Life in progress

Opinions Wanted – Audio Books

63 Comments

My dear friend Joey, at joeyfullystated commented on my Saturday post that if I go blind, there are always audio books available so I don’t have to read. That got me thinking about audio books again, as I have contemplated trying one in the past. I passed the opportunity up however, because I can’t see myself sitting still long enough to listen to a story. Add to that that I’m easily distracted by things which catch my eye, and I think it might be a waste of money. I need something to look at. All the time. Even if I’m listening to music, I’ll read the lyrics or look at the album cover.

What’s really weird is, I tend to remember things that I hear more than things that I see. If you tell me your phone number once, I’ll remember it in five years. If you show me your phone number it’ll be gone in five seconds. But I digress.

Have you ever listened to an audio book? Did you enjoy it? Were you distracted? Were you or are you hesitant to buy one? If so, why? If it’s for the same reason I’m afraid to go for it, I especially want to know – or am I the only nut in the jar?

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Author: Linda G. Hill

There's a writer in here, clawing her way out.

63 thoughts on “Opinions Wanted – Audio Books

  1. darsword's avatar

    I didn’t read all the responses above so I hope this isn’t repeated news. I can’t listen to an audio book with much going on. It is great for long car trips or boring, tasks such as dishes or data in put, but let the slightest thing–shiny chickens, I call them, come up and I am lost. But the same distractions occur when I am reading. So, for me, I like to have the Audible and the Kindle and possibly the hardback surrounding me to get through books these days. If the Audible isn’t available I use text-to-speech to keep me focused. Using this method also helps with my poor old eyes that get tired of just reading. Also, my method helps me read lots more than I ever did the old fashioned way. I used to read a lot as a kid but those shiny chickens were everywhere.

    By the way, to test it out for yourself, try the library. We have the ability to download audio and mobi books but you could also go to the physical library to pick up cds to listen to. It is certainly cheaper than buying all the books I want to read.

    Oh, and the way Amazon syncs the Audible/Kindle stories means even if I don’t want to plug in my ‘ears’ and just want to read silently, when I finally am ready for the bedtime read my narrator tells me the story from right where I left off.

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    • Linda G. Hill's avatar

      I’d like to try the Audible/Kindle sync thing sometime, but I do think I’ll start with a freebie at the library first. I can see myself actually getting things done around the house – maybe. Next thing I’ll be buying a treadmill if I really enjoy them. I know what you mean about distractions though. I’ll have to remember the “shiny chickens” next time I see something that turns my head. 😀
      Thanks, Dar!

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  2. jetgirlcos's avatar

    My husband listens to them all the time when he runs or drives to work. I love them for road trips, but for me a lot depends on the reader. I love things read by Scott Brick (who has apparently narrated hundreds of books) and Kate Reading. And the lady who reads all the Sue Grafton mystery novels. Anyway, I find it quite enjoyable, because novels are storytelling, and that was indeed originally an oral tradition! So it can add a whole new dimension if you think about it. Anyway, it’s great for knitters and other multitaskers 🙂

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    • Linda G. Hill's avatar

      I’m getting so many great suggestions here – I might just have to go to the library and check one out! The multi-tasking thing I think is the ticket. It might even make doing the dishes fun! 🙂

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  3. A Woman's Wisdom's avatar

    I love audio books! It’s like regressing back to childhood and being read to…perhaps I shouldn’t admit to that bit. Try Pride and Prejudice read by Joanna Lumley. She does an absolutely fabulous job of it 😉

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  4. suzjones's avatar

    I haven’t listened to one as such but for a long time my son would only ‘read’ audio books. I listened to Harry Potter whilst doing the ironing, washing clothes and generally going about my daily chores. I guess audio books are great for multi taskers.

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  5. tyrocharm's avatar

    The local library does have a lot of audiobooks both, in CDs and in MP3 format. I however love my subscription to Audible.com. The give you a free book to begin with, any book you want. Over the years, whether I’ve stopped the membership or not, my library with them remains unaltered.

    Also, I listen to audiobooks mostly when I do house work, crafts or drive. It is an addicting pastime. I’ve also expanded my listening horizon by listening to lectures from The Great Courses which has amazing topics and first rate professors.
    I recommend you try one of your favorite authors, but listen to the sample first to make sure you are compatible with the narrator. If you have a title in mind, I can send you an invitation to audible.com and it includes one free stream listening of a book of your choice with no obligation to purchase after that.

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    • Linda G. Hill's avatar

      Cool! I’ve seen Audible’s ad on Amazon’s website, so maybe I’ll check them out. I do like the idea of being able to listen to a book while I do housework. I might actually be able to tidy up enough so that I can sit and relax to write!

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  6. navigator1965's avatar

    I’ve had people recommend that I have an audiobook made, as they like to “read” while driving to work. I don’t know what it would cost or if it would pay back.

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  7. A.PROMPTreply's avatar

    Nope, sorry. Never listened to one. Am seriously addicted to my Nook,….about the only piece of technology that I can wrap my head around…now I can carry all my books in one place!

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  8. Author Unpublished's avatar

    I took my first adventure into audio books not to long ago – and I was a bit of the same mind. I couldn’t imagine sitting around listening to an audio book because I like to be busy; if I’m listening to something, I have to be doing something too… and then how was I supposed to concentrate on the book? Fortunately, I won an audiobook in a giveaway, and so the decision was taken from me. I gave it a try. I found myself listening to my audio book as I did household chores and caught up on crocheting a blanket I’d been working on – even when I was taking a bath. It did take me a while to get used to it. The lady who did the narration was older than the YA character of the book, had a very sultry voice, and spoke really slowly. I found myself listening to the sentences of the book and then re-reading them in my head to try and sync up my own in-head narration style. Eventually though I learned to tune myself out, and I did end up enjoying the book in the end. It was somewhat relaxing to be able to read a book (well, listen) and also get things accomplished (as opposed to cornering myself on my couch for a few hours and shutting out the world). I felt more productive and I still enjoyed a really good story. My house was really clean that week.

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    • Linda G. Hill's avatar

      A clean house?!? Okay, I’ve just gone from hesitant to convinced. I could even blow the dust off my Wii Fit and exercise my November NaNo butt off!
      But yeah, as for the voice, I spend most of my time editing books and learning from them than actually enjoying them. THAT’s what I’d have a hard time with I think… not being able to absorb writing technique. But like you, I’d probably get over it given the time.
      Thanks for the comment!

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  9. joey's avatar

    I probably wouldn’t have thought of it, but when I was at the library Wednesday, they had Iggie’s House by Judy Blume on audio and not in print. I so wanted Sassy to read it, but I know well enough she wouldn’t sit and listen to it.
    HME commutes, and she picks up audio books at Cracker Barrel — they have some kind of pay a dollar, pick one up, return it, get another, or somethin. Of course, I’m fairly certain Cracker Barrel is purely American, and that may not be helpful to you at all…
    And thanks for the shout out 🙂

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    • Linda G. Hill's avatar

      Never heard of Cracker Barrel (unless you’re talking about cheese) so yeah, probably not in Canada. Sounds like a good system though. I’ll probably hit the library for one if I decide to go for it. 🙂

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  10. foolsquest's avatar

    My wife recently fell in love with audio books. She crochets and likes to have something else going on to watch or listen to. I guess it depends on your ability to multi-task. Her biggest issue with audio books is that there aren’t a lot within her interests.

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    • Linda G. Hill's avatar

      Yeah, I read a lot of indie authors and most don’t have audio books available. It would give me something to do if I ever go back to knitting though… I used to watch tv.

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  11. Beth's avatar

    When my sister and me were little, we listened to the audio books of ‘Harry Potter’, or better said, we made an attempt to listen. Indeed, we couldn’t sit still for that long. Never tried it again though, maybe it would be nice when driving the car for a long ride 🙂

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  12. obzervashunal's avatar

    I prepared myself for the eventual experience by recording a thunderstorm once and treating it like an audio book. I was a kid with a tape recorder and a love of sounds. I did finally make it to an audio book once. I got it to see if I’d prefer it over traditional books. I found it so relaxing, I never made it past thirty or so pages! I recently picked up ‘The Illiad’ as an audio book, but will not start it until I have a eight-plus hour flight on tap!

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  13. MishaBurnett's avatar

    I just listened to most of Jim Butcher’s first Dresden Files book, “Storm Front” on the road back from El Paso. It’s a novel I know, so I didn’t have to concentrate too hard on it. And James Martsen’s (Spike, from Buffy) delivery is beautiful.

    Since Amazon owns Audible, if you own a Kindle book you get a reduced rate on the the audiobook version–sometimes a substantial discount. (Many self-published books you can upgrade for $1.99–including mine.)

    They also do a thing called “Immersion Reading” where you can switch between reading the text and the narration and it will keep track of your place so that the audio will pick up where you stopped reading, and vice versa.

    https://www.amazon.com/gp/audible/matchmaker

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    • Linda G. Hill's avatar

      That’s pretty cool, thanks for the link, Misha. 🙂

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    • navigator1965's avatar

      Hi, Misha. Linda informs me that you might be able to enlighten me on the possibility of having my book made into an audio book.

      I’m all ears. *Nav winces in self-inflicted pain*

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      • MishaBurnett's avatar

        It was amazingly painless, actually. I am self-published on Amazon, and so when I created an account on ACX.com, my books came up right away, all I had to do was confirm that they were mine. Then I wrote a brief description of what I felt the books would need in terms of a narrator and filled out a checklist (Male/Female, Age, Accent), posted a sample for voice actors to use as an audition, and listed it as an available property. A very talented voice actor then approached me (within a few days) with a great audition. We exchanged a few e-mails, talking about specific characters, and then he recorded it. He did it on a royalty basis (50/50, after Audible’s cut) so I was nothing out of pocket.

        Frankly, I can’t recommend ACX enough. https://www.acx.com/help/about-acx/200484860

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  14. John Holton's avatar

    I haven’t listened to many books, but Mary has gotten a few from the library and liked them. Janet Evanovich’s books were especially funny, as I recall. Maybe take it for a trial run, and see how it goes.

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  15. willowdot21's avatar

    I love audio books I have them on my iPod. I just love being read to. The first audio book I listen to within the last 5yrs was a James Patterson thriller, followed by an Ian Rankin then a Scarpetta story from Patricia Cornwall. I was in hospital for a month and I could not move at all I found them life savers. Try them they can be brilliant. Xx

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  16. Paul Davis's avatar

    Are you asking for my number? 😉 I use audio books for driving, and usually I get books that will entertain alone, but I’m not too invested in. If I’m going to use it for research/to learn to write, I need the physical copy there. It does keep me awake better than music, so it usually ends up on during truly long drives, or the last half of a trek.

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    • Linda G. Hill's avatar

      Yes, but you’ll have to call me to give it to me, otherwise I’ll never remember it. Oh, you want my number? 😉
      I think maybe I need to get out more. In the car that is. Oh, and something with more than an AM/FM radio would be nice too. My mother’s old ’93 Tempo just doesn’t cut it. 😛

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  17. KG's avatar

    My friend tried to sell the idea to me, but I never got it. So, haven’t tried it. I don’t want to hear someone reading it to me. I prefer my inner mind voice 😉 and yes I need to see to concentrate, the only exception being music.

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    • Linda G. Hill's avatar

      I’ll move over, you can share my jar. 😉
      I was just commenting to Pamela, it’s like when I envision a character in a book and then I see the movie and it’s nothing like I envisioned them looking. It’s disconcerting.

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  18. Pamela Beckford's avatar

    Audio books are great in the car – it passes the time. The narrator is the key though.

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  19. KDKH's avatar

    I love audio books. I listen to them in the car as I drive/commute. It keeps my blood pressure down! Who cares if a traffic jam makes the drive longer if it means I get further in the story!

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  20. Maggie Wilson's avatar

    I used to have an hour one-way commute to work. Audio books were a great way to fill the time. Got ’em from the library so no expense. I listened to fiction and non. On the other hand, or in this case, I suppose, in the other ear, I cannot listen to music while I’m walking, so I assume books would be equally unappealing for me. But you might enjoy them on your paper route.

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    • Linda G. Hill's avatar

      Nah, I can’t listen to music when I walk either. Too many things going on that I don’t want to miss. I forgot the library has them. Maybe I’ll go that route if I decide to try one. Thanks for the suggestion, Maggie. 🙂

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  21. Ravyne Hawke's avatar

    Reblogged this on Burning the Root and commented:
    My reply: good for long trips, before sleeping, during a long bath. What do you think? Audio or No?

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  22. First Night Design's avatar

    If the book is good and the reader knows their onions i.e. his or her acting skills lend themselves to reading a story, it can be very powerful. Mind you, I’ve not listened to many. On the other hand, I’d rather read a physical book any day!

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    • Linda G. Hill's avatar

      I can see where it would greatly depend on the acting skills of the reader. I’m envisioning it being read all by one person… is that the case?

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      • First Night Design's avatar

        Yes. I can recommend Michael Jayston reading Tinker, Tailor… and the sequel, the name of which I’ve forgotten. Good actors don’t always make for good readers. I bought the audiobook of Julie Walter’s autobiography and couldn’t hack it. I don’t know whether it was the book itself or Julie’s reading of it but I gave up after a couple of chapters.

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  23. Ravyne Hawke's avatar

    I listen to audio books on long trips (if I am not the one driving), sometimes before I go to sleep at night, or when I am taking a long bath. I can close my eyes during all three of those activities and it helps me to picture what is going on in the book. I especially enjoy mystery books on audio.

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    • Linda G. Hill's avatar

      While having a bath – that would be a good time. It’s been so long since I’ve had the luxury of enough time for one. I may make a point of it. Thanks for the suggestion, Lori. 🙂 And for the re-blog too!

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