Audio books are the rage these days and they have their uses, especially if you are someone who drives around a lot, or does craft or works in a garden (you get the drift). Audio books are a great way to make travel/craft/gardening time - reading time.
I’d tried my hand at audio books a couple of years ago but I didn’t take to it and that was that. But I decided it give it another shot a couple of months back and this time, I found I quite enjoyed them.
The first time round I had tried out a fiction book and this time a non-fiction. For me, listening to a non-fiction works better, as I listen harder and my attention wavers less. Plus if my mind does wander away, it’s easier to find the point of wander in a non-fiction than in a fiction book.
I’ve also found that the narrator is important. Some books just don’t work and it’s not the book, it’s the voice that puts me to sleep and gets the mind wandering.
What the Audible App’s supposed to do
The Audible app allows you to buy books and download them to listen at your convenience. The app allows bookmarking, variable narration speed, and syncing across devices along with listening controls.
Audible has over 18,000 titles to choose from - bestsellers to classics and works on a credit system. You pay a monthly fee and get 1 credit every month. The credit can be used to buy a book and most books cost 1 credit. If you want more books, you can buy more credits.
How I’m using the Audible App
I have used the app to listen to one book until now and download three. I have been listening to Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed in fits and bursts, and so have used the app to mark every time I’ve stopped. Other than that I haven’t done very much more with the app.
My thoughts on the Audible App
The app has been simple and easy to use. The options are straightforward and navigation intuitive.
There are other audio book providers but I quite like (Amazon's) Audible, as it has a wide variety of books to choose from and a good lineup of narrators. They also offer a no questions asked return policy if the narrator doesn’t suit you.
Once a book is bought and downloaded it stays on the device even if you discontinue your subscription, so technically the book belongs to you.
My only complaint is the price. Their 1 book a month plan costs $14.95 and that’s a lot of rupees - Rs.900 (approx.). That’s almost 4 times (or more) the cost of a paperback. The price needs to be reworked for India and made affordable in rupees.
I gave their free trial offer a spin, and you should too. Get one book for free and listen when you can’t read. :)
App details and link
Stars - ★★★★★
Developer - Audible, Inc
Devices - Android, IOS
Size - Variable (Based on books downloaded)
Installs - 50,000,000 - 100,000,000
Link - Android Store | iTunes Store
Thanks! I just got my first Android (a fairly cheap one) and I have been wondering about this...
ReplyDeleteHappy A to Z! :)
@TarkabarkaHolgy from
The Multicolored Diary
MopDog
I hope you find the apps I've chosen helpful Csenge. I love using these and find them really helpful. All the best with the android and the A to Z, both are quite the challenge ;)
ReplyDeleteMore reading time is definitely a plus for me! BTW, I didn't know Dickens wrote something called Chimes....interesting...
ReplyDeleteGail at Making Life An Art
I haven't got to the book yet but even I haven't heard of Chimes by Dickens, so when it was given as an Audible Christmas gift. I grabbed at it :)
ReplyDeleteReally helpful review. Have been wanting to try an audio book for a while now but did'nt know what was stopping me. Will try Audible as soon as I get a good connection here. How was Cheryl Strayed?
ReplyDeleteYellow Mellow Life
:) Not used this app yet - liked your review! thanks for sharing
ReplyDeleteI love that you compared the price to Rupees. A fellow Legend of Zelda fan here! I haven't gotten a chance to check out Audible, but I will definitely try out their free trial and see what it's all about. Thank you for sharing! I'm doing the A to Z Challenge over at Ink & Stitches: http://blog.jhwinter.com if you'd like to come take a look! Looking forward to your posts!
ReplyDelete[…] by and see which ones I like and do tell me which ones you use. I’ve got A and B done until now. A for Audio Books: Audible App B for Books Books Books: Goodreads App […]
ReplyDeleteI'm quite enjoying Cheryl Strayed's Tiny Beautiful Things. Not done yet, it's a heavy book, a collection of her columns for the Rumpus - lots of life advice.
ReplyDeleteYou should definitely try out audio books, see what works for you fiction/non-fiction and tell me. I think even Little B might enjoy her age books. :)
Glad you found it helpful :) Do you listen to audio books? Which service do you use?
ReplyDeleteThanks Julianne. I use Amazon a lot and have even subscribed to their Kindle Unlimited Program and that one's reworked in pricing to Rupees. Of course some books are available to us in India but that's something we have learned to live with. :(
ReplyDeleteI'd love to hear your thoughts on Audible after you try it. and if you find an excellent book for audio, do tell me. :)
P.S. - I'l definitely be stopping by. ;)
[…] started this series with Audible: An Audio Book App and a lot of what I said for audio books applies here too. There are just so many things I do in a […]
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