The Best Audiobook Ever

You know how I finally figured out that listening to an audiobook is the key to painlessly getting your yucky chores done? I know. I can’t believe it took me so long to get this through my skull. I normally prefer reading an actual book (I’m a visual person) but there is nothing like being read to to make the hours fly by (thank goodness for Harry Potter and Jim Dale or we would have killed each other on The Confederate Car Trip last summer). All that cleaning and organizing I talked about yesterday? I owe it all to Augustus McCrae.

 

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Yesterday as I was organizing my shoes I finally finished Lonesome Dove on audiobook. You guys. There are no words. My poor heart.  You just have to read this book. Or better still, listen to it. I know it was made into a miniseries a couple of decades ago but there is so much going on inside the characters heads that it seems a pity to only see the screen version. Lee Horseley (who used to be on this TV show called Matt Houston back in the day) is an excellent narrator. He does such an outstanding job giving the dozens of characters a voice.

This book had me gasping, it had me crying, it had me sitting perched on the edge of my bed holding a paper towel and a bottle of Windex for half an hour because I was so into it that I could barely move. I thought Lonesome Dove was just some cheesy Western and I was in the mood for something like that when I started. This ain’t no Louis L’Amour.  I mean, it won the Pulitzer Prize for pete’s sake! This book features some of the best characters of all time.

The book is 900 pages and the audiobook is 36 hours. Quite an investment of time. And honestly, the story starts off a little slowly. But I’m temped to start the audiobook all over again now that I understand the characters. It would mean so much more this time.

Lonesome Dove definitely earns it’s place into my top 10 books of all time.

| Filed under Books, Good Things

6 thoughts on “The Best Audiobook Ever

  1. Yep, one of my favorite audiobooks of all time. So, so good. I never would have read it (a “western?” No thanks), but it was on sale at audible.com for $4.95 so I bought it. I loved it.

  2. WOW! I’m so glad you reviewed this! I love to listen while I do mindless jobs like clean or drive, and the narrator seems to make all the difference. I’ve had nothing but bad luck with the last few audio-books I’ve tried. Great plot — rotten narrator. I’ll definitely “listen” this one next!

    I also recommend FORGOTTEN GARDEN by Kate Morton. Not as grand as LONESOME DOVE, but full of unexpected twists and turns. It’s one of those books where multiple characters jump back and forth through 4 generations, and finally paint an amazingly cohesive family picture. The narrator is awesome!

  3. sorry i have never commented before…..but i had to when i read this post! Larry mcmurtry is my favorite author ever! You would love all of his books, try the berrybenders 4 book series! Cowboys/indians/romance! Oh my!

    1. I don’t know. . . how can anyone compare to Gus? Although some of the books are prequels, right? I’m so ashamed it’s taken me all these years to get on the Larry McMurtry bandwagon.

  4. My library system doesn’t have the audio or the e-book. #lame

    I’ve been pretty obsessed with audiobooks for the past year or so. Shelah has a vast Audible account, and gave me access to it. So i listen while I clean, do art, cook, exercise, and even fall asleep (I have to bookmark the spot i start at so i can go back and listen to where i drifted off). It’s like I’m never alone anymore, I always have some friend reading me a story 🙂

  5. I’m going to tell Big Daddy right away. He’s in China. Maybe he could download it for his trip home. He needs a good audio book for that super long flight!!

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