Audiobooks?

[Xanthe]

I listen to more than a "few" audiobooks per year, but I do tend to read more than listen, merely because I like to listen to audiobooks when I drive so my amount of drive-time normally determines how many audiobooks I go through.

Also, sometimes I'm in more of a mood to listen, other times I prefer to read.

[Geralt]

Originally Posted by Sydney's Mom

I bet a non-native speaker would not be able to understand me--especially when I said "He went acrost the street."

I'm pretty sure I could. I've been speaking English regularly for over 20 years. There are different American accents but not one is a problem to understand. I just dont like how they sound. Especially southern one.

Only English I can't understand is when they go full Scottish on me. I'm like you what mate? (little joke, I know that's an Aussie expression )

[jj2me]

Originally Posted by Sydney's Mom

Thanks everyone!! I ordered a Sansa Clip last night, and checked out 3 audiobooks--made sure they were all MP3.

With the Clip or Clip+, in order to get the resume function (play starts where you left off listening), the audiobook parts must be either loaded under directory "Podcasts" (OverDrive by default loads them under Music) or all tagged as genre "Podcast" (singular). If you load via the OverDrive "Transfer" button, you have a chance to alter the destination directory from \Music to \Podcasts, either by editing the destination directly or clicking on "Advanced Options" and selecting the Podcasts directory.

The Clip supports protected WMA. You could have selected WMA, as OverDrive audiobooks don't expire on the player. WMA audiobooks take up half the space.

[Razi]

I've been listening to audiobooks since my university days back in 1990. BBC Shakespeare helped me learn all 4 tragedies by heart. Since then I am hooked. I 'read' all the time. Last year I listened to 52 audiobooks in 12 months, 7 this year so far. Got to walk the dog later with Somerset Maugham's words in my ears as I started Of Human Bondage yesterday.

[Victoria]

I have limited experience as I've only bought one, Brideshead Revisted, read by Jeremy Irons, and absolutely wonderful! But expensive; $28 cdn from iTunes.
Not that it was overpriced, it's over 11 hours long, and beautifully done. But close to the cost of the DVDs. So my 1 and only from itunes.

Audible audiobooks also seem expensive - 3 - 4 times the cost of the kindle book, so though I notice them and am tempted, I stick with the book. I've never thought to download from our library, but based on the comments here, I think I will explore them.

[Razi]

Originally Posted by Victoria

I have limited experience as I've only bought one, Brideshead Revisted, read by Jeremy Irons, and absolutely wonderful! But expensive; $28 cdn from iTunes.
Not that it was overpriced, it's over 11 hours long, and beautifully done. But close to the cost of the DVDs. So my 1 and only from itunes.

Audible audiobooks also seem expensive - 3 - 4 times the cost of the kindle book, so though I notice them and am tempted, I stick with the book. I've never thought to download from our library, but based on the comments here, I think I will explore them.

Our local library has a good selection of audiobooks, here in London (UK). Jeremy Irons is wonderful in Brideshead. I have heard him read Lolita and French Lieutenant's Woman as well. Absolutely amazing. Stephen Fry's rendering of Pushkin's Eugene Onegin is available as free download here:
http://fryreadsonegin.com/

[Victoria]

Jeremy Irons has a fabulous voice, and his understated manner is so expressive. I find him mesmerizing. Thanks for the leads - I'm going to have to track them down

Great tip on the Stephen Fry - I just sampled it -what a great lead, thank you!

[MeSue]

I never thought I would like audiobooks, but my sister got me hooked on them about a year ago by recommending "The Four Fires" by Bryce Courtenay. I listen mostly while pacing around in my backyard, getting my daily steps quota and tossing balls for the pooch. I also listen while cleaning, grooming the dog, and sometimes cooking or driving.

I still prefer reading and I listen to about 1 audiobook in the time it takes me to get through 4-6 ebooks. Sometimes I will switch between reading and listening to the same book. For me fiction works best and it has to be pretty engrossing from the beginning. I am much more likely to bail on an audiobook than a book I am reading. There have been a few times where I started a book listening and switched to reading because of an annoying narrator or confusing plot. I don't think I have ever started reading something and switched to listening, although now there are some authors/narrators which I will always prefer in audio format, because they are so well performed. I am thankful Audible has the option to get a refund on any book you don't like, though!

I use earbuds plugged into a small Bluetooth receiver, usually with only one ear so I can hear other sounds if I am outside. I like the Bluetooth adapter so I don't have to be tethered to my phone and so I don't have to deal with the plug on my Lifeproof phone case. My favorite app is AudioBook CD for ripped CDs and DRM-liberated Audible files because I like to keep my music and books separate in iOS.

You know you are enjoying an audiobook if you come in from walking for 45 minutes and then start cleaning so you can keep listening! And I will never forget where I was walking when I listened to the last few pages of "The Book Thief" with tears streaming down my face.

[MeSue]

Forgot to say… audiobooks are great for revisiting your favorites. I don't like cutting into my "real" reading time with re-reading books, but will enjoy listening to an old favorite. And you don't have to pay as close attention compared to something you are hearing for the first time.

[jonnickell]

I have been an Audible member for many years! One book a month adds up to a lot of books on Audible so far...exclusively SF/Fantasy.

I listen while working or driving as others have commented. Most are books that I have read in print before but hearing it read by someone who is good with voices can give a whole new life to an old book!

I tend to binge listen....I will go for months without an audio book and then get the urge to listen and boy do I listen...to several books in a row.

I tend to pick audio books much the same way I pick ebooks...I look for the one with the most hours (pages) of an author I like.

[Catlady]

Originally Posted by MeSue

Forgot to say… audiobooks are great for revisiting your favorites. I don't like cutting into my "real" reading time with re-reading books, but will enjoy listening to an old favorite. And you don't have to pay as close attention compared to something you are hearing for the first time.

This is how I got into audiobooks too, with rereads of familiar books.

Originally Posted by Victoria

Audible audiobooks also seem expensive - 3 - 4 times the cost of the kindle book, so though I notice them and am tempted, I stick with the book. I've never thought to download from our library, but based on the comments here, I think I will explore them.

Check out the Current Audiobooks Specials thread. The opening post lists lots of freebies and deals. You can get free audio versions of public domain titles at LibriVox; the quality of the readers varies, but you can sample before downloading.

[Mivo]

I find it hard to get into audiobooks.

I try every once in a while, because there is plenty of time at work where only minimal concentration is needed, but I always encounter these issues:

- My mind wanders and I stop listening, especially during non-action parts of the audiobook.
- The person reading the book is a sleeping pill.
- I have trouble understanding the speaker (British voice actors in particular, since I'm not a native speaker and mostly voice-communicate with Americans).
- Characters feel less alive if they are given an actual voice.

If I only listen, and not do anything else, the pace is usually too slow for me. I read faster than the voice actor speaks. Audiobooks are also typically rather large, so they are harder to backup and organize.

[VictoriaP]

A friend of ours is a narrator, or I probably never would have picked up an audiobook. And unlike a number of posters, I find I generally can't listen to books I've read in print (with a few exceptions). I just get very easily distracted with audio as compared to print, so a new-to-me book forces me to actually pay attention! I had the same problem in school--learning from lectures was not my strong suit, and I tended to read in class instead.

All my audiobooks are through Audible; the apps make it SO easy to download and listen on the iPhone or iPad. I typically listen when on the treadmill, doing dishes, folding laundry, or other tasks that don't require a whole lot of thought. My husband's done a lot of listening on his commute. He doesn't have my distraction issue though.

I still read way more than I listen. I've got a 30+ book backlog on Audible, and that'll take me forever to get through at this rate, and I finally used up my remaining credits so I could cancel last month. Even so, when I found I couldn't settle on a book on the Paperwhite today, it was nice to be able to lose myself in an audiobook instead.

[Victoria]

"Check out the Current Audiobooks Specials thread. The opening post lists lots of freebies and deals. You can get free audio versions of public domain titles at LibriVox; the quality of the readers varies, but you can sample before downloading."

Thanks CatLady!

[deddajay]

Audiobooks are essential in our household, having a totally blind husband. I got into audiobooks shortly after he lost his sight 10 years ago. He was very reluctant to listen at first, having been an avid reader before, but I got hold of a Terry Pratchett book and played it out loud. Gradually he got into it and then asked for another one, so it went on from there. We now have an annual Audible account of 24 credits at a time, which is renewed every 4 months or so. He listens almost exclusively to audio but we have now invested in a Victor Reader Stream, which is an audiobook player for the blind which can also read epubs via OCR and electronic voice so that has now opened the way for him to read other formats.

Up until recently I listened to audiobooks on my 3 hour daily commute but I also listen to audiobooks late at night when my eyes are too tired to read a book or if I'm doing mundane chores around the house. The reader does make such a difference. I'm currently reading the Scott Lynch's The Lies of Locke Lamorra read by Michael Page, and he's brilliant. He really brings the book to life.

I equate audiobooks with being read to at bedtime by my Dad, which I always loved. I've never really grown out of the love of being read to so audiobooks are just a continuation of that.

Deddajay