A couple of months ago, I finally succumbed to the “free Audible book” offer that kept popping up in my Amazon account. It was too hard to pass up the opportunity to listen to Sir David reading his revised autobiography…
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Like most people who take up a free trial, I was fully expecting to cancel it before the first payment was due, but to my surprise, I’ve discovered that I adore listening to audio books. It’s certainly not for everyone – Big Boy and Pete prefer reading – but I’m always busy, and I’ve found I can listen and walk, or listen and knit, or listen and bake…you get the idea.
The monthly subscription fee of US$14.95 gives you one credit each month that can be used to purchase any book in their catalogue. They have a money back guarantee – if you listen to a book and don’t enjoy it, you can return it for a full refund (I’ve returned three books already without any difficulty). Being a subscriber also means you get 30% off all their other books. I know this sounds like a paid advert, but I promise you it isn’t!
Then there’s Whispersync, which is the genius system that links the audio narration with a Kindle version of the book (when available) and enables you to read along as you listen. You can even read a bit, listen to a bit, then come back and read a bit more – and Whispersync will start you at the right place on each device. Amazon are sooo clever with this type of technology, and brilliant at linking their various platforms together.
So what have I been listening to?
The glorious Tim Curry performance of A Christmas Carol (as mentioned in previous posts) and all the David Attenboroughs (there are six audio books in total). I particularly enjoyed this tale of his visit to Australia’s Northern Territory in the 1960s…
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The Dispatcher by John Scalzi as read by Zach Quinto was so engaging that I ended up walking for over two hours while listening to it…
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Many of my favourite Ellery Queen novels and short stories are now available in audio book format, but it’s taken a bit of time to find a narrator I like (hence the three returned books I mentioned above)…
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Ralph Fiennes’ reading of T.S. Eliot’s Four Quarters was majestic…
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And finally, my latest discovery has been The Great Courses Series, which provide short lectures by university professors on a wide range of topics, all accompanied with work notes. I’m currently listening to 48 thirty minute talks on everyday life in various times and countries throughout history…
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As you can tell, I’m hooked! If you think you might enjoy an audio book, I’d encourage you to try Audible.com’s free trial offer. And if you’re an existing subscriber, they’ve currently got a huge 50% off sale on until 14th December. Cheers!
Fig Jam and Lime Cordial 
I’m a huge fan of Audible too – but I changed my subscription to audible.com.au so I wasn’t paying in US$. I run and walk to my books and often find I’m buying a couple a month – when you hit on a good series you just end up going through them really quickly. It’s super addictive isn’t it?
Sooo addictive! Must be great for flights as well?
It would be but on China Eastern they don’t let you turn your phone on – even on flight mode!! So I have to sit on my phone and wear a hoodie and make sure the wire doesn’t show – such a drama!
I listen and do housework – it is marvellous!
Ooh, tempting, but as I’ve just discovered Netflix the last thing I need in my life is another way to get distracted.
I had no idea he wrote an autobiography. I enjoy watching the Planet Earth and Blue Planet series. Now I’m waiting for Planet Earth 2 to be released on DVD.
I enjoy reading, but quite often lately I have more time to listen to an audio book than actually read. I can do things while listening, same as you!
Manuela, it’s out! I’ve ordered a copy for Christmas!
I like it too Celia. I feel so much more mentally stimulated listening to interesting things on my walks etc.
You are hooked. I one listened to an audio version of my all time favourite novel’ Cloudsreet’ by Tim Winton. I have read the novel twice before listening to the audio version and I really disliked it- the voices all seemed wrong. Sometimes a voice gets in the way of an appreciation – maybe I just prefer my own internal imagined voice.
That’s why I had to return three Ellery Queens! Audible are really good about that.
I like to watch rather than listen, but . . . have been with ‘The Great Courses’ series for some 6-7 years and absolutely love taking my ‘breaks’ watching the DVDs . . . if one waits for the specials it is not so expensive and I have to admit I enjoy actually seeing the professors and visual aids . . . . have loved all the medical, historical, religious and philosophical offerings I have ordered . . . my work does not allow any daytime listening, but Sir David would very much have appealed also . . .
i love listening to book readings too. I think they add an extra dimension to books. I can borrow books through my library. Do you think that your library would do something similar? I log in with an app from Bolinda books. You have given me an interesting list to investigate.
I used to listen to books on tape a lot. Hence the “used to”! I remember many occasions staying up late into the night sewing as I finished a book. We often buy cd books to play on long drives (24 hr drive time) as radio reception can be frustrating. We used to have satellite radio but it’s in a vehicle no longer able to make journeys longer than 2 hours. Podcasts are another great resource, although they don’t have as long a run time.
I’m hooked too- have listened to 7 Anthony Trollope books in the past six months, a Graham Greene read by Colin Firth, and now The Mill on the Floss. And the return policy is excellent! Fantastic to listen to in the car.
We love audio books when we are going on long road trips (to Chicago, Wisconsin to visit friends), it makes the time pass so quickly. We’ve taken to autobiographies but love the ones read by the author. It lends so much to the character of that person as opposed to a stranger reading it. Alan Alda was quite interesting, as was Ellen and William Shatner. I don’t much like memberships, I usually feel like I’m wasting money but it’s great that you are so into it. Listening to audio books whilst in the kitchen is very clever…I may steal that idea from you!
I freely admit I am a bibliophile and have been so since being taught to read by my mother at a very tender age. Every time I begin to read a new book I experience the same sensation as opening a box of chocolates and as I love chocolates it is a great feeling!
Celia, I borrow audio books from my library via Borrowbox. The initial loan time is two weeks with the option to renew them for a further four weeks. Once you have downloaded them, if you have dropbox on your computer, ipad and iphone, you can drag the file into the dropbox on your computer and it will automatically go onto your other devices. The great thing about Dropbox is that you can select the book to be read offline. I have made a little cloth bag with a ribbon cord which I wear around my neck, pop my iphone into the bag and have handfree access to my audiobooks whilst I am gardening, cooking, ironing etc. and even use earphones to listen to books while I do the vacuuming which I now look forward to doing. I wish you many hours of happy listening
I listen to the radio a lot when working or cooking so this could be for me…sounds great!
Hon, you would love it. Try the two free books first – there’s heaps to choose from! :)
That sounds like a fabulous idea – and you can pause the plot during times you need to concentrate more. I can understand how a bad narrator could kill a good book.
2nd time… I signed up years ago when we were in the UK and then unsubscribed. I enjoy audio books, particularly for long drives but found (at the time) we could get many on CD for only a few pence in op shops. That was a number of years ago now and I’m living in a different country so maybe I should re-investigate.