The Sword and Laser discussion
How do you audible?
I listen while at work . Makes the 8-5 go by a lot faster and I can usually get a book done in under a week
Also chores and walks, but these days, mostly crafts. I've been knitting a hell of a lot lately, and listening to audio books is perfect to have on in the background. The same goes for hand sewing, drawing and...well, anything crafty, really. If I get to a complicated part in a pattern, I find I have to pause it, or I will lose track, but otherwise it works wonderfully.
I've not been listening to audio books for a while as podcasts seem to have displaced them, but when I do it tends to be whilst doing chores, or cooking, or running. I also commute to work on my bike so listen then (which is legal where I live, btw)I work in a call centre so usually can't listen at work, for obvious reasons, although tend to do so on the day a week when I'm on admin work.
I listen while walking to work and while doing sort of "cleanup" less brain intensive things at work.
At the moment, I listen to audio books on my commute home each day (the way in is strictly designated for public radio news). I've occasionally listened also during walks.
My job involves a lot of driving - up to 4 hrs in a day, so I listen to a lot of both books and podcasts in the car and not much anywhere else.
Like most here I mostly listen while doing other things. Highway driving being the primary, but also walking or doing chores. Just yesterday I had to mow the lawn, so about 2 hours spent walking behind a push mower listening to a book through molded/ isolation ear buds. So it's a safety device as well as entertainment. ;-)On an extremely rare occasion I will finish a book, while not doing anything else, but I usually only have a 1/2 hour or less left when I do this.
Knitting. Walking the dog. Running errands - retired, so no daily commute.
Mod
There's no way I can listen while I work. I can't even listen when I'm taking a break from work while trying to eat lunch--too easy to get distracted if I'm staying in the office.Instead, I try to listen before work while I get ready. And after work, after I've caught up on personal email, new posts here, etc. While I'm catching up on life is my TV time, I keep it on with items I've DVR'd while I read email, read updates here, read feedly...then off the TV goes so I can read, either in print or audio.
I also listen when I drive. My commute is very short (~10 minutes) but I do a lot of driving to and from doctor's offices, to/from my parents' and sister's houses, and other things in the MD/VA area. I also try to listen while shopping or doing chores around the house or while going out for walks. Depending on what else is going on (work stress, life stress, other stuff), sometimes I can't focus. Sometimes it's a welcome distraction. I know I could make more progress if I just read print and watched less TV, but right now, that's not working. I've gone through phases where it does work.
When I listen, I listen as fast as I can, which within the Audible app is usually 1.5x max. Some (most?) narrators, I can't listen to at 1.5x, I have to go 1x. Some narrators (Wil Wheaton comes right to mind) have to be listened to at 1.5x or more.
If I want to get through a book more quickly (either because I am not enjoying it but don't want to Lem it OR because I'm really enjoying it and can't wait to see what happens next), I usually will switch to the print edition. I can read print faster than I can listen, so I do find I mix it up a bit, depending on things...
I carpool so I don't often listen while driving. I listen whenever I can get away with it at work and when I'm doing chores. I also listen to a lot of podcasts so I figure I probably average 3 hours a day.
I NEVER listen above 1x unless it's non-fiction and then it's almost always 1.25-1.5x.
I NEVER listen above 1x unless it's non-fiction and then it's almost always 1.25-1.5x.
I usually listen when I walk, when I've run out of podcasts. If it's a great book, I'll find more things to do while listening - chores usually happen this way. If I have to spend a lot of time in the car I'll usually hook it up then as well.
Nick wrote: "Forgive me for using a brand name to describe listening to audio books.My question to you is, if you listen to audio books, what if anything are you doing while listening. Are you driving to wor..."
Usually I listen to podcasts, but I save Wednesdays and Fridays for audiobooks (if I have any) since on those days I don't swim at the gym and have a lot of continuous time to listen. If I get hooked, I also listen to it on the drive to/from work and while doing things around the house, waiting in line at the stores, and anywhere that doesn't require my full attention.
The only thing I can't do while listening to a book is play videogames. Even "mindless" ones like Peggle still involve some strategy and I end up missing key parts of the book. Podcasts tend to be a little more relaxed, so sometimes I can listen to a podcast while playing games. But, generally, I just prefer to listen to music.
I have 1.5 to 2 hours of driving each day so I listen then. Earlier this year I did some house decorating and racked up 7-8 hours of listening a day while painting.
I listen while cleaning, doing laundry, working, and while playing video games that aren't dialogue-heavy.
Please! Audible is another takeover by Amazon so I NEVER buy anything there. Have I told you how much I hate Amazon? I regularly borrow audiobooks from my local library and listen to them while I'm at work. I'm in front of a computer all day which makes it easy to put in the earbuds and listen!
When I'm at home I listen to podcasts. Many, many podcasts. :)
Stephanie wrote: "Please! Audible is another takeover by Amazon so I NEVER buy anything there. Have I told you how much I hate Amazon? "Goodreads belongs to Amazon as well you know... should you be posting here? :)
AndrewP wrote: "Stephanie wrote: "Please! Audible is another takeover by Amazon so I NEVER buy anything there. Have I told you how much I hate Amazon? "Goodreads belongs to Amazon as well you know... should you ..."
I used to post my reviews on gr, but after the takeover I now post them on my own blog. :)
I have my issues with Amazon, but I have more with B&N and Books a Million. So all that leaves is small mom and pop shops and the really amazing one nearby just closed down so now it's Amazon or other big box, or stuff like humble book bundle/book bub but I can only get ebooks from them.
I listen at the gym. Since I started listening to audiobooks my workouts went from half hour to an hour a day and increased from 3/4 days to 5/6 days a week. Gotta thank audiobooks for keeping me in shape!! I'll also listen in the car. If I had a waterproof device I'd even take them kayaking but I've been too afraid of water damage for that.
Alicja, consider a waterproof container for your phone and Bluetooth headphones and you can take it kayaking too
At this point, I listen to audiobooks more often than I listen to music. I still put on classical pieces when I'm writing, or my favourite punk-rock record at the moment when I'm doing something that requires some attention (something like browsing Goodreads), but other than that, any opportunity where I can fill an audible void (commuting, cleaning, etc), I throw in an audiobook.Lately I've even gotten into the nightly habit of firing up one of the SKATE games on the Xbox and casually playing while I listen to a book before bed. It's incredibly relaxing!
When I'm walking the dog or when I go for my lunchtime walk at work
Mostly when I drive going home (that's around 1hr).If I've got long walks to do, then that too.
When I have time to bike around the village, then that too.
Sometimes I question the safety of listening to an audiobook while driving though :))
I listen while walking, driving, shopping and during stretches at work where I don't need to think about what I'm doing. I never kick the speed up, part of the reason I enjoy audiobooks is for the performance. Of course there are some narrators that I can't tolerate and for those I stick to the kindle or paper versions.
Being a truck driver, I listen to audiobooks and podcasts for 12 hours a day driving. Of course the company truck doesn't have Bluetooth or an AUX connection so I bring a Bluetooth speaker and that is my radio.
Jason wrote: "Being a truck driver, I listen to audiobooks and podcasts for 12 hours a day driving. Of course the company truck doesn't have Bluetooth or an AUX connection so I bring a Bluetooth speaker and tha..."Jason, your comment dredged up an old memory for me of the Sesame Street song "Readers of the Open Range." I found a YouTube video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTvAT...
...I don't remember the cowgirl being nearly that shrill.
Like most people, I generally listen to audiobooks while driving or doing chores. I've tried listening at other times, but it isn't ideal and if I listen to them while just sitting around it gets very expensive, so I end up getting the actual book or the ebook.
I've been resistant to the idea of audiobooks for a while, but I just signed up for audible this week and started my first audiobook (The Old Man and the Sea). I'm still not sure what I think about the whole idea. So far I've been listening in the car. I had thought about listening to audiobooks while exercising, but I think music is better for that; firstly because it gets me more motivated, and secondly because when I'm at the gym I wouldn't be able to hear the audiobook over the loud background music they play there anyway. I might try it when I'm on the treadmill at home though.
I mainly listen in the morning before going to work (for about 30 minutes). I live in a small town so I don't get much opportunity to listen in the car. Sometimes I'll listen if I can't find anything good on TV. Since I don't have much time to listen, I usually bump up the speed to 2x. When I was listening to The Legend of Drizzt: The Collected Stories, I had to drop back to 1.5x for a couple of the narrators because they read faster than others.
I read/listen to all of my books on Audible. I'm a legally blind reader. Audible is a lifesaver. I read everything at 2x speed unless I need to concentrate like last month reading Ancillary justice. This month I reading two Neil Gaiman books. The Ocean and the end of the Lane and American Gods. I've started Life after Life and I may read The Passage also. Narration is the biggest problem with audiobooks. Some of them take you out of the story and some enhance it. I listen primarily while walking and riding the bus.
Most do the time, audiobooks in the car at 2x speed and podcasts while cooking or baking.My commute is only 8 minutes so I take longer drives on purpose sometimes to make more headway.
I don't often go for the Audiobook thing (except Stephen King... just find it so much easier to listen to Stephen King than read it), but when I do or when I listen to podcasts, I do it on my walk to and from work. It's a 25 minute walk so it doesn't get a whole lot in, but I'm thinking of taking the iPod out for walks with my son in the stroller.
I'm so new to audiobooks that I didn't even know you could adjust the speed. Maybe I'll try playing around with that.
Ally wrote: "I don't often go for the Audiobook thing (except Stephen King... just find it so much easier to listen to Stephen King than read it), but when I do or when I listen to podcasts, I do it on my walk ..."
Any particular King audiobooks you'd recommend, Ally? Not looking for anything as long as It or The Stand, they would take me a year to listen to.
Ally wrote: "I don't often go for the Audiobook thing (except Stephen King... just find it so much easier to listen to Stephen King than read it), but when I do or when I listen to podcasts, I do it on my walk ..."
Any particular King audiobooks you'd recommend, Ally? Not looking for anything as long as It or The Stand, they would take me a year to listen to.
I am in the middle of the Dark Tower Series, and love it. But if you just want a one-shot deal I would recommend the Shining. This is one of my favourite books ever, although I read the dead-tree edition, so I don't know how well it "sounds" that is, I don't know who reads it and if they have a good voice for listening to. I like the guy who reads the Dark Tower books, he sounds like a funny old grandpa :P
Andy wrote: "Any particular King audiobooks you'd recommend, Ally? Not looking for anything as long as It or The Stand, they would take me a year to listen to."I listened to Needful Things on Audible and it's narrated by King himself. Once I got used to his accent I really enjoyed it.
Ally wrote: "I am in the middle of the Dark Tower Series, and love it. But if you just want a one-shot deal I would recommend the Shining. This is one of my favourite books ever, although I read the dead-tree e..."
I've never read The Shining but have always wanted to. That might be a good choice. And for some reason I can see The Dark Tower books lending themselves well to verbal narration. Now I'm picturing them being read by Grandpa Simpson though and I'm cracking up. :-)
I've never read The Shining but have always wanted to. That might be a good choice. And for some reason I can see The Dark Tower books lending themselves well to verbal narration. Now I'm picturing them being read by Grandpa Simpson though and I'm cracking up. :-)
Cedric wrote: "I read/listen to all of my books on Audible. I'm a legally blind reader. Audible is a lifesaver. I read everything at 2x speed unless I need to concentrate like last month reading Ancillary justice..."
I remember books on tape being a big part of my late grandmother's life after she developed macular degeneration and couldn't read anymore. Glad to hear that you're still able to enjoy reading by that method too!
If it's any consolation, Ancillary Justice required as much concentration to get through as an ebook for me than it probably did for you as an audiobook. Worth the effort though, wouldn't you say? How was the audiobook version?
I remember books on tape being a big part of my late grandmother's life after she developed macular degeneration and couldn't read anymore. Glad to hear that you're still able to enjoy reading by that method too!
If it's any consolation, Ancillary Justice required as much concentration to get through as an ebook for me than it probably did for you as an audiobook. Worth the effort though, wouldn't you say? How was the audiobook version?
AndrewP wrote: "Andy wrote: "Any particular King audiobooks you'd recommend, Ally? Not looking for anything as long as It or The Stand, they would take me a year to listen to."
I listened to [book:Needful Things|..."
That's one of my favorite King books actually. He's at his best for me when he's doing those "small town goes all to hell" stories. I might want to try that one in audiobook form.
I listened to [book:Needful Things|..."
That's one of my favorite King books actually. He's at his best for me when he's doing those "small town goes all to hell" stories. I might want to try that one in audiobook form.
Andy wrote: "Ally wrote: "I am in the middle of the Dark Tower Series, and love it. But if you just want a one-shot deal I would recommend the Shining. This is one of my favourite books ever, although I read th..."I'm telling you though, this man is genius. He does accents and when a girl is speaking he does a girl's voice which is fantastic. I've listened to books where the person reading it didn't have that enthusiasm and couldn't get more than a few chapters in.
Ally wrote: "I'm telling you though, this man is genius. He does accents and when a girl is speaking he does a girl's voice which is fantastic. I've listened to books where the person reading it didn't have that enthusiasm and couldn't get more than a few chapters in. "
I just looked the series up on audible.com. It looks like some of the books are read by George Guidall and others by Frank Muller. They both sound like older guys from the samples, but I'm guessing you're talking about George Guidall. He narrates the first book and he seems to read the characters in different voices like you said. Both narrators sound good though, thanks again for the suggestion.
I just looked the series up on audible.com. It looks like some of the books are read by George Guidall and others by Frank Muller. They both sound like older guys from the samples, but I'm guessing you're talking about George Guidall. He narrates the first book and he seems to read the characters in different voices like you said. Both narrators sound good though, thanks again for the suggestion.
Andy wrote: "...I had thought about listening to audiobooks while exercising, but I think music is better for that ..."I used to always listen to an audio book or podcast on the treadmill or elyptical; the only way I could get through the tedium. Tight-fitting ear buds kept the gym's music out well enough.
I listen to audio books in the car (I live in LA, so there's a LOT of driving time) and while doing chores. Sometimes while cooking if I'm not in a music mood.Does anyone else bounce back and forth between the ebook and the audible book (whispersync, etc)? This is pretty much the main way I read now, bouncing back and forth between the 2. I find that I can get through SO much more material that way. It's a little more expensive than the ebook alone, but I have found it well worth it.
Also, I listen at 1.5 speed. I almost can't listen to anything slower anymore (unless there's a thick accent and I have to slow it down). It drives my wife crazy :-)
Mod
Guidell does a better voice for Roland, but Mueller does better voices for the rest, especially Edddie.
Mueller did 1-4 and they got into a motorcycle accident that h eventually died from. They hired Guidell to finish the series (5-7) and had him do the rerelease of The Gunslinger that King put out just before Wolves of the Calla.
That's why on audible Guidell does 1, 5-7 and Mueller does 2-4. If you can find (probably on cassette tape) there is a Mueller version of the original text of the Gunslinger.
I think I listened to the Mueller version of Gunslinger because I don't recall the narrator changing yet and I'm currently on Wizard and Glass. And I totally agree about him doing a great Eddie! I think that was part of the reason that the Drawing of the Three has been my favourite so far, because of Eddie's part. Now that I know that it's going to change after this novel, I am disappointed and won't look forward to the next one as much.
Mod
I didn't think it was easy to get your hands on the Mueller version. I would have rather listened to him do the first one too, but I was borrowing them from a friend (I own them all/originally read them in print, but did an audio reread a few years ago)
No, I went back and listened to it and found that you are right. I guess that is why I didn't enjoy the first one as much. That Mueller guy was a gem, shame what happened.
Mod
Mod
The Sword and Laser
Books mentioned in this topic
Needful Things (other topics)The Legend of Drizzt: The Collected Stories (other topics)
The Old Man and the Sea (other topics)
My question to you is, if you listen to audio books, what if anything are you doing while listening. Are you driving to work or cleaning the house or going for a daily walk.
I personally get most of my audio book listening done while working on daily chores and on the occasional walk. I also almost always have the narration speed set at 1 1/2 times normal speed. I used to listen to books at 2x but realized I missed too much if my mind wandered while listening so I lowered the speed.
So, how do you audible?