E-books vs audiobooks, which do you love more?

[WT Sharpe]

Originally Posted by Fledchen

It's an audiobook player specifically designed for blind and dyslexic people, but I'd heartily recommend it to anyone who listens to a lot of spoken word material (audiobooks, podcasts, Teaching Company lectures, etc.) My favorite feature is variable speed playback, which allows me to speed up or slow down the playback without distorting pitch.

http://www.humanware.com/en-usa/prod...daisy_mp3.html

It plays a bunch of formats (including Audible) and also does text-to-speech.

Thanks! I like the fact that it's small enough to fit in a shirt pocket yet packed with so many useful features. $349.00 USD is a bit more than I can afford to spend on a device I don't really need, but for those with impaired vision, it must surely be invaluable.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by WT Sharpe

Or they may come across one of the many books that are read by the author. The personal aspect can be a nice touch, but simply because someone is a first-rate author doesn't mean they also have a talent for narration or the ability to endure long speaking sessions.

Very good point - I'd forgotten about those. Some authors do it very well, though - Bill Bryson, for example.

[DixieGal]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Very good point - I'd forgotten about those. Some authors do it very well, though - Bill Bryson, for example.

Roger Zelazny was wonderful. On the other hand, the one I was listening to yesterday that Gaimen read was not. He talked too fast and did not pause often for punctuation, so it was mostly a blurry monotone. I think the book, Fragile Things, may be good, and I want to read it.

[new]

Originally Posted by HarryT

That's why audiobooks are generally narrated by professional actors, who are used to "speaking for a living" regardless of their personal enjoyment or otherwise of the subject matter. Sounds as though you've come across some very poor examples.

A friend of mine, a British TV actress by profession, has a nice sideline in narrating audiobooks while she's "between" acting jobs. She's narrated several hundred of them.

Who is your friend that narrates books? I have been none to find a narrator I like and search the library for that name and listen to those books.

Do you have an Ipod Nano? I keep asking and nobody has one or they don't use the sleep timer. But I got a Nano a few months ago and the sleep timer doesn't work on some of my audiobooks. It works fine when I listen to music. Anyone?

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by new

Who is your friend that narrates books? I have been none to find a narrator I like and search the library for that name and listen to those books.

American lady called "Lorelei King", who lives in the UK. If any British TV series needs a "nominal Amercan", she tends to be it . She's narrated literally hundreds of audio books.

[Sweetpea]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Very good point - I'd forgotten about those. Some authors do it very well, though - Bill Bryson, for example.

Another one was Douglas Adams... I've got his Hitchhiker's Series, narrated by himself (except a Salmon of Doubt). I still think they're better than the e or p books...

[wayrad]

Personally, I've never been able to abide being read aloud to - it's an irritatingly, annoyingly, agonizingly s-l-o-w way to get through a story. I'd rather listen to the radio if I can't read.

[DixieGal]

Originally Posted by new

Who is your friend that narrates books? I have been none to find a narrator I like and search the library for that name and listen to those books.

Do you have an Ipod Nano? I keep asking and nobody has one or they don't use the sleep timer. But I got a Nano a few months ago and the sleep timer doesn't work on some of my audiobooks. It works fine when I listen to music. Anyone?

I've got the new iPod Nano, green, the one with the video camera. Had no idea that it has a sleep timer. That is great news that I plan to check out ASAP!

Originally Posted by wayrad

Personally, I've never been able to abide being read aloud to - it's an irritatingly, annoyingly, agonizingly s-l-o-w way to get through a story. I'd rather listen to the radio if I can't read.

Five years ago, I would have agreed. Now, audiobooks are my main source of reading due to failing eyesight. I can only read in large font and landscape mode and do MR in a short period between healing from eye surgery until the retinas hemmorhage enough to begin to block the vision again and another procedure is done on the eyes. Even with the large font and landscape mode, it is difficult for me to read more than 1/2 hour or so without pain. I'm grateful to have audiobooks, but it makes me sad to think about not being able to enjoy reading anymore.

[new]

Originally Posted by Sweetpea

Another one was Douglas Adams... I've got his Hitchhiker's Series, narrated by himself (except a Salmon of Doubt). I still think they're better than the e or p books...

Thanks for the readers you like names. I went to the public library and found a few mp3 audiobooks by both Douglas Adams, Lorelei King, and I recommend Scott Brick, he is a professional reader too.

If you get a bad narrator you don't enjoy the book at all. So if I find a good narrator I search for them!

[new]

Originally Posted by DixieGal

I've got the new iPod Nano, green, the one with the video camera. Had no idea that it has a sleep timer. That is great news that I plan to check out ASAP!

Five years ago, I would have agreed. Now, audiobooks are my main source of reading due to failing eyesight. I can only read in large font and landscape mode and do MR in a short period between healing from eye surgery until the retinas hemmorhage enough to begin to block the vision again and another procedure is done on the eyes. Even with the large font and landscape mode, it is difficult for me to read more than 1/2 hour or so without pain. I'm grateful to have audiobooks, but it makes me sad to think about not being able to enjoy reading anymore.

I have eyesight problems, not like yours, but if it weren't for my Sony PRS-505 and Calibre making larger print for me I couldn't read at all.

Let me know if you need help setting up your audiobooks. You have to go in Itunes and set it for Audiobooks, don't include in shuffle, and more. Then setup a smart playlist for the audiobook. I spent so much time trying to get this right. Do not set your Ipod nano to shuffle or the book will stop after one chapter, been there and done that one. Now as for the sleep timer problems, I know it has to do with some silly setting on the Itunes or Ipod...... The timer works well with music. I really have to have sleep timer, as I fall asleep after a half hour or so....

[KenFisher]

I like both. I use audiobooks when I am working on my PC, when travelling on a road trip. I generally use my ebook reader when I fly and for about an hour every evening.

I generally have a backlog of both ebooks and audiobooks in my reading/listening lists. I need nearly 123 days to listen to every audiobook I have.

Ken

[new]

Originally Posted by KenFisher

I like both. I use audiobooks when I am working on my PC, when travelling on a road trip. I generally use my ebook reader when I fly and for about an hour every evening.

I generally have a backlog of both ebooks and audiobooks in my reading/listening lists. I need nearly 123 days to listen to every audiobook I have.

Ken

Ken, do you use your Ipod Touch to listen to audiobooks? If so do you use the sleep timer? If you do use it, can you PLEASE tell me why and how the sleep timer works with audiobooks?

My Ipod Nano 5th Generation doesn't STOP when I set it for the sleep timer. Sometime it does, but not every time. For music the sleep timer does stop. WHY?????

[new]

I still need someone who knows about Ipod Nano sleep timer. I still am not getting this to work each time. I set it for 30 minutes, it works the first time. It turns itself off like it should; then I turn the Ipod back on and check the sleep timer setting is still is set for 30 minutes, no it is not set to off. I thought maybe it defaulted back off, but is still says 30 minute.

Then why does the sleep timer not work the next time????

I found another good audiobook reader Andrea Bates, she read Shell Game, and I really am enjoying her reading the book. She really does keep you interesting. So I searched for more of her reading audiobooks. Some are really good readers.

[seagull]

I absolutely hate audiobooks. Never been able to listen to one, I can't follow the story. The only good audiobook I've had is Barack Obama's Audacity of Hope which does a very good job of helping me fall asleep.

[Spirity]

I think I'm a reformed audio books snob lol
I'm a real book lover and love to write, so I never thought that I would enjoy audio versions.

I was so wrong! Listening to books written by Diana Gabaldon, or Karen Marie Moning etc, I discovered how wonderful it was to hear the Scottish or Irish accents. So now I'm hooked.

At night, I tend to listen to some kind of "escapist" audio book, when my eyes are tired, and during the day I want to read books that aren't available in audio form.
It's the best of 2 worlds!