Smith's "What are you reading?" posts always result in at least a few good books added to my list. I'd like to do an audiobook version. I'm a pretty voracious reader, but I loathe the idea that recordings "don't count." For most of literary history books were so damned expensive that often even most literate people listened to readings as often they had access to a book (the chapterhouses of religious institutions, for example). So here are a few of my favorite books and their narrators.

1. Patrick O'Brien's Aubrey/Maturin series narrated by Patrick Tull. O'Brien's work is fantastic, and I believe Tull's narration captures the spirit of the works, especially the constant humor that even many fans fail to mention while praising the series.

2. The Fagles translation of The Iliad as narrated by Dereck Jacobi. There not much to say here: Homer is Homer, and Jacobi narrates the ancient epic with the skill you would expect. Ian McKellen narrated Fagles' translation of The Odyssey, but I have not gotten to it yet; I presume its probably equally good.

3. This last pick is going catch flack, but The Dresden Files as narrated by James Marsters. Dresden Files is schlock but I think its entertaining schlock, and Marsters does a good job narrating the schlocky first person novels. Fight me.