Audiobooks discussion

This thread is where interested group members can give the state of their audio TBR backlog, and their listening goal for the challenge.

My audios aren't backed up all that badly, so I'll be posting only occasionally regarding older additions that I found either good (why did I wait so long?) or not-so-good (could've stayed there longer). The actual challenge thread will begin in a day or so.

Recently (i.e. before BOGO!) I identified 34 titles as owned-not-yet-heard. I hope to listen to at least 5 of them in 2014.

Right now I have 57 audiobooks in my possession. Most are from Audible, plus a few I burned from CD from the library over the past few years. My goal is to knock at least 40 of these off the TBR list in 2014. I will hopefully knock off more than 40 of them, but I still want the option to spontaneously bump an occasional shiny new book to the top of the list. :)

I have 82, some I bought for other people in my household and may or may not ever listen to them but that is probably less than 10. I would like to get at least half done this year.

I have about 45-50 'unread' audiobooks if I include the short ones (less than 4 hours) and the SYNC books I haven't gotten to yet... of that, about 15-20 are audiobook editions of books that I have read before (like David Copperfield) so they have a lower priority to me. My goal for 2014 is to reduce my backlog by at least 15, with 10 of them being books new-to-me.

I have quite a few unread titles (I didn't take the time to count) going back as early as 2006. Given my backlog with ebooks and hard copies as well, I'm aiming for 12 audio titles this year.

I sorted my audible library in reverse chronological order and chose the 12 oldest unread/un-listened-to books.

Here is the list:
A Prayer for Owen Meany - J. Irving
The Persimmon Tree - B. Courtenay
The Girl Who Played with Fire - S. Larsson
The Girl Who Kicked A Hornet's Nest - S. Larsson
Roots - A. Haley
Our Mutual Friend - C. Dickens
The Screwtape Letters - C.S. Lewis
Drums of Autumn - D. Gabaldon
The Shawshank Redemption - S. King
Lisey's Story - S. King
Skinny Dip - C. Hiassen
Something Wicked This Way Comes - R. Bradbury

Some of these are quite hefty (Drums of Autumn =44 hrs, several others ~30 hours), so I'm hoping to make it through them all!

I have way too many unheard audiobooks. I recently decided on 12 non-fiction books taken from the many shelves of my DT (dead-tree, printed books) library that I want to read in 2014, and have now added 12 audiobooks, all at least 2 years old. I started a new shelf, Must-Read-2014, if anyone wants to see the ones I chose.

I read and listened to far too many books this year, did much too little of anything else, including nearly no knitting. In 2014 I want to try to find more balance, so I'll be cutting back on my reading and listening.

My audiogoals for this year are:
1) stay current with the new books I buy from series I follow--I've gotten behind this year for some reason
2) complete at least 2 books a month of the ones I've already started but abandoned when another shiny new book called my name--way too many of these this year
3) read at least one book a month--beginning in reverse chronological order from date bought--from my TBR mountain.

I've read a little over 250 books this year--mostly shorter ones of between 8 and 10 hours--and re-read a little over 100 of my favorite books. My numbers will likely drop in 2014 as I attack some of the older books in My Library--Outlander is just one example--but I'm expecting the quality of the experience will remain high.

I have nearly 40 books in my backlog. I'd like to clear at least 75% of them (about 2.5 per month) and keep current with purchases in 2014. Books I've already read in print will be lower priority.

Edited after doing a more accurate count...

I have thought long and hard about what my audio book goals for 2014 should be. I have been purchasing books from audible since 2008. During the last six years I have managed to accumulate a lot of books. When I joined GR I used a different rating system than I currently use and have not rated all of my books at audible. For a time I was without internet access but had my treasured audio books on an external hard drive so I was able to continue listening to books. My 2014 goal is to start with my oldest purchases and work through all books not rated at audible and cross check that with my audio book shelf here at GR to get the content of my audio book collection shelf caught up with my library shelf at audible. I also have several books that I for whatever reason I have dumped before finishing. Then I have my series books that I will be keeping current. I have a 2014 Book Shelf here at GR where I will be listing books as I finish them and will up date here with my progress in a summary at the end of each month.

I started a shelf with my audiobook backlist. I'm up to 30 and I think I'm only halfway done. UGH!

Okay. I have 60 books on my phone and about 5-10 on my iPod. I listened to more than 80 audiobooks this year, so I should be good, right?

I have 79 audiobooks and short stories unlistened from 2011 and earlier. So were random books in series that needed earlier books to start (what can I say? i'm cheap.). Anyway, my goal is to listen to at least 35 of this group this year. I also have a subgoal of listening to everything I get this year unless its part of a series that I can't start yet due to missing books.

You get some weird results when typing on a tablet. sorry my prior message was slightly garbled.

Vanessa wrote: "I have quite a few unread titles (I didn't take the time to count) going back as early as 2006. Given my backlog with ebooks and hard copies as well, I'm aiming for 12 audio titles this year.

I..."
You have hours of delicious listening ahead, Vanessa! Narrators Joe Barrett, Simon Vance, Mare Winningham... hope you love them!

Rosemary wrote: "Vanessa wrote: "I have quite a few unread titles (I didn't take the time to count) going back as early as 2006. Given my backlog with ebooks and hard copies as well, I'm aiming for 12 audio titles..."

I agree, Rosemary. Joe Barrett is amazing in Owen Meany. And the millenium trilogy with Simon Vance...oy! So good!

I have Persimmon Tree on my TBR list as well. Can't go wrong with Humphrey Bower, my favorite narrator!

I created a shelf with my audios and have 26 at present. I don't plan on making a grand resolution but would like to listen to at least one a month. Will make a list to put them in order of TBR over the next few days and go from there.

Uff, I don't even know how many unread audiobooks I have! Probably around 75? Maybe more? I'd like to listen to everything on my phone (24 books) this year. I get derailed on my phone books when my library holds become available, though. Way too many good books to read and listen to!

I have 54 Audible titles that I own by have not listened to yet. One I probably wont' listen to at all because the narrator was atrocious on a different book by the same author.

Julie wrote: "I have 54 Audible titles that I own by have not listened to yet. One I probably wont' listen to at all because the narrator was atrocious on a different book by the same author."

If that will-never-read book is an Audible one, you might consider returning it and getting your credit/cash back. They have a good return policy.

It is an Audibke book. I knew there was a return policy, but I wasn't sure of the specifics or if it was actually easy to use. Thanks for the encouragement to use it.

I'm going to start simple and say maybe 12 books from my already purchased from audible list - the goal being, I had to have had them for over a year (which should be easy, since i've had the In Death books loitering on the pile for that long)

Julie wrote: "It is an Audibke book. I knew there was a return policy, but I wasn't sure of the specifics or if it was actually easy to use. Thanks for the encouragement to use it."

It's very easy to use and they are very cordial about it. I buy hundreds of audiobooks from Audible and I return a few of them. Probably less than 1%. But if it's something that's defective (happens occasionally) or that I simply can't stand, I return it... just like I would to a regular store.

I want to reduce my Audible Backlog by half, so I'll shoot for 2 a month.

Shell's TBR Audibile

I have a large library and just pick from it for reading... of course it is expanding every day.

Series are the menu this year. I have been collecting the pieces as they came on sale and now I am ready to get to reading them.

All genre are considered since someone reads them to me.

As soon as I finish my bookclub book I will be starting The Snow Childby Eowyn Ivey which I bought 09-16-12.

Here is my shelf of the books I have bought but not listened to ...

https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...

Hope to get through 52 this year

I hope to get through 12 books, or at least one per month for each new credit I get on Audible.

Dee wrote: "I'm going to start simple and say maybe 12 books from my already purchased from audible list - the goal being, I had to have had them for over a year (which should be easy, since i've had the In De..."

Oh you will enjoy the In Death series, I am down to only 4 that I haven't listened to and they are a treat!

Those stupid Daily Deals are going to make this challenge really hard. I just couldn't resist The Virgin Suicides. I've wanted to read it for a long time and the ebook has been ridiculously priced for a book of it's age. It never goes on sale. Ergo, I couldn't resist.

ROFL...I don't think I liked the movie (I can't remember enough of it to know for sure) so I reluctantly gave it a pass.

Sandi wrote: "Those stupid Daily Deals are going to make this challenge really hard. I just couldn't resist The Virgin Suicides. I've wanted to read it for a long time and the ebook has been ridic..."

That's one of my favorite books. I haven't heard the audio version (I read years ago) so I was tempted to get it today.

If my library system doesn't have The Virgin Suicides, I might be tempted to buy it. I joined the reading challenge to ensure that I listen to older books, but I have no problem with accumulating even more books.

My problem with acquiring new books is an unstated personal goal: I will keep my TBR pile from exceeding *gulp* 500 books... it's currently at *blushes to type it* 497...
I've never succeeded in beating back the tide, but this challenge gave me at least one incentive to try.
Frankly, I haven't been overly worried because I've known that along with retirement would come even more time for reading so I willingly stockpiled books when they came on sale. But still... even after reading 255 books this last year I'm losing ground. So many new books to buy, so many books to read, so little time--despite my new retirement.

Karen wrote: "Dee wrote: "I'm going to start simple and say maybe 12 books from my already purchased from audible list - the goal being, I had to have had them for over a year (which should be easy, since i've h..."

I do love what i've listened to - i'm up to book 19 in the In Death series...tried to read it, and never got far, but the narration is just perfect

Hi all. Due to my disability, I'm gonna have to switch to reading audio books. My goal is to listen to at least one every month.

Welcome, Stephanie!

Sandi wrote: "Those stupid Daily Deals are going to make this challenge really hard. I just couldn't resist The Virgin Suicides. I've wanted to read it for a long time and the ebook has been ridic..."

me too.

I have 90 books in my current audible library - all bought last year - and I've only read a handful. I read 30-40 books a year, so unless I cut *way* back on daily deals etc., I'm fighting a losing battle.

Anyway, I hope to get at least 30 titles read. I have little idea which they'll be, though; I tend to only plan one or two books ahead, and there are new books coming out this year that I'll pick up when they appear.

Here are a few books in my list that I hope to get to:

The River of Souls
NOS4A2
Mr. Mercedes
Dust
The Crook Factory
The Windup Girl
The Hydrogen Sonata
Death by Black Hole: And Other Cosmic Quandaries
The Road
The Blind Watchmaker: Why the Evidence of Evolution Reveals a Universe Without Design
Permutation City
The Digging Leviathan

I guess that's a bit vague to qualify as a "challenge". Hmm. Okay, at least 30 books listened to, including all those above. There. :)

HBJ

i have a backlog of 20 audible titles plus im constantly getting audio books at the library. im going to aim for 2-3 per month.

Stephanie wrote: "Hi all. Due to my disability, I'm gonna have to switch to reading audio books. My goal is to listen to at least one every month."

Welcome! I'm assuming your disability is a visual impairment... you're not alone, a number of us share that... and a love of audiobooks.

Legally blind, no peripheral vision and fine motor difficulties over here *waves*

MS with chronic optic neuritis and cognitive issues. I'm 36 with bifocals.

Stephanie wrote: "MS with chronic optic neuritis and cognitive issues. I'm 36 with bifocals."

I am functionally totally blind due to Retinitis Pigmentosa.
Isn't it wonderful that when it comes to audiobooks we're all on equal footing.
Again, welcome to the group and we'll all be interested to hear your impressions of the books you read or even about our opinions of the books we read. For more of that, don't forget to visit the January 2014 thread where we talk about what we're reading and pick up interesting recommendations from fellow audiobook fans.

I have an awful lot of Audible books, and listen to at least 1-2 books a week, but there are only two that I've put off reading. The Histories and [The Battle of Bretton Woods] I put them off for reasons - an un-inflected narrator, and an author I am biased against...run away, run away. If I get through the two of them by the end of the year I want applause.

Hunchback wrote: "I have 90 books in my current audible library - all bought last year - and I've only read a handful. I read 30-40 books a year, so unless I cut *way* back on daily deals etc., I'm fighting a losing..."

I really enjoyed the book version of The Crook Factory - so that's recommended :-)

What kind of books do you like to read. I listen to books all the time. I would love to recommend some of my favorites, but I'll warn you I'm not very literary. I read for pure enjoyment. Rosie

I'll read nearly anything, and usually read 2 "for fun" books for every one heavier book. I read a lot of journal articles for my job, so I like to keep my recreational reading fairly light.

Romance and Sci-fi are two of my least favorite genres, but I still read from them occasionally

Okay I'll keep that in mind!

Vanessa, If you like Romance and Sci-Fi, try The Curse of Chalion and Paladin of Souls by Lois McMaster Bujold. Those are more fantasy than Sci-Fi but she also writes great Sci-Fi.