Next Question
RSS
I subscribe to Audible. I don't love the DRM, but a lot of the books are great, and not excruciatingly expensive. If you want non-DRM versions, you can buy the CDs, or you may be able to find them at your local library, if you don't want to buy them. Here are a few of the books I've listened to recently that I've really liked:
Economics:
"Predictably Irrational" by Dan Ariely: Behavioral economics. Describes a lot of cool, counter-intuitive results about how we make economic decisions.
"The Ascent of Money" by Niall Ferguson: A history of the rise of money as a form of exchange, and especially the history of banking and the financial industry.
History:
"Assassination Vacation" by Sarah Vowell: Read by the author (who contributes frequently to This American Life) with the help of some celebrity voice talent. Quirky and fascinating popular history surrounding the assassinations of Presidents Lincoln, Garfield, and McKinley.
"John Adam" by David McCullough: A really great biography. The audio version is over 30 hours, so should keep you busy for a while.
Fiction:
"Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell" by Susanna Clarke: Fantastic voice talent. A wonderful fantasy novel set in an alternate early 19th century Britain. Written in the style of a Victorian history/novel, with faux scholarly footnotes. Lots of witty details.
"Summerland" by Michael Chabon: Read affectingly by the author. A fantasy about (among other things) baseball and filial love.
"The Devil You Know" and "Vicious Circle" by Mike Carey: He's mainly been a comic book writer, but has 4 novels out (only these 2 in the US, so far) starring Felix Castor, a freelance exorcist in a modern London where the dead regularly come back to "life". They read like hard-boiled detective thrillers. Great stuff.
Anything by Christopher Moore (I've listened to "Lamb", "Fool", and "A Dirty Job"). Hilarious stuff, and his books have great readers.
In addition to the commercial stuff, if you're an iTunes user, there's a section of the iTMS called iTunes U that has lots of lectures for free download.
Source(s):
http://www.audible.com
Tags: itunesu, audiobook, audible
Helpful Answer?
(1)
(0)
Permalink |
Report
nickunders...
On September 18, 2007, computer science professor Randy Pausch stepped in front of an audience of 400 people at Carnegie Mellon University to deliver a last lecture called “Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams.” With slides of his CT scans beaming out to the audience, Randy told his audience about the cancer that is devouring his pancreas and that will claim his life in a matter of months. On the stage that day, Randy was youthful, energetic, handsome, often cheerfully, darkly funny. He seemed invincible. But this was a brief moment, as he himself acknowledged.
Randy’s lecture has become a phenomenon, as has the book he wrote based on the same principles, celebrating the dreams we all strive to make realities. Sadly, Randy lost his battle to pancreatic cancer on July 25th, 2008, but his legacy will continue to inspire us all, for generations to come.
http://www.thelastlecture.com/
Source(s):
did a story about him on 20/20...... good stuff
Permalink | Report
The Black Swan - The Impact of the Highly Improbable
from iTunes. It will totally change how you view and understand the world as you will begin to see the role of chance and uncertainty in life and especially how much control we think we have over it, when actually we dont.
Permalink | Report
While these are not 1-hr long books, I find that taking them in 1-hr chunks and then pondering them works well.
Outliers
The Tipping Point
Automatic Wealth
Getting Things Done
Freakonomics
How to Win Friends and Influence People (old, but excellent)
A Brief History of the World
Those are the tops of my list! My parents live 9 hrs from where I'm doing grad school, so I use the time to read books. Enjoy!
Permalink | Report
http://firefighters.org/kjv/bible/index.cfm
There is a very good source to download a free one.
Amazon is always great for cheap versions too.
Permalink | Report
I have also enjoyed listening to some classic literary works during my commute, such as:
Of Mice and Men
A Clockwork Orange
Animal Farm
The Great Gatsby
and many others...
Source(s):
www.teach12.com
www.pimsleur.com
Personal experience during long commutes or road trips.
Permalink | Report
Source(s):
http://www.amazon.com/Assassination-Vacation-Sarah-Vowell/dp/074326004X/ref...
Permalink | Report
Answered Question
M$1
June 10, 2009 05:06 PM
What should I listen to during my one hour commute? Any good audiobooks?
I spend about two hours driving each day and want something "productive" to listen to. Does anyone have any links to lists of popular audiobooks? I'm looking for something entertaining or educational (like a school lecture).
Interesting Question?
Yes (0)
No (0)
- In Car Travel |
- |
- Report |
-
Share
RSS
Best Answer Chosen by Asker
| June 10, 2009 05:52 PM |
Economics:
"Predictably Irrational" by Dan Ariely: Behavioral economics. Describes a lot of cool, counter-intuitive results about how we make economic decisions.
"The Ascent of Money" by Niall Ferguson: A history of the rise of money as a form of exchange, and especially the history of banking and the financial industry.
History:
"Assassination Vacation" by Sarah Vowell: Read by the author (who contributes frequently to This American Life) with the help of some celebrity voice talent. Quirky and fascinating popular history surrounding the assassinations of Presidents Lincoln, Garfield, and McKinley.
"John Adam" by David McCullough: A really great biography. The audio version is over 30 hours, so should keep you busy for a while.
Fiction:
"Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell" by Susanna Clarke: Fantastic voice talent. A wonderful fantasy novel set in an alternate early 19th century Britain. Written in the style of a Victorian history/novel, with faux scholarly footnotes. Lots of witty details.
"Summerland" by Michael Chabon: Read affectingly by the author. A fantasy about (among other things) baseball and filial love.
"The Devil You Know" and "Vicious Circle" by Mike Carey: He's mainly been a comic book writer, but has 4 novels out (only these 2 in the US, so far) starring Felix Castor, a freelance exorcist in a modern London where the dead regularly come back to "life". They read like hard-boiled detective thrillers. Great stuff.
Anything by Christopher Moore (I've listened to "Lamb", "Fool", and "A Dirty Job"). Hilarious stuff, and his books have great readers.
In addition to the commercial stuff, if you're an iTunes user, there's a section of the iTMS called iTunes U that has lots of lectures for free download.
Source(s):
http://www.audible.com
| Asker's Rating: |
• I'm particularly interested in reading your economics and history suggestions. Your suggestions for fiction take into account pretty different genres and interests. Very thorough answer. Thanks!
Tags: itunesu, audiobook, audible
Helpful Answer?
(1)
(0)
Helpful: juanvasconez
Tip rickg for this answer
Reply
Other Answers (10)
nickunders...
June 10, 2009 05:31 PM
Nice suggestion, seems many people have read those books.
Tip nickunderscore for this comment
Report
June 10, 2009 05:21 PM
The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch On September 18, 2007, computer science professor Randy Pausch stepped in front of an audience of 400 people at Carnegie Mellon University to deliver a last lecture called “Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams.” With slides of his CT scans beaming out to the audience, Randy told his audience about the cancer that is devouring his pancreas and that will claim his life in a matter of months. On the stage that day, Randy was youthful, energetic, handsome, often cheerfully, darkly funny. He seemed invincible. But this was a brief moment, as he himself acknowledged.
Randy’s lecture has become a phenomenon, as has the book he wrote based on the same principles, celebrating the dreams we all strive to make realities. Sadly, Randy lost his battle to pancreatic cancer on July 25th, 2008, but his legacy will continue to inspire us all, for generations to come.
http://www.thelastlecture.com/
Source(s):
did a story about him on 20/20...... good stuff
Permalink | Report
Reply
June 10, 2009 05:34 PM
If you can, download Nassim Nicholas Taleb's audiobook The Black Swan - The Impact of the Highly Improbable
from iTunes. It will totally change how you view and understand the world as you will begin to see the role of chance and uncertainty in life and especially how much control we think we have over it, when actually we dont.
Permalink | Report
Reply
June 10, 2009 05:39 PM
Smart thinking! Be productive in that lost hour :) While these are not 1-hr long books, I find that taking them in 1-hr chunks and then pondering them works well.
Outliers
The Tipping Point
Automatic Wealth
Getting Things Done
Freakonomics
How to Win Friends and Influence People (old, but excellent)
A Brief History of the World
Those are the tops of my list! My parents live 9 hrs from where I'm doing grad school, so I use the time to read books. Enjoy!
Permalink | Report
Reply
June 10, 2009 06:29 PM
I don't know if you are religious but it's a good way to listen to the Bible because it's so hard to read through it. I've been making a point to at least once read through it all and know what it's all about. But so hard to read it all. So listening to it like that is a good way to get it in your head in a stress free way. http://firefighters.org/kjv/bible/index.cfm
There is a very good source to download a free one.
Amazon is always great for cheap versions too.
Permalink | Report
Reply
June 10, 2009 06:56 PM
I am always a fan of anything from The Teaching Company (www.teach12.com). Or if you want to learn a language, the Pimsleur series are excellent (www.pimsleur.com). I have also enjoyed listening to some classic literary works during my commute, such as:
Of Mice and Men
A Clockwork Orange
Animal Farm
The Great Gatsby
and many others...
Source(s):
www.teach12.com
www.pimsleur.com
Personal experience during long commutes or road trips.
Permalink | Report
Reply
June 10, 2009 08:09 PM
If you are looking for educational AND entertaining, then I would vote for "Assassination Vacation" by Sarah Vowell. The book traces her explorations through the first 3 presidential assassinations and is read by the author, who is hilarious.
Source(s):
http://www.amazon.com/Assassination-Vacation-Sarah-Vowell/dp/074326004X/ref...
Permalink | Report
Reply
Answer this Question
Related Questions
Ask a Question
Buy Mahalo Dollars with Credit Card or PayPal
Top Members
Most Popular Tags
Categories
- Anonymous
-
Arts & Design
-
Beauty & Style
-
Books & Authors
-
Business
-
Cars & Transportation
-
Consumer Electronics
- Coupons Deals
-
Education
-
Entertainment
-
Environment
-
Fitness
-
Food & Drink
- From Email
- From Iphone
- From Twitter
-
Health
-
History
-
Hobbies
-
Home & Garden
-
How Tos
-
Humor
-
Jobs
-
Legal
-
Local
-
Love & Relationships
-
Mahalo Answers Community
-
Money
-
Music
-
News
-
NSFW
-
Parenting
-
Pets
-
Science & Mathematics
-
Services
-
Shopping
-
Social Science
-
Society & Culture
-
Sports
-
Technology & Internet
-
Travel
-
Video Games
Welcome New Members
- jonblixt, December 02, 2009 02:52 AM
- stevelunney, December 02, 2009 02:48 AM
- robertliberts, December 02, 2009 02:43 AM
- robertlibert, December 02, 2009 02:42 AM
- olalaxchix13, December 02, 2009 02:39 AM
Mahalo Dollars are the currency of Mahalo Answers.
Each Mahalo Dollar costs $1.
Once you earn more than 40 Mahalo Dollars, you can request to be paid via PayPal. Each Mahalo Dollar is currently worth $0.75 when paid out via PayPal. Learn More
