Anyone actively using Audible?

Haven't tried it. But been thinking about trying Amazon's audio option for my hiking trips. But I don't know if its worth paying the approx. 2.45 to check out some of the self-published novels there...

Running + books = great combo.

Yes!!! This month I'm listening to Leigh Bardugo's SIX OF CROWS, which is just the most ridiculously fun swashbuckling thing. It's basically a magical heist novel. I'm considering something Brandon Sanderson next month, as I've never read him before and people keep telling me to.

I am very seriously considering getting an Audible subscription ever since I saw an offer for two free months for new members. Audiobook prices for individual books on Amazon are absurd, but Audible makes it a lot more reasonable. When I get a job in the (hopefully) near future, I'm most likely going to be commuting 1-2 hours per day, so being able to get some of my reading done in the car would be much appreciated.

I guess what's kept me off of audiobooks is that I worry that I'd miss out on parts of the book because I'm somewhat easily distracted when I'm doing multiple things at once, and I already have a tendency to just let music slide into the background when I'm driving or at the gym. Do any of you have that problem with audiobooks, or is it a non-issue?

Well, if you've got the Audible app on your phone, there's a button that lets you skip a few seconds backwards or forwards, so if you press it a few times, you can hear what you've missed. I definitely zone out from time to time, so I use it a lot.

Matt T. said:

I am very seriously considering getting an Audible subscription ever since I saw an offer for two free months for new members. Audiobook prices for individual books on Amazon are absurd, but Audible makes it a lot more reasonable. When I get a job in the (hopefully) near future, I'm most likely going to be commuting 1-2 hours per day, so being able to get some of my reading done in the car would be much appreciated.

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Does your library do audiobooks? Some offer them as downloads through their Overdrive services. If they partner with Hoopla, that place also has a decent selection.

As for Audible... I'm intrigued by the idea, but I balk at a monthly subscription fee.

Yes. I work as a gardener so there's a lot of time walking behind a mower or weeding a border when I can listen. The best value I've found so far is the complete Sherlock Holmes - 60+ hours for a single credit. I've listened and relistened to that. The Lord of the rings is expensive but also has massive replay value. I recently listened to the Hitchhiker's Guide series. For free audio books Libravox is worth investigation. Since the narrators are all enthusiastic amateurs the quality varies a lot but hey, it's free (and you can always check out the sample first).

Brightdreamer said:

Does your library do audiobooks? Some offer them as downloads through their Overdrive services. If they partner with Hoopla, that place also has a decent selection.

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That's an excellent idea! I regularly check out Kindle versions of books to save money, and I do think they carry some audiobooks, so I'll check that out.

Me! I've had a one-book membership for ages now, but unless I download a long fantasy novel, I often end up buying more credit packs. So, I think I need to upgrade to a 2-book a month subscription.

I absolutely love it. Between a full time job and my own writing, I feel like I have less time to physically sit and read than I would like. Audible is great because I can put it on while I clean the house, or go for walks (via my phone) or sit and colour. I still read a lot of paperbacks because they're not on audible, but I think if more books went straight to audio, I'd use it even more!

I've been listening to audio books for 10 years, and I have an audible subscription for a couple of years. I almost never read a book anymore. It gives me motivation to exercise and I learned that I enjoy the story better this way. Another great advantage is going to the dentist!

When reading books I often skipped parts and missed parts of it since I read too fast. Audible books fixed it. The problem is when I'm really interest in the story and I have to wait until the next day. Headphones when you're in bed next to your wife feels rude, it's easier to stop reading a book.

An interesting side effect is that I end up associating outside events with what's happening in the book. So if I read or listen to the same part of the audio book I often will remember where I was and what I was doing at that point, even years after I read it.

I never wanted to try it due to the monthly subscription, but I recently got three months free through prime. I don't have a commute or anything so I've been listening while I do chores. I like it, but I'm still not sure it's worth it. I'd probably get the subscription if I had a long period each day to listen, but right now I think I prefer text.

Omagarsh, yes. I Audible dang near incessantly. They've begun releasing vintage mysteries and I'm kind of hooked.

I looove Audible. Some of my recent favourites:

THE GIRL WITH ALL THE GIFTS (horror with a very subtle, almost literary zombie theme, amazing narration)
THE FIFTH SEASON (super-diverse apocalyptic fantasy with the best accents and gender-switches in a single narrator that I've ever heard)
SPECTACLES by Sue Perkins (British comedy memoir by a famous British comedian, contains some sad sections for dog lovers )

It is a bit pricy, I'm actually checking out my library's service right now to see how it compares. But Audible do a daily deal, where they e-mail you a book daily that's down to £1.99, and I've got a good amount of cheap reads from that. They also have a 'Kindle Matchmaker' service that offers massive discounts on Kindle books already in your library, which is fantastic if you have an out of control TBR pile like me.

(I'd link to the daily deal and matchmaker service but it's regional, best to just google 'kindle matchmaker us'/'audible daily deal us' etc.)

EDIT: Just checked out Oneclickdigital, our local audiobook library service, and honestly it's a huge disappointment. Tiny range of SFF, no YA section of its own, and they only have one book in a series. I feel sorry for patrons who have to navigate the site, it's really poorly designed and would be a waking nightmare for any visually-impaired audiobook readers, or non-technical library patrons, who might visit. Really disappointing.

Matt T. said:

I guess what's kept me off of audiobooks is that I worry that I'd miss out on parts of the book because I'm somewhat easily distracted when I'm doing multiple things at once, and I already have a tendency to just let music slide into the background when I'm driving or at the gym. Do any of you have that problem with audiobooks, or is it a non-issue?

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I can't listen to someone else read. I get distracted too easily. Sometimes I just zone out and forget I'm supposed to be listening. Which is odd because I love Old Time Radio programs.

Matt T. said:

I guess what's kept me off of audiobooks is that I worry that I'd miss out on parts of the book because I'm somewhat easily distracted when I'm doing multiple things at once, and I already have a tendency to just let music slide into the background when I'm driving or at the gym. Do any of you have that problem with audiobooks, or is it a non-issue?

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The Audible app lets you skin back in increments (mine is 15secs but you can customise it) which really helps with this. A good audiobook narrator will keep my attention for the most part, but when my focus does slip I just skip back half a minute or more until I get back to the last remembered point.

Focus slips are always going to happen. I just shrug it off, skip back and continue.

Became an audio convert when I had kids ... finding time to read became pretty much impossible until I discovered audiobooks. Love them now. Find I enjoy different kinds of books on audio v. Print, which basically means more books to enjoy.: )

MaggieMc said:

Find I enjoy different kinds of books on audio v. Print, which basically means more books to enjoy.: )

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Same here! I love comedy books in audio, autobiographies too in the person's own voice, and I enjoy non-fiction a lot more.

Fantasy books are a bit harder in audio -- as much as I adored The Fifth Season, I found myself wishing I had a paper copy just so I could check how to spell universe-specific words. And when I did check the book a lot of them didn't fit what I'd imagined: I thought the groups of people in the book's world, the Stilness, were called 'Calms'. (Because calm and stillness, y'know?) But they were actually 'Comms', aka communities.

I've used Audible through Amazon, and Overdrive from my library LOTS. My last job had a 40 minute commute, so I listened every day. Now I'm much closer to my new job (8 minutes) so I don't bother queueing up for the commute, but listen for when I go out of town to shows (2-3 weekends a month in the summer). In fact, I just checked my Audible right now, as I'm headed on a 2 hour trip tonight. I wanted to make sure I had enough time on my current book (Cursor's Fury by Jim Butcher) or if I had to download another before I go. Nope, still got 9 hours left, I'm good!

I've been able to get lots of classics through the library. Read a lot of Mark Twain and Isaac Asimov that way!

I use Overdrive too. It connects with library networks around the country and has tons of audiobooks for online checkout... for free. You should see if your local library participates. My teeth-gritting while commuting to and from work has been reduced quite a bit since listening to it in the car.

I like audible. I give myself a 52-books-a-year challenge on Goodreads and audiobooks really help with that number. I tend to prefer humour whether autobiographies or radio sitcoms (Cabin Pressure is fantastic). I have bought some fantasy/sf books too but haven't got around to them yet. Kids books are great if you have a long journey coming up with little ones in the car.

I don't tend to listen to audio books at home though - I get too distracted by other things. On the road it's just me and the book (and the traffic) so it's a lot easier.

Current read/listen is a Ruby Wax book on Mindfulness which is quite interesting, though I had to skip the chapter on mindfulness exercises (a six week course) as I couldn't do them in the car