FREE/BARGAIN - Audiobooks - 2016

[GtrsRGr8]

Originally Posted by skinmaan

They made Shogun into a mini-series but it is a single book, the same as "Roots" or "North and South." (At 53 hours, do you blame them?) There is a series, and some of those were also made into mini-series back in the day. I believe "Noble House" and "Tai-Pei" were made into mini-series (I remember Pierce Brosnan, back before Bond, was in the latter), though there are 7 books in the series.

Yep, I remember that Shogun was a book first, now. It wasn't written as a TV series from the beginning, like Ken Burns' Civil War (the reason that I think of that particular series is that I noticed that it has been 25 years since it was first televised. Can you believe it?). I remember seeing the cover of the Shogun book at a place or two. Seems like James Michener may have written it? One of those high-profile, verbose authors, anyway. Genuine thanks for the correction/clarification.

[GtrsRGr8]

Originally Posted by Apache

I bought an abridged audiobook of a book I had read. I did not realize it was abridged until I started listening to it. I learned them to never buy another book without checking to see if it is abridged. I have not bought an abridged book since.
Apache

Thanks for mentioning that. Makes good advice. I never check to see. Of course, I might be happy about it.

[ApK]

Originally Posted by Apache

I bought an abridged audiobook of a book I had read. I did not realize it was abridged until I started listening to it. I learned them to never buy another book without checking to see if it is abridged. I have not bought an abridged book since.
Apache

I have had that same experience, with 'Jurassic Park,' as a matter of fact, and it had the same effect on me.

Have you ever fallen asleep listening to an audiobook, and you wake up some unknown number of seconds or minutes later, and you sort of kind of feel you still know what's going on in the story, but you can't really be sure if you missed something? That's how abridged audiobooks always make me feel.

I would not "buy" an abridged audio novel, I simply can't imagine wanting to pay money to have it in my library or re-listen to it, but I must admit, if an abridged version of a story (especially a ridiculously long story...The Once and Future King comes to mind) was all the library had, or I was given it for free, I might go ahead and try it again. I know I'll end up thinking it was a mistake, but, heck, I make worse mistakes than that almost daily.

ApK

[skinmaan]

Originally Posted by GtrsRGr8

Yep, I remember that Shogun was a book first, now. It wasn't written as a TV series from the beginning, like Ken Burns' Civil War (the reason that I think of that particular series is that I noticed that it has been 25 years since it was first televised. Can you believe it?). I remember seeing the cover of the Shogun book at a place or two. Seems like James Michener may have written it? One of those high-profile, verbose authors, anyway. Genuine thanks for the correction/clarification.

Close: James Clavell. He definitely counts as verbose.

[GtrsRGr8]

Originally Posted by ApK

<snip>
Have you ever fallen asleep listening to an audiobook, and you wake up some unknown number of seconds or minutes later, and you sort of kind of feel you still know what's going on in the story, but you can't really be sure if you missed something? That's how abridged audiobooks always make me feel.
<snip>

Well, I'm sure that abridgments are like everything else--there are good ones and there are bad ones, and there are ones somewhere in between.

The work of an abridger (the word has been flagged, but I'll use it anyway, since I don't know the correct term) must be a difficult one. It seems like he or she would know the contents of the book thoroughly before starting out. Then, as the book progresses, he or she forgets that he or she had expunged text earlier which referred to, or set the context of something that, comes up later. He or she keeps the words that come up later, but readers are left guessing what the text is talking about because of that mistake. That's one difficulty that I see in abridging and may explain, at least in part, the scenario that you described.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by ApK

Have you ever fallen asleep listening to an audiobook, and you wake up some unknown number of seconds or minutes later, and you sort of kind of feel you still know what's going on in the story, but you can't really be sure if you missed something?

Shifting the focus, but I can't resist commenting because this happens to me all the time.

I used to read in bed, which is dandy because if you fall asleep (and I never did) that's the end of it. But I haven't been supposed to read for the last three months, so I'm doing a lot of audiobooks and I never knew they were such a soporific. At first I'd go to sleep and have no idea how much I'd missed, so I started using the sleep timer. Set it for half an hour, nod off, wake up in a while and shove it back to the last bit I remember and set the timer again. Lather, rinse, repeat. On a bad night, I end up listening to the same passages three or four times.

[Red Falcon]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

Yep, it's over and they don't have a replacement freebie up yet.

Thanks guys. I will check it out from my public library then. I want to listen to that with my 8 year old nephew.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by Red Falcon

Thanks guys. I will check it out from my public library then. I want to listen to that with my 8 year old nephew.

YW - another source to get these books for free is LibriVox. The narration is done by volunteers and ranges in quality from poor to excellent. YMMV

Edgar Allan Poe

Six Creepy Stories -- 2.0 hrs

Edgar Allan Poe has the ability to manipulate language so well that he could engage my imagination and get me terrified even though little was 'done' in the sense of horrible actions described. My imagination, under the power of his creepy words, conjured the atmosphere and did the rest by itself. In this recording I've chosen some of his stories that succeed so well in leaving lingering hair raising memories with me: The Telltale Heart; The Masque of the Red Death; The Black Cat; The Raven, the Casque of Amontillado and Berenice. I hope you enjoy listening to them as much as I did reading them. (Summary by phil chenevert)

12 Creepy Tales -- 5.2 hrs

This is a collection of 12 creepy stories by that master of creepiness, Poe. The Black Cat; The Fall of the House of Usher, The Raven; The Tell Tale Heart, The Masque of the Red Death, the Premature Burial and six others that are a shuddering delight to read and listen to. Turn off the lights, settle down and hear these stories read to you as only LibriVox readers can perform them. (Summary by Phil Chenevert)

[tubemonkey]

Audible UK Daily Deal -- exp 12 Oct @ 11:59 PM BST

£1.99 -- Presence -- Amy Cuddy/ Amy Cuddy --> 9.3 hrs/ R-4.5 --> psychology

Presence: Bringing Your Boldest Self to Your Biggest Challenges

Whispersync: Audible (£1.99) | Kindle (£9.99)

How can we be our strongest selves in life's most challenging situations? We often approach these situations - job interviews, difficult conversations, speaking up for ourselves - with anxiety and leave them with regret. Moments that require us to be genuine and powerful instead cause us to feel phoney and powerless, preventing us from being our best selves.

Harvard professor Amy Cuddy shows us we need to stop worrying about the impression we're making on others and instead change the impression we're making on ourselves. Cutting-edge science reveals that if we adopt behaviours reflecting power and strength, we liberate ourselves from the fears and doubts that obstruct us. By redirecting our thoughts, actions, and even physiology, we free ourselves to be our best.

Amy Cuddy galvanised viewers around the world with her TEDTalk on 'power poses'. Now she explains the science underlying these and many other fascinating body-mind effects and teaches us how to use this science to become self-assured in high-pressure moments.

Impassioned, beautifully researched, and accessible, Presence is filled with stories of individuals facing real obstacles and succeeding against the odds. Every reader will learn how to approach stress-filled challenges without fear and leave them without regret.

Written and read by Amy Cuddy, a professor and researcher at Harvard Business School who studies how nonverbal behavior and snap judgments affect people. Her research has been published in top academic journals and covered by NPR, The New York Times, Wired, Fast Company, and more. Cuddy has been named a 'Game Changer' by Time, one of '50 Women Who Are Changing the World' by Business Insider, and a 'Young Global Leader' by the World Economic Forum. Her 2012 TEDTalk is the second most-viewed talk in TED's history.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your My Library section along with the audio.

[Froide]

Originally Posted by issybird

Shifting the focus, but I can't resist commenting because this happens to me all the time.

I used to read in bed, which is dandy because if you fall asleep (and I never did) that's the end of it. But I haven't been supposed to read for the last three months, so I'm doing a lot of audiobooks and I never knew they were such a soporific. At first I'd go to sleep and have no idea how much I'd missed, so I started using the sleep timer. Set it for half an hour, nod off, wake up in a while and shove it back to the last bit I remember and set the timer again. Lather, rinse, repeat. On a bad night, I end up listening to the same passages three or four times.

Doesn't bode well for audiobook-listening while driving or operating dangerous machinery.

[ApK]

Originally Posted by Froide

Doesn't bode well for audiobook-listening while driving or operating dangerous machinery.

Actually, while they put me to sleep in bed, audio books work remarkably well for keeping me alert on long drives. There's probably a scientific paper to be had in that paradox.
I'm available for a study if any one wants to pay me out of the grant money.
See my sig for payment options.....

[tubemonkey]

Audible Daily Deal -- exp 12 Oct @ 11:59 PM PDT

$1.95 -- Flight -- Sherman Alexie/ Adam Beach --> 4.7 hrs/ R-4.2 --> contemp

Whispersync: Audible ($1.95) | Kindle ($8.54)

Flight is the hilarious and tragic story of an orphaned Indian boy - "Zits" - who travels back and forth through time in a charged search for his true identity. With powerful, swift prose, Flight follows the troubled teenager as he learns that violence is not the answer.

The journey begins as he's about to commit a massive act of violence. At the moment of decision, he finds himself shot back through time to awaken in the body of an FBI agent during the civil-rights era. It's only the first stop. He continues through time to inhabit the body of an Indian child during the battle at Little Bighorn and then rides with an 1800s Indian tracker before materializing as an airline pilot jetting through the skies today.

During these furious travels, his refrain is: "Who's to judge?" and "I don't understand humans." When he returns to his own life, he is transformed by all he's seen.

[Catlady]

Originally Posted by ApK

Actually, while they put me to sleep in bed, audio books work remarkably well for keeping me alert on long drives. There's probably a scientific paper to be had in that paradox.
I'm available for a study if any one wants to pay me out of the grant money.
See my sig for payment options.....

Seems to me that if you're in bed listening, you're probably already tired, and there's nothing you need to look at, so you close your eyes. So it seems quite likely that you'd fall asleep.

[melmac]

Get 2 books for 1 credit
A large selection from popular series by Michael Connelly, J. D. Robb, Diana Gabaldon, and more. Sale ends October 17, 2016 at 11:59 PM PT (US).

https://www.audible.com/sp/2for1

Includes Harry Bosch series book 1-15
JD Robb In Death series book 1-40
Agatha Raisin book 1-25
plus others

[copyrite]

Originally Posted by issybird

Shifting the focus, but I can't resist commenting because this happens to me all the time.

I used to read in bed, which is dandy because if you fall asleep (and I never did) that's the end of it. But I haven't been supposed to read for the last three months, so I'm doing a lot of audiobooks and I never knew they were such a soporific. At first I'd go to sleep and have no idea how much I'd missed, so I started using the sleep timer. Set it for half an hour, nod off, wake up in a while and shove it back to the last bit I remember and set the timer again. Lather, rinse, repeat. On a bad night, I end up listening to the same passages three or four times.

I tend to listen to old favorites to take my mind off other things when I have trouble sleeping. I hate having to find my place, especially when it's a Whispersync title I plan to read next on my Kindle! My current relisten is "As You Wish", the behind the scenes book about The Princess Bride film.