Listener’s List Poll ~ The Gentlemen

Welcome to the Listener’s List poll dedicated to the men of audiobook narration. Each of these gentlemen have been nominated by at least one listener and are displayed in the poll below in alphabetical order. Between now and 11:59pm EST on Saturday, cast your vote for up to five of these fine narrators.

If you are new to the Listener’s List polls, keep reading for more information about the Listener’s List. If you’re an old pro, feel free to skip to the voting.

About the Listener’s List

When I posted my thoughts on Audible’s A-List Collection of audiobooks and countered that listeners are best able to determine who the star narrators are for new listeners, the response was incredible. Through comments here and on Twitter, we certainly amassed a wonderful list of close to 100 narrators who make listening to audiobooks a true pleasure.

Lists are nice and I’m glad to have a permanent record of most of them recorded on my blog.
Still, I think the Listener’s List deserves something more. Over the next couple of months, I’m planning on creating a home for the list. I’ve got many ideas flying around inside my head and I hope to at least actualize at least a few of them. Here is where I need your help.

You so graciously shared your favorite narrators. Over time, I want to officially highlight them all. When taken as a whole, the task is daunting. I need a place to start. Tanya from dog eared copy suggested that I create a poll and have audiobook fans vote on the the first narrators highlighted on the Listener’s List. I thought this was a brilliant idea. In order to make this manageable, I’ve compiled a Listener’s List poll for both male and female narrators. Once the votes have been tallied, I will highlight the top five from each list when the Listener’s List officially goes live.

Once again, I am excited and energized by your enthusiasm. By supporting those people who make our favorite audiobooks a compelling adventure, I know we’re supporting the vitality of the audiobook community as a whole. Long live audiobooks!

At 2012.04.17 06:16, Sandy said:

Yeah baby! I get excited just looking at this list!

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At 2012.04.17 11:45, Literate Housewife said:

I was excited to wake up this morning!

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At 2012.04.17 06:47, Laurie C said:

This is a great idea! I cast my votes and I see I missed one of my favorites. I guess I needed six votes! (Only quibble — “Jonathan” Davis is spelled with two “a”s & one “o”, I believe.)

Living & Dying in a Mumbai Slum: Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo

Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo surprised me by how it was written. The author, a journalist, immerses herself in the lives of a small number of residents of the vast slum outside of th[...]

At 2012.04.17 11:57, Literate Housewife said:

Thanks so much for the correction! I’ve fixed it in the poll.

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At 2012.04.17 07:29, bermudaonion (Kathy) said:

I can’t wait to see who wins!

Review: The Storm King

At 2012.04.17 11:58, Literate Housewife said:

Me, too!

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At 2012.04.17 08:08, Jeaneen said:

I love several of these readers. Need to add Stephen Hoye.

At 2012.04.17 12:04, Literate Housewife said:

He’s on the list now.

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- At 2012.04.17 12:23, Jeaneen said:
  
  Great! His reading of Rococo by Adriana Trigiani is so good! He has other good ones too but Rococo is my fave.
  
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At 2012.04.17 10:36, suziqoregon said:

Ralph Cosham

At 2012.04.17 12:05, Literate Housewife said:

He’s there now.

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- At 2012.04.17 12:09, suziqoregon said:
  
  thank you!!
  
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At 2012.04.17 10:47, Katherine Kellgren said:

So many of my favorites here – will be incredibly tough choosing only 5! I also love the work of Dion Graham – if you’re adding people, do remember my fangirl recommendation of his work!

At 2012.04.17 12:06, Literate Housewife said:

Your wish is my command. He’s there now.

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- At 2012.04.17 13:47, Katherine Kellgren said:
  
  Thanks!!
  
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At 2012.04.17 11:21, Xe Sands said:

Hurray – my favorites are here (but I’m not telling which five

At 2012.04.17 12:06, Literate Housewife said:

Ha! Thanks for your votes.

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At 2012.04.17 11:30, Sam M-B said:

Hooray, more polls! Write-in here for: Stefan Rudnicki.

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When I started “The Audible SF/F Blog” in June 2011, I was hoping that the double meaning of “audible”, that is both the well-known audiobook company and the state of being, er[...]

At 2012.04.17 12:07, Literate Housewife said:

He’s been added. Thanks for stopping by!

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At 2012.04.17 12:34, Bob said:

This is really an amazing list. Both the ladies and the gentlemen narrators lists are full of so many great voices. I went back and forth on my votes with both groups so many times. Thanks for putting this together Jeniffer, I’ll be refreshing often to follow the drama.

Audiobook Review: Exponential Apocalypse by Eirik Gumeny

At 2012.04.17 22:39, Literate Housewife said:

There definitely is drama! Thanks so much for your support of the Listener’s List, Bob.

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At 2012.04.17 13:38, le0pard13 said:

Great list, though it makes picking just five rather hard .

At 2012.04.17 22:40, Literate Housewife said:

Picking just five is very, very hard. I will be very curious to see who comes out on top.

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At 2012.04.17 13:59, Phil Gigante said:

Wow! I am humbled and honored to be on this list with such amazing narrators! Thank you!

Just wanted to mention the wonderful (and very tall) Luke Daniels, who isn’t on the list. He rocks!

At 2012.04.17 14:13, le0pard13 said:

I second what Phil said about Luke Daniels.

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- At 2012.04.17 16:51, Phil Gigante said:
  
  I’d just like to add that if Frank Muller were still here, this contest would be a moot point. R.I.P.
  
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  - At 2012.04.17 22:45, Literate Housewife said:
    
    Thanks for sharing about Frank Muller. I Googled him since I’m not familiar with his work. I found a wonderful article about him on BlogCritics that I thought I would share here: http://blogcritics.org/books/article/frank-muller-remembering-a-great-audio1/.
    
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    - At 2012.04.17 22:54, le0pard13 said:
      
      If you’ve not had a chance to catch Frank Muller, listen to this snippet of his splendid reading of Stephen King’s The Shawshank Redemption. It’s a great one.
      
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At 2012.04.17 22:41, Literate Housewife said:

You are so welcome, Phil! Clearly you have many devoted fans who love your work. Thanks so much for sharing your talents with us.

I’ve also added Luke Daniels to the list.

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- At 2012.04.18 09:48, Luke said:
  
  Wow! What an honor to be included among this league of extraordinary gentlemen! Thanks Phil for the kind words, and Jennifer for this great list!
  
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At 2012.04.18 13:50, Vic said:

Also wanted to throw my vote in for Luke Daniels. His reading of Iron Druid series is just marvelous!

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At 2012.04.17 17:43, Susan Bailey said:

Awesome list yes! This list is very exciting with these voices bringing our favorite books or novels to life! I have to say my all-time fav is here and I will never tell! As my heart races thinking of the towel puddled at his feet, *Cough* sorry that’s my fav highlander he brings to my dreams!

At 2012.04.17 22:52, Literate Housewife said:

Thanks so much for your votes and the chuckle you gave me reading about your favorite highlander who shall remain nameless. You illustrate quite well the power of the narrator!

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At 2012.04.17 19:33, Peter Berkrot said:

Dear LIterate Housewife,

Thank you for including me on this list. I’m very honored.

Best,
Peter

At 2012.04.17 22:53, Literate Housewife said:

You are most welcome!

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At 2012.04.18 05:29, Serena said:

I can’t wait to see the top picks

Miss Plastique by Lynn Levin

Book Source: Poet provided me with a copy
Paperback: 58 pages
I’m an Amazon Affiliate
Miss Plastique by Lynn Levin reminded me of the comic book character Plastique in that many of the female [...]

At 2012.04.19 07:55, Literate Housewife said:

I keep checking. It’s a fun time.

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At 2012.04.18 08:24, Sheila (Book Journey) said:

Wonderful idea! I too am excited for the results!

Confessions Of A Prairie Bitch by Alison Arngrim

At 2012.04.19 07:56, Literate Housewife said:

Thanks! I’ll be posting the results on Monday.

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At 2012.04.18 12:20, Tara Jenner said:

You definitely need to amend your list to include Nathanael Parker and Kevin R. Free!

At 2012.04.19 07:56, Literate Housewife said:

I will definitively add those names! Thanks for the recommendations!

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At 2012.04.18 15:24, Melanie said:

Such a lovely list. My ears are happier just looking at it. Now, which of these guys will I pick for my next listen? Spoilt for choice!!

At 2012.04.19 07:57, Literate Housewife said:

We definitely are spoilt for choice. So many good narrators, so little time.

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At 2012.04.18 17:59, Karen White said:

thanks again, Jennifer, for spreadin’ the love!

A DOG WALKS INTO A NURSING HOME by Sue Halpern

At 2012.04.19 07:58, Literate Housewife said:

Thanks, Karen!

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At 2012.04.19 01:16, Jonah Cummings said:

Maybe having a write-in option in addition to your list might have produced a few more listener favorites. Oh well maybe next poll. It is nice that you are making a genuine effort to recognize narrators beyond the dastardly A-List. PS Frank Muller was one of the best!

At 2012.04.19 08:00, Literate Housewife said:

Feel free to let me know who I’m missing. I’ve been adding on to the list based on comments and other feedback. The whole list will be used down the road to add narrator profiles to the Listener’s List blog.

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At 2012.04.23 15:17, MacLeod said:

Thanks so much for putting this list together. It’s so good to see so many of the narrators I love getting their due recognition! I can’t say how honored I am to have been included.

Best,
MacLeod

At 2012.04.25 06:38, natalie @book, line, and sinker said:

so, how did my audiobook boyfriend do?!!? i can’t wait to see the results…

Read more from natalie @book, line, and sinker

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