended by Political Gabfest listener Russ Woods.

Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer. Narrated by the author.

Fri, 10 Apr 2009 15:59:59 -0700

Recommended by Political Gabfest listener Peter Blake.

Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden, with various narrators.

Fri, 10 Apr 2009 16:23:16 -0700

Recommended by Political Gabfest listener Peter Blake.

Bleak House by Charles Dickens. Narrated by David Case.

Fri, 3 Apr 2009 16:23:02 -0700

Recommended by a Political Gabfest listener who says that the book is helping her cope with pregnancy-induced insomnia.

The Poet's Corner: The One-and-Only Poetry Book for the Whole Family. Edited by John Lithgow and read by Lithgow, Helen Mirren, Susan Sarandon, and many other well-known voices.

Fri, 27 Mar 2009 16:22:52 -0700

Recommended by Political Gabfest listener Dave Zobott. From the Publisher's Summary: The wide variety of carefully selected poetry in this audiobook provides the perfect introduction to reel in those who are new to poetry, and for poetry lovers to experience beloved verses in a fresh, vivid way. Lithgow offers insightful and sometimes poignant commentary to accompany each poem. His essential criterion is that "each poem's light shines more brightly when read aloud".

Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson. Narrated by Becket Royce.

Fri, 20 Mar 2009 16:22:44 -0700

Recommended by Political Gabfest correspondent Emily Bazelon. From the Publisher's Summary: A modern classic, Housekeeping is the story of Ruth and her younger sister, Lucille, who grow up haphazardly, first under the care of their competent grandmother, then of two comically bumbling great-aunts, and finally of Sylvie, their eccentric and remote aunt.

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. Narrated by Stefan Rudnicki, Harlan Ellison, and more.

Sat, 14 Mar 2009 16:22:37 -0700

It's A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson. Narrated by William Roberts.

Fri, 27 Feb 2009 12:42:46 -0800

Recommended by Political Gabfest listener David Englander.

Dumb Money: How Our Greatest Minds Bankrupted the Nation, by Daniel Gross. Narrated by Jesse Boggs.

Fri, 27 Feb 2009 12:47:50 -0800

Recommended by Political Gabfest listener David Englander.

The Lost City of Z by David Grann. Narrated by Mark Deakins.

Fri, 20 Feb 2009 12:55:01 -0800

Recommended by Slate editor David Plotz.

The Lincoln-Douglas Debates, narrated by David Strathairn and Richard Dreyfuss.

Fri, 13 Feb 2009 12:58:24 -0800

Recommended by Political Gabfest correspondent John Dickerson.