What is your preferred method of listening to audio books? Where and when do you listen to them?
I love audio books, and always have (2) going at one time. One in the car, and one on my IPOD. The ones on the IPOD get listened to when I am doing housework, going for walks, sitting on the deck flipping through magazines, and almost every night in bed for about an hour (sometimes less, when I doze off with the ears buds still on).
I must admit that I have difficulty listening to some readers, and so I'll rarely buy an audio book I borrow them from the library or down load from the library so I don't feel guilty, if the reader does not work out for me.
(4) favorite audio books that I listened to over the last couple of years were: The Commoner; Schwartz, The Art of Racing in the Rain; Garth Stein, The Gold Coast and Night Fall by Nelson DeMille. For other thrillers: Lisa Gardner and Stuart woods has great readers, and for something funny and mindless, you cannot go wrong with David Sedaris or Janet Evanovich.
What were some of your favorite audio books?
I love audio books, and always have (2) going at one time. One in the car, and one on my IPOD. The ones on the IPOD get listened to when I am doing housework, going for walks, sitting on the deck flipping through magazines, and almost every night in bed for about an hour (sometimes less, when I doze off with the ears buds still on).
I must admit that I have difficulty listening to some readers, and so I'll rarely buy an audio book I borrow them from the library or down load from the library so I don't feel guilty, if the reader does not work out for me.
(4) favorite audio books that I listened to over the last couple of years were: The Commoner; Schwartz, The Art of Racing in the Rain; Garth Stein, The Gold Coast and Night Fall by Nelson DeMille. For other thrillers: Lisa Gardner and Stuart woods has great readers, and for something funny and mindless, you cannot go wrong with David Sedaris or Janet Evanovich.
What were some of your favorite audio books?
Are you sure you want to get me started on this subject? :P I love audio books. Love them. I listen while walking the dogs, cleaning, knitting and sometimes at work when I have filing or billing to do (both are mindless jobs). Unfortunately I don't have access to a library (or not one with English books anyway), so I buy all of mind through audible. I learned quickly though that you must play the sample before buying because there's nothing worse than a bad reader.
ReplyDeleteFavourite audio books? There are too many to list. I really like listening to Martin Jarvis though. That man can make a book that would otherwise be horrid. Other than that, it's so hard to say. It's sometimes like each one is better than the last, and even the bad ones have their merits. Also, after having discovered audio books, my reading time increased greatly, so I feel like I can branch out more and try new things.
Oh yes, Ipod most of the time, loud speakers when I'm in the shower or tub and don't want to stop listening.
What are your favourite ear buds btw?
I listen to them in my car (via my iPod) on the way to work. And occasionally while walking. I find I do better with non-fiction than fiction...for some reason it's easier to concentrate on non-fiction.
ReplyDeleteBrother, I'm Dying was fantastic, as was Freakonomics.
I wish I could enjoy audio books..but I don't really. I find I am either very distracted or I fall asleep when listening to them. So that doesn't work..lol
ReplyDeleteI've actually never listened to an audio book. My drive to and from work is too short to make it worthwhile (and that's usually when I catch up on the news, anyway) and I don't own an iPod or MP3 player to take along on walks with me. I'm too easily distracted if I try to listen to even podcasts while I'm at the computer or cleaning house--I often forget I'm listening to anything at all. And I fall asleep if I sit and do nothing, just trying to listen. I'm not sure it would be any different if I were listening to a book.
ReplyDeleteI've been wanting an iPod for years now. I think it would be fun to have one for my walks with the dog. Maybe someday . . . And then I can try listening to a book.
I enjoy listening to BOCD on my way to and from work. It passes the time. Some readers I really can't take their voices so back to the library they go! I usually download the BOCD's to my ipod and listen to them, that way I can get the BOCD back to the library for someone else to borrow.
ReplyDeleteI love listening to audiobooks in the car! Have recently startled listening while walking and was wondering about having a separate book on the ipod for this (have never had two going at the same time). My favorite audio so far this year is The Help.
ReplyDeleteI think you made a great point - the reader makes all the difference in the world when it comes to audio books!
ReplyDeleteI only listen to nonfiction audiobooks, but I enjoyed "The Survivors Club" by Ben Sherwood, "Roads to Quoz" (a road book) by William Least-Heat Moon, and any of the Tony Horwitz books, which can be laugh-out-loud funny.
ReplyDeleteMy faves of all time are Ireland by Frank Delany, read by the author, and Anansi's Boys by Neil Gaiman. But I love audiobooks and like you usually get them from the library. One thing I enjoy is to 'reread' an old favourite by listening to the audio version. Possession was the best of the 'rereads' so far!
ReplyDeleteI can only listen in the car. I don't know why, but I have tried listening at home and it just didn't work out. There was always something else that caught my attention. But I do love audio books and do not listen to anything else while driving. My daughter already knows to take her iPod in the car since she'd rather listen to music :)
ReplyDeleteI love listening to books on my iPod, I usually load easy to follow mysteries since I tend to zone out from time to time. The funny thing is that I have been known to put the ear buds in and fall asleep at night only to wake up in the morning with the book still playing. Maybe that explains some of the strange dreams I have.
ReplyDeleteI'll admit that I've never listened to an audio book. I'm hesitant to do so because for me, part of the pleasure of reading is opening that book and settling down with it in your lap. It's a physical enjoyment as much as a mental one. Do you find that you lose that with audio books?
ReplyDeleteI agree that the reader can make or break the book! Davina Porter is an awesome reader. She reads the Outlander series and its excellent.
ReplyDeleteI think audiobooks would work for me if it were non-fiction. For fiction books, I always have the tendency to refer back, reread little bits, and while that is possible with audiobooks, it doesn't give quite the same feeling.
ReplyDeleteI love audio books too. Of course it depends on the reader and the story. I, too, get them from the library.
ReplyDeleteI haven't listened to an audio book in ages! I sometimes have trouble concentrating on them for long periods of time. The last ones I really remember loving were the Thursday Next books by Jasper FForde. If you haven't checked those out yet, you might like them. They use the same narrator for the whole series, and I thought they were really enjoyable.
ReplyDeleteI simply can't listen to audio books. Not my cup of tea!
ReplyDeleteMondays: What's up?
Listening to an audio is a different kind of pleasure than physically reading a book, Michelle. It is not "instead of" a book, for me, but I listen when I cannot possibly hold a book in my hands while driving.
ReplyDeleteWhen walking, I usually listen to a PLAYAWAY book which I get from the library. This is a self-contained audiobook...no discs to switch, etc. It is a marvelous invention.
In reply to the ear bud question, the best I've found so far are my JVC Air (http://www.amazon.com/JVC-HAFX66B-Cushion-Headphones-Black/dp/B000WH83AA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1252385250&sr=8-1). They're really comfortable and stay put. The sound quality is good too, although I'm not an afficianado, so don't quote me on that. I'm just happy if they don't sound tinny. Still, for the price, they're great. I tried the iPod ones, but they made my ears hurt and didn't stay in very well when I was cleaning etc. I will admit that they are more robust though. I used them for about 6 months with no damage to them. It seems I either get comfort or robustness, but ne'er the twain shall meet...
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