FREE/BARGAIN - Audiobooks - 2015

[skinmaan]

We have another short Christmas freebie from Audible. Go here to get "The Hunt" by Oscar de Muriel.

Penguin presents the unabridged, downloadable audiobook edition of The Hunt by Oscar de Muriel, a Christmas tale from the world of Frey and McGray, read by Andy Secombe. Christmas, 1888. After a thoroughly trying time in Edinburgh, Inspector Ian Frey looks forward to a Christmas break at his family's country estate back in England. But the welcome respite of home cooking, hunting trips and brandy by the fire is ruined by the arrival of an unwelcome guest....

Enjoy!
skinmaan
Your audiobook bloodhound

UPDATE: Also available DRM-free from audiobooks.com.

[GtrsRGr8]

Originally Posted by abqkjh

Kelly Oram has put 6 of her YA ebooks on sale
<snip>

When I saw the "YA" it made me think of the YA audiobook freebie program that someone has every summer. Made me anxious to see upcoming announcements, which I'm sure won't be long in coming, here on this thread about next summer's slate of titles (OAs (Old Adults) like them, too).

[GtrsRGr8]

Originally Posted by abqkjh

Got an email with the above subject from Tantor.

Not sure if they are the same deals every weekend, but this time it is:
$14.99 CDs
$9.99 MP3 CDs
$4.99 Downloads
$1.99 Bargain Bin

It lasts until 11:59 EST tomorrow.

Thanks.

I hope that the selection is better this time, than the last sale that they had a couple of weeks ago. The choices then--and not just in the Bargain Bin--were pretty tired.

[skinmaan]

Originally Posted by GtrsRGr8

When I saw the "YA" it made me think of the YA audiobook freebie program that someone has every summer. Made me anxious to see upcoming announcements, which I'm sure won't be long in coming, here on this thread about next summer's slate of titles (OAs (Old Adults) like them, too).

If you go to their website they have announced a couple of next year's titles. I wouldn't expect the full list until late February, at the earliest. I'm sure TM will start a new thread when the time is right.

[GtrsRGr8]

Originally Posted by skinmaan

If you go to their website they have announced a couple of next year's titles. I wouldn't expect the full list until late February, at the earliest. I'm sure TM will start a new thread when the time is right.

Thanks. I might check the website. I'm afraid that if I do, I'll want to check it over and over until the full list is out. I'll bookmark it anyway.

[GtrsRGr8]

It's The Great Courses' American Ideals: Founding a "Republic of Virtue".

Here's the description, from Audible:
An insightful 12-lecture course that explores the principles that guided the founding of the United States, the conditions that led to the break with Great Britain, and the creation of such founding documents as the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.You'll deepen your understanding of fundamental ideas that inspired American independence and that continue to have a profound influence on American thought. You'll also receive insight into what historians call "the long conversation" in American society.

The regular prices of The Great Courses' audiobooks at Audible are already much cheaper than the prices directly from The Great Courses, except during a very good sale that they might have on occasion. With the current sale going on at Audible, the price for this series of lectures is half of their usual price--$7.47. The Great Courses happens to have one of those usual sales on this course going on right now, with 90% off of their usual price, and the price is still about $1.50 higher ($8.95) than Audible's right now.

As I mentioned in a post a few days ago, The Great Courses is the creme de la creme of the audio courses companies, in my opinion. And, this particular course is rated 4.3 stars, from 26 ratings at the present moment, at Audible; at The Great Courses it's rated 4.5 stars, from 65 reviews.

That's why it's my pick.

There are 12 lectures, of approximately 30 minutes each, on this audiobook. So the running time is approximately 6 hours.

Here are a couple of relevant links:
Audible's webpage for the course.
The Great Courses webpage for the course.

ADDENDUM: Use coupon code ROWH at checkout to obtain the promotional price.

[skinmaan]

Audible's actual Christmas freebie has landed. This year it's "The Chimes" by Charles Dickens. You can get it here.

The magnificent Richard Armitage (Hamlet: King of Denmark: A Novel) performs The Chimes by Charles Dickens.

This classic story is the second in a series of five Christmas books Dickens was commissioned to write - beginning with A Christmas Carol. A haunting tale set on New Year's Eve, The Chimes tells the story of a poor porter named Trotty Veck who has become disheartened by the state of the world - until he is shown a series of fantastical visions that convince him of the good of humanity. Though much different from and certainly a bit darker than A Christmas Carol, the moral message of The Chimes is equally poignant - touting the importance of compassion, goodwill, and the love of friends and family.

The Chimes was followed by The Cricket on the Hearth, The Battle of Life, and finally The Haunted Man and the Ghost's Bargain.

Free for Audible members through January 31, 2016 at 11:59 PM PT (US).

Enjoy!
skinmaan
Your audiobook bloodhound

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by skinmaan

Audible's actual Christmas freebie has landed. This year it's "The Chimes" by Charles Dickens. You can get it here.

Thanks for posting

[skinmaan]

Originally Posted by skinmaan

Am am happy to announce a new way for some of you to get some additional free audiobooks. I say some because they come free with an unusually large purchase, though some of you may have already made it. Similar to the Ford audiobook club, Honda has started the Honda Road Readers program.

UPDATE 2: It turns out this is also available for Acura owners. Same site/rules.

Heads up! It turns out HRR is available to Acura owners as well. I updated the OP but wanted to give everyone a notice.

[tubemonkey]

I updated the list of free audiobooks available from Audible with new additions. There are 48 titles in this collection. I have not had a chance to verify the previous titles to see if they're still valid. Chances are, there may be several that are no longer available and I probably won't get a chance to verify them until the first of the year.

Check the list to see if there are any titles you don't have:

• Free Audible Titles
  

[tubemonkey]

Alright, I took the time and culled the Audible freebie list of titles that are no longer free and added a couple that I forgot to include. The list is now up to date.

Special thanks to a couple of members who brought this to my attention

[tubemonkey]

Christmas Stories 2015 v1 --> assorted stories

Tis that time of year to compile a collection of free Christmas stories. Vol 1 will include all Christmas stories except "A Christmas Carol". Due to the sheer volume of that perennial classic, it'll be the subject of Vol 2. Both posts will be linked in the OP.

Master Index

• Christmas Stories 2015 v1 --> assorted stories
  
• Christmas Stories 2015 v2 --> A Christmas Carol

Audible (author/ narrator)

• FREE -- Christmas in the Kitchen -- N Singh/ A Dawe --> details
• FREE -- The Chimes -- C Dickens/ R Armitage --> details -- exp 31 Jan
• FREE -- The Cricket on the Hearth -- C Dickens/ J Dale --> details
• FREE -- The Hunt -- O de Muriel/ A Secombe --> details

Big Finish (author/ narrator)

• FREE -- Holmes' Christmas Quest -- K Griffin/ N Briggs --> details
• FREE -- Zelda's The Night Before Christmas -- A Smith/ D Bryer --> details

ThoughtAudio (author/ narrator)

• FREE -- The Gift of the Magi -- O Henry/ M Scott --> details
• FREE -- Twas the Night Before Christmas -- C Moore/ M Scott --> details

other Sources (author/ narrator)

• FREE -- A Child's Christmas in Wales -- D Thomas/ D Thomas --> details (Harper)
• FREE -- A Christmas Story -- Jean Shepherd/ Dick Cavett --> details (Penguin) -- exp 31 Dec
• FREE -- Christmas Stories (25 titles) --> details (Storynory)
• FREE -- Santaland Diaries -- D Sedaris/ D Sedaris --> details (1992 NPR)
• FREE -- The First Christmas Tree -- H Van Dyke -- M O'Brien --> details (Archive)

.

[tubemonkey]

Christmas Stories 2015 v2 -- A Christmas Carol

Tis that time of year to compile a collection of free Christmas stories. Vol 1 will include all Christmas stories except "A Christmas Carol". Due to the sheer volume of that perennial classic, it'll be the subject of vol 2. Both posts will be linked in the OP.

Master Index

• Christmas Stories 2015 v1 -- assorted stories
• Christmas Stories 2015 v2 -- A Christmas Carol

A Christmas Carol -- Charles Dickens

A Christmas Carol is a novella by Charles Dickens. It was first published in London by Chapman & Hall on 19 December 1843. The novella met with instant success and critical acclaim. Carol tells the story of a bitter old miser named Ebenezer Scrooge and his transformation into a gentler, kindlier man after visitations by the ghost of his former business partner Jacob Marley and the Ghosts of Christmases Past, Present and Yet to Come.

The book was written at a time when the British were examining and exploring Christmas traditions from the past as well as new customs such as Christmas cards and Christmas trees. Carol singing took a new lease on life during this time. Dickens' sources for the tale appear to be many and varied, but are, principally, the humiliating experiences of his childhood, his sympathy for the poor, and various Christmas stories and fairy tales.

Audiobooks (narrator)

• FREE -- A Christmas Carol -- Jim Dale --> details (Audiobooks.org)
• FREE -- A Christmas Carol -- Antonia Bath --> details (LearnOutLoud) -- exp 31 Dec
• FREE -- A Christmas Carol -- Michael Scott --> details (ThoughtAudio)

• $0.49 -- A Christmas Carol -- Peter Batchelor --> Kindle/ Whisper --> details (Audible)
• $2.99 -- A Christmas Carol -- Simon Prebble --> Kindle/ Whisper --> details (Audible)
• $2.99 -- A Christmas Carol -- Simon Vance --> Kindle/ Whisper --> details (Audible)

Dramatizations (narrator)

• FREE -- A Christmas Carol -- Orson Welles --> details (1939 Campbell Playhouse)
• FREE -- A Christmas Carol -- Jonathan Winters --> details (2004 NPR)
• FREE -- A Christmas Carol -- full cast --> details (Wired for Books)

Podcasts (narrator)

• FREE -- A Christmas Carol -- Patrick Horgan --> details (iTunes)

Streaming (narrator)

• FREE -- A Christmas Carol -- various --> details (YouTube/ LibriVov)

Public Domain Sources (narrator)

• FREE -- A Christmas Carol (9+ titles) -- various --> details (LibriVox)

Critiques (author/ narrator)

• FREE -- An Intro to A Christmas Carol -- D Timson/ D Timson --> details (Audible)

Free eBooks & other Sources

• FREE -- Google / Kindle / Kobo / Nook

• FREE -- A Christmas Carol --> orig edition pub 1843 Chapman & Hall (Wikisource)
• FREE -- A Christmas Carol --> facsimile copy pub 1920 Little, Brown & Co (Wikisource)

• other Sources --> copies, collections, libraries, etc

.

[skinmaan]

Per the latest PRH newsletter:

Free Download - Save the Date!

At 10:30 AM on December 17th, we're giving away a free full audio download of A CHRISTMAS STORY by Jean Shepherd and read by Dick Cavett. Visit our Facebook page or our Volumes app on that day to access the download. Offer available for 24 hours.

'Nuff said.

Enjoy!
skinmaan
Your audiobook bloodhound

PS - I don't know how many of you picked up "The Fat Man" by Ken Harmon last year when Tantor offered it as a freebie, but I just finished it and it was hilarious! Ralphie and his Red Rider plays a part in that book, and I couldn't stop laughing.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by skinmaan

Per the latest PRH newsletter:

'Nuff said.

Enjoy!
skinmaan
Your audiobook bloodhound

PS - I don't know how many of you picked up "The Fat Man" by Ken Harmon last year when Tantor offered it as a freebie, but I just finished it and it was hilarious! Ralphie and he Red Rider plays a part in that book, and I couldn't stop laughing.

Thanks for the find

ps: "You'll shoot your eye out"