FREE/BARGAIN - Audiobooks - 2016

[skinmaan]

Originally Posted by tomabrahams

At your suggestion, I've updated the post to include the following verbiage:

THIS IS A PART OF AUDIBLE'S NEW SEND THIS BOOK FEATURE. It allows you to choose one FREE book from a friend without joining Audible's monthly service.

I think you've probably taken the best precaution you can to let your fans know what they are getting into. Thanks for engaging with us in this discussion. It's more than most around the web would do. (Actually, most around the web would engage in TOO MUCH of the WRONG KIND of discussion. )

[issybird]

Audible is having an Editors' Choice Sale. Books in various categories are $4.95 each. The sale ends June 13 and appears to be members only.

ETA: I recently finished one of the books in the history category, Caesar: Life of a Colossus and it was terrific.

[GtrsRGr8]

A couple of weeks ago, I was discussing, with some people on this thread, the Audiobooks.com trial membership.

I went ahead and started a trial membership. I got my free audiobook, with which I am happy. But, I don't want to keep the membership, for a host of reasons. When I clicked on the button to "cancel account" just now, I got this message:
We're sorry you're thinking of leaving, especially while you still have 17 days of listening left. If you cancel now, your Audiobooks.com account (with access to all of our titles) will be closed immediately.

It sounds like I might lose access to the free audiobook that I received if I cancel my account. I don't want to do that; for one reason, I haven't yet finished listening to it. Has anyone had experience with the Audiobooks.com trial membership and then canceling it, and, if so, did you lose the free audiobook when you did?

Just want to make sure. I can wait a couple of more weeks before canceling and hurry up and finish listening to the audiobook (I'd still like to own it), if I need to, but I don't want to have to be in a rush to do it. And I don't like cutting it close on deadlines, if you understand what I mean.

Oh yeah, this might be important. I don't have an Android or Apple device so as to install their proprietary app. I am having to use the thingie on their website to listen to the audiobook.

[GtrsRGr8]

That comes out to the Whispersync deal being only 11% of the price of the audio alone at Audible! With the Whispersync deal you get the ebook and syncing benefit in addition to the audiobook.

Amazon states that the ebook is suitable for Age Level 12-18. However, the book description states that "The Deathsworn Arc [series? G]`contains graphic violence and mature themes,"and then follows with the statement, "recommended for readers 14+ only."

Title: The Last Dragon Slayer (Deathsworn Arc Book 1).
Genre: Fiction (YA Dark Fantasy).
Author(s): Martyn Stanley.
Price: $1.99 ($0.00 ebook (marked down) + $1.99 Whispersync audio).
Regular Price of Audio, by Itself, at Audible: $17.95 (1 credit).
Ebook Rating/Number of Reviews: 4.2 stars/90 reviews (Amazon).
Audio Rating/Number of Ratings: 3.5/6 ratings.
Pages/Audio Length: 210/7 hours and 38 minutes.
Narrator(s): Kat Rose-Martin.
Audible URL: http://www.audible.com/pd/Sci-Fi-Fan...ok/B0116BHGIU/
Amazon URL (you can get the whole Whispersync deal here): https://www.amazon.com/Last-Dragon-S.../dp/B009ECABOA.
Comments: This is book 1 of 4 in the Deathsworn Arc series.
Book Description (Amazon):
Action, Adventure and Dragon Slaying in this Sword and Sorcery themed, Epic Fantasy Novel . . . .

Saul Karza, wizard of the Empire, has been given a quest by the Empress herself: To find and slay a mythical 'noble dragon' - said to be near invulnerable.

Instead of leading a large band of soldiers, archers and spell-casters; he sets out with two immigrant dock-workers and a homeless dwarf.

What Saul needs is the legendary 'Last Dragon Slayer' on his side, because on this deadly quest, it's not only Saul's favour with the Empress that's at stake - but also his life.

[GtrsRGr8]

Saving you $15 from the audiobook alone at Audible. And the ebook is highly rated (4.4-star) and the audio is very highly rated (4.7).

Title: Salt of the Earth.
Genre: Non-Fiction (True Crime/Murder & Mayhem).
Author(s): Jack Olsen.
Price: $2.98 ($0.99 ebook (marked down) + $1.99 Whispersync audio).
Regular Price of Audio, by Itself, at Audible: $17.95 (1 credit).
Ebook Rating/Number of Reviews: 4.4 stars/162 reviews (Amazon).
Audio Rating/Number of Ratings: 4.7/62 ratings.
Pages/Audio Length: 376/12 hours and 27 minutes.
Narrator(s): Kevin Pierce.
Audible URL: http://www.audible.com/pd/Nonfiction...ok/B01EXKE2M4/.
Amazon URL (you can get the whole Whispersync deal here): https://www.amazon.com/Salt-Earth-Ja.../dp/B00PCJ8RTU.
Comments:
Book Description (Amazon):
Joe Gere said he died on the afternoon his twelve-year-old daughter Brenda disappeared. It was left to Brenda's mother Elaine to sustain her stricken family, search for her missing child, and pressure the authorities for justice. From the first minutes of the investigation, suspicion fell on Michael Kay Green, a steroid-abusing "Mr. Universe" hopeful, but there was no proof of a crime, leaving police and prosecutors stymied.

Tips and sightings poured in as lawmen and volunteers combed the Cascades forest in the biggest search on Northwest history. Years passed with no sight of the blue-eyed girl or the bright clothes she'd worn on the day she disappeared, but Elaine remained undaunted.

Salt of the Earth is the true story of how one woman fought and triumphed over life-shattering violence and how she healed her family-and herself.
Salt of the Earth is the true story of a courageous woman who survived a hellish twentieth-century nightmare. Mob violence, injustice, kidnapping, murder, and suicide were the black holes in the awful astronomy of Elaine Gere's life. Somehow she had to summon the courage to endure: to honor her beloved dead and to rebuild the shattered lives of the sons who depended on her strength. Jack Olsen has been lauded for his psychological insights into the most violent criminals in such previous masterworks as Doc, The Misbegotten Son, and Predator, but he has never overlooked their victims. By viewing the world through the eyes of Elaine Gere and her devastated family, he finds the core values that enabled them not only to survive and flourish, but, in the end, to triumph.

Gilbert Taylor: In the annals of humanity, the Gere family is unexceptional and ordinary--unless one looks as closely at their lives as Olsen does. A boomer-age couple, Joe and Elaine Gere move between California and Idaho a dozen times on their roller coaster ride of solvency and bankruptcy and have three children. Much the steadier spouse, energetic Elaine always manages to land a clerical federal job wherever Joe moves the family. The wanderlust ensues from Joe's first career misfortune, as a cop disabled during a melee with a mob. His relatives thought that incident started his slide toward suicide, and his addictive (regrets of hitting her and promises to reform) abuse of Elaine demonstrates the complexity of Joe's insidious demons. But he holds on, Elaine remaining loyal, until another bolt from the blue--the kidnapping and murder of their 12-year-old daughter. Here Olsen is at his dispassionate, yet concerned, best, introducing the subplot of the suspect's life (a wife beater), the course of the investigation, and the ultimate denoument of the case. In this mass-media age, many women will identify with, and perhaps be inspirited by, Olsen's fine chronicle of the Gere family.

[GtrsRGr8]

Originally Posted by issybird

Audible is having an Editors' Choice Sale. Books in various categories are $4.95 each. The sale ends June 13 and appears to be members only.

ETA: I recently finished one of the books in the history category, Caesar: Life of a Colossus and it was terrific.

I notice that Arthur C. Clarke's Rendezvous with Rama is in this sale. However, the $3.98 Whispersync deal (message #1355 on this thread) on it is still good, at this writing. If this is a title that you're interested in, you might want to save $1, and get the ebook and syncing benefit, too, by buying the Whispersync deal.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by GtrsRGr8

A couple of weeks ago, I was discussing, with some people on this thread, the Audiobooks.com trial membership.

I went ahead and started a trial membership. I got my free audiobook, with which I am happy. But, I don't want to keep the membership, for a host of reasons. When I clicked on the button to "cancel account" just now, I got this message:
We're sorry you're thinking of leaving, especially while you still have 17 days of listening left. If you cancel now, your Audiobooks.com account (with access to all of our titles) will be closed immediately.

It sounds like I might lose access to the free audiobook that I received if I cancel my account. I don't want to do that; for one reason, I haven't yet finished listening to it. Has anyone had experience with the Audiobooks.com trial membership and then canceling it, and, if so, did you lose the free audiobook when you did?

Just want to make sure. I can wait a couple of more weeks before canceling and hurry up and finish listening to the audiobook (I'd still like to own it), if I need to, but I don't want to have to be in a rush to do it. And I don't like cutting it close on deadlines, if you understand what I mean.

Oh yeah, this might be important. I don't have an Android or Apple device so as to install their proprietary app. I am having to use the thingie on their website to listen to the audiobook.

I don't have a paid membership and still have access to all of my audiobooks.

[GtrsRGr8]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

I don't have a paid membership and still have access to all of my audiobooks.

Thanks. That's what I needed to know.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by tomabrahams

At your suggestion, I've updated the post to include the following verbiage:

THIS IS A PART OF AUDIBLE'S NEW SEND THIS BOOK FEATURE. It allows you to choose one FREE book from a friend without joining Audible's monthly service.

Thanks, it's much appreciated. I've edited my posts here and at Goodreads to include your update -- here | here | here. I also included the following statement in my edits:

EDIT: Tom has amended his blog post to include the following statement (in bold below). I appreciate the update and hope this avoids any confusion from here on out - thanks

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by skinmaan

And, to the rest of you, my apologies for both starting this whole chain of events and for my overly-verbose rantings here.

skinmaan

Hey, apologies aren't needed. Things happen and you're not responsible for what transpired.

[tubemonkey]

Dang, running late today

Audible Daily Deal -- exp 05 Jun @ 11:59pm ET

$3.95 -- Under the Skin -- Michel Faber/ Fiona Hardingham --> 9.3 hrs/ R-3.9 --> contemp sci-fi

Whispersync: Audible ($3.95) | Kindle ($9.99)

Hailed as “original and unsettling, an Animal Farm for the new century” (Wall Street Journal), this debut novel lingers long after the last page has been turned.

A “fascinating psychological thriller” (Baltimore Sun), this entrancing novel introduces Isserley, a female driver who scouts the Scottish Highlands for male hitchhikers with big muscles. She herself is tiny—like a kid peering up over the steering wheel. Scarred and awkward, yet strangely erotic and threatening, Isserley listens to her passengers as they open up to her, revealing clues about who might miss them should they disappear—and then she strikes. What happens to her victims next is only part of a terrifying reality.

At once humane and horrifying, Under the Skin takes us on a heart-thumping ride through dangerous territory: our own moral instincts and the boundaries of compassion. A grotesque and comical allegory and a surreal representation of contemporary society run amok, Under the Skin was internationally received as the arrival of an exciting talent, rich and assured.

[GtrsRGr8]

"Audible" = price for the audio alone at Audible.

The 5 awards that the book has won are listed after "Comments," below. The book is also supposed to be a "#1 Amazon Bestseller," according to the book description on the book's webpage at Amazon. However, I didn't find the documentation for that. I can say that it is highly rated at Amazon, garnering a 4.4-star rating.

Title: Good Sam.
Genre: Fiction (Women's/Romance).
Author(s): Dete Meserve.
Price: $2.98 ($0.99 ebook (marked down) + $1.99 Whispersync audio).
Regular Price of Audio, by Itself, at Audible: $17.95.
Ebook Rating/Number of Reviews: 4.4 stars/349 reviews (Amazon).
Audio Rating/Number of Ratings: 4.10/19 ratings.
Pages/Audio Length: 241/6 hours and 50 minutes.
Narrator(s): Laurel Schroeder.
Audible URL: http://www.audible.com/pd/Romance/Go...ok/B0193W217U/.
Amazon URL (you can get the whole Whispersync deal here): https://www.amazon.com/Good-Sam-Dete.../dp/B00JETTV08.
Comments: The book has won the following awards: 2015 National Indie Excellence Award Winner (Romance), 2015 Independent Author Network Outstanding Romance Novel Award, 2015 Florida Authors and Publishers Association President's Book Awards Gold Medal (Fiction), and
Readers' Favorite Gold Medal Award (Women's Fiction).
Book Description (Amazon):
When Los Angeles TV news reporter Kate Bradley is assigned to cover a story about ten people who have each found $100,000 in cash on their front porch she sets out to find the identity of the anonymous Good Samaritan, dubbed Good Sam, who is behind it all.

As interest in the extraordinary gifts sweeps across the country, Kate finds the elusive Good Sam and her exclusive interview with him thrusts her into the national spotlight. Even as his message captivates viewers and wins ratings, Kate suspects he may not be all he claims to be and that the real Good Sam is still out there.

Searching for answers, Kate unravels the powerful and unexpected reason behind the mysterious cash gifts and the true identity of Good Sam becomes the biggest surprise story of her career, turning her personal and professional life upside down.

[tubemonkey]

Nook Daily Find -- exp 05 Jun

$4.95 -- Let's Go to the Beach -- Elizabeth Van Steenwyk/ Anna Fields --> 3.1 hrs/ R-3.0 --> travel

Let's Go to the Beach: A History of Sun and Fun by the Sea

Whispersync: no deals at this time

Did you know that women once wore corsets under their bathing suits? Or that “semi-drowning”—the strip and plunge practice—was thought to be good for one’s health? Or that Pudgy Stockton, the body-building queen of Muscle Beach, California, opened the country’s first gym for women? From the bathhouses of the ancient Greeks to Venice Beach and Coney Island, Let’s Go to the Beach takes a multifaceted and well-researched look at beaches and their attendant customs.

The text explores such historical transformations as the evolution of the waterways from places of commerce to venues of health and recreation, as well as the bathing suit's revealing journey from full-body cover-up to string bikini. Information about environmental concerns (including beach safety and preservation), along with quirky facts and trivia, round out this intriguing volume.

[GtrsRGr8]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

Dang, running late today
<snip>

We'll let it slide this time, just don't let it happen again.

J/K.

[tubemonkey]

Last Day -- Audiobooks.com -- exp 05 Jun


FREE -- The Past --> details --> US, Canada, Mexico only