Tuesday, August 12, 2014

[Cross-posted at my other blog, Books for Mom.]

Audiobooks once seemed a little weird to me (uh, listening in the car, or while working out?  I'd miss something important!!!), but motherhood has made me a convert of sorts.  While that fear of "missing something" still makes me hesitate to tackle fresh material via audio, I find that listening to Jane Austen makes the dishes fly and the laundry fold itself.  All right, overstatement-- but you get the idea.

Librivox offers public domain audiobooks for free; and I hear that public libraries lend audio online, too, although mine would require me to download and install a separate application.

The catch to audiobooks, of course, is that you have to find a voice (as well as text) that will agree with you for hours on end.  Weeding through the samples can be frustrating... So far my favorite Librivox readers are Karen Savage and Elizabeth Klett-- each so clear and pleasant!-- who have recorded a great many comfort classics, such as Burnett's A Little Princess, Montgomery's Anne of Green Gablesseries, Charlotte Bronte, and (oh yes!) Jane Austen. 

What is your favorite source for audiobooks?  In your opinion, is an Audible membership worthwhile...?  I've considered it, although the price made me balk.

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