audible
The pleasure of Audible
01/07/09 12:14
Another Christmas present from my amazing wife (who just signed up for Facebook, and yes she knows the Crocodile Hunter is dead -- inside joke) was a subscription to Audible.com.
Audible is home to audio books. I was never a big fan of books on tape before even using my ipod now iPhone as much as I do, I never had much interest. But a series of long solo drives this summer stretched my podcast inventory to its limit (I guess I’ll have to do another post on what I listen to podcast wise).
So with 4 x 5+ hour trips ahead, I needed something that would get me through that long stretch at the end of the Jersey Turnpike (you know the one near exit 11 or 12) and beyond. I had tried audio books, but never really got hooked, well after those drives, now I’m hooked.
I find it gives me the same joy as reading while I waited for the subway when I lived in New York. I loved that commute time, savored it actually, it was all mine, no one could intrude. Time to yourself with a good book is time well spent. Well, these days, I don’t get much time where my head is able to focus on a book and my commute is either in the car or by foot (I’ve been doing a lot of walking since June, usually a 40 minute trip to Georgetown and then a 40 minute return at the end of the day). With audio books on my iPhone I find it opens up a whole new chance to “read” something wonderful.
I started my travel “reading” with “Bird by Bird,” by Anne Lamont. A great read/listen about writing. It was a book I had wanted to read for a while and poof, across the Pennsylvania Turnpike it was finished and Audible had a new fan.
Next was “Brain Rules,” by John Medina a wonderful book about how the brain works. Each chapter starts with a rule, like the importance of exercise, Medina then lays out the rule, why it might work that way, then discusses the implications of that rule. It was such a great read/listen that I savored it, not wanting to waste it for a mere 20 minutes jaunt walking, but I wanted to gulp it in hour long sessions. It was so interesting that I actually went out and bought the hard copy of the book.
(As an aside, we’ll need to come up with a word for what you’re doing when you read/listen to an audio book. Can you call it reading? Its more than listening I think but maybe not. Does a blind person “read” braille? Is it the same, does reading necessarily mean with your eyes? I guess the dictionary refers to printed material but maybe that’s just an outdated way of thinking of things. Back to our normal broadcasting.)
I just finished my third audio book “Traffic,” by Tom Vanderbilt. Sure traffic is boring to sit in (well maybe not so boring after reading this book), but its fascinating to think and learn about. If you’ve ever wondered where traffic comes from, had an accident or near miss, or just are curious how creatures who can barely sustain 20+ miles an hour can operate a ton of metal driving at high speeds with other creatures not designed for the same thing, then get this book -- even if you haven’t get this book, its that good. Seriously, this book will change how you see the world around you and turn an everyday mundane occurrence like traffic into some kind of lyrical dance of physiology, psyche, and physics.
The reason I bring all this up, is with my Audible.com subscription, I get a credit a month towards a book (most books are only one credit). So I can’t decided what’s next, damn. I’ll keep you posted on what’s next. If I had comments, I would let you suggest something, I guess you’ll to e-mail me instead.
Audible is home to audio books. I was never a big fan of books on tape before even using my ipod now iPhone as much as I do, I never had much interest. But a series of long solo drives this summer stretched my podcast inventory to its limit (I guess I’ll have to do another post on what I listen to podcast wise).
So with 4 x 5+ hour trips ahead, I needed something that would get me through that long stretch at the end of the Jersey Turnpike (you know the one near exit 11 or 12) and beyond. I had tried audio books, but never really got hooked, well after those drives, now I’m hooked.
I find it gives me the same joy as reading while I waited for the subway when I lived in New York. I loved that commute time, savored it actually, it was all mine, no one could intrude. Time to yourself with a good book is time well spent. Well, these days, I don’t get much time where my head is able to focus on a book and my commute is either in the car or by foot (I’ve been doing a lot of walking since June, usually a 40 minute trip to Georgetown and then a 40 minute return at the end of the day). With audio books on my iPhone I find it opens up a whole new chance to “read” something wonderful.
I started my travel “reading” with “Bird by Bird,” by Anne Lamont. A great read/listen about writing. It was a book I had wanted to read for a while and poof, across the Pennsylvania Turnpike it was finished and Audible had a new fan.
Next was “Brain Rules,” by John Medina a wonderful book about how the brain works. Each chapter starts with a rule, like the importance of exercise, Medina then lays out the rule, why it might work that way, then discusses the implications of that rule. It was such a great read/listen that I savored it, not wanting to waste it for a mere 20 minutes jaunt walking, but I wanted to gulp it in hour long sessions. It was so interesting that I actually went out and bought the hard copy of the book.
(As an aside, we’ll need to come up with a word for what you’re doing when you read/listen to an audio book. Can you call it reading? Its more than listening I think but maybe not. Does a blind person “read” braille? Is it the same, does reading necessarily mean with your eyes? I guess the dictionary refers to printed material but maybe that’s just an outdated way of thinking of things. Back to our normal broadcasting.)
I just finished my third audio book “Traffic,” by Tom Vanderbilt. Sure traffic is boring to sit in (well maybe not so boring after reading this book), but its fascinating to think and learn about. If you’ve ever wondered where traffic comes from, had an accident or near miss, or just are curious how creatures who can barely sustain 20+ miles an hour can operate a ton of metal driving at high speeds with other creatures not designed for the same thing, then get this book -- even if you haven’t get this book, its that good. Seriously, this book will change how you see the world around you and turn an everyday mundane occurrence like traffic into some kind of lyrical dance of physiology, psyche, and physics.
The reason I bring all this up, is with my Audible.com subscription, I get a credit a month towards a book (most books are only one credit). So I can’t decided what’s next, damn. I’ll keep you posted on what’s next. If I had comments, I would let you suggest something, I guess you’ll to e-mail me instead.