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Best Audiobooks of the Year : 2009

Heard any good books lately?
Vote for your favourite and enter a draw to win up to £250 in National Book Tokens!

Audiobooks inspire love from their growing band of devotees, so much so that we decided to celebrate the best and share that affection amongst a wider audience.
We asked a panel of experts to select the best 20 new audiobooks published in the last 12 months.

By voting you will be automatically entered in a draw to win up to £250 in National Book Tokens. For more information take a look at the terms and conditions.

You can also see the panel’s all time favourites too in the Extra Titles page



Rules

The competition is now closed.

Entries
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White Tiger

by Aravind Adiga

Blurb

Meet Balram Halwai, the White Tiger: servant,
philosopher, entrepreneur and murderer. Balram
dreams of escape from poverty. When a rich village landlord needs a chauffeur, he takes his opportunity, and is soon on his way to Delhi where he learns of the new morality at the heart of India.
The Booker-winning novel is brilliantly read by actor Kerry Shale – funny, engaging and a breathtaking array of Indian characters brought to life by a magnificent performance. A truly outstanding example of the joy of books on audio!

Meet Balram Halwai, the White Tiger: servant,
philosopher, entrepreneur and murderer. Balram
dreams of escape from poverty. When a rich village landlord needs a chauffeur, he takes his opportunit…

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Doctor Who: Pest Control (audio exclusive story)

by Peter Anghelides

Blurb

The Doctor and Donna, as played by David Tennant and Catherine Tate in the hit TV series, find themselves in the thick of trouble on a distant planet, where soldiers transform into monstrous beetles, and everyone falls under the threat of a huge, mechanical exterminator… in this thrilling, exclusive audio story, read by David Tennant.

The Doctor and Donna, as played by David Tennant and Catherine Tate in the hit TV series, find themselves in the thick of trouble on a distant planet, where soldiers transform into monstrous beetle…

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The Brass Verdict

by Michael Connelly

Blurb

Lawyer Mickey Haller, who runs his LA business
from the back of Lincoln cars, has been taking a break. Intending to start back gently, he learns that an old colleague, Jerry Vincent, has died and that he has inherited Jerry’s entire caseload. So far so good – except that Jerry was murdered and the detective on the case, one Harry Bosch, believes that the killer was one of Jerry’s clients. So it’s very much in Mickey’s interest to find out who did the deed. Michael Brandon gives a terrifically believable reading.

Lawyer Mickey Haller, who runs his LA business
from the back of Lincoln cars, has been taking a break. Intending to start back gently, he learns that an old colleague, Jerry Vincent, has died and …

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Paul Temple and the Front Page Men

by Francis Durbridge

Blurb

The sophisticated 30s are vividly evoked in Anthony Head’s masterly reading of this classic
novel, Paul Temple and the Front Page Men. Who is the mysterious author of the smash hit novel The Front Page Men? And what link does she or he have to the high-profile kidnappings that are happening with increasingly regularity? Suave novelist Paul Temple and his glamourous wife Steve are soon helping Scotland Yard through the twists and turns of this intriguing period piece, brilliantly recalled by this new recording.

The sophisticated 30s are vividly evoked in Anthony Head’s masterly reading of this classic
novel, Paul Temple and the Front Page Men. Who is the mysterious author of the smash hit novel The Front…

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Devil May Care

by Sebastian Faulks

Blurb

This is absolute Bond from start to finish. Superbly read by Jeremy Northam, the narrative is gripping and the voice distinctive. Sebastian Faulks has done a superb job in continuing 007 in Ian Fleming’s mould. The Bond of the audio is the same Bond we have come to know and love in the books and films – cool, suave and sophisticated. He is the same Bond we trust to deliver against all the odds. You can’t fail to be disappointed- even the metallic boxset is true to the brand!

This is absolute Bond from start to finish. Superbly read by Jeremy Northam, the narrative is gripping and the voice distinctive. Sebastian Faulks has done a superb job in continuing 007 in Ian Fle…

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Past Imperfect

by Julian Fellowes

Blurb

Julian Fellowes’ wonderfully modulated tones are perfect for describing the world he writes of, that of debutants, coming out balls and weekend house parties. Damien Baxter is not of this world, but he had a profound effect on those he met there – and, forty years later, he is back with a secret that he needs his sworn enemy to help him uncover.
A story of old loves lost and found and lost again, Past Imperfect is funny and touching and even shocking: an intriguing comedy of manners that vividly evokes a lost world.

Julian Fellowes’ wonderfully modulated tones are perfect for describing the world he writes of, that of debutants, coming out balls and weekend house parties. Damien Baxter is not of this world, bu…

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Tea Time for the Traditionally Built

by Alexander McCall Smith

Blurb

Mma Remotswe can be experienced in the original
books, on radio and now television but due mainly to Adjoa Andoh’s perfectly judged reading, the audio versions are still the best way to experience the world of the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective agency.
An excellent production with packaging, abridgement and musical accompaniment all adding to the pleasure of listening to McCall Smith’s novel.

Mma Remotswe can be experienced in the original
books, on radio and now television but due mainly to Adjoa Andoh’s perfectly judged reading, the audio versions are still the best way to experience…

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The Road

by Cormac McCarthy

Blurb

One of the most affecting and impactful books of the past few years, The Road is a vision of a nightmarish future after an unexplained global disaster. At its heart, though, is a beautiful story of the love between a father and his son. Redemption depends on the boy’s ability to sustain his own instincts for compassion and empathy in opposition to his father’s insistence upon their mutual self-interest and survival at all physical and moral costs. Perfectly read by Rupert Degas.Winner of the 2006 Pulitzer Prize for Literature.

One of the most affecting and impactful books of the past few years, The Road is a vision of a nightmarish future after an unexplained global disaster. At its heart, though, is a beautiful story of…

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A Room with a View

by E.M. Forster

Blurb

A delightful coming-of-age story, A RoomWith A
View is a tale of romance, difficult choices and growing up. Juliet Stevenson brings E. M. Forster’s masterful prose to life as she switches deftly between the voices of Lucy Honeychurch and her two very different suitors, the arrogant though wealthy Cecil Vyse and unconventional, spirited George Emerson.

A delightful coming-of-age story, A RoomWith A
View is a tale of romance, difficult choices and growing up. Juliet Stevenson brings E. M. Forster’s masterful prose to life as she switches deftly b…

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Revelation

by C.J. Sansom

Blurb

Anton Lesser again demonstrates his ability to
inhabit a character completely, with his sympathetic and engrossing portrayal of Matthew Shardlake, the hunchbacked lawyer who finds himself embroiled once more in the dangerous politics of his age. In a narrative that ranges from life at the court of the ailing Henry VIII to the miseries of the Bedlam
hospital for the insane, Shardlake finds himself pitted against a serial killer driven by religious mania. This is the fourth of Sansom’s Shardlake novels, a series that grows stronger with every instalment, and the historical detail is as vivid and engrossing as ever.

Anton Lesser again demonstrates his ability to
inhabit a character completely, with his sympathetic and engrossing portrayal of Matthew Shardlake, the hunchbacked lawyer who finds himself embroile…

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Slumdog Millionaire

by Vikas Swarup

Blurb

The Oscar and Golden Globes success of the film
propelled Slumdog Millionaire as a worldwide
phenomenon. The story is of Ram Mohammed Thomas who lives in a Mumbai slum. Ram wins a billion rupees by answering all twelve questions correctly on a TV quiz show. But his success is questioned and Ram is imprisoned on suspicion of cheating. How else could Ram have managed to answer all the questions correctly? The ensuing story is full of humour, chaos and tragedy, brilliantly told by Kerry Shale.

The Oscar and Golden Globes success of the film
propelled Slumdog Millionaire as a worldwide
phenomenon. The story is of Ram Mohammed Thomas who lives in a Mumbai slum. Ram wins a billion rupees …

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Wake Up and Change You Life

by Duncan Bannatyne

Blurb

A how-to book on making your dreams come true, by someone who managed this trick for themselves, this could easily have been smug and irritating, but isn’t. Instead, it’s down-to-earth, well structured, and offers useful advice to anyone in need of change. Drawing on his own experience, Bannatyne encourages the listener to eliminate the negatives from their lives, and draw on their strengths they might not be aware they have to achieve the success they’ve always wanted. Topped off with tips on how to make a business pitch that will actually work, this is both practical and inspiring.

A how-to book on making your dreams come true, by someone who managed this trick for themselves, this could easily have been smug and irritating, but isn’t. Instead, it’s down-to-earth, well struct…

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Dear Fatty

by Dawn French

Blurb

Dear Fatty is not an autobiography but a memoir,and the comedienne doesn’t read it herself because she says she would become too emotional. Instead, Liza Tarbuck reads – and it took me all of 30 seconds to forget that it wasn’t French herself. It’s funny, as you would expect, but it’s also warm and poignant and downright raw in places when French reveals her thoughts about incidents in her life. And she has a wonderful ability to remember what it’s like to think as a child – the scene where she, aged 4,meets the Queen Mum, is just perfection!

Dear Fatty is not an autobiography but a memoir,and the comedienne doesn’t read it herself because she says she would become too emotional. Instead, Liza Tarbuck reads – and it took me all of 30 se…

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Dreams from my Father

by Barack Obama

Blurb

Dreams from my Father was written when he was 33, when no one would have predicted that, 14 years later, he would be elected President of the USA. Obama has a splendid reading voice and with an astonishing honesty he explores his roots, aware that his white grandfather’s acceptance of his Nigerian father owed most to his desire to be seen to be non-racist. He remembers his much-questioned life in Indonesia with his stepfather with affection,
acknowledging that his much-loved mother was the single constant in his life. He writes and reads with both clarity and feeling –cynical as I am about politicians, I was impressed.

Dreams from my Father was written when he was 33, when no one would have predicted that, 14 years later, he would be elected President of the USA. Obama has a splendid reading voice and with an ast…

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The Last Fighting Tommy

by Harry Patch

Blurb

At 110 years old, Harry Patch is the last British soldier alive to have fought in the trenches of the FirstWorldWar. This evocative memoir takes us from his vivid recollections of an Edwardian childhood to his memories of life as an ordinary soldier and beyond. He brings to life, with extraordinary clarity, the reality of both the early 20th century, and the Great War, of which he writes most movingly. This is a vivid story of an ordinary
man’s extraordinary life, which has spanned six
monarchs and twenty Prime Ministers. Read by Alan Howard, an all too rare voice on audio.

At 110 years old, Harry Patch is the last British soldier alive to have fought in the trenches of the FirstWorldWar. This evocative memoir takes us from his vivid recollections of an Edwardian chil…

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I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue Live: Vol 2

by Humphrey Lyttelton

Blurb

A second volume of two specially compiled, extended-length shows from the archives, features all the favourite games plus out-takes, banter, ad-libs and audience interaction.
Taken from the 1995 and 1996 so fans can hear againWillie Rushton and, of course, the muchmissed Chairman of the proceedings,
Humphrey Lyttleton.

A second volume of two specially compiled, extended-length shows from the archives, features all the favourite games plus out-takes, banter, ad-libs and audience interaction.
Taken from the 1995 a…

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The Suspicions of Mr Whicher

by Kate Summerscale

Blurb

This is a superb detective story – a real one.
The murder of 3-year-old Saville Kent in June, 1860, put most of the Kent household, family and servants, under suspicion, but the local police hindered the investigation with their reluctance to intrude on the middle-class family. The attempts of Jack Whicher, one of the first Scotland Yard detectives, brought in
to solve the murder filled the pages of newspapers – but it wasn’t until 1865, after Whicher’s retirement, that the murderer walked into Bow Street’s magistrates’ court and confessed. Utterly compelling and enhanced by Harriet Walters’ reading.

This is a superb detective story – a real one.
The murder of 3-year-old Saville Kent in June, 1860, put most of the Kent household, family and servants, under suspicion, but the local police hinde…

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Paddington Here and Now

by Michael Bond

Blurb

Paddington– is back in this fantastically funny, brand new novel from master storyteller Michael Bond.
Paddington Bear always manages to find himself in tricky situations, sometimes extraordinary situations. Like the time he had a difficult encounter with a policeman or when he found himself in deep water with a newspaper reporter. But since arriving from his native Peru after an earthquake, Paddington has always felt at home with the Brown family who found him on Paddington station. Until one day, a surprise visitor arrives at thirty-two Windsor Gardens. Is it time for Paddington to decide where ‘home’ really is?

Paddington– is back in this fantastically funny, brand new novel from master storyteller Michael Bond.
Paddington Bear always manages to find himself in tricky situations, sometimes extraordinary …

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The Graveyard Book

by Neil Gaiman

Blurb

Neil Gaiman’s slightly spooky voice is perfect for reading his slightly spooky story The Graveyard Book. As a baby, Nobody Owens is found in the graveyard and adopted by Mr and Mrs Owens, married in life and death for over 250 years.
Given the freedom of the graveyard, and watched
over by its inhabitants and his guardian Silas – who is neither living nor dead – Nobody is kept safe from the man Jack, who has killed his family and now wants to kill him…

Neil Gaiman’s slightly spooky voice is perfect for reading his slightly spooky story The Graveyard Book. As a baby, Nobody Owens is found in the graveyard and adopted by Mr and Mrs Owens, married i…

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The Boy in the Dress

by David Walliams

Blurb

Dennis is a boy who is different – he likes girls clothes. In fact, he likes wearing them! But David Walliams’ The Boy In The Dress isn’t quite what it seems initially. Dennis’s mum has gone off, and his dad has said no cuddles and no kisses, so no wonder Dennis is acting a bit strangely. All about the perceptions we have – and how wrong they can be – and about accepting that you might not be marching to the same drumbeat as everyone else and, therefore, being accepted. All set into an exciting story that has you rooting for Dennis!

Dennis is a boy who is different – he likes girls clothes. In fact, he likes wearing them! But David Walliams’ The Boy In The Dress isn’t quite what it seems initially. Dennis’s mum has gone off, a…

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Extra Titles more
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Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh

through CSAWord read by Jeremy Northam. This elegant novel about the darkness beneath a decadent high...
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The Gruffalo read by Imelda Staunton by Julia Donaldson

The bestselling children’s story about a mouse and a monster by one of the UK best-loved authors, r...
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The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Primary Phase by Douglas Adams

Whether joining them to dine at the Restaurant at the End of the Universe or seeking the answer to t...
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Othello by William Shakespeare

The Donmar Warehouse production was brilliantly reviewed and played to sellout audiences. The audio ...
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America, Empire of Liberty: Vol 1, Liberty and Slavery by David Reynolds

Empire of Liberty is a 90-part history of America in three parts, written and presented by prize-winn...
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A History of Modern Britain by Andrew Marr

The History of Modern Britain is a shrewd and informative overview of the recent past and Andrew Mar...
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Life of Pi by Yann Martel

Life of Pi has already achieved the status of a modern classic, which might well put off the warier ...
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Talking Heads No. 1

It is hard to believe that Alan Bennett’s award-winning monologues were first broadcast twenty yea...
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Horrid Henry's Stinkbomb by Francesca Simon

Miranda Richardson’s Henry is snotty, frustrating, very naughty – and absolutely irresistible. A ...
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Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen

Juliet Stevenson, a noted audiobook reader, brings an inimitable style to this recording of the Auste...
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