Source for audiobooks?

[nebo113]

Am about to deplete my library's audiobook downloads.....at least the ones I want.

Any suggestions for sources, either free or rental?

[downer]

My public library allows me to recommend books, including audiobooks. So long as they are trade books (not academic) they have purchased every recommendation I have made. So that might be worth trying.

Isn't Audible the main source of rental audiobooks these days?

[Parasaurolophus]

Yeah, the library and Audible are really the main sources. You can try torrenting them, but holdings are spotty.

LibriVox has a relatively large supply of stuff that's in the public domain.

[Vkw10]

Audible Premium Plus Annual Membership works well for me. I’m on the 12 credit plan, so I pay $149 a year for twelve audiobooks and get access to the Audible Originals catalog which has some good content I might not otherwise try. Since I like long audiobooks that frequently cost $25-$50, the credit system works well for me.

[wareagle]

I can't get into the whole audiobook thing.  I've downloaded a few freebies to listen to while walking, but I can't get into them.  I would rather read the real book.  (For one thing, it takes much less time.)

What's the attraction?  I know people who have long commutes who listen to audiobooks, but I would find them distracting on the road - I don't even listen to the radio.   

I can't seem to acquire a taste for audiobooks.  And I feel like I'm missing something.  FOMO!

[downer]

It does make a big difference having a regular occasion to listen to audiobooks.

I listen when going running, hiking, on public transport, and when I can't sleep. It must average about an hour a day.

I don't listen at home during the day, except when I really am excited by a book.

These days just about every trade book is released in audiobook version. Even the back catalog is gradually being added in audio. Occasionally I see academic books released as audiobooks.

[FishProf]

  I would rather read the real book.  (For one thing, it takes much less time.)

I get audiobooks for things I'd never find time to read in book form.

What's the attraction?  I know people who have long commutes who listen to audiobooks, but I would find them distracting on the road - I don't even listen to the radio.   

Doing dishes. Folding laundry.  Mowing Lawn.  Sorting doodads in basement.   Any tedious task is better with audiobooks for me.

[bacardiandlime]

I'm a huge audiobook fan, I have an audible annual account and also borrow from the library. I do find I'm getting through far less in the pandemic (no long drives). When I used to get a bus to work I would listen all the way.

[smallcleanrat]

There are a lot on offer via YouTube.

Some are uploads of commercial recordings (so probably not legal), but some are posted by people who do their own readings.

Here's a reading of Jack London's "To Build a Fire" I quite enjoyed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uiPpxsrrDsY

[Vkw10]

I can't get into the whole audiobook thing.  I've downloaded a few freebies to listen to while walking, but I can't get into them.  I would rather read the real book.  (For one thing, it takes much less time.)

What's the attraction?  I know people who have long commutes who listen to audiobooks, but I would find them distracting on the road - I don't even listen to the radio.   

I can't seem to acquire a taste for audiobooks.  And I feel like I'm missing something.  FOMO!

I started listening to audiobooks when I was making an eight hour drive monthly to visit my mother. Interstate driving, passing through a city just twice, so I could listen easily. I often finished a book while walking or doing household chores, but now I buy audiobooks mainly for walking and chores, with occasional long drives. I prefer listening to nonfiction and favorite novels, so I’m not frustrated by missing key plot points if something else demands my attention.

I prefer reading either paper or ebook for most fiction. It’s faster, I can interpret the words without interference from narrator’s tone, I can easily skip up a paragraph to enjoy adroit phrasing. I read more widely because of audiobooks, exploring topics that I wouldn’t read when curled up with a book. The formats serve different purposes for me.

[ergative]

  I would rather read the real book.  (For one thing, it takes much less time.)

I get audiobooks for things I'd never find time to read in book form.

What's the attraction?  I know people who have long commutes who listen to audiobooks, but I would find them distracting on the road - I don't even listen to the radio.   

Doing dishes. Folding laundry.  Mowing Lawn.  Sorting doodads in basement.   Any tedious task is better with audiobooks for me.

Exercising

[smallcleanrat]

I can't get into the whole audiobook thing.  I've downloaded a few freebies to listen to while walking, but I can't get into them.  I would rather read the real book.  (For one thing, it takes much less time.)

What's the attraction?  I know people who have long commutes who listen to audiobooks, but I would find them distracting on the road - I don't even listen to the radio.   

I can't seem to acquire a taste for audiobooks.  And I feel like I'm missing something.  FOMO!

A good voice actor can really add a lot to a narrative. I especially appreciate this when characters in fiction are supposed to have distinct accents which I’m not too familiar with.

They’re also good for times your eyes need rest.

[ergative]

I can't get into the whole audiobook thing.  I've downloaded a few freebies to listen to while walking, but I can't get into them.  I would rather read the real book.  (For one thing, it takes much less time.)

What's the attraction?  I know people who have long commutes who listen to audiobooks, but I would find them distracting on the road - I don't even listen to the radio.   

I can't seem to acquire a taste for audiobooks.  And I feel like I'm missing something.  FOMO!

A good voice actor can really add a lot to a narrative. I especially appreciate this when characters in fiction are supposed to have distinct accents which I’m not too familiar with.

They’re also good for times your eyes need rest.

Yes--I've occasionally found that when I'm awake at 3:00am and can't get back to sleep, a half hour or forty minutes of someone reading me a story is really soothing; either it lulls me back to sleep, or else it keeps me entertained.

I've really enjoyed the narrative voices of Robin Miles and Xe Sands.

[nebo113]

I can't get into the whole audiobook thing.  I've downloaded a few freebies to listen to while walking, but I can't get into them.  I would rather read the real book.  (For one thing, it takes much less time.)

What's the attraction?  I know people who have long commutes who listen to audiobooks, but I would find them distracting on the road - I don't even listen to the radio.   

I can't seem to acquire a taste for audiobooks.  And I feel like I'm missing something.  FOMO!

A good voice actor can really add a lot to a narrative. I especially appreciate this when characters in fiction are supposed to have distinct accents which I’m not too familiar with.

They’re also good for times your eyes need rest.

Yes--I've occasionally found that when I'm awake at 3:00am and can't get back to sleep, a half hour or forty minutes of someone reading me a story is really soothing; either it lulls me back to sleep, or else it keeps me entertained.

I've really enjoyed the narrative voices of Robin Miles and Xe Sands.

The same for me. 

[downer]

Xe Sands has such an intimate yet slightly jaded tone. I will listen to a book because she is performing it. I follow her on Twitter.
Simon Vance is very reliable too.

I generally hate celebrity audiobook performers, though sometimes it works. Stephen Fry is perfect for some books.