FREE/BARGAIN - Audiobooks - 2014

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by Catlady

Free from RH Audio via Facebook, today only: Jim Dale's version of A Christmas Carol. Requires Facebook account and RH newsletter sign-up.

This has been (is?) free from other sources.

Thanks

It's currently free at Audiobooks.org

[septentrion]

Free at Audible for the holiday season: Christmas Eve, 1914

In 1914, the war which was to have been wrapped up by Christmas had - in reality - only just begun, as all sides entrenched themselves deeper into the Great War. Christmas Eve, 1914 follows one company of British officers as they rotate forward to spend their Christmas on the front lines, a mere 80 yards from the German guns. Upper- and working-class men and boys are thrown together into one trench and struggle to survive.

The link (hoping there's no affiliate tag in it): http://www.audible.com/pd/Fiction/Ch...GBAP12151490UA

[skinmaan]

Originally Posted by septentrion

Free at Audible for the holiday season: Christmas Eve, 1914

In 1914, the war which was to have been wrapped up by Christmas had - in reality - only just begun, as all sides entrenched themselves deeper into the Great War. Christmas Eve, 1914 follows one company of British officers as they rotate forward to spend their Christmas on the front lines, a mere 80 yards from the German guns. Upper- and working-class men and boys are thrown together into one trench and struggle to survive.

The link (hoping there's no affiliate tag in it): http://www.audible.com/pd/Fiction/Ch...GBAP12151490UA

Thanks! Teach me to take a day off from hunting for freebies...

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by septentrion

Free at Audible for the holiday season: Christmas Eve, 1914

In 1914, the war which was to have been wrapped up by Christmas had - in reality - only just begun, as all sides entrenched themselves deeper into the Great War. Christmas Eve, 1914 follows one company of British officers as they rotate forward to spend their Christmas on the front lines, a mere 80 yards from the German guns. Upper- and working-class men and boys are thrown together into one trench and struggle to survive.

The link (hoping there's no affiliate tag in it): http://www.audible.com/pd/Fiction/Ch...GBAP12151490UA

Thanks much - added to OP and Christmas list

[tubemonkey]

Downpour Weekend Spotlight -- exp 21 Dec

Holiday Tales ($4.95 ea)

• Miss Davenport's Christmas -- MC Beaton
• A Christmas Hope -- Anne Perry
• Comfort and Joy -- India Knight
• Tinsel -- Hank Stuever
• A Dog Named Christmas -- Greg Kincaid
• Tied Up in Tinsel -- Ngaio Marsh

[KyBunnies]

Christian Audio has $20 gift certificates for only $10

http://christianaudio.com//gift-certificate

no promo code needed

Might just buy several of these for myself.

Offer ends Christmas day does not specific a time.

[GtrsRGr8]

I checked out about 5 ebooks from a local public library about a week and a half ago. All of them have Whispersync companions.

I put the titles in my Audible wishlist. All of them showed the sale price, with the price for the regular audiobook price lined through (because the 25% or 30% (whatever the amount was) off sale was going on then). I didn't think too much about the fact that the Whispersync price wasn't showing up, because of the sale, thinking that maybe there was some kind of glitch and everything would be all right after the sale was over.

Well, the prices on all 5 or so ebooks remained the same, higher-than-Whispersync price after the sale was over. I called Audible and asked the woman that I talked to about it. She said that I had to buy the ebooks in order to get the Whispersync prices and either said or implied that borrowing them from a normal library (vs a Kindle library) wouldn't get me the discounted price. She didn't say that it used to be that way, and had changed. She just said that that was the way that it was. But, frankly, the woman seemed not to have too much going for her "upstairs," if you know what I mean.

I know what the policy at least used to be. I borrowed a few ebooks, oh, say a couple of months ago, and not only did the Whispersync prices show up on those titles for me at Audible, but I also bought them for those prices.

Several days have elapsed since talking to Audible representative. The loan on several of the books has expired. I just now checked the wishlist and the prices still haven't changed--they're still the higher, non-Whispersync prices.

In case you're wondering, yes, I did select "Kindle" as the format that I wanted the ebooks in, when I borrowed them.

Has anyone borrowed an ebook from a regular library recently? If so, and it has a Whispersync companion, was the price for the audiobook the Whispersync price, or was it the regular full price?

I hope that there hasn't been a change in policy by Audible/Amazon. I'm thinking that there probably hasn't been, but that there is some kind of glitch--maybe because of the sale going on when I borrowed the ebooks--that is keeping the prices from dropping. If I can't find out any other way, I'm planning to borrow another ebook from the library and see if the Whispersync price shows up at Audible now.

[booklover6]

Originally Posted by GtrsRGr8

Has anyone borrowed an ebook from a regular library recently? If so, and it has a Whispersync companion, was the price for the audiobook the Whispersync price, or was it the regular full price?

Dec 13 I borrowed a book from a library, through Kindle, and purchased the audio book at the discounted price of $1.99. It is defined as "Audible narration."

[skinmaan]

Originally Posted by booklover6

Dec 13 I borrowed a book from a library, through Kindle, and purchased the audio book at the discounted price of $1.99. It is defined as "Audible narration."

Dittos here about a week earlier. Borrowed 2 books from the library and purchased the audio with my B4G10 credit. No problems whatsoever. I don't know if this was the problem for you, but you do have to actually download the book before you can get the whispersync; just checking it out isn't enough. You have to send it to a Kindle device (or software) before you can get the WS deal.

[FizzyWater]

Originally Posted by skinmaan

Dittos here about a week earlier. Borrowed 2 books from the library and purchased the audio with my B4G10 credit. No problems whatsoever. I don't know if this was the problem for you, but you do have to actually download the book before you can get the whispersync; just checking it out isn't enough. You have to send it to a Kindle device (or software) before you can get the WS deal.

I'll agree with the first part of this, but not the second. I download the books manually, but I never put them on my Kindle. (I point them to my Kindle1 which has never had working WiFi, but was purchased cheap to have a serial number for DRM removal - this was before DRM-breaking tools for K4PC were available).

[tubemonkey]

HarperAudio

• FREE - A Child's Christmas in Wales -- Dylan Thomas (25 min)

This links to SoundCloud, but there is a download option beneath comments.

[skinmaan]

Originally Posted by FizzyWater

I'll agree with the first part of this, but not the second. I download the books manually, but I never put them on my Kindle. (I point them to my Kindle1 which has never had working WiFi, but was purchased cheap to have a serial number for DRM removal - this was before DRM-breaking tools for K4PC were available).

You're likely right. I just wanted to note it's more than checking them out; if you don't go into Amazon and send the book somewhere then I haven't been able to get the WS to work.

[GtrsRGr8]

Originally Posted by booklover6

Dec 13 I borrowed a book from a library, through Kindle, and purchased the audio book at the discounted price of $1.99. It is defined as "Audible narration."

Originally Posted by skinmaan

Dittos here about a week earlier. Borrowed 2 books from the library and purchased the audio with my B4G10 credit. No problems whatsoever. I don't know if this was the problem for you, but you do have to actually download the book before you can get the whispersync; just checking it out isn't enough. You have to send it to a Kindle device (or software) before you can get the WS deal.

Originally Posted by FizzyWater

I'll agree with the first part of this, but not the second. I download the books manually, but I never put them on my Kindle. . . . .

Originally Posted by skinmaan

You're likely right. I just wanted to note it's more than checking them out; if you don't go into Amazon and send the book somewhere then I haven't been able to get the WS to work.

I wasn't sure that I could post so many quotes. ha

Thanks for the great info, everyone.

I didn't include the information in my post, but . . .
1. I did download the books.
2. I think that I sent them to the Kindle Reader (or whatever the web-based reader is called). I did that once before and it worked that way.
I'm going to have to check on #2, to make sure that I actually did do it. I'm almost positive that I did, but I have to make sure.

I think that I tried on or before the 13th (when booklover6 last did the transaction). So, I don't think that Amazon/Audible changing their policy is a possibility.

I think that I'm going to try checking out, downloading, and sending one or more of the same books, that are not checked out by someone else now, and see what happens. I might try this before I do anything else. I do want to own the audio of the 5 books.

Anyway, stay tuned. I'm going to work through the matter, as I get snatches of time here and there. And, I'll let you know if I still can't get the thing to work.

And thanks, again, for your help.

[GtrsRGr8]

Originally Posted by GtrsRGr8

. . . .
I think that I'm going to try checking out, downloading, and sending one or more of the same books, that are not checked out by someone else now, and see what happens. I might try this before I do anything else. I do want to own the audio of the 5 books.

Anyway, stay tuned. I'm going to work through the matter, as I get snatches of time here and there. And, I'll let you know if I still can't get the thing to work.

And thanks, again, for your help.

It works now.

I re-borrowed one of the books . . . downloaded it . . . sent it to Kindle for PC. Voila, the "special price" appeared for the book in my wishlist at Audible. I haven't tried the other 4 books, yet, but I'm sure that they'll be okay, too.

I don't know if it was a glitch or possibly that I didn't do something right the first time. Anyway, it's fixed, and now I've got 5 cheap audiobooks that I can buy.

[tubemonkey]

Here are a couple of Christmas stories from NPR

A Christmas Carol -- Charles Dickens -- performed by Jonathan Winters & Mimi Kennedy

This is an abridged dramatization by Jonathan Winters for NPR in Dec 2004. Total length is 59 minutes, including a 6 minute introduction. A standard reading is roughly 3 hours in length.

"Marley was dead, to begin with. There is no doubt whatever about that. Old Marley was as dead as a doornail."

So begins A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. Some say this short story, first published in 1843, transformed Christmas into a major holiday. Before A Christmas Carol, there was surprisingly little celebration during the Christmas season. After its publication, the holiday became a high point of the year. The tale has inspired movies, operas, readings and countless stage performances around the globe.

Master comedian Jonathan Winters presents a distinctive reading of this holiday classic, using a special performing edition prepared by Dickens for his own presentations. He re-creates Ebenezer Scrooge, Bob Cratchit, Tiny Tim, Jacob Marley's spirit and the three Christmas ghosts: Past, Present and Future. Mimi Kennedy also performs.

SantaLand Diaries -- David Sedaris -- read by David Sedaris

*** NOT SAFE FOR CHILDREN ***

This story isn't "dirty", but the humor is a bit dark and not suited for children. There are 3 versions ranging from 7:01 to 8:21 minutes.

• SantaLand Diaries -- 1992 (8:21 min) - original full length reading
• SantaLand Diaries -- 2005 (7:01 min)
• SantaLand Diaries -- 2014 (7:25 min)

Time For A Holiday Favorite: 'Santaland Diaries' --> NPR (Dec 2014)

You might not expect "Santa's Helper" to be a career-altering gig, but for David Sedaris, it changed everything. The writer and humorist spent a season working at Macy's as a department store elf. He described his short tenure as Crumpet the Elf in "The Santaland Diaries," an essay that he read on Morning Edition in 1992.

Instantly, a classic was born. Sedaris' reading has become an NPR holiday tradition. Click the "Listen" link above to hear Sedaris read his story.

Sedaris and Crumpet the Elf: A Holiday Tradition --> NPR (Dec 2005)

The life of David Sedaris took an unexpected, and not entirely unwelcome, turn when his "Santaland Diaries" were first broadcast on Morning Edition in 1992.

Sedaris recounted his experiences playing Crumpet the elf at Macy's in New York during the holidays. Almost overnight, he went from obscurity to sought-after talent.

Now, 13 years later, he is a best-selling author who still appears on public radio from time-to-time.

And in those intervening years, the popularity of his original NPR appearance has only grown. So, here, once again, is Sedaris reading in 1992 from his "Santaland Diaries."