Any Fans of Audio books?

[MrTrolleyguy]

To my surprise I have become a huge fan of Audio books.

Problems with eye strain make it pleasurable again to enjoy books.



I read most accounts from our troops in Iraq & Afganistan.

Do you use Audible Books or any other providers?

And are there any series (like Longmire) or authors like Lee Childs that you are fond of or could recommend?

 

[JM4151]

Audio Books

I have heard about them but never listened to one. Sounds like a good idea, especially on a long trip. Where do you buy them? Does a local library have them?

 

[boatme99]

I tried them when you bought cassettes.
They tended to put me to sleep (remember bedtime stories?), which I found was not a good idea when driving.

 

[PatAz]

We have a lot of Loius L'Amour books on cd and enjoy ;listening to them on long trips.

 

[Doug627]

I love audio books. I travel a lot and they are a God send. I like the James Lee Burke books which feature Dave Robicheau (not sure of spelling). They keep me awake. I always enjoyed being read to and these audio books are very good.

 

[Fishinfool]

When you could download from Napster for free, I downloaded a bunch of Stephen King, Tom Clancy, and other assorted writers works. I enjoy them when taking long trips by myself in the truck when I don't feel like listening to music.

Larry

 

[straightshooter1]

Audio books are the only way I "read" books. I got hooked on them some 20 years ago when my FFL told me about them.

I thought it was the stupidest thing I'd ever heard of, till he loaned me one.

I go through two or more per week, just driving.

You can get them from Amazon or Ebay very cheaply.

Bob

 

[Cashfan]

I get my audiobooks from audible.com. If you buy in bulk you can get a cheap book.

I also like Lee Child and the Longmire Series.

I enjoy the Joe Pickett Series by CJ Box; Cork O'Conner by William Kent Krueger; Harry Bosch Series by Michael Connelly; and Mitch Rapp Series by Vince Flynn.

 

[bobf]

I go thru 3-4 per week I get them from one of our local libraries. They have a good selection on the shelves and also subscribe to a service, usually One click or Overdrive, that you can download at home no charge.

Download to computer, transfer to a MP3 player (or memory stick for the vehicles) and listen with either an earplug or plug into my car or truck audio system.

Our county has a nice library and the neighboring counties will issue a card for a small fee. The more populated county adjoining us charges me $15 a year for a non resident card.

 

[Mike McLellan]

In the seventies, A noon-time feature on NPR was called "Radio Reader", with Dick Estell. Actually it started in the sixties, but came to my local station in 1977. Among the many great books I remember most, were, "Enola Gay", about events lading up to Hiroshima, and another book, whose title escapes me. It was about Amundsen's trek to the South Pole. Dick Estell was a great reader and put me, mind & body, into the pages he was reading. After a job change, I wasn't able to continue my afternoon reverie.

I think it's time to consider returning to that form of pastime. It sounds like I missed a lot of great books in the last 30 years. Kind of a waste, don't you think?

 

[Dave B.]

I've never tried an audio book, but I did get my wife a Nook for Christmas a few years ago. You can download books to it and read away. She wanted to know if I wanted one and I said no....I'll keep reading printed material, you know, the kind that has binding, pages made of paper that have to be turned to get to the next one, and they have a nice smell to them....call me old school, but I like the real thing.

 

[Jessie]

My wife got some for the trips to her Moms.
At first, I liked them, but then I didn't like the fact it tended to distract me when I was driving. I then would block it out when needed which left gaps in the story so I quit using them.
At home, they are fine, but not when driving.

 

[NCTexan]

I've been an audible.com member for nearly 10 years and love it.

My wife and I get bored with TV and listen to audio books at home and in the car.

Also, I always plug into an audio book on my daily run. At 30-40 minutes a day, I burn through them at a pretty good clip.

A well read good book beats any movie... any day... playing wide screen and technicolor in the theater of the mind.

I recently finished the Daniel Silva "Gabriel Allon" series and am moving through Barry Eisler's "John Rain" series.

 

[rwsmith]

One of my favorite things......

I don't use audio books, YET, but one of my most favorite things outside of reading myself used to be listening to "The Radio Reader" on NPR by Dick Estelle. I've gotten clued to some great books listening to him.

 

[rwsmith]

One of my favorite things......

I don't use audio books, YET, but one of my most favorite things outside of reading myself used to be listening to "The Radio Reader" on NPR by Dick Estelle. I've gotten clued to some great books listening to him.

PS I see Mike McLellan already mentioned 'The Radio Reader' here but I'd like to add that the show itself dates back to the 1930s.

 

[Aticus]

Audio books are how I get through my workout at the gym. Let's start with Bernard Cornwell for the Richard Sharpe series, Craig Johnson for Longmire, Tony Hillerman for Leaphorn and Chee series, Jim Butcher for The Dresden Files, Robert B. Parker for Spencer and Jesse Stone, Rex Stout for Nero Wolff (there are a lot of these), Kevin Hearne for the druid series. That's the short list. Can you tell I'm hooked on audio books. I buy from iTunes. Most of theirs are from Audible.com it's just convenient for me.

I still read but mostly e-books from Barnes & Noble or iBooks. I listened to a couple audio books once on a trip but found I didn't remember much of the much of the actual driving so don't do that any more. 'Course I don't travel much any more so I guess that's a wash.

Edit to add: for you old guys like me, iTunes has a bunch of the old radio shows at good prices. Check it out the list I found is not complete but is TOO long to put here.

 

[R. G. Amos]

I listen to these while driving since there is little of interest on the radio. I buy them at Half Price Books in the clearance section for anywhere from 2$ to 5$. I would not pay the high prices for these at other shops

 

[Triathloncoach]

I'm 51 and don't like modern music. I also am fairly burnt out on classic rock. Sports radio gets boring and right wing radio is too redundant and predictable . NPR would be more attractive if they found HOSTS with less affected voices. Blah, blah. Audible.com is great. I'd be interested in learning more about free services. The local library is great too. You (not me of course, it's illegal, eh-hem) can download the Library CDs on your computer and then listen to them on your phone.

 

[MrTrolleyguy]

One thing I like about audible is that if you are on the phone with them for some reason they often will give you a free credit if you ask for one.

I did this Thursday night when "Redeployment" did not show up on my smart phone. She actually said, "I'll give you 2. Happy Thanksgiving."

I'd say I have received a dozen free books this way. They want to keep you happy.

 

[CCantu357]

I find the trick with audio books is finding a good narrator. A boring narrator can make even the most exciting story quite dull and can put a man to sleep.