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Audiobooks

There are massive collections of free audiobooks (those out of copyright) out on the web. There are also many sources for copyrighted material, just depends on how strong your moral compass is I guess.
 
I was right! Louisiana has something like our Kansas State Library. Poke around here and ask your librarian to help you get a card. I was just looking at audiobooks on the Kansas library site..talk about a treasure trove!
 
:flowers:

You rock, abc. I had poked around a little there, but not deep enough, I guess. I did finally come across some good stuff.

And TM, a friend just told be about a filesharing site he uses...
 
I have about 130 Gio of audio books on my hard drive which is something like 900 books.
Some poeple people i share books with have up 4 or 5 Tio on there drives, lots of teaching company stuff, most classics,BBC, old time radio,.... amazing choices.
 
saliotthomas said:
I have about 130 Gio of audio books on my hard drive which is something like 900 books.
Some poeple people i share books with have up 4 or 5 Tio on there drives, lots of teaching company stuff, most classics,BBC, old time radio,.... amazing choices.
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I wish I could find The CBS Radio Mystery Theatre. A local radio station aired the program on Sunday nights when I was a teen. Scared the bejeebers out of me, some of those stories did. Great stuff.
 
If you tend towards the morally bankrupt as I do, you'll find a search of internet newsgroups to be rewarding.
 
Like em

Personally, I have to like the voices I'm hearing while trying to get into the book. After reading the Twighlight Series, I decided to also listen to them. I enjoyed the person they chose for the voice, and therefore really enjoyed my time spent with the audio version.
 
burnsrunner said:
Personally, I have to like the voices I'm hearing while trying to get into the book. After reading the Twighlight Series, I decided to also listen to them. I enjoyed the person they chose for the voice, and therefore really enjoyed my time spent with the audio version.
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When I was in the fourth grade, I tried to read A Wrinkle in Time, and just didn't understand it at all. Then in the fifth and sixth grades, one of my teachers read it to the class. She loved the book and insisted on reading it two years in a row.. It really helped me grasp it all to hear her read it. She used different voices, particularly for the mysterious ladies, and to this day, I can hear Mrs. Schoech in my head if I try to read that book.
 
I got hooked on audio books a long time ago. I spent most of the day in a vehicle and listening to audio books allowed me to "read" fiction books I did not otherwise have time to read. Also great for long trips. I started with tapes then CD's which I checked out of the library. Then picked some up at the book store. Then came audio books on tape which had a store in Delray Beach Florida which I could join and as a member get tapes /CD's return them and get more. They closed. Then I discovered audible.com and have been downloading books for several years. Hear them when traveling, waiting in lines, in doctors offices etc.
But was was mentioned earlier about the reader is so true. Kate Reading has done several "Scarpetta" books and not very well. Other books she has done are okay. Guidall(sp?) has done the Mitch Rapp books and I like him. In fact, I find more good readers than bad.
Just my two cents.
 
I remember the tapes days. I was a member of Books On Tape, rentals. Carrying around a box or two of 40 tapes, lol. Still have some kicking around somewhere I bet. I got a waterproof walkman so I could take it on the boat. MP3s are much better.

I must just be lucky when it comes to the readers. I've only found one that I just couldn't stand. All the rest have been good to great, and there have been hundreds. I particularly like Jim Dale, the Harry Potter (US version) guy, and whoever it was that read most of the Stephen King Dark Tower series.
 
Yes that was the name of the place. Books on Tape and they had a store in Delray Beach. When it closed I found the alternative.
I really liked Jim Dale doing the Harry Potter series and then he was the voice narrator on a short lived sit com.
 
Pushing Up Daisies, I remember that. I started watching it just because of him. Too bad it wasn't a good show.
 
I think Audiobooks are a mixed bag. I have listened to some AMAZING audio books as well as some AMAZINGLY BAD audio books. The good ones I thoroughly enjoy, but it's hard to tell without giving them a chance first. And great books can be made into terrible audio books. I like to listen to audios when I go running or work out. I find I get less distracted when I do so. I also travel a fair bit and love listening to audio then, too. It definitely helps if they are good. I've recently been devouring Harry Potter on audio as read by Jim Dale. This is the most amazing audio I have ever listened to. It has been some time since I read the series and listening to his story telling is like reading them for the first time all over again. It's incredible.
 
TMBrown327 said:
I remember the tapes days. I was a member of Books On Tape, rentals. Carrying around a box or two of 40 tapes, lol. Still have some kicking around somewhere I bet. I got a waterproof walkman so I could take it on the boat. MP3s are much better.

I must just be lucky when it comes to the readers. I've only found one that I just couldn't stand. All the rest have been good to great, and there have been hundreds. I particularly like Jim Dale, the Harry Potter (US version) guy, and whoever it was that read most of the Stephen King Dark Tower series.
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The guy that read most of the Dark Tower series was Frank Muller... someone mentioned him near the beginning of this thread. He was DEFINITELY one of the best readers out there (if not THE best). I say was, because he can't read anymore. After Wizard and Glass (Dark Tower #4) he was in a motorcycle accident. I don't think he died, but he couldn't read anymore. He may be dead now from other reasons, but in any case, his audiobook days are over. It's a shame too. He was pretty much the best one out there. I still get chills when I hear him say "The Dark Tower" in that smooth, yet raspy, voice.

(I'm telling you all of this from memory, so I could be getting some of it wrong. I know he was in an accident and I know he can't do audiobooks anymore... that's pretty much all I'm sure about.)

Aside from that, I LOVE audiobooks. I actually haven't listened to one in a month or two, but I really burn through some books like that. I can't tell you how many books I listened to during my phases... books I NEVER would've read otherwise. I used to have a job as a data processor. It was mindless work just typing what you see on the screen. I would listen to audiobooks at least 5 or 6 hours out of the day during most days working there. It was awesome.

Now, my job is a bit more demanding of my brain and there are sometimes where I just can't listen to audiobooks (and comprehend) while working.

Aside from that, I barely READ books anymore... in fact, the last time I actually read a book was the last Harry Potter book... and that's only because I wanted it as soon as it came out and I wanted to read it immediately. Before that, It had been AGES... probably the 10th Wheel of Time book was the last one I read before that.... and that was pretty much right when it came out (which was also ages seeing as there has been an 11th, a death, and a 12th book out since then).

If we're speaking of morally bankrupt methods of obtaining audiobooks, you could always try bit torrent. It works well.
 
I listened to my first audio book ever the other day (except for kid's stories when I was young) and I enjoyed it pretty well. It was harder to stay focused and I had to back it up a few times so I didn't get lost. I bought a pair of headphones just for this reason and I don't think I could follow along as well without them. Escape pod and Free Speculative Fiction Online both contain audio short stories gratis.
 
What a great thread :) I have just joined the forum and I glanced at some of the posts here and decided to join :)

I would like to make a few quick comments about some of those posts if I may :)

I was just curious if there was a general change in attitude about this since 2005.
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Portable media devices and fast ADSL connections have made audiobooks more popular then ever. The first thing to be said about them is they are not to be thought of as a replacement for traditional books IMHO, but to fill a gap by allowing poeple to listen to a book being narrated during those times when reading is not practical. e.g. while driving a car.

I don't think I could get into it as well with a nano. Most of the books I listen to are multi-part mp3 files and I'd be forever searching around for the right tracks and bookmarks etc. Without a display, I'd be lost.
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There is free software available that will allow you to merge those files into one large file, and also give you an ability to bookmark the narration in your iPhone/iPod for example. Let me know if you would like more info in relation to this. But yes, difficult without a display.

I used to have a prejudice against audio books. I still prefer reading books but I since I got my iPhone I find I enjoy audio books as well. They allow me to enjoy books while my eyes or hands are busy with other things.
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Thats exactly why they are so popular :)

The only issue is finding affordable (free) audiobooks.
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There are massive collections of free audiobooks (those out of copyright)
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There are tons of tiltles available from the public domain (Expired copyright) be aware that the majority of these titles are narrated by enthusiasts hence the audio quality will vary, particually if compared to commercially narrated recordings. But neverless some excellent renditions are are available, particually in the "Classic genre".

I think Audiobooks are a mixed bag. I have listened to some AMAZING audio books as well as some AMAZINGLY BAD audio books. The good ones I thoroughly enjoy, but it's hard to tell without giving them a chance first. And great books can be made into terrible audio books. I like to listen to audios when I go running or work out. I find I get less distracted when I do so. I also travel a fair bit and love listening to audio then, too. It definitely helps if they are good. I've recently been devouring Harry Potter on audio as read by Jim Dale. This is the most amazing audio I have ever listened to. It has been some time since I read the series and listening to his story telling is like reading them for the first time all over again. It's incredible.
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Jim Dale is just amazing! His talents extend to acting, song writing, stage ..........the list goes on and on.....as an audiobook narrator, he with out doubt is one of the best

Love to hear more from those that have already posted in this thread :)

Pete Markovic
 
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