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Anyone else into audiobooks?

Let's face it: We can't always read. Sometimes we need to drive. Some other times we need to take showers and stuff. And there are times when we are making out with someone. Yet, you really need to get your daily fix of "Crime and Punishment". What do you do? You listen to an audiobook.

You can get some for free, like those available on Librivox, you can purchase some others on Audible, and you can also borrow some from anonymous friends over the innanets (and, to be fair, the only reason why I mention this is because Audible is a pain in the arse depending on the player you have, but I don't think I need to remind you that TranceAddict does not support file sharing, do I?)

So, do you like to listen to books? Where do you (legally) get yours?

The only audiobook I've ever listened to was on cassette when I was a small child. It was a story called Arabele's Raven. I wonder if that was when I became interested in birds

It's a good thing you haven't heard Nabokov, then.

lots of libraries loan out audiobooks via limited downloads now. I use a library next to me, and they have a fairly decent selection. The files are good for 21 days. I'm not sure if there are any that will loan internationally but I'll look into it.

If you find one, please let me know

Libraries in the US have audio books but not a big selection and you have to watch out for abridged versions. I used to read a lot of books while driving in the car. I've gotten out of the practice but I might start again. Just be careful if its in the car because listening to a book can be as distracting as using a cell phone because it interferes with you mental ability to react.

I might have Anna Karina kicking around.

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Originally posted by igottaknow I might have Anna Karina kicking around.

Is that the abridged version of Anna Karenina?

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Originally posted by Halcyon+On+On Is that the abridged version of Anna Karenina?

I used to get into them a bit, they're good for long trips- My eyes get sore after a while, and when i was a kid I would ocassionally get car-sick when on long road trips with my folks, when reading--

had a lot of terry pratchett books (ones narrated by Tony Robinson i recall were mad)... Used to listen to a lot of BBC radio shows too- Goon show, Hitchhikers guide to the galaxy...

used to get a lot from the library..

I prefer audiovideobooks.

I have a few economics books / lectures in audio form but apart from that i never really got into them. Tried to listen to the harry potter audio books, but despite the magnificent narration by the exceptional Stephen Fry i coudnt get into them.

prefer listening to podcasts in the car anyway.

Lira, check out the Robert Ingersoll lectures on Libravox. Truly awesome stuff.

No.

Re: Anyone else into audiobooks?

quote:

Originally posted by Lira Let's face it: We can't always read. Sometimes we need to drive. Some other times we need to take showers and stuff. And there are times when we are making out with someone. Yet, you really need to get your daily fix of "Crime and Punishment". What do you do? You listen to an audiobook. You can get some for free, like those available on Librivox, you can purchase some others on Audible, and you can also borrow some from anonymous friends over the innanets (and, to be fair, the only reason why I mention this is because Audible is a pain in the arse depending on the player you have, but I don't think I need to remind you that TranceAddict does not support file sharing, do I?) So, do you like to listen to books? Where do you (legally) get yours?

I've stopped reading since discovering audiobooks, don't know if its good. I enjoy good voice actors though.

Audible is crap, I downloaded their client, and 1 audiobook, I'm not sure how to transfer it to my mp3 player, its got some weird format

Librivox sounds very amateurish , so I don't really like their stuff.

And I don't have any other legal sources of audiobooks

I wonder if there's any cognitive difference between reading a book and listing to it.

Who cares anyway, just found out that Breaking Bad has a companion podcast the length of each ep it corresponds to, so I won't be sticking my nose betwixt pages any time soon.

/vodkaramble.

Re: Re: Anyone else into audiobooks?

Will do, Cap! And that's a good question, Witty. With a book visual memory is involved, and an audiobook is pretty much just like listening to a friend/lecturer speak... not sure how that changes anything, cognitively speaking, but I often remember lots of stuff I listened to because of what I was doing at the time (i.e. driving in a certain avenue here in Brasilia reminds me of William James' Essays in Radical Empiricism).

quote:

Originally posted by stren I've stopped reading since discovering audiobooks, don't know if its good. I enjoy good voice actors though. Audible is crap, I downloaded their client, and 1 audiobook, I'm not sure how to transfer it to my mp3 player, its got some weird format

That's exactly why I hate it with passion. It works marvellously as long as you own a "mainstream" mp3 player, but it's nearly impossible to listen to anything if you've got an ordinary one.

I downloaded an audiobook last year to try their services and I had to burn 7 CD's in order to transfer the audio to my mp3 player (a genuine Sony player, no less). It gave me so much headache I vowed never to buy anything from them ever again. Then I got an iPod and it accidentally found the files: it was stupidly easy to transfer the files to the player this time, and even the chapters are neatly divided.

It's quite tempting to start buying from them now, but given Amazon's bad reputation with e-books, I'm reluctant to choose Audible over piracy. At least then I can listen to my files wherever I want.

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Originally posted by stren Librivox sounds very amateurish , so I don't really like their stuff.

I've got to agree with you, I only listened to books that I really - really - wanted to listen. But, since they only read books that are already in the public domain, I usually just have Ivona Reader (a Polish program, by the way) do the reading job. Some voices are so natural and the quality is so good, I'd rather listen to it instead

quote:

Originally posted by stren And I don't have any other legal sources of audiobooks

Oh

grab the BBC radioshow adaptations of books. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is an excellent series to start with. it's not available for free as far as I know, but worth the buy.

I get them from the local library myself.

Re: Re: Re: Anyone else into audiobooks?

quote:

Originally posted by Lira Ivona Reader (a Polish program, by the way)

heh, I know Ivona, its a popular for creating meme videos here in Poland

I would laugh too hard, if I would use it for books, I just associate that voice with those ridiculous videos

The only audiobook that I have is Decision Points by (including read by) George Bush. It's worth it.

I used to listen to them in high school when I couldn't be assed to do the reading in english. worked great.

any other audio book sites to recommend?

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Originally posted by Ted Promo The only audiobook that I have is Decision Points by (including read by) George Bush. It's worth it.

'Rumsfeld Rules' is another good one.

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Originally posted by Trance O Matic I used to listen to them in high school when I couldn't be assed to do the reading in english. worked great.

This whole education system is going down the toilet: We should be learning Mandarin and Maths, not English.

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