Friday, December 17, 2010

Audio books

Recently I was looking through old emails and realized my sister had sent us a gift certificate to Audible.com last Christmas. I redeemed it for an audio book that I listened to while I was driving to and from Dallas for my race.

I hadn't listened to an audio book in years, and I was reminded just how fun it is. It's great being able to do other things...drive, housework, whatever...while listening to a book! And a good "reader" is really fun to listen to.

The value of audiobooks was reinforced to me when I recently got wrapped up in a very long, two-book, sci-fi series. The story was great, but the combined length of the books was 2,000 pages, and reading them took way too many hours! I didn't crochet at all this week until I finished the second book last night...and while I enjoyed the series and want to read more by this author, I don't want my life to be so taken over by a book again when I have so many other things I need to do this time of year!

So I told The Engineer I wanted a subscription to Audible for Christmas. (Disclosure--this isn't a sponsored post!) Right now they have a special deal...$7.50 per month for the first three months of membership. After that the price goes up to the normal price of $15 per month. That membership price includes one audio book per month. And we can cancel whenever we want.

That's a great deal, because the next book I wanted to read--or rather, listen to--by this author I've discovered is over 22 hours of audio, and the normal price is $40. So I'm getting it for $7.50...and I can do useful things like crocheting while I'm listening to it!

My friend Sasha listens to audiobooks while she runs. Unfortunately I don't think I'll be able to listen to this author's books while I run. He creates so many characters and plot lines, and my mind tends to wander when I'm running. But hopefully I can find some less-complex books later from Audible, ones that would be fun to hear while I run.

What about you? Do you listen to audiobooks, or have you in the past?

11 comments:

Kara said...

I don't do many audio books, because I'm not a good multi-tasker - I'm either ignoring the words, or ignoring what I'm supposed to be doing :-) But I thought I'd mention - I don't know if you've ever used Project Gutenberg (http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page) but they have recorded many out-of-copyright books as audio books - to be downloaded for FREE! I use P. Gutenberg to get (free!) texts to read on my Kindle, but you may want to check it out to see what the audio ones are like (that is, if you like older books - pretty much everything is pre-1920)

Anonymous said...

I love listening to Audiobooks while I crochet. It has been a good way to do two of my favorite things :)

Becky said...

I LOVE audiobooks! I listen to audiobooks and/or podcasts every single day. I listen when I'm at work and doing something that doesn't require a lot of concentration, and I listen at home after the kids go to bed and I'm cleaning and doing laundry. My library has a subscription to NetLibrary, so I can download (for free!) tons of audiobooks from there. Thank goodness for audiobooks or I'd only be able to read a book a month, and reading has always been one of my passions.

Buffie said...

I love listening to audiobooks during my commute to and from work. I have been getting mine from the library though. They have a great selection and they're free.

Unknown said...

I have a pile of books that I have yet to read and I wish that I had gotten them in audio books instead. I don't really have time to read, but I would listen while I did the dishes or other chores. I might have to check into this option for all my further books.

Call Me Cate said...

My mind wanders too much for audio books. It's like the radio or a conversation going on that I'm not a part of and I find myself turning it into background noise. I might feel differently if I had a long commute or a hobby that made good use of my hands. My husband listens to audio books on his commute sometimes.

Also, why doesn't Chickie just hold up the books for you and turn the pages while you crochet? She needs to start earning her keep!

LeAnn said...

I'm a huge fan of Audible.com. I go the platinum route where $22.95 buys me 2 books per month. They also just gave a free O. Henry Christ stories volume, they have numerous sales and offers (there's an offer now to buy 3 extra credits a good deal) I love that they can be downloaded right to my BlackBerry, or I can listen on my computer. I hope you enjoy your subscription as much as i do mine

Christy said...

I too love Audible. My sister and I both have it and have shared many books. It certainly is a multi-tasker's dream. I listen while doing dishes, driving and the treadmill.

SurvivorBlessing said...

not convinced, not at all... sorry!
I LOVE books, but I love them in black and white right in front of my nose. I don't care if the laundry waits or the dishes! Just don't care.... I guess I am just way too paper-addicted....

Cathy said...

as you know, I listen to audio books constantly, and because I do it through our library, by using NetLibrary, I can listen to as many as I want for no money. And they now have lots that you can download on your ipod - they didn't use to offer that - only MP3. Try the new book by Randy Singer - The Justice Game. His books are also on Audible.com - your dad's favorite. Very good! Love, mom

Faith said...

I know this is an older post, but I hope you see this anyway.
Our library has audio books for checking out. Many of them are available for a free download from their site with our library card number.