So today I'm talking about Audible. It may not be like my usual Daisy Discussions, but it's still a discussion.
I was contacted by the lovely people over at Audible, asking if I wanted to try out Audible as part of the outreach program and then write about it on my little old blog here. I've been getting so many recommendations to try out audiobooks and I'd heard good things about this particular site to get them, so I was pretty excited to give this a go!
I've been exploring the site and searching for random books from my TBR list and I have to say that I was pretty happy with the selection they offered! There were hardly any books that I couldn't find and I'm not even sure if the books I couldn't find even had an audiobook.
The site is very user friendly and easy to navigate and I like that you can make a wishlist. I got one free credit and it felt a bit like shopping in a candystore with just one dollar when I was a kid and couldn't decide what to spend my saved up allowance on!
In the end I chose Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay and guys, I'm loving it! It's so nice to be able to do mindless stuff around the house and not have it feel like a complete waste of time because I'm listening to a book while doing it!
I liked that Audible has an app for your phone, so I can walk around or go pretty much anywhere and still always have my book with me, because you know, I take my phone with me everywhere. The app is pretty handy with bookmarks and such, though one time I accidentally skipped to the next chapter and it was kinda hard to get back on track after that. But that is mostly due to my clumsiness I think.
I really think Audible.com is a great resource for audiobooks and I've actually extended my membership beyond the free trial because I like it so much! I'm hoping to get a bit more into listening to audiobooks this way and make my travelling and chores less dull. I can also see how this would be great during the 24-hour read-a-thon, because sometimes I have to go places and I hate not being able to read during those times!
So if you're interested in trying their services, the lovely people at Audible gave me a link to share with you so you get a free trial membership:
http://www.audible.com/t1/30DayGoldFT_at
It only works if you've never had a free trial before (I tried clicking it to get the link, but that didn't work ;) )
Have you tried Audible before? Have any recommendations for me as to what should be my next audiobook? Let me know!
Disclaimer: I received a free trial membership from Audible, but this in no way influenced the opinions expressed above
I tried the free thing and bought The Pillars of the Earth with my freebie. I took the signup and got two other credits but as I am still working on Pillars of the Earth (listening 2 hours a week) I decided to cancel it for now. I still have the books I bought though and am free to listen to them.
ReplyDeleteSo yes I like it and actually am surprised by how well audiobooks work for me. I was always scared I would zone out while listening but even if I do the voice is in my head and when I think I missed a bit and rewind I realize I did hear it all.
I recently tried Audible as well (for a book that wasn't available in the US except for on audible) and, although I enjoyed it, the reader wasn't the greatest (and I've heard that that makes a complete difference). The other thing is that it just takes so much longer when you're listening to someone read, with inflection, pauses, etc. than it takes to read. But the idea of being able to do other things while "reading" is nice. I did exercise while listening. I think audible would work better for people that read multiple books at once because you could listen when you're walking, etc. and then read another book when you can do that. But I'm a one book at a time person! I haven't cancelled yet, so I think I'll give it one more try and see what I think. ~Pam
ReplyDeleteI like Audible but is a bit pricey for me to keep a subscription, so I just visit when i want something in particular. Otherwise, I just stick to prink.
ReplyDeleteI may try out audiobooks sometime soon because my life is getting so much busier, but I don't know how much I'll like it. i can space out easily if there's just a constant voice going on, so I guess I'm a bit afraid of that. But we'll see! :)
ReplyDeleteI really liked Audible, but it got to be too expensive ... especially when I was paying $14-something for my credit, but a lot of the books I wanted were for less than that. I did manage to stock up on a LOT of audiobooks from them when I was a member, so maybe one day I'll join again, but probably not for a long while.
ReplyDeleteGreat post!