HeidiHo Posted July 20, 2005 Report Share Posted July 20, 2005 One thing I do five or so times a week is walk. And occassionally I have to drive long distance. Well, one day I thought that if I could listen to an audio book while I walk, the walking would go by much faster - and it's true. So then it occurred to me to look on line for places to download books. I found Audible.com which seems to have a great selection of unabridged and abridged books. Their deal is if you join for, like, 14 bucks a month, you get one free audio book and one free subscription program per month. Plus you get good sale prices on other books. I've gotten books that had a $35 dollar value for that 14 bucks, in addition to BBC News hour, which airs once a day, for the whole month. Seems like a pretty good deal to me. Anyway, I download the book, burn it to CD and, if necessary, transfer it to my mp3 player. Audible software will download directly to the mp3 player, if you have one on their accepted list (like Ipod) - which I don't, but oh well. You get a "Next Listen" list which will automatically download in order if your subscription period is close to ending and you haven't downloaded yourself - that way you never miss one of your downloads that you already paid for. I'm looking for more stuff to add to my list - I like Brad Meltzer alot and right now I'm listening to Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. Anybody have any other suggestions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol G2 Posted July 20, 2005 Report Share Posted July 20, 2005 (edited) HeidiHo, aren't audio books just the best. I like to read and fought audiobooks for the longest time, thought they would be cheating somehow, like using Cliffs Notes, until a friend convinced me you could never live long enough to read every book you wanted. And some of the people who read are absolute artists. You almost forget there's only one person doing the reading. I had never thought about downloading a book and thank you for this site. The public library (and you have to go to a number of branches because the selection runs out quickly) had been my resource when I worked and drove 50 boring miles a day......the audio books meant I never got tired of that drive, or worried about getting stuck in traffic. Since I retired, I do listen when I walk (which is not as often as it should be). I lean toward mysteries (what would be referred to as cozies) for the most part, but the most recent book was one that a friend gave me and was a little different. "Across the Nightingale Floor, Tales of the Otori" (Book One) by Lian Hearn, and it was great. I'm off to your site to see if the rest of the series is available. Thanks for starting this topic and for the info about Audible.com. ETA: They do. This is great! Now maybe I'll walk more! Edited July 20, 2005 by Carol G2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diamondjake2001 Posted July 20, 2005 Report Share Posted July 20, 2005 (edited) I've been using Audible.com for about 5 years. I love it. If you sign up for 1 year they will send you an mp3 player that works with their system or a discount on an iPod. They also have a 2 book/ month membership for 19.95 (I think.) Audible's format is unique and will not play on every mp3 player. You can see a list of players that will work. If you have an iPod Audible will download directly into iTunes. The other nice thing is that you never lose the right to download the book. I had a computer crash on me & I lost a ton of books. I was able to go to Audible.com and go to 'My Library' and redownload everything I had lost. I tend to read non-fiction but I recently bought The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime. I read this book when it was first mentioned on one of the Clay boards 2 years ago. I decided to get the Audible version a few months back. The reader does an amazing job bringing life to the characters especially the young man with autism. I found that I skimmed too much when I read the print version. The audio version made me love the book. I can't recommend it enough. I tend to buy unabridged & classics. The only audio book I was disappointed with was A Beautiful Mind. The book was great but the reader was too monotone for me. All of John Grisham's books are great. Of course Learning to Sing is always a good choice. They do have the unabridged version but for some reason I got the abridged version. Edited July 20, 2005 by diamondjake2001 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ansamcw Posted July 20, 2005 Report Share Posted July 20, 2005 My daughter has an ipod and her dad started downloadong books for her...he started her off with star wars...She does like reading but she is picky with books. If a book is abit difficult to read she loses interest right away. I wonder how audio books would affect ther reading level and interest...any insights on this? eta: thanks diamondjake. I think my daughter's problem is that she started reading really early....no one had to teach her, she was recognizing words before she was 2. I think you are right that now she has to develop the comprehension part. FOr books she enjoys like Harry Potter she will go through the book really fast. But I do wonder if she truly understands all the book. I think I will encourage her to start listening to audiobooks and even start with some classics that she alsways seem to reject. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diamondjake2001 Posted July 20, 2005 Report Share Posted July 20, 2005 I can answer this one Ansa. Reading a book out loud to a child will is definitely a good thing. Most parents do this with picture books when they are young; however, it is even more important to do it with older children. Especially for children that struggle with reading comprehension. Listening to a book teaches you to make connections with the words you hear & pictures in your mind. Frequently we stress learning to read words (either through phonics or the worst method of teaching to read 'Whole language') and forget about reading comprehension. Most children will eventually learn to read the written word but if they can't put the words together in their mind reading will always be unpleasant at best. Listening to audio books will improve reading comprehension. This is true all the way through high school (though teachers usually stop reading aloud during later elementary school.) As long as your child continues to read her school work I would imagine using audio books will be good for her and if she's an auditory learner audio books are a great way to encourage her to love to read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeidiHo Posted July 20, 2005 Author Report Share Posted July 20, 2005 HeidiHo, aren't audio books just the best. I like to read and fought audiobooks for the longest time, thought they would be cheating somehow, like using Cliffs Notes, until a friend convinced me you could never live long enough to read every book you wanted. And some of the people who read are absolute artists. You almost forget there's only one person doing the reading. They are the best. And I used to think it was cheating as well - but then I realized that if I didn't do this I would miss alot of books. It's also made me much more likely to get all my walks in. <g> I've been using Audible.com for about 5 years. I love it. If you sign up for 1 year they will send you an mp3 player that works with their system or a discount on an iPod. They also have a 2 book/ month membership for 19.95 (I think.) Audible's format is unique and will not play on every mp3 player. You can see a list of players that will work. If you have an iPod Audible will download directly into iTunes. Yeah, that’s why I burn mine to CD. Then I can “download” the CD into the software that came with my mp3 player and upload it to the player. It’s worked with two different players – it’s just a bit of a pain in the ass to have to take that extra step. I have CD-RWs so I don’t have to go through a ton of CDs unless I plan on keeping a specific book. I tend to buy unabridged & classics. The only audio book I was disappointed with was A Beautiful Mind. The book was great but the reader was too monotone for me. All of John Grisham's books are great. Of course Learning to Sing is always a good choice. They do have the unabridged version but for some reason I got the abridged version. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Yeah, I buy unabridged as well and I agree about John Grisham. If you like Grisham you’ll probably like Brad Meltzer. And I’ve listened to Learning to Sing about a million times. <g> Right now I’ve got Steven King’s Dark Tower series in my Next Listen. My daughter has an ipod and her dad started downloadong books for her...he started her off with star wars...She does like reading but she is picky with books. If a book is abit difficult to read she loses interest right away. I wonder how audio books would affect ther reading level and interest...any insights on this? <{POST_SNAPBACK}> No idea – but it seems like it would be good for her imagination and understanding of how words are pronounced and used in a sentence. I don’t know how that would translate to reading. I can’t imagine it would hurt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skatejoy Posted July 21, 2005 Report Share Posted July 21, 2005 I discovered audio books a few years ago. They've been a lifesaver, since I have so much car travel in my job. I just finished Rosie Dunne. It was great to do it in audio because the actress reading was really good at the Irish accents, which added a dimension to this Irish book. My favorite audio book is, of course, LTS. I listened to it one night when I was driving home from a meeting on a winding dark road and having some car trouble. I think it saved me from going crazy. It's very intimate to have Clay in your dark car with you telling you his life stories. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Couch Tomato Posted July 21, 2005 Report Share Posted July 21, 2005 The first audio book I listened to was...ta tum.... Learning to Sing! And I absolutely LOVED it. Becuase hearing the words come out of his mouth I understood that this wasn't a bitter man drowning in the past. Hmmm... I need to go add this to my ipod! Thanks for the info....I enjoyed hearing Clay read to me so much I will probably try it out with other authors. Edited cuz you can't read an audio book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ansamcw Posted July 21, 2005 Report Share Posted July 21, 2005 What a great idea...Don't have any audio book yet except LTS...I will try it on the Ipod...listen as I go to sleep. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diamondjake2001 Posted July 21, 2005 Report Share Posted July 21, 2005 What a great idea...Don't have any audio book yet except LTS...I will try it on the Ipod...listen as I go to sleep. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> This was how I first listened to LTS. Nothing like letting Clay read you a bedtime story. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShelleyC Posted July 21, 2005 Report Share Posted July 21, 2005 Can you believe that I still haven't listened to the second CD of the LTS audio book? I listened to the first one and was reading along with the book to see which parts he skipped over and then somehow, I got busy and never got around to listening to the second one... maybe I should get on that... I am a bad fan! ;-) I love love love Clay's speaking voice (I think his accent is so cute), so I really enjoyed him reading the book to me (of what I've listened to so far... lol) Other than LTS, I don't think I've ever listened to an audiobook before... so I'll let you all get back to your conversation... ;-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Couch Tomato Posted July 23, 2005 Report Share Posted July 23, 2005 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime. All of John Grisham's books are great. Of course Learning to Sing is always a good choice. They do have the unabridged version but for some reason I got the abridged version. I've decided to sign up for Audible... and DiamondJake I'm going to order The Curious Incident of the Dog in Nighttime. Any other recommendations. I also like who done its and thrillers. I'm a history nut but have those books tended to be good in audio book form? Also, do you miss out on anythign when you buy unabridged or does the story still flow? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jen Posted November 27, 2005 Report Share Posted November 27, 2005 I really want the Learning To Sing Compact Disc!!! Does anyone know if Clay is the speaker on the CD? or is Allison Glock the speaker? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ldyjocelyn Posted November 28, 2005 Report Share Posted November 28, 2005 I really want the Learning To Sing Compact Disc!!! Does anyone know if Clay is the speaker on the CD? or is Allison Glock the speaker? Jen -- yes, Clay reads the CD version of LTS. It's wonderful to hear him tell his stories! I've listened to it too many times to mention! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jen Posted November 28, 2005 Report Share Posted November 28, 2005 I really want the Learning To Sing Compact Disc!!! Does anyone know if Clay is the speaker on the CD? or is Allison Glock the speaker? <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Jen -- yes, Clay reads the CD version of LTS. It's wonderful to hear him tell his stories! I've listened to it too many times to mention! <{POST_SNAPBACK}> oooo... now i definitally wanna get that CD!! thanks, ldyjocelyn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
claytonic Posted March 5, 2008 Report Share Posted March 5, 2008 http://www.spielbauer.com/JekyllDownload.htm If you haven't read Creature from Jekyll Island, you can listen to the MP3 at the site above, presented by the author himself, G. Edward Griffin, a very talented speaker. I first listened to it about 5 or 6 years ago. I just went looking for it again to email to a friend, as I've been discussing it with him. So thought I might as well post it here too. It is approx one hour long. It is informative and gripping to the point of being entertaining! Oh, it's about the Federal Reserve, and it is definitely worth one hour of your time. I love audio books. When I had a bout of illness that rendered me too weak to even keep my eyes open to watch TV yet I couldn't sleep, audio books were the answer. I'd recommend them highly for anyone who is in hospital, they passively transport you into another world. Who needs visitors? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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