Nothing But Reading Challenges discussion
Challenge Theme: Audio
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All About Audiobooks: A Reading Via Your Ears Challenge
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Renee
(last edited Jul 17, 2014 06:42AM)
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Jul 17, 2014 06:41AM
I just listened to
narrated by Ben Stiller (celebrity) only 15 minutes long (under 3 hours) and got from Borrowbox (free) if anyone is looking for ideas.
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@Robyn - I've looked into this for a while and I haven't found any free apps other than those provided by the library (as Renee mentioned). Mostly I get mine from the library because ours has an extensive collection.
Mod
I use my local libraries primarily which all have different access to titles. The apps I use for them are Overdrive, Borrowbox and Oneclickdigital.
I also download the free YA books from audiobooksync.com over the NA summer and use librivix.org for classics
Thanks Karen! What would I do without my fellow Goodreads users?!? :)
Karen wrote: "I also download the free YA books from audiobooksync.com over the NA summer"I wish they had more than just YA books on that site :(
Has anyone seen the banner on GR for Kindle Unlimited? It says you can get unlimited audiobooks for about $10/month. I wonder how many audiobooks they have / are included in this.
I thought it was for Kindle e-books not audiobooks. I haven't seen the banner, just heard through word of mouth. That would be great either way. I feel like it competes with Audible, if it is audio. I wonder where Amazon is heading with this?
I'm very curious about it. When I clicked on the ad and went to the sight it said "thousands of audiobooks" so I wonder if they're popular ones or obscure books.After reading through the FAQs it says that they have many books with "Whispersync for Voice" narration. So I don't know if its the actual audiobook version or something different.
I think that's the thing (my excellent technological terminology!) that syncs the audiobook to your ebook. I'd definitely be interested in learning more too!
Kristie wrote: "I thought it was for Kindle e-books not audiobooks. I haven't seen the banner, just heard through word of mouth. That would be great either way. I feel like it competes with Audible, if it is audio. I wonder where Amazon is heading with this? "Audible is an Amazon company, has been for quite some time now. The Kindle Unlimited program is for both ebooks and audiobooks. Under the first row of books in this ad, there's a link to Browse all titles in Kindle Unlimited. Looks like you have to listen to the audiobooks through your Kindle, which is a real bummer.
Depending upon which titles are available through this program, I can't see that it's worth $9.99/month. I don't pay for many ebooks, so it wouldn't be worthwhile for me.
What I'm trying to figure out is if this is going to put an end to the Kindle Lending Library, where Amazon Prime members could borrow one book for free every month. I've got a borrowed book on my Kindle right now, so I can't check to see if my other "free with Prime" titles are still available through that program or not.
I think this is a way for Amazon to open up Kindle device privileges, such as the lending library, to everyone else. And make money, of course.Scribd has a similar program already as well.
However, I think many of the books are classics, most of which have been free already, and many older and self-published books. While self-publishing is not a sign of bad work, there is very wide variation in writing quality and editing.
Hi Barb - Thanks for the info and the link. I knew that Audible is an Amazon company. That's why I was wondering where they were going with this new program. I thought that Kindle Unlimited was just ebooks. I was wondering how the audiobook part would affect the Audible sales and where they were going to go with that. I hadn't even considered how it would affect the Kindle Lending Library.
Lara wrote: "I think many of the books are classics, most of which have been free already, and many older and self-published books. While self-publishing is not a sign of bad work, there is very wide variation in writing quality and editing."I think you may be right, Lara, about the majority of the books available. I've seen *some familiar titles on the list, but not a lot.
I went to audible.com after posting here, and there's absolutely nothing on their site about this program, which sounds to me like the the audiobooks covered with the Unlimited thing would be limited to books you listen to via your Kindle or other Kindle apps. I think I'll pass on that :) Lara wrote: "I think many of the books are classics, most of which have been free already, and many older and self-published books. While self-publishing is not a sign of bad work, there is very wide variation in writing quality and editing."
I think you may be right, Lara, about the majority of the books available. I've seen *some familiar titles on the list, but not a lot. Wonder how many people are going to do the research on that before they jump on board and join this program?
Mod
Karen, thanks for letting us know. That is a fun series.
Finished as of 08/10/14:
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Finished as of 7/24/14:
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Finished as of 07/13/2013: Lady of Devices (Magnificent Devices, #1) by Shelley Adina; Rescue Me (Lovett, Texas, #3) by Rachel Gibson
Finished as of 07/09/14: (my ears are having fun!)
The Line (Witching Savannah, #1) by J.D. Horn; The Source (Witching Savannah, #2) by J.D. Horn; Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn; A Shiver of Light (Merry Gentry, #9) by Laurell K. Hamilton
Finished as of 6/26/14:
A Lick of Frost (Merry Gentry, #6) by Laurell K. Hamilton; Divine Misdemeanors (Merry Gentry, #8) by Laurell K. Hamilton; Obsidian Butterfly (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, #9) by Laurell K. Hamilton
Finished:
A Kiss of Shadows (Merry Gentry, #1) by Laurell K. Hamilton A Caress of Twilight (Merry Gentry, #2) by Laurell K. Hamilton A Stroke of Midnight (Merry Gentry, #4) by Laurell K. Hamilton Mistral's Kiss (Merry Gentry, #5) by Laurell K. Hamilton A Lick of Frost (Merry Gentry, #6) by Laurell K. Hamilton|30243]
I have the rest of the books on hold in my digital library along with the Anita Blake series and Mercy Thompson. Merry Gentry is better than I expected but I just started book 7 and it is the third different narrator. I hate that.
Mod
Yes it is. I'm enjoying going back to my childhood :)
Although I didn't realise that Anne of Windy Poplars was written almost 20 years after the next book in the series, and so therefore isn't in the public domain yet (so no free ebooks or audio!). So for this book I have my old paperback out ;)
Mod
Oh that is annoying!
Mod
✓
Great book in the series, the time travel aspect kept it fresh by revitalising some old characters and showing how some others had developed. Narrator was particularly good with the different characters and accents
Done!Progress: 13 out of 13
Option Three: Name of Favorite Narrator:
James Marsters from Harry Dresden Audiobooks
J: Jim Butcher; Blood Rites - ***** - 6/7/2014 - 439 Pages
A: Lori Austin; Beauty and the Bounty Hunter - ***** - 6/8/2014 - 300 Pages
M: MWF Seeking BFF: My Yearlong Search For A New Best Friend by Rachel Bertsche - ***** - 6/26/2014 - 349 Pages
E: Kim Edwards; The Memory Keeper's Daughter - ***** - 7/18/2014 - 401 Pages
S: Saga, Volume 2 by Brian K. Vaughan - ***** - 6/2/2014 - 144 Pages
M: Markus Zusak; I Am the Messenger - ***** - 7/14/2014 - 360 Pages
A: Almost Perfect by Susan Mallery - **** - 7/7/2014 - 379 Pages
R: Richelle Mead; Last Sacrifice - ***** - 6/4/2014 - 594 Pages
S: Splintered by A.G. Howard - ** - 6/9/2014 - 371 Pages
T: The Tiger's Wife by Téa Obreht - **** - 7/8/2014 - 338 Pages
E: Eloisa James; The Duke Is Mine - *** - 7/28/2014 - 367 Pages
R: Romancing the Duke by Tessa Dare - ***** - 6/22/2014 - 370 Pages
S: Shaded Vision by Yasmine Galenorn - ** - 6/18/2014 - 306 Pages
Mod
I just used a free app on my android phone for the In Sync category. FBReader with the FBReader TTS+ Plugin and a Google voice already on my phone. I was always a bit wary of the Text To Speech programs as they are so robotic, but the Google voice (which you can also use with Play Books if you have books there) was better than I expected (and better than a couple of bad narrators I've heard)
Renee wrote: "I just used a free app on my android phone for the In Sync category. FBReader with the FBReader TTS+ Plugin and a Google voice already on my phone. I was always a bit wary of the Text To Speech pro..."Thanks for sharing this Renee. I'll have to check it out.
IVONA has good quality voices too that are free at the moment while they are in Beta testing. I'm trying out one of those at the moment (the Australian accent as I can't get that with Google)
I must say I'm really enjoying this challenge! When I had a long commute I began listening to a lot of audiobooks. Now I have a short commute but haven't been listening much, but keep buying new audiobooks (darn Audible!). So far I've completed far more than I would have expected, some new and some old.BTW Mods, would you add my tracking post to the list? It is here: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
I agree Lara! I am enjoying this challenge too. :) I just started job hunting and received a couple of job offers. Two offers are about 15 minutes from my home and one is about 40 minutes. I think I am going to take the one furthest from my home. I have convinced myself that the further one is ok because it will give me more time to keep up with my audiobooks. lol
Mod
Added you to the list.....we got a bit slack there, I'll have to do a catch up session and add everyone else who has signed up since you.
Glad you are enjoying the audio experience :)
I just went on an audio binge and spent all my Audible credits. They are having a BOGO sale, so 6 of the 8 books were buy one, get one free. :) Most of the titles were recommended to me by GR friends.I got:
Those should keep me busy for a while on my commutes!!
Question: is audible doing a BOGO sale on ALL of their titles? I only have a light membership so I can't see the sales that are for credit memberships. I would be tempted to start a real membership to pick up a few of the more expensive books though! :)
It's a "customer favorites" BOGO. Necessary Lies and What Alice Forgot were not part of the sale. All of the others were though. They have some great titles. I had difficulty deciding. The sale ends today. What is a light membership? I have the membership where I get one credit per month. You can also buy 3 packs of credits, if you want more titles.
A light membership is $9.95 a year and you get no credits. You get access to the daily deals and most all of the sales.
And, of course, you can buy them at full price. ;)
Oh...yuck for full price. Those daily deals can be really good though! It's $14.95 per month for the 1 credit per month option. The first month is free and you get 2 credits to start.
I'm starting this challenge now. I'll "freestyle" it, but I'll try to get 12 of the "want it all" categories.I almost always listen to books on my commute, and on several road trips a year.
Judy wrote: "I'm going to try to do all of the categories at least once, soHas anyone used Librivox (for the volunteer narrator) and do you have any recommendations?
For the NBRC BOM category- do we have to ..."
Hey! I know this is from months ago, but I just saw it and I love Karen Savage and Mark F. Smith on Librivox. I also like Elizabeth Klett. And I really enjoyed Stewart Wills' Moby Dick!
I have recently fallen in love with audiobooks, so this seems like an exciting challenge!All About Audiobooks Challenge
Duration: Aug 21, 2014 - Aug 20, 2015
Completed: 50/56
◈ Female Narrator
◈ Male Narrator
◈ Duets
◈ Full Cast
◈ Dramatizations
◈ Celebrity Narrator
◈ New-to-Me Narrator
◈ Favourite Narrator
◈ Volunteer Narrator
1.
2.
◈ Less Than 3 Hours
◈ Between 3 - 5 Hours
◈ More Than 5 Hours to 9.9 Hours
◈ 10 Hours to 14.9 Hours
◈ 15 Hours to 19.9 Hours
◈ 20 Hours to 24.9 Hours
◈ 25 Hours to 29.9 Hours
2.
◈ 30 Hours to 34.9 Hours
2.
◈ 35 Hours to 39.9 Hours
2.
◈ 40 Hours and Beyond – or a Trilogy!
2.
◈ In-Sync Multimedia
◈ Digital Downloads Freebies
◈ Planes, Trains, or Automobiles with an Audiobook
◈ Multitasking! Listening on My Portable Music Player (PMP) Audiobook
◈ Audie Award Nominees and Winners
◈ Recommended by Others
◈ BOM via Audiobook
◈ Classic Read
◈ Re-Read a Favourite
I just finished All the Light We Cannot See on audio and unfortunately can not recommend it. The story is good and the narrator does a good job, but the story was just not meant to be listened to. It gets confusing with the time shifts and there is no going back and forth to figure out where you are in time compared to other chapters. I also found that I missed little bits that made the story better. I ended up going back and reading some of what I had listened to, but that still takes away from the story.
Thanks for the tip Kristie. That book is on my TBR, so it's really helpful to know that it doesn't really "work" via audio.
Mod
◈ Favourite Narrator
✓
Just love James Marsters narrating these books
I like listening to audiobooks and I've been doing more of it lately, so I'll give this one a shot.Nothing But Reading Challenges
All About Audiobooks: A Reading Via Your Ears Challenge
Director: 25-30 books
0/30 Books
Option One - Freestyle:
►Pick a level and choose your own audiobook styles.
►You may read as many books as you want for each audio book type.
►Categories may overlap; for example, “American Gods” is a full cast audiobook, and over 5 hours, but you may only use it in one category for this challenge.
CATEGORIES: - Thirty categories from which to choose.
◈ Female Narrator
An audiobook with one female narrator.
◈ Male Narrator
An audiobook with one male narrator.
◈ Duets
An audiobook with one female and one male narrator.
◈ Full Cast
An unabridged audiobook with several narrators; there is a narrator per character (e.g. American Gods by Neal Gaiman). To find these, you can search most sites by the term “Full Cast.”
◈ Dramatizations
An abridged audiobook with background music/noises like the “old school” radio plays (e.g. BBC Radio Drama Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett). Also known as “Performance” audios, if you’re doing a search.
◈ Celebrity Narrator
Category name says it all: Somebody famous narrates. Examples: James Marsters reading Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files series or Anne Hathaway reading The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. BTW, when searching, audible.com is calling this their “A-List Collection.”
◈ New-to-Me Narrator
A narrator that you haven’t heard before.
◈ Favourite Narrator
A narrator that you have heard and loved before and would recommend to others.
◈ Volunteer Narrator
A narrator that is not professional, but volunteers to read books. (Such as those used on librivox.org)
◈ Less Than 3 Hours
An audiobook that you can read in one day!
◈ Between 3 - 5 Hours
An audiobook that falls in this range.
◈ More Than 5 Hours to 9.9 Hours
An audiobook that is over 5 hours in length.
◈ 10 Hours to 14.9 Hours
An audiobook that is a CHUNKSTER! ;) More than 10 hours in length, but less than 15.
◈ 15 Hours to 19.9 Hours
An audiobook that is a Colossal Chunkster! More than 15 hours in length, less than 20.
◈ 20 Hours to 24.9 Hours
An audiobook that is a Super Colossal Chunkster! More than 20 hours in length, less than 25.
◈ 25 Hours to 29.9 Hours
An audiobook that is a Super-Duper Colossal Chunkster! More than 25 hours in length, less than 30.
◈ 30 Hours to 34.9 Hours
An audiobook that is a Monstrous Chunkster! More than 30 hours in length, less than 35.
◈ 35 Hours to 39.9 Hours
An epic, indeed! More than 35 hours in length, less than 40.
◈ 40 Hours and Beyond – or a Trilogy!
Beyond epic, indeed! Time to implant ear buds in your head. Forty hours or more! For this one we will also allow a trilogy that qualifies in length, or three books anywhere within a series, if you “read” all of it/them via audio.
◈ In-Sync Multimedia
Use an audible sync option to read-along! Such as the new read-along with your Kindle option by audible.com called Whispersync, which remembers your last stopping point in either device. However, you may read a book using any two media choices your desire, as long as one of them is via audio.
◈ Digital Downloads Freebies
Keep it legal! Public libraries using OverDrive Media Console, or Bolinda Audio (BorrowBox), or OneClickDigital downloads. There are also free sites like:
librivox.org
Project Gutenberg Audio Books Project
audiobooksync.com - scheduled release dates
...Audiobooksync has free audiobooks over the Northern Hemisphere’s summer.
◈ Doing it “Old School”
Use audiobook CDs, or cassette, or even LPs or 8-Track-Tapes, if you have them! Don’t have the right equipment? Oftentimes your public library will have these devices to loan.
◈ Planes, Trains, or Automobiles with an Audiobook
Go on a road trip, holiday, or just listen during your daily commute to work while “reading” in your car or public transportation!
◈ Multitasking! Listening on My Portable Music Player (PMP) Audiobook
Put on those headphones, get cleaning, gardening, grocery shopping, power-walking, even knitting while “reading” a book! Use your Smartphone, MP3, Walkman, portable CD player, iPod, episodic podcast, whatever! Just make Oprah proud.
◈ Audie Award Nominees and Winners
You be the judge. Try an audiobook that has been nominated or won an Audie – any category counts – and lists may be found at audiopub.org (look to the right of the screen for past years).
◈ Recommended by Others
Audiobooks recommended by your friends or other NBRC members.
◈ BOM via Audiobook
Read a NBRC Book of the Month via audio.
◈ “Buddy Read” via Audiobook
Read a “Buddy Read” book via audio and/or listen to your book with another person.
◈ Classic Read
Have you always wanted to broaden your reading horizons and get to that classic everyone seems to talk about? Try it via audio.
◈ Re-Read a Favourite
Old or new, choose a book you’ve read and loved - and see if you could possibly love it even more via audio. (Note: The right narrator is even more crucial here!)
Nothing But Reading ChallengesAll About Audiobooks: A Reading Via Your Ears Challenge
Option One
Sound Engineer: 16-20 books
1/20 Books
◈ 10 Hours to 14.9 Hours
How to Tell Toledo from the Night Sky 9/17/14
Finished book #15. :) I have listened to four of The Iron Druid Chronicles series since this challenge started. I just combined them all into my 40+ hour category, which not only filled up that spot, but also left more spaces for me to fill in with other books, which I needed.
Only category I'm still challenged by is the volunteer slot. I really have to get on librivox and look around more.
Found a volunteer narrator book! I'm going with Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.
Finished book 16! I listened to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland through librivox. It was narrated by Peter Yearsley and he did a really good job with the narration. I'm currently listening to Year Zero, which also helps me to complete an A_Z challenge I'm working on, and I'm hoping to begin The Giver either today or tomorrow.
Mod
Nothing But Reading Challenges
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