Grumpus's comments
(member since Aug 06, 2007)
Grumpus's comments from the Audiobooks group.
(showing 1-20 of 107)
I joined the hype bandwagon and started listening to The Lost Key. I know folks generally have little middle ground on Dan Brown books but I have to say that I have enjoyed listening to all of them. Maybe the folks who didn't like reading them should have listened and would have had a different experience.
I LOVE Audible...loved it so much I became a stockholder before they sold to Amazon. I've never had a major problem. Customer service was outstanding on my minor issue and I was fully satisfied.
I do have to agree with John that the site is a little "clunky" and a little slow but still the benefits significantly outweigh these quirks.
I love the convenience, the reasonable prices, the service and the sales can't be beat.
I'm listening to Washington's Crossing and find it outstanding...I took a little break from history but I'm glad I'm back on topic.
The key phrase is "although not audio downloads". I believe this is simply people moving away from CDs to downloads and also reflects the greater selection available in public libraries.
Audiobook sales plummeting
Associated Press
May 27, 2009
New York -- Except for e-books, sales are down throughout the publishing industry, and the numbers have looked even steeper for audio.
The Assn. of American Publishers has seen a 47% drop in audio revenue this year: Just 14 publishers reported, but they include Simon & Schuster, HarperCollins and virtually all the major New York firms.
According to Nielsen BookScan, which covers about 75% of sales (although not audio downloads), the number of audiobooks sold is down 20% this year from 2008. Data compiled by the Institute for Publishing Research project a 4.7% revenue fall in 2009.
Anthony Goff, president of the Audio Publishers Assn., and others cite a few reasons for audio's troubles.
The shrinking economy has had a very direct effect. The fewer people who work, the fewer people who drive to work. More than half of audio customers listen in their cars, said Chris Lynch, executive vice president and publisher of Simon & Schuster Audio.
Audiobooks also tend to cost more. The audio download for the country's hottest title, Mark R. Levin's "Liberty and Tyranny," has a list price of $29.99, nearly $5 higher than for the hardcover.
When you're seriously considering spending $100 on headphones just to listen to books--not not for music.
Audiobooks read in 2009 Q1:Getting Stoned_With Savages A Trip Through the Islands of Fiji and Vanuatu
Undaunted Courage Meriwether Lewis Thomas Jefferson and the Opening of the American West
The Heretic Queen A Novel
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Into Africa The Epic Adventures of Stanley and Livingstone
Sovereign
Skulduggery Pleasant
American Lion A Biography of President Andrew Jackson
.Bonk The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex
Outlander
Dragonfly in Amber
These last two are 33 and 39 hours respectively. If you're looking for the most value from an Audible credit, I would recommend this series.
I found more free audiobooks here:http://blogs.courant.com/living_on_less/...
9 books are available...enjoy!
I just finished Nefertiti and what an outstanding book it was! This was my first encounter with Cassandra Campbell as a reader. Her mellifluous voice makes you fall in love with her.This is one of the best historical fiction novels I've read. I had it on my to-read list for a while but kept delaying it because I thought it was going to be chic-lit. I didn't find that to be the case at all.
This is the story of Nefertiti and her rise with her husband Akhenaten as told through her sister, Mutnedjmet. It is well researched, filled with political intrigue (not only normal politics but of the dichotomy between wives) and most of all it is presented in a most believable manner.
This one is worth your time.
Yay! Thanks everyone for doing this...my original post was about 1.5 years ago and it seemed to have died. I'm glad to see it resurrected.As Laura said in Msg 22, we're getting closer to the Top Shelf status I hoped for.
Thanks everyone for your efforts.
Let me clarify that I did not listen to all 64 books. I actually listened to 30 and read 34 in total last year. Out of that combined total, there was only one 5 star book--that's only 1.5% of the total.
Not the best year for me in terms of finding 5 star books. I made it through 64 this past year and rated only one 5 stars. Fortunately for the purposes of this group it was an audiobook and a Goodreads author.I loved Ballad of the Whiskey Robber, you could not help but cheer for him.
I totally agree...the wireless feature is what I want in a reader once the price comes down. I post this not as an endorsement but just a new alternative.
Kindle Rival Coming Soon
According to a Cnet review, the new eSlick e-book reader from Foxit Software will hit early next year at a price cheaper than the current market leaders, the Sony Reader and the Amazon Kindle.
Due in early March, the eSlick will have an introductory price of $230 USD but will also be a pretty simple machine lacking built-in wireless. Foxit is a company known only for their excellent PDF software so the eSlick should read all PDFs without a hitch.
The device will use the same E-ink technology as its competitors and will come with a 2GB SD card for use in the available expansion slot.
Critics of the Kindle and the Reader have complained about the PDF support of each of the devices but Sony addressed concerns with its latest device, the PRS-700.
[www.afterdawn.com/news/archive/16408.cfm:]
It's not perfect but if you search for "Scott Brick" you'll see all the works he's associated with. What appears in the search results may not be the edition with which he is associated (this is the not perfect part) but there is some connection to him in a different edition, somewhere.
Not ideal but still better than it was.
Yes, there was a thread in the librarian group that an author should only be listed once. So, if author-narrated, do not add them again.I've been going through adding "Narrator" to many of the books as well. Then you can search by their name and find works the works with which they are associated. I've found it very helpful.
I, too, have been on that not-so-interesting audiobook streak. I'm more of a non-fiction reader but have a few fiction audiobooks I've given 5 stars to (unfortunately no thrillers).
I support Thomas' recommendation of Manhunt to which I gave 5 stars and thought narrator, Richard Thomas did a great job.
Anyway, you can check out my audiobook shelf here and you can quickly see my highest recommendations.
We've got a couple threads on this topic going already...check 'em out I think they'll answer your question.
[www.goodreads.com/topic/show/6357.Where_to_Find_Quality_Audiobooks:]
[www.goodreads.com/topic/show/41993.What_are_your_favorite_websites_to_download_audiobooks_:]
Thanks John...I've added the first in the series to my to-read shelf. The series gets high ratings from our fellow Goodreaders. I'm looking forward to the listen.
If you want more on Roosevelt, I would also recommend The River of Doubt Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey , narrated by Richard Ferrone. It details his amazing journey in the Amazon.
