Play Book Tag discussion

This book "seat" pillow comes with a page holder that is clear ...

https://www.amazon.com/Book-Seat-Hold...

I have not tried it myself.... but I'm considering it.

Totally joining the conversation late but it seems like a good one!! I only started using audiobooks a couple of years ago. I thought I would hate them since I am so visual but I now LOVE them. I listen while driving, walking and cooking or eating mostly.

I only borrow audiobooks from the library through Libby or Hoopla like many others. Though I may need to break down and get a trial Audible so I can listen to Meryl Streep read Tom Lake. I live alone so I listen to my phone without headphones or ear buds as Nancy suggests above. If I'm walking, I prefer over the ear headphones as I find ear buds uncomfortable and I want a visible cue to others that I may not hear them. I don't do noise cancelling for the same reason to hear others on the trail or sidewalk.

My start to audiobooks was mostly non-fiction. I could pay better attention to the facts. I also enjoy cozies and lighter or shorter fiction and accents. The narrator does make a difference. Another factor for me is the speed. I found going at regular speed was too slow I kept drifting off without hearing the book. I moved to 1.25 and worked myself to a bit faster. I find it the audiobooks hold my attention better if a faster speed.

Good luck and I hope you find what works best for you!

After many years of audiobooks, in the last year I have been listening to more books at 1.25 speed. But if it's a series I love like Chet & Bernie or Cormoran Strike, I never speed it up. The Running Grave was something like 30 hours and I wished it would even last longer!

I mostly listen at 1.25 speed, sometimes faster, and only slower if strongly accented and I am struggling to understand at the faster speed.

Theresa wrote: "Holly R W wrote: "@Theresa, I had tried a lap pillow but it hadn't worked too well. I love your book weight that you use in your office. What a great gift!"


And since my office has moved home, it..."

@Theresa, I might try something similar with my husband's music stand, since it is adjustable. The needlework floor stand looks perfect for your use. Thanks for showing it to me.

NancyJ wrote: "Holly, have you tried listening to a book on your cellphone without headphones?

I’ve listened on a cellphone, an ipad, and a laptop and they all sounded fine. I don’t have a cover on anything tha..."

@Nancy, this afternoon I tried listening to an audio book on my cellphone. It worked like a charm. And the narrator is Tom Hanks.

Book Concierge wrote: "This book "seat" pillow comes with a page holder that is clear ...

https://www.amazon.com/Book-Seat-Hold......"

@Tessa, I never knew that so many options exist for these products. Thanks for sharing this.

Jen K wrote: "Totally joining the conversation late but it seems like a good one!! I only started using audiobooks a couple of years ago. I thought I would hate them since I am so visual but I now LOVE them. I l..."

@Jen, I'm such a newbie with this that I'm unsure how to speed up a narrator, but I will figure it out. I think there will be a learning curve for me with all of this. Thanks for sharing your experience.

Robin P wrote: "After many years of audiobooks, in the last year I have been listening to more books at 1.25 speed. But if it's a series I love like Chet & Bernie or Cormoran Strike, I never speed it up. [book:The..."

@Robin, it's interesting that so many readers have become so adept with using audio books. Thanks for all of your well thought-out comments.

Apple wrote: "I mostly listen at 1.25 speed, sometimes faster, and only slower if strongly accented and I am struggling to understand at the faster speed."

@Apple, it seems that there is a consensus here that 1.25 is a good speed to use. ;0)

Holly R W wrote: "Apple wrote: "I mostly listen at 1.25 speed, sometimes faster, and only slower if strongly accented and I am struggling to understand at the faster speed."

@Apple, it seems that there is a consens..."

I agree on the speed. It still sounds natural.

Holly - if you are using Audible, the speed control is on the bottom left below the on off rewind fast forward buttons on the full screen. You will see 1.00x. Also at bottom is a timer - clock symbol. There is something called clip - no idea what that is - and a car symbol which I assume applies when yo sync to car - not something this New Yorker uses. There is also a chapter table of contents above the progress bar. The full screen window shrinks to a small window with only primary buttons if you want, but a tap opens it up again.

Most audiobook platforms have a similar platform.

I blame my need to listen at a higher speed on The Gilmore Girls. My husband can’t stand it sped up.

Holly R W wrote: "NancyJ wrote: "Holly, have you tried listening to a book on your cellphone without headphones?

I’ve listened on a cellphone, an ipad, and a laptop and they all sounded fine. I don’t have a cover ..."

Tom Hanks is the best! He even makes "Chapter One" sound thrilling!

I would listen to Tom Hanks (or Divina Porter, or Jim Dale) read their grocery list! A great narrator really makes a HUGE difference.

Some reviews of The Making of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece said it was just a lightweight salute to the movie business - but my reaction was "who cares, Tom Hanks narrates" (and he wrote it). and I thought it was great to listen to. I was fine with the fact that he didn't address every current controversy of movie making.

Book Concierge wrote: "I would listen to Tom Hanks (or Divina Porter, or Jim Dale) read their grocery list! A great narrator really makes a HUGE difference."

Add Simon Pebble to that list...

I'm loving this conversation. Thanks Teresa for the thoughtful links to useful merch that will feed my habits! Keeping a list now for when I'm asked what I'd like for my birthday.

I'm a total audiobook addict. So much, that I'm making a small effort to turn off the sound and actually read in text only. ..Sometimes.

I like to use audiobooks for rereads of familiar favorites. Sometimes I'll start a new book as an audio because that's what becomes available first from the library. I usually find myself also wanting the text for something that I haven't read before. A really good book benefits from multiple readings and the different perspective of a skilled audio performance.

I have multiple audio performances of A Christmas Carol. My daughter and I had fun comparing and rating a few of them. We still prefer the abridged Patrick Stewart version that was a staple for car rides to the grandparents when she was a child.
A Christmas Carol

One drawback of audio is that when you want to post a review or have a discussion online, you realize you don't know how the character's name is spelled! That can be easily found out by looking at the blurb or reviews. But fantasy is a whole other realm as far as names go, difficult to guess.

Not a big problem, I still love audio and actually fantasy is a good genre for it because it involves storytelling.

Holly R W wrote: "NancyJ wrote: "Holly, have you tried listening to a book on your cellphone without headphones?

I’ve listened on a cellphone, an ipad, and a laptop and they all sounded fine. I don’t have a cover ..."

That's great!

I don't like headphones, so I just put my device on my night table when I start to get sleepy. I can listen with my eyes closed and the lights off. If I can tell my husband's not deeply asleep, I put it next to my pillow and turn down the volume.

Book Concierge wrote: "I would listen to Tom Hanks (or Divina Porter, or Jim Dale) read their grocery list! A great narrator really makes a HUGE difference."

It was due to Jim Dale's reading of The Night Circus that I fell in love with audiobooks :)

I love seeing all the Jim Dale fans! For me it was the HP and I actually have a set of CDs for one of the books that he has autographed -- my law partner, now retired and living in NM, used to meet Jim and his dog Georgie Girl in the early AM when both walking their dogs. I had lent my partner the audioCD to try out -- so he said -- and instead he was getting it autographed!

I was a Jim Dale fan from way way back - first saw him in Scapino on Broadway -- but the one the sealed it was Barnum -- which I saw 7 or 8 times during its run and actually (with a friend) wrote him a fan letter which he replied to! I have that reply -- and poster for Barnum - framed. The last time I saw him perform was an evening at the NY Historical Society where he talked about his career, audiobooks - and HP in particular - and did his routine about 'when you say XXX, you are quoting Shakespeare'.

So given my fangirling - of course one of the first audios I tried was HP but only as re-reads. BookConcierge and I listened to Deathly Hallows read by Jim Dale on our 2022 trip to the Dakotas.

My husband is the film guy, I am the book lady. He knew of Dale from Carry On (both my parents and my MIL are Poms), which we have a large collection of.

Georgie Girl is what my mum used to call my daughter 😊

Just throwing my ring in the hat echoing the fandom of Jim Dale! I remember listening to the tapes on my Hello Kitty boom box as a kid when going to bed. Back when he pronounced it "her-mahhh-ne". He also narrated the show Pushing Daisies, which is a fav.

Cassandra Campbell and Julia Whelan are also stand out narrators.

Sometimes celebrities read audiobooks as well, a fun way to find new books. I'm listening to Bright Young Women which is narrated by Broadway star Sutton Foster. Many celebrities will read their own memoirs. Authors reading their own books are hit and miss. Some amazing, some terrible.

For what it's worth, I also use Libby for library downloads of audios. Also, with a premium membership of Spotify- you get 15 hours of free audiosbooks (there's a thread in Footnotes folder to get more info there). I mostly listen at 1.1x or 1.15x speed.