# Audiobooks - Is This Cheating?



## MaryH (Mar 7, 2006)

So is listening to audiobooks reading or cheating? I finally figured out how to download audiobooks from the library through my computer onto my iPod. Am I addicted or acting like a child with a new toy? So far I've "read" _The Help, The Scent of Rain and Lightening, _currently "reading" _Twenties Girl, _and ready and waiting is _The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake_. The bad news is that I have lots of real books collecting dust but the good news is that I can amuse myself and "read" books while cleaning house, doing laundry, brushing dogs, cooking and sitting in traffic. The little alarm clock/docking station for and iPod/iPhone has even been moved out of the guest room and now sits on the corner of the grooming table. I love driving to work now, look forward to brushing dogs at night, and didn't mind one bit spending last weekend cooking and cleaning. I feel another addiction headed my way ...

And when I get into bed at night I start watching movies_. Invictus _was awesome as was _Inside Job_. _Julie & Julia_ was pure entertainment. _Billy Elliott _was okay. Movies I'm glad I didn't spend money on are _Mr. & Mrs. Smith _and_ The Kids are Okay. Love and Other Drugs _was one I didn't even watch through to the end. I just picked up _127 Hours_ and _Life As We Know It._

I just renewed my Barnes and Noble membership for another year but I wonder if I'll be buying any more books over the next year. The library really is becoming a favorite stop on my way home from work ... the only thing that could improve the library experience would be to add a Dunkin Donuts or Starbucks! :thumbsup:


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## uniquelovdolce (Mar 10, 2010)

mary i hvnt tried audio books but i will , i think being able to listen while i sweep , mop n do laundry will be awesome. 
ive also started watching movies on weekends too n at nite sometimes , im loving netflix.. 

life as we know it is very nice , and i really liked 127 hrs (deep)

im going to check out the ones u mentioned ..


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## Bailey&Me (Mar 8, 2010)

Mary - I totally understand your addiction to audio books! I LOVE them too although I haven't listened to one in a while. Back when I was in grad school, I used to love finding my assigned books on cds and listened to them during my drive to and from school. I actually found that I absorbed the material much better that way. I have also gotten some of the Harry Potter books on cds to listen to during my horrendous Northern VA commute - so much fun!!! 

By the way - do you mean Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella by any chance? I am a little embarassed to admit how much I adore "chic lit" - I just finished reading that one and really, really enjoyed it.


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## educ8m (May 19, 2010)

Oh, no, no, no....it's definitely not "cheating" to listen to an audiobook. In fact I told my students this year that listening to an audiobook "counted" as minutes spent reading for their logs. Reading is a communication between author and reader which you still get while listening. We each bring our own experiences, bias, and interpretation to a book whether it is read visually or listened to. I would say that audiobooks outnumber the print books I read easily 3 to 1 and maybe more. I have found that the sheer pleasure of being read to increases my enjoyment of many books. I've also discovered a richness in language that I feel I wasn't aware of or was skipping over while reading in print. I have also found that the narrator can make or break some books. I don't even remember which book it was now, but the narrator drove me crazy. On the other hand, an autobiography becomes even richer when narrated by the actual person. It's like sitting down and visiting with an old friend. 

I LOVED listening to _The Help _because I didn't have to fight through the dialect myself while trying to read it. The characters came to life with four different narrators. 

Another book I think was probably enhanced by listening to it was_ *Room* _by Emma Donoghue_. _I would highly recommend this! And for nonfiction I think everyone should listen to _*Outliers* _by Malcolm Gladwell_._


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## mysugarbears (Aug 13, 2007)

I worry that i would have a hard time with listening to an audio book and trying to do other things at the same time, like cleaning and grooming i wonder if i would have a hard time paying attention to what i was listening to and not have my mind wonder off somewhere else.


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## yukki (Aug 22, 2007)

Are you guys downloading them for free or are you paying for them? If you are getting them for free, could you share where I might begin to look for some please?? Thanks.


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## MaryH (Mar 7, 2006)

I'm downloading them for free from my local library. If your library has online capability try looking around for digital books. Or just go to your library and ask. If they say they do have audiobooks and ebooks then ask them if they would walk you through how to download them. I have found that the staff at my library are really accommodating to newbies trying to find their way around, especially the digital stuff.


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## MaryH (Mar 7, 2006)

Bailey&Me said:


> By the way - do you mean Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella by any chance? I am a little embarassed to admit how much I adore "chic lit" - I just finished reading that one and really, really enjoyed it.


Yup, _Twenties Girl_ by Sophie Kinsella. I've never read any of her books but listened to _Can You Keep A Secret_ a few years ago and loved it. I think of these books as silly books written just to make me laugh. They do the trick!! Kinsella has that dry British wit that I adore. And I'm never embarassed to say that every so often I just need something silly in my life. :goof: Have you read any of her other books? Feel free to recommend and I will look for them at the library. They really are great "drive to work" books.


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## educ8m (May 19, 2010)

yukki said:


> Are you guys downloading them for free or are you paying for them? If you are getting them for free, could you share where I might begin to look for some please?? Thanks.


I have downloaded some of mine from the library, but the new releases still have a wait list. At our library only so many people can have access to a digital book at a time. So once you DO get to download it, it expires in a certain amount of time. Therefore I get most of my audio books from www.audible.com. I have a monthly paid subscription which gives me one credit a month. Most for their books only cost one credit to purchase. You can start for as little as $7.95 a month. I LOVE it.


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## Snowbody (Jan 3, 2009)

I remember in the past reading some audio books and really enjoying them. They were well produced with great voices and sound effects. Haven't done it in a long time. I think I used to listen while I drove but I don't drive that much alone now :blush: Can you read the e-library books on all readers like Kindle?


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## Maglily (Feb 3, 2009)

Snowbody said:


> I remember in the past reading some audio books and really enjoying them. They were well produced with great voices and sound effects. Haven't done it in a long time. I think I used to listen while I drove but I don't drive that much alone now :blush: Can you read the e-library books on all readers like Kindle?


I used to get audio cassettes from the library for long highway drives, I liked them too. it's a great idea.


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## MaryH (Mar 7, 2006)

educ8m said:


> I have downloaded some of mine from the library, but the new releases still have a wait list. At our library only so many people can have access to a digital book at a time. So once you DO get to download it, it expires in a certain amount of time. Therefore I get most of my audio books from www.audible.com. I have a monthly paid subscription which gives me one credit a month. Most for their books only cost one credit to purchase. You can start for as little as $7.95 a month. I LOVE it.


Same with my library, Deb, about the wait list. And I'm limited to 3 requests even if there are 10 people ahead of me. But there are enough books available for immediate check out that will keep me listening long enough to carry me through lots of "to be done" projects around the house.



Snowbody said:


> I remember in the past reading some audio books and really enjoying them. They were well produced with great voices and sound effects. Haven't done it in a long time. I think I used to listen while I drove but I don't drive that much alone now :blush: Can you read the e-library books on all readers like Kindle?


Sue, my first audiobook was _The Hunt For Red October_ (yikes, 25 years ago!). The reader (who I cannot remember and not the same one who is reading more current editions) was awesome. I got hooked on Tom Clancy and read several of his books after that. My library network supports lots of e-readers but not the Kindle. I don't know if it's a library policy or a Kindle policy. Can you download ebooks from the NYC library onto your Kindle?


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## Snowbody (Jan 3, 2009)

MaryH said:


> Same with my library, Deb, about the wait list. And I'm limited to 3 requests even if there are 10 people ahead of me. But there are enough books available for immediate check out that will keep me listening long enough to carry me through lots of "to be done" projects around the house.
> 
> 
> 
> Sue, my first audiobook was _The Hunt For Red October_ (yikes, 25 years ago!). The reader (who I cannot remember and not the same one who is reading more current editions) was awesome. I got hooked on Tom Clancy and read several of his books after that. My library network supports lots of e-readers but not the Kindle. I don't know if it's a library policy or a Kindle policy. Can you download ebooks from the NYC library onto your Kindle?


Mary - I just looked on the NY Public Library site and it doesn't work for Kindle.:angry: It does for Nook which the B&N people told me when I bought Jim's Kindle. One of my narrators whom I often use does tons of audio books. He's got a great voice and can do a dozen characters and have then all sound different. Love him.


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## Bonnie's Mommie (Mar 2, 2006)

Yes, Mary - it's cheating, lol!:HistericalSmiley:

Just kidding, but this is coming from someone who loves books, and hasn't gotten a kindle yet. I know, get into the 21st Century, Linda.

Glad you're enjoying it.


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## casa verde maltese (Apr 7, 2007)

I love audio books.. and find it isn't cheating - because for me - I listen to books I would possibly never take the time to read.. like biographies or history.. things I love.. but not necessarily want to curl up and read before bed. In NM - it takes me at min. 20 min. to get to the closet town, 50 min. to get to campus, 30 -45 min. to get to some of my research sites. This time would be wasted if I didn't listen to a book!! (or make work phone calls). I'm completely addicted and am really bummed when I haven't down loaded some books!!.. I still read before I go to bed. (though I did get into a netflix habit and then a i touch scrabble habit - that i broke.. because I my books were piling up!!).

I say do what makes you happy!


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## Snowball Pie's Mommi (Oct 16, 2008)

Mary, although I haven't tried audiobooks yet ... they sound like a blessing. Look at all the things you can accomplish while listening to them. I think if audiobooks help make any kind of chores more pleasurable ... or help the time seem to go by faster when doing chores ... then that is a good thing! 

I'm happy to hear you are enjoying the audio books so much. And, I think you have inspired me to try audiobooks! So, thank you! :tender:


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## Snowbody (Jan 3, 2009)

You know what's even better? Listening to Audio books while someone else does all your chores. :chili::chili: Yeah, like that's gonna happen to any of us. :angry:


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## MaryH (Mar 7, 2006)

Okay, so cheating or not, I don't think I'll be breaking my new found addiction anytime soon. Just got back from another quick trip to Canada and having an audiobook with me was awesome. Nothing better than sitting in my pj's in a hotel room, getting some work done and listening to a book at the same time ... and having a couple of books on an iPod is even less to lug around than an ereader. (I was traveling with two of the guys who I work with and loved that when we got dropped off at the hotel our driver unloaded our bags and commented *with surprise* that my bag was the lightest in the bunch!)

Any of our Canadian SMers from the Waterloo area? We really had no time to explore but we had a great meal last night at the Charcoal Steak House.


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## MaryH (Mar 7, 2006)

Audiobook update -- still addicted!! The only downside is that I keep adding to the "projects to be done" list. Uggghhh!! This weekend I attacked paper. Do I really need to keep bank statements from back in the '90s? Hope not because they're all gone now. So are recipes that I saved and never ever made. And receipts and user guides for appliances that were replaced long ago.

I finished _Twenties Girl_ by Sophie Kinsella, what I describe as a "silly" book that was entertaining and easy on the brain. _The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake_ was a bit of a downer for me but I'm not unhappy that I listened to it. I loved _Kabul Beauty School. _ Just finished another silly book, _The Fixer Upper _... definite chic lit, pure entertainment, easy on the brain while attacking chores around the house. Just started _The Postmistress_. I got the book from the library but just couldn't find or make the time to read it, so I returned it and placed a request for the audiobook. Not sure I'm going to like it any better but will give it a try. And I just got an email notification that two more audiobooks that I requested are ready for download, _The Weird Sisters _and _The Invisible Bridge_. I will download them later this week so that I have something to listen to on the flights to and from Texas.

And for bedtime reading I'm reading a real book, _When We Were Strangers,_ and so far I am liking it.


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## Snowbody (Jan 3, 2009)

MaryH said:


> Audiobook update -- still addicted!! The only downside is that I keep adding to the "projects to be done" list. Uggghhh!! This weekend I attacked paper. Do I really need to keep bank statements from back in the '90s? Hope not because they're all gone now. So are recipes that I saved and never ever made. And receipts and user guides for appliances that were replaced long ago.
> 
> I finished _Twenties Girl_ by Sophie Kinsella, what I describe as a "silly" book that was entertaining and easy on the brain. _The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake_ was a bit of a downer for me but I'm not unhappy that I listened to it. I loved _Kabul Beauty School. _ Just finished another silly book, _The Fixer Upper _... definite chic lit, pure entertainment, easy on the brain while attacking chores around the house. Just started _The Postmistress_. I got the book from the library but just couldn't find or make the time to read it, so I returned it and placed a request for the audiobook. Not sure I'm going to like it any better but will give it a try. And I just got an email notification that two more audiobooks that I requested are ready for download, _The Weird Sisters _and _The Invisible Bridge_. I will download them later this week so that I have something to listen to on the flights to and from Texas.
> 
> And for bedtime reading I'm reading a real book, _When We Were Strangers,_ and so far I am liking it.


Does that mean I can throw out bank statements from the 80's? :w00t::smrofl::smrofl: Unfortunately I kid you not. :brownbag: More my husband's than mine. :huh:
My best friend read The Invisible Bridge and loved it. She couldn't put it down so I'm assuming it will make a very absorbing listen. Now the most embarrassing thing is that I think I read "When We Were Strangers" but I can't quite remember. Like the saying about old friends becoming new friends again when the memory goes...I guess the same could go for old books. :blush::smstarz: It would probably come back to me after a chapter or two.


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## MaryH (Mar 7, 2006)

Sue, _When We Were Strangers_ was just published in January. Is it true that short term memory goes first?? :HistericalSmiley:Anyway, I'm only about 50 pages into it but it takes place in the late 1800s when 21-year old Irma, a seamstress, leaves her mountainside village in Italy and sets out alone for America. Sound at all familiar?

I requested _The Invisible Bridge_ after I read your post saying your friend read it and loved it. Do you remember posting that?? :rofl:


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## Snowbody (Jan 3, 2009)

MaryH said:


> Sue, _When We Were Strangers_ was just published in January. Is it true that short term memory goes first?? :HistericalSmiley:Anyway, I'm only about 50 pages into it but it takes place in the late 1800s when 21-year old Irma, a seamstress, leaves her mountainside village in Italy and sets out alone for America. Sound at all familiar?
> 
> I requested _The Invisible Bridge_ after I read your post saying your friend read it and loved it. Do you remember posting that?? :rofl:


Mary? Mary whom?? Very funny!! Okay if When We Were Strangers just came out then I wouldn't have read it already. But the description sounds like something else that I read a year or two ago. Who knows what? And I do remember posting about the Invisible Bridge. :good post - perfect Got that one right. :thumbsup:


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## MaryH (Mar 7, 2006)

Finished listening to _The Postmistress_ this morning. Not earth shattering but an okay way to pass the time commuting to work. Started listening to _The Weird Sisters_ tonight on the way home from work. And have _The Invisible Bridge, Cutting For Stone _and _A Cup of Friendship _waiting to get downloaded to my iPod.


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## Bailey&Me (Mar 8, 2010)

MaryH said:


> Yup, _Twenties Girl_ by Sophie Kinsella. I've never read any of her books but listened to _Can You Keep A Secret_ a few years ago and loved it. I think of these books as silly books written just to make me laugh. They do the trick!! Kinsella has that dry British wit that I adore. And I'm never embarassed to say that every so often I just need something silly in my life. :goof: Have you read any of her other books? Feel free to recommend and I will look for them at the library. They really are great "drive to work" books.


Mary, I have read ALL of Sophie Kinsella's books. Twenties Girl was my favorite but I also enjoyed Undomestic Goddess. Have you ever read one of Marian Keyes books? If you liked Kinsella's British wit, you will adore Marian Keyes...her books are a similar tone but even more witty and hilarious. She deals with some serious matters in some of her books but still manages to be pretty funny...if that makes any sense. She's one of my favorites. Let me know if you're interested and I'll recommend a few of her books that I liked the most.


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## MaryH (Mar 7, 2006)

Nida, I've listened to two of Sophie Kinsella's books, _Twenties Girl_ and _Can You Keep a Secret_ and liked them both. _Can You Keep a Secret_ had me laughing out loud while driving to and from work! I haven't read or listened to anything by Marian Keyes but am always open for suggestions. :thumbsup:


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## casa verde maltese (Apr 7, 2007)

THanks Mary - we read the same CHICK LIT - so yay!! i just finished 20's girl.. 
and ma reading the late lamented Molly Marx - which is very cute..
Jennifer Weiss.. is someone whose books i enjoy as well.


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