Editor Audible

Doug Polisin

Chistoso. Introspectivo. Aficionado. El género preferido de Doug es la ficción literaria y, gracias al recientemente adoptado Wittels, su lugar preferido para escuchar es el parque local de perros.

Doug's Current Listens

"It's All About Suckage-Avoidance"

I had the immense pleasure of speaking with one of my all-time favorite writers, George Saunders, when Lincoln in the Bardo released in 2017. You can hear me geek-out with the award-winning author in this Audible Range article, as we discuss the origins of his highly inventive first full-length novel and the importance of “finding the fun” when writing. And below, I discuss three essential listens for Saunders fans.

Lincoln in the Bardo De: George Saunders

“Come for the record-breaking narrator cast—totaling over 166 voices—including incredible performances from Nick Offerman, David Sedaris, and Saunders himself, but stay for a one-of-a-kind work whose originality is matched only by its poignancy.”

Tenth of December De: George Saunders

“Hearing Saunders read these stories himself is a true gift. You get the sense that you're hearing the characters as the author heard them in his head, whether it's the voice of a baby deer or a manager giving the worst pep talk via memo.”

Congratulations, by the Way De: George Saunders

“This, along with David Foster Wallace's This Is Water, should be required listening for all humans. Personally, it never fails to bring me back to center, reminding me to choose kindness and compassion, and that empathy is a gift we too often forget to give.”

Memorable Scenes From Recent Listens

It
De:Stephen King
Narrado por:Steven Weber

Ben meets Pennywise

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"I'm gonna show you Marvell, Arkansas."

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A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court
De:Mark Twain
Narrado por:Nick Offerman

Armor is to Hank, what salad is to Ron Swanson

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I Can't Make This Up
De:Neil Strauss - contributor, Kevin Hart
Narrado por:Kevin Hart

Kevin Hart's "Charming Manipulation Scale"

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"Their eyes met. And they looked away."

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It
Ben meets Pennywise

Testimony
"I'm gonna show you Marvell, Arkansas."

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court
Armor is to Hank, what salad is to Ron Swanson

I Can't Make This Up
Kevin Hart's "Charming Manipulation Scale"

Preparation for the Next Life
"Their eyes met. And they looked away."

HUMOR

Born a Crime

Stories from a South African Childhood

De: Trevor Noah

Narrado por: Trevor Noah

Duración: 8 h y 44 m

Fecha de lanzamiento: 11-15-16

Idioma: Inglés

5 out of 5 stars 216,200 calificaciones

A Comedian's Path to Self-Discovery

Como los fanáticos de The Daily Show no estuvieron seguros de qué esperar cuando lo anunciaron como el nuevo presentador del programa, empecé Born a Crime sin saber realmente lo que encontraría en Noah's Book. ¿Comedia? ¿Comentario político y social? Seguro, pero no de la forma en la que yo esperaba. Más bien, obtuve más. La historia de Noah está entrelazada con los últimos años y las secuelas de la era del apartheid en Sudáfrica. Es una historia que comienza cuando la mamá de Noah lo arroja de un coche en movimiento para evitar una disputa potencialmente fatal con los gánsteres y sigue el camino del cómico al descubrimiento de sí mismo en medio de episodios agridulces y cómicos. Es elocuente, conmovedora, graciosa e hizo todo lo mejor con su lectura, especialmente conforme él relata anécdotas que involucran a su madre, lo que realmente se roba el show, y ofrece giros inteligentes de frase como sólo un cómic de primera categoría y un narrador de cuentos pueden hacer.
Zero K

De: Don DeLillo

Narrado por: Thomas Sadoski

Duración: 7 h y 48 m

Fecha de lanzamiento: 05-03-16

Idioma: Inglés

3.5 out of 5 stars 395 calificaciones

Frightening. Redemptive. Brilliant.

To say that I am a DeLillo fan would be an understatement. For me, he’s one of the few novelists whose books consistently act as lightning rods for those big, revelatory, a-ha moments where I’m reminded of the myriad intricacies of human life; of what it means to be alive – right here, right now – and that, despite the endless chaos surrounding us, perhaps there’s something redeeming about the human spirit. At the very least, he pulls things out of the periphery – things we don’t want to see or deal with – and brings them to the forefront. And something about that feels redemptive; it makes me feel less alone. This is all to say: upon finishing a DeLillo book, I expect to feel changed. With Zero K, he doesn’t disappoint. This isn’t a book for the faint-hearted or for lovers of plot-driven stories (with DeLillo, this is often the case). Instead, for a relatively short book, DeLillo poses big questions regarding mortality and identity, technology and religion, and the result is rather frightening, though brilliant, all the same. Parts of this book straight up terrified me – the structure, the language, the dialogue becoming dreamlike; a kind of funhouse existentialism. Again, it’s not for everyone. But if you’re looking for a necessary and important book from a necessary and important author, look no further.
I Can't Make This Up

Life Lessons

De: Neil Strauss - contributor, Kevin Hart

Narrado por: Kevin Hart

Duración: 11 h y 15 m

Fecha de lanzamiento: 06-06-17

Idioma: Inglés

4.5 out of 5 stars 56,151 calificaciones

A Truly Authentic Kevin Hart Performance

It's not hard to imagine Kevin Hart standing in front of thousands in a packed arena or stadium, mining his incredible life for stories outrageous, fantastical, and altogether side-splitting. That's his day job. It's a lot harder to imagine being an audience of one to his boundless, larger-than-life personality; of what it would be like to have the world's greatest comedian step offstage and - with the same hilarious intensity and one-of-a-kind observations - tell his story directly to you. But this is precisely the experience one has while listening to I Can’t Make This Up. In audio, Kevin’s singular delivery and comic timing are on full display and fans are treated to ad-libbed content, brilliant asides, and hilarious tangents not on the page. The result is a truly authentic Kevin Hart performance: surprisingly heartfelt, incredibly inspirational, and always funny.
The Sellout

A Novel

De: Paul Beatty

Narrado por: Prentice Onayemi

Duración: 9 h y 35 m

Fecha de lanzamiento: 07-07-15

Idioma: Inglés

4 out of 5 stars 3,967 calificaciones

A Feat of Satiric Endurance

I'm kicking myself for waiting as long as I did before listening to this one. Beatty's novel earned him the distinction of being the first US writer to win the Man Booker Prize, drew as many comparisons to Pryor and Chappelle as Vonnegut and Twain in its brazen honesty and laugh-out-loud dissection of contemporary American society, and made plenty "Best of" lists last year. But it was hearing narrator Prentice Onayemi that finally convinced me to start Beatty's comic send-up of race and identity in America. Onayemi captures the manic, unceasing energy of Beatty's writing and performs a feat of satiric endurance, moving between characters with the vocal dexterity of a comedian and impressionist rolled in to one. And just as Beatty plays with social taboos and preconceived notions, you can hear Onayemi playing around similarly with his characterizations and, in turn, playing with the listener's expectations.
Priestdaddy

A Memoir

De: Patricia Lockwood

Narrado por: Patricia Lockwood

Duración: 10 h y 12 m

Fecha de lanzamiento: 05-02-17

Idioma: Inglés

4 out of 5 stars 954 calificaciones

Cada vuelta de la frase revela una verdad oculta e inmaterial

Quiero tener cuidado con la forma en que escribo sobre este libro. No porque el tema sea escandaloso (no lo es), sino porque, como todas las cosas bellamente complejas, sería fácil de etiquetar o poner las memorias de Lockwood en una caja; para disminuir su magnificencia y, en última instancia, el hechizo que echó sobre mí. Se merece más que eso. Por lo tanto, voy a decir esto: los grandes escritores son a menudo alabados por tener una voz original. Bueno, Lockwood tiene eso y algunos otros (incluyendo un asombroso – y sorprendentemente absurdo – sentido del humor). Más importante aún, ella es una pensadora original cuya devoción al lenguaje y a las palabras y la poesía, su comercio primario, se puede sentir en cada línea, cada vuelta de la frase, y cada pedacito de imaginería confusa que parece revelar cierta verdad oculta e intangible que normalmente existe justo fuera del alcance de las yemas de los dedos.
Preparation for the Next Life

De: Atticus Lish

Narrado por: Robertson Dean

Duración: 15 h y 7 m

Fecha de lanzamiento: 04-14-15

Idioma: Inglés

3.5 out of 5 stars 462 calificaciones

Vivid. Distinct. Beautiful.

A finalist for the 2015 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction, Atticus Lish's Preparation for the Next Life is not only striking in its tightly crafted, yet incredibly detailed prose, but in its heart-breaking portrayal of people both physically and emotionally displaced. To say I fell for this book, an unlikely love story between an undocumented Chinese Muslim immigrant and a recently returned Iraq War veteran, would be an understatement. This book carried me away like no other book this year. The characters are so vivid; their physicality and voices so distinct, I couldn't help sharing in their lostness. Beautifully narrated with heartfelt sincerity by Robertson Dean, this book demands your attention and deserves it.
Slaughterhouse-Five

De: Kurt Vonnegut

Narrado por: James Franco

Duración: 5 h y 13 m

Fecha de lanzamiento: 11-03-15

Idioma: Inglés

4.5 out of 5 stars 19,267 calificaciones

'That was I. That was me.'

It's probably been about a decade since I've visited Slaughterhouse-Five and yet, upon recently listening to Vonnegut's beloved novel, it was as if I was 'unstuck in time,' traveling back to some version of myself – a pimply, lanky teenager – who was in complete awe of Vonnegut's unique voice and blown away by the following line: 'That was I. That was me. That was the author of this book.' It's a line that still makes me dizzy; as if Vonnegut himself was somehow trapped in the book. And it's in finding this tone that Franco's narration succeeds. Yes, he deftly voices German and English soldiers with cold, comical detachment and gives the alien race of Tralfamadorians a nasally omnipresence, but it's in his delivery of Vonnegut's short, declarative sentences – the beaten quality of 'so it goes' – that I was reminded that this is a book about a soldier who, just like Vonnegut, cannot escape his memories of war.
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court

De: Mark Twain

Narrado por: Nick Offerman

Duración: 13 h y 25 m

Fecha de lanzamiento: 09-19-17

Idioma: Inglés

4.5 out of 5 stars 8,050 calificaciones

Simplemente Gumpuloso

No pensé que fuera posible. La lectura de Nick Offeran de Tom Sawyer es uno de mis favoritos de todos los tiempos; una actuación que me hizo enamorarme del clásico de Twain. Pero puede que realmente me encante su actuación aquí aún más. El personaje de Hank Morgan – un bajista, un adherente sin sentido a la practicidad y el pragmatismo – podría ser visto como un predecesor natural de Ron Swanson (el personajes que Offerman caracterizó en Parks and Recreation ), así como la encarnación misma de la gumpción que el actor escribe en su propio trabajo. Es decir, este es un personaje hecho a medida para Offerman. Aún mejor es el hecho de que lleguemos a escucharle la voz de los caballeros presumidos y a las doncellas andrajosas y un villano Merlín. Pero sobre todo, me alegra ver que Offremane se está convirtiendo rápidamente en el artista e interprete de las brillantes historias de Twain.
Spill Simmer Falter Wither

De: Sara Baume

Narrado por: John Keating

Duración: 7 h y 57 m

Fecha de lanzamiento: 03-08-16

Idioma: Inglés

3.5 out of 5 stars 1,232 calificaciones

A Stand-Out Debut

Full disclosure: I recently adopted a dog, so there were parts in this book that were especially powerful and strangely transcendent, mirroring emotions and deftly putting into words things I now find myself experiencing again and again. But this story, at its surface a bonding between two damaged outcasts - one man, one dog - became much more to me. Sara Baume, in a stand-out debut, injects lyricism and poetry into every sentence, revealing moments of profound sadness as well as the magic of two lost souls finding one another. I won't say it's for everyone. But it's an extraordinary listen for fans of introspective, character studies. It’s a cloudy, Sunday morning, wrap-me-up-in-words kind of story. And for me, it was a beautiful reminder to be kind.
I Am Brian Wilson

De: Brian Wilson, Ben Greenman - contributor

Narrado por: Fred Berman

Duración: 9 h y 42 m

Fecha de lanzamiento: 10-11-16

Idioma: Inglés

4.5 out of 5 stars 614 calificaciones

A One-of-a-kind Career

In my last year of college, I took a class in digital recording and with unfettered access to a music studio, my roommate and I decided it'd be fun to try to recreate, as close as possible, a recording of the pop masterpiece "God Only Knows." It consumed us. And we quickly found that Brian Wilson's genius is inimitable. Which is to say, I'm a fan of The Beach Boys, but more so the mysterious figure of Wilson; the sandbox piano, the decision to focus on writing and recording over touring, the enormity and intricacy of Pet Sounds. In this memoir, Wilson reveals himself like never before, writing of his struggles with mental illness, the voices he hears, the ups and downs of a one-of-a-kind career in music, the family battles, and the love, and music that has sustained him.
The End of the Affair

De: Graham Greene

Narrado por: Colin Firth

Duración: 6 h y 28 m

Fecha de lanzamiento: 05-07-12

Idioma: Inglés

4 out of 5 stars 11,480 calificaciones

Late to the Party...

I've had so many people here at Audible recommend Graham Greene's The End of the Affair that, on some subconscious level, I think I made it a point of contention not to listen. That is until I was faced with a family vacation that required a lengthy car ride with my folks; at which point, my mother selected Greene's captivating story of love, obsession, and faith on the basis of Colin Firth's name alone. And, truly, Firth dazzles here; his voice a roller coaster of rage and resentment when faced with the scorn of a lover and the incredulity of God’s existence, but delicate and poignant for moments when yearning feels like a tangible thing you can touch. For over six hours, we sat in silence, rapt. I may be late to the party, but this audiobook deserves every bit of praise it’s received.
Digging Up Mother

A Love Story

De: Johnny Depp - foreword, Doug Stanhope

Narrado por: Doug Stanhope and Friends

Duración: 12 h y 44 m

Fecha de lanzamiento: 08-16-16

Idioma: Inglés

4.5 out of 5 stars 3,994 calificaciones

Not Your Average Comedic Memoir

Fair warning: Doug Stanhope is not for the faint of heart. If you’re easily offended, sensitive to foul language or, in general, stories featuring hard drinking, drug usage, sexual debauchery, and gross-out humor, stay away from this book. But, if you’re a fan of uncensored, truth-telling comedy – in the vein of Pryor and Carlin – and want to hear a wholly unique comedic voice helm a truly unique audiobook, this is an insane adventure you won’t want to pass up. Stanhope is a comic’s comic; a true stand-up road warrior dedicated to his craft; and his abrasive style (nothing is sacred) and candid storytelling is on full display here in audio. Stanhope uses the format as an opportunity to go further than the written page – becoming a self-aware narrator, color commentating throughout, expanding on stories, and bringing buddies in to tell their sides of the story – so the experience is that of sitting next to him at a bar, words drenched in booze and smoke. This isn’t your average comedic memoir; it’s a surprisingly heartfelt and outrageously hilarious story that took me out of my comfort zone and reminded me that sometimes your only recourse from the insanity of the world is a good laugh.
Tenth of December

Stories

De: George Saunders

Narrado por: George Saunders

Duración: 5 h y 40 m

Fecha de lanzamiento: 01-08-13

Idioma: Inglés

4 out of 5 stars 1,719 calificaciones

Simply Remarkable.

George Saunders' short stories are beautiful, yet frightening; hilarious, yet unsettling. And I think that's because, while his plots may involve the bizarre – human lawn ornaments, love-inducing pharmaceuticals, thwarted abductions – his characters and their moral dilemmas seem so real. It's the honesty he gives to their humanity and the possibility of redemption that make the stories seem instructive, sacred. And with Saunders narrating, there's a closeness to the material that resonates when listening. You get the sense that you're hearing the characters as the author heard them in his head, whether it's the voice of a baby deer or a manager giving the worst pep talk via memo. Saunders is a natural storyteller – giving characters distinct voices and believable pacing. But it's his simple telling that makes these stories so special.
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

De: Mark Twain

Narrado por: Nick Offerman

Serie: Twain's Tom and Huck, Libro 1

Duración: 7 h y 52 m

Fecha de lanzamiento: 09-20-16

Idioma: Inglés

4.5 out of 5 stars 12,859 calificaciones

Fall in Love All Over Again

I am not exaggerating when I say that this is one of the best things I have ever listened to. Nor would it be dishonest to say that this recording made me fall in love with Twain's classic ode to adolescence all over again. But perhaps the strangest thing, as I keep telling all my friends, is that I completely forgot how truly, laugh-out-loud funny this book is. I have the narration to thank for that reminder. Park and Recreation's Nick Offerman is known for playing the quintessential gruff male, but he thoroughly astonishes here, bending his baritone effortlessly to give Twain's characters life. My favorites: the uptight, exhaustive wailing of Aunt Polly; the cracked pleading of drunkard Muff Potter; and, of course, the winking, boyish charm of Tom himself, which Offerman gracefully transforms into tenderness during moments of adolescent melancholy. Which is to say, you can hear Offerman enjoying the reading and loving its characters.