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The Kitchen Table

Do you listen to audiobooks?

16 years ago

My friend just got an MP3 player so she can listen to books when she walks. She's looking for the best place to download books. Amazon looks a little pricey. She found another place that is $14 a month. Any suggestions for free or lower priced books to download?

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Comments (13)

glenda_al
16 years ago
I DID when my DS lived in North Carolina, and listened when traveling to visit him!
vicki_lv
16 years ago
Is it $14 a month for as many as she would like to download? And will she listen to a lot of them? If that is the case, that sounds like a fair deal. I spend that or more on each of my audiobooks from iTunes, for my iPhone. However, I don't download a lot of them, only when we drive to Montana and back.
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Oh camlan, I think you've hit on a good idea there. I just checked the regional talking library offerings, and they're excellent. Loads of stuff my mom would enjoy. Also, looks like I can arrange a shared password; I could make the selections & have them shipped for her, bypassing my stubborn dad. (The talking library is affiliated with a regional university -- doubly intimidating!) To return the audiobooks & player, probably all they'd have to do is repackage them & stick it in their mailbox for pick up. So easy! Looks like some of the audiobooks are downloadable too. Maybe I could still get an mp3 player for my dad and let his curiosity for gadgets take over. That would help to sell the basic idea. (heh heh!) The only obstacle is getting my folks to fill out that downloadable application form. It can be impossible to get my dad to do anything that isn't his idea -- he wants to be in complete control, y'know how that goes? And my mom defers to him. Thanks very much for the tip. I'll look into it further & see if I can get my sister on board. Dad does have a soft spot for the "baby" of the family ;)
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Only if I were 100% certain! and if I could do something else while there, although you won't have much time: 6 hours driving plus an hour, say, for the stop and a snack, there's your day. On the other hand, someone drove 4 states to buy my dad's tractor, a full day drive each way. I drive 2.5 hours each way to pick up my son from school, but don't think I'd do it for a cabinet. One good thing though: do you listen to audiobooks? You could get a lot of listening done!
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bee0hio
16 years ago
I got an iPod for Christmas. I borrow audio CDs from our library, download to the computer, then to the iPod. I can get a lot of tasks done while listening to a book or a podcast. iTunes.com has free podcasts & I downloaded a couple, so far, from there.
kim_okla
16 years ago
Our library has downloads. I assumed you could do it from their webpage.
socks
Original Author
16 years ago
Vicki, sorry I'm not sure what you get for the $14. I googled around and found that overdrive.com partners with libraries to provide audiobooks, so that may help her.

Thanks everyone.
pawsitive_gw
16 years ago
The library is free. I just can't get the little mp3 like player to jive with the computer to do it. Grrrrr. So I'm still getting cds from the library and listen to them in my car, or in the portable cd player (do you know how hard they are to find now!!) or a cassette player (they are getting really scarce now). I can work out in the garden or sit and cross stitch and listen to a book.
luckygardnr
16 years ago
AudioOwl.com is a free one. I don't know how good it is or if there are any hidden fees, but I sent the website to my DSis for my Mother. Mom is almost blind now, but always loved to read. Usually they go to the library every week and borrow several audio books.
alisande
16 years ago
Our state library has free downloads from their website. All you need is a library card from your local library.

You just have to be careful about the due date, as the book will expire (and stop working in your mp3 player) when it's due unless you renew it, which you can do online.
User
16 years ago
I love audio books. I usually get my from the library I don't know how to download that sort of thing. You can also get free audio books at paperbackswap.com
What audios have been your favorite so far?
I like the Danielle Steel one, I just finished "one day at at time"
Dee1
16 years ago
I've listened to a couple Stephen King novels. I don't have an mp3 player, and wouldn't know what to do with one if I did. My grandkids who teach me all this stuff live in Florida now, so that limits my electronic abilities! lol
Dee in Michigan
petaloid
16 years ago
We have audio books that we usually listen to in the car -- it didn't occur to me that these could be downloaded, so I'll have to look into that.

The Harry Potter audio books, the British versions with Stephen Frye reading, are what we usually listen to when driving, if there's no good music on the radio.

This past week I have been listening to recordings of four bible study classes Jimmy Carter gave in 1998, called "Leading a Worthy Life." Not a book, exactly, but interesting.
deedeebaker
16 years ago
Where I live our Library has free downloads - she should check that out. You can even put yourself on a waiting list if the audiobook you want is not available at the time you are looking.
sheilajoyce_gw
16 years ago
I tried, but I find my mind wanders and I have to keep backing up to find where the day dreaming started. I guess I do better with hard copy.

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