Audio Book Suggestions

I recently signed up for a three month trial of Audible which gives you one audio book a month for free for each of the trial months for three total. But once I got in I couldn't decide on which audio book to pick. So I figured I would ask you guys? What audio books (or regular books since I don't plan on sticking around longer than the trial anyway) Would you guys recommend? I'll go ahead and say no A Song of Ice and Fire and the Witcher books are out only because I have them already.

The playful Lem:

http://www.audible.com/pd/Sci-Fi-Fantasy/The-Cyberiad-Audiobook/B008YM1H9O/ref=a_search_c4_1_3_srTtl?qid=1434252553&sr=1-3

or the philosophical Lem (still funny at points):

http://www.audible.com/pd/Sci-Fi-Fantasy/His-Masters-Voice-Audiobook/B0036JSWSO/ref=a_search_c4_1_6_srTtl?qid=1434252553&sr=1-6

or maybe Lem, the psychedelic techno-prophet:

http://www.audible.com/pd/Sci-Fi-Fantasy/The-Futurological-Congress-Audiobook/B008YM1LT0/ref=a_search_c4_1_5_srTtl?qid=1434252553&sr=1-5

http://www.audible.com/pd/Sci-Fi-Fantasy/Memoirs-Found-in-a-Bathtub-Audiobook/B0036G5BSQ/ref=a_search_c4_1_8_srTtl?qid=1434252553&sr=1-8

Have you read the wheel of time series?

I really liked The Martian. The audio book version is pretty good too. This xkcd comic basically summarizes what the book is like without really spoiling anything.

xkcd 1536

Nightwatch I own all the books in the series and absolutely love it. Translation is rough since the books have a lot of Russian sayings and music verses so it can get weird at times but it was all worth it after each and every book. I was so excited when Vinny talked about it during the Beastcast if only to know that more folks will read it. My revive macro for MMOs is still "Nightwatch! Step out of the Twilight!!!"

Audible is both fantastic and addictive. I have near 100 books from the service and love it. Everything I mention below is on there and are read very well (I think every narrator is award winning).

Fantasy:

1. Everything by Jim Butcher (eg. Storm Front and Furies of Calderon)
2. Everything by Brandon Sanderson (eg. Mistborn: The Final Empire and The Way of Kings)
3. Obviously The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson (though books 6-9 kinda drag, 1-5 and 10-14 rock)
4. Monster Hunter International by Larry Correia - it's way better than it has any right to be.

Sci Fi:

1. +1 vote for The Martian by Andy Weir
2. The Lost Fleet: Dauntless by Jack Campbell
3. Red Rising by Pierce Brown and Tim Gerard Reynolds

Self Help:

Good Calories, Bad Calories by Gary Taubes.

World War Z audio book is really good with different voice actors for each character (and in case you saw the movie, it's nothing like that).

Ray Bradbury himself performed the Fahrenheit 451 Audiobook. I highly recommend it.

Harlan Ellison does VO for his own work and it's fantastic.

Thanks for all of the suggestions guys I'm going to take a look at some of these and see which one is the most interesting to me.

I'm seeing a few recommendations for The Wheel of Time series. I haven't read the Wheel of Time books yet but have heard decent things about them.

@selfconfessedcynic: I had forgotten about the Dresden Files. I actually have read a lot of them and liked them, but that was awhile ago and there are a couple more out since I last read them so that might be a good option as well. I'll also look into the Monster Hunter International as well as I haven't heard about it at all.

Console Wars: Sega, Nintendo, and the Battle that Defined a Generation is on Audible. It's a pretty darn good book about Sega and Nintendo during the 16-bit era if you're interested in video game history.

I will recommend Our Final Invention by James Barrat not because the narrator is good but because it was an interesting book regardless of whether the things talked about come about or not.

@jnal: Oh Man, if you haven't read some of the more recent Dresden Files books you're in for a treat. They've only gotten better with time, especially after the massive shift Jim Butcher took at #12, Changes (literally all of the shit hits the fan for Harry and the following books are amazing).

Monster Hunter International and its sequels are one of those book series' that should be trashy nonsense but turns out to be utterly enjoyable in a non-ironic and non-guilty-pleasure way. The man knows how to write action like few others and his characters are legitimately likeable. Those books come highly rated on both Good Reads and Audible for good reason.

Oh, and the Wheel of Time is amazing, but note that every book is around the 35-40 hour mark and, again, books 6-9 drag - but the series ends well, which is more than I can say for many fantasy epics.

@officer_falcon: this is the correct answer. Gee Dee that audio book is well done.

Also if you like American History any Sarah Vowel book.

Or if you want to over analyze pop culture in smart way Chuck Klostermann

I've been listening to the Witcher audiobooks lately, the narrator does voices for all the characters and it's well done, I also recommend the audiobook of Ready Player One which is read by Wil Wheaton, it's a great way to experience it.

I find Neal Stephenson and Stephen King's books tend to work really well as audiobooks.

I haven't listened to any of their books in audiobook form (yet) but I bet Bernard Cornwell, Scott Lynch, Dan Simmons, and John Scalzi's books would be fun as well.

My own backlog of books also contains books by Lois McMaster Bujold, Michael Chabon, Connie Willis, and Haruki Murakami, among others, all of which I'm excited about getting to some day.

I started listening to Brandon Sanderson's Steelheart over the weekend, it's the first book of his I've checked out and it's been a lot of fun. So all the people talking bout him seem to be on to something. I'm told Steelheart isn't even close to being one of his best but I've been listening to it in huge chunks because it's pretty easy to say "just one more chapter" and then find that I've listened to a third of the book in one sitting.

And hey, I can't jump into a book recommendation thread and not say check out some stuff by Umberto Eco and Iain M. Banks. Whatever form they're in they're probably great.

The Dark Tower series is great. Although I'd have to recommend The Martain as well.

... And the Dresden Files. (I love James Marsters voice)

The Expanse series for sci-fi, Gentleman Bastard series for thievery + fantasy, and The First Law series for dark fantasy that plays with a lot traditional fantasy troupes.

A lot of the suggestions above are really great too.