I received an Audible gift card. I've never had an audio book. I've always preferred to just read from paper; call me old fashioned, I like the traditional way of reading.

Still, I'm willing to try out this new fangled thing.

What types of books really lend themselves to audio? There are certain books that I think would not - art history books with pictures for example. Math books with equations.

I'm trying to learn more about finance, investing and bonds. Does that go well on audio or is paper better?

Is audio really more for casual reading like novels and other fiction. Perhaps even history (I'd like to learn more about US history and world history)?

What types of books go well on audio? I may listen via apple tv (probably not in the car as I'm not there much).

quote:

Originally posted by konata88:
I'm trying to learn more about finance, investing and bonds. Does that go well on audio or is paper better?

I think it really depends on the book.

I've read some books in this genre that are basically all discussion and would be find as an audiobook. I've also read some that are full of graphs and tables and examples that would be a disaster.

Audible is a strong brand and really wants to sell audiobooks and make them more popular. I would be ASTONISHED if Audible had many audiobook versions of books that were poor candidates for audiobookery. They're playing the long game. They don't want to make a buck off of selling you one shitty audiobook, they want you buying audiobooks for the rest of your life and telling all your friends that they should, too.

I listen to audio books while working out. I started with novels and light reading because I wasn't sure how good of a listener I was. Over time, I have become a good listener and can now listen to my usual nonfiction material. I've always been a very prolific reader, but I can honestly say that I can absorb the information just as well listening now. I actually think it develops your listening skills quite a bit.

I used the free trial to listen to the unabridged version of Lord of the Rings, read by Rob Inglis. A total of 54 hours or so. I thoroughly enjoyed it, but not enough to pay for a subscription.



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quote:

Originally posted by konata88:
I received an Audible gift card. I've never had an audio book. I've always preferred to just read from paper; call me old fashioned, I like the traditional way of reading.

Still, I'm willing to try out this new fangled thing.

What types of books really lend themselves to audio? There are certain books that I think would not - art history books with pictures for example. Math books with equations.

I'm trying to learn more about finance, investing and bonds. Does that go well on audio or is paper better?

Is audio really more for casual reading like novels and other fiction. Perhaps even history (I'd like to learn more about US history and world history)?

What types of books go well on audio? I may listen via apple tv (probably not in the car as I'm not there much).

New fangled? You must be old.

They started in 1932 and went digital 20 years ago.

Here's a brief history of them.

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/a...digital-audio-device

I think audiobooks are great. I started listening to them when I was commuting and really came to like them. Now I use them when walking the dog, mowing the lawn, doing housework, etc.

The quality of the narrator is paramount. For example, Starship Troopers is one of my all time favorite books but the audiobook is terrible because it was narrated in a monotone. Other narrators are truly gifted and really bring the story to life. RC Bray is phenomenal.

Find something narrated by RC Bray and start there.

I like fiction-- Sci-Fi and Fantasy typically. Things that let your imagination wander a bit while doing other things. Makes my commute super short--I look forward to my 30 minutes of Storytime every time I get in the car to commute.

If you are into light "Sci-Fi", the Artemis by Andy Weir is a good start (Andy Weir also wrote The Martian). It's narrated by broadway actress Rosario Dawson.

If you like heavy Sci-Fi, SevenEves by Neal Stephenson is epic in length and scope. You'll definitely get your money's worth as it's 32 hour long. The narration isn't *super good*, but the story was fairly engaging.

I also really liked We Are Legion (We are Bob), but it's a series and you'll want to buy the other books too after you listen to the first.

Wife and I usually get an audiobook for long car rides when we go on vacation and spend 10-20 hours in the car.

Just fiction stories while going to work. It’s too easy to zone out on educational stuff while driving.

It was so cool to hear a professional read Lord of the Rings. He read all the elvish poems and stuff you normally skip past when you read it yourself.

Cant say enough good things about Audible and the range of books to listen too.

I like books narrated by Dick Hill, e.g., Killing Floor by Lee Child or any of the WEB Griffin books from back in the day but there are many good narrators including Steven Pacey (books by Joe Aberombie)or Bronson Pinchot e.g., Dead Six.

quote:

Originally posted by sigcrazy7:
It was so cool to hear a professional read Lord of the Rings. He read all the elvish poems and stuff you normally skip past when you read it yourself.

It was very well done, and included all the stuff the films left out - which filled in a few gaps in the story.

I wish there was something “in between”. I won’t use it enough to justify a subscription, but at the moment there’s one book that I would like to listen to, but as a single purchase it’s $36 which is crazy, I could buy the hard cover and paperback for that. I’ve already use my free downloads with trial subscriptions years ago.

You just buy the Premium Plus subscription, get however many credits at the discounted price ($15 for 1 credit, of $23 for 2 credits), then cancel the subscription. The credits remain yours to spend, and anything purchased remains yours.

I read so much faster than people talk (yes, I know about playback speed controls) that I only listen to audiobooks when I'm traveling with others, and need to kill time while not being visually distracted from driving.

That said, I've done a lot of that over the years, and Audible does a great job.

The distinction is whether or not you are focusing elsewhere and listening, or focusing on the Audible only. I would not try to learn finance/investing via an audio book unless I was focusing on only listening.

So, IMO if you're doing something else (commuting, knitting, repairing stuff,...) while listening, then pick entertainment titles. If you're trying to learn something important via Audible, then my recommendation is either to get a book/Kindle version, or plan to do your Audible-izing when you can devote yourself to it.

I like Milton Friedman/heavier times - only way I get through them

Tomes not times

I listen to audio books frequently when I am running/walking outside or have a long drive.

One thing I noticed when listening in the car. If you are in a lot of traffic or an area that requires a lot of attention the denser material tends to get lost. Lighter easier reads do better in those situations.

When I am running/walking the denser stuff is easier to devote my attention to.

Wife and I listen to them quite a bit. My wife has a subscription to Audible, but I find I can get most audio book I like free from the library.

If it was just me, I wouldn't pay for a subscription, I'd just continue to use the local library.

quote:

Originally posted by xanth:
If it was just me, I wouldn't pay for a subscription, I'd just continue to use the local library.

Yes. Many libraries have audiobooks that you can check out, or even an app that you can use that works like Audible to check out audio books for free.