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Casimir Radon posted:It was a happy discovery. I'd spent a credit on City of Bones Soon to be a major motion picture I got myself Hitchhickers Guide To Galaxy. I read the book like 10 years ago, and when i saw it was narrated by Stephen Fry i just had to have it. So far im enjoying every minute of it 
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Jun 5, 2013 23:43
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I picked up The Human Division, by John Scalzi. It's all of the serialized stories compiled into one, nearly 15 hour book. I'm halfway through, and it's just absolutely refreshing to hear a science fiction novel that deals with the diplomats, rather than the soldiers for once. And it avoids the dreary "Grim and Dark Grim Darkness 100% totally realistic and serious hard sci-fi you guys", going instead for humour in the face of adversity. Mister Facetious fucked around with this message at 04:49 on Jun 8, 2013 |
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Jun 8, 2013 04:29
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Mister Macys posted:I picked up The Human Division, by John Scalzi. It took me entirely too long to realize who one of the main characters was relative to the first book in the series in that one. I broke down and got John Dies at the End because I had a $10 coupon from other purchases on Audible and that made it pretty cheap and drat, I should have got this book sooner, it's hilarious. Blasting Whitesnake on the radio to ward off a demon is hilarious.
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Jun 8, 2013 12:11
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Human Division was a great listen. That said, I don't know if it's just the nature of a serialized story format, but Scalzi's setups/Chekovs were pretty obvious, even to me. You can see them coming very early in each section, and usually I'm pretty oblivious to setups.
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Jun 10, 2013 04:00
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Mister Macys posted:Human Division was a great listen. I'm talking more about one of the side characters from way back in Old Man's War making a re-appearance as a main character in Human Division.
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Jun 10, 2013 15:11
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Mister Macys posted:Human Division was a great listen. Edit: I don't mean to say that this is necessarily a good thing either; I feel like "delivering what you expect" describes his work as a whole, and he might write more interesting stories if this wasn't his goal. mystes fucked around with this message at 15:39 on Jun 10, 2013 |
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Jun 10, 2013 15:36
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Wade Wilson posted:I'm talking more about one of the side characters from way back in Old Man's War making a re-appearance as a main character in Human Division. I wasn't replying to your post, I was just giving my opinion on the book, now that I've finished it. 
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Jun 10, 2013 18:13
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mystes posted:I don't think Scalzi really tries to attempt subtlety in his foreshadowing. I mean, come on, one of his stories might as well have been titled This story ends with a head in a box or your money back. Or that story with the radio host, Scalzi could have explicitly stated that he was going to die at the end and it wouldn't have made it any less surprising. I think he prefers to tell you exactly what to expect and then deliver that. Well, sure, I wasn't talking about something that had any impact on the actual story/plot. It was just something that didn't click for me until right before Scalzi flat out tells you about it by having one of the characters go "Hey, you were friends with John Perry, right? Why did he gently caress the CU over like that?" (John Perry was the main character for three previous novels in the same universe).
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Jun 10, 2013 18:17
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Wade Wilson posted:Well, sure, I wasn't talking about something that had any impact on the actual story/plot. It was just something that didn't click for me until right before Scalzi flat out tells you about it by having one of the characters go "Hey, you were friends with John Perry, right? Why did he gently caress the CU over like that?" (John Perry was the main character for three previous novels in the same universe).
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Jun 10, 2013 18:21
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What are some good horror audiobooks? I'm open to all suggestions.
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Jun 13, 2013 02:19
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Len posted:What are some good horror audiobooks? I'm open to all suggestions. more of a true crime novel than anything, but I found Douglas Preston's "The Monster of Florence" to be quite upsetting and horrifying. Back in the day there was a string of serial killings attributed to "The Monster of Florence", a serial killer who eventually inspired a vast array of fictional serial killers (like Hannibal's time in Florence). In current time, an American writer of pop thrillers teams up with the lead journalist from the case. Their goal is to research The Monster, his murders and hopefully discover who was ultimately responsible for the crimes and write an amazing book. The story quickly turns from a mystery into a horrifying story of police corruption and incompetence. Superstition, greed, incompetence and ambition quickly inform the direction of the case, and those involved want to keep it that way. Eventually, all of this ropes in the two writers and threatens to ruin their lives, and the lives of their families. Again, it's not really a 'horror' book, but I found this to be a lot more terrifying than most horror novels. If you're really looking for something fun, there is a 3-D Audio version of Stephen King's The Mist. It includes a full cast, sound effects, stereo sounds. It's an amazing audio experience. It was the first audio book I'd ever heard, back when I was a kid, and when I first realized they weren't all like this, I was pretty bummed.
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Jun 16, 2013 17:09
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Roydrowsy posted:more of a true crime novel than anything, but I found Douglas Preston's "The Monster of Florence" to be quite upsetting and horrifying. Back in the day there was a string of serial killings attributed to "The Monster of Florence", a serial killer who eventually inspired a vast array of fictional serial killers (like Hannibal's time in Florence). In current time, an American writer of pop thrillers teams up with the lead journalist from the case. Their goal is to research The Monster, his murders and hopefully discover who was ultimately responsible for the crimes and write an amazing book.
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Jun 17, 2013 17:34
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I just discovered that the website/podcast Forgotten Classics has done Barry Hughart's Bridge of Birds. For those that don't know, Forgotten Classics is a website that gets authors' permission to read their novels a couple of chapters at a time and release it as a podcast. I've only had a chance to listen to a minute or so of the first installment, but the narration seemed pretty good to me.
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Jun 17, 2013 22:44
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Wade Wilson posted:It took me entirely too long to realize who one of the main characters was relative to the first book in the series in that one.
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Jun 18, 2013 23:46
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coyo7e posted:The only thing that novel was missing was a reference to the hit song, "Angel Witch," from the album, "Angel Witch," by the band, "Angel Witch." I lost my poo poo a few times during the scene where John is running around smacking poo poo with a chair and parroting bad Pro Wrestling one-liners. Just about everything involving John is hilarious. I'm mentally thinking of turning the headlights on my car on as "commanding the headlights to gently caress the night" now.
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Jun 19, 2013 20:53
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Shakugan posted:Words can't express how much I hate it that Audible has different licensing zones. Every time I go to buy an audiobook I find it'a available in the US store, but not in Australia. This, but I would also like to ask; Why are audiobooks so goddamn expensive? Something about membership rubs me the wrong way (I would really like to keep the stuff I read/listen to). $35 bucks for a book just seems massively steep. Surely the costs involved in a audiobook are less than a printed paperback but paperbacks are more than half the price.
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Jul 8, 2013 07:32
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xcore posted:I would really like to keep the stuff I read/listen to.
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Jul 8, 2013 08:01
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xcore posted:This, but I would also like to ask; Why are audiobooks so goddamn expensive? Something about membership rubs me the wrong way (I would really like to keep the stuff I read/listen to). $35 bucks for a book just seems massively steep. Surely the costs involved in a audiobook are less than a printed paperback but paperbacks are more than half the price. Well with audio books they have to pay a voice actor to do the work, then there is production, editing and all of that. On the plus side with audible you keep the books you purchase with your membership. The membership not only gives you a discount for books you buy with cash but you also get 2 credits per month. Those credits can then be used to purchase books.
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Jul 8, 2013 13:14
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UltimoDragonQuest posted:You get to keep your Audible downloads. OK. This is cool. Clinton1011 posted:Well with audio books they have to pay a voice actor to do the work, then there is production, editing and all of that. If people can produce hours of free content a week via podcasts then it seems a little hard to justify $30+ for books. Thanks heaps for the info anyway. Another sign up question. There are a bunch of podcasts that offer a "free audiobook of your choice" when you sign up and the proceed to charge you the $15 a month after that (instead of the introductory offer of $7.95). Can I cancel the subscription straight away after getting the free book and sign up for the $7.95 offer? Or does it do the whole "you have a previous sign up" thing and make you pay full price? Shakugan posted:Every time I go to buy an audiobook I find it'a available in the US store, but not in Australia. Turns out if delete your credit card details and add the same card again with a fake US billing address it will give you access to the region locked books.
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Jul 8, 2013 14:38
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xcore posted:If people can produce hours of free content a week via podcasts then it seems a little hard to justify $30+ for books. Look at you, thinking anybody worth listening to that produces a podcast does it for free. I could see this if maybe the audiobooks were interspersed with ads between chapters, but come on. This is why the membership thing with Audible is such a great deal (plus the sales they do every month for $5 audiobooks, you just have to keep an eye out for a book you want to go on sale).
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Jul 8, 2013 15:23
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xcore posted:If people can produce hours of free content a week via podcasts then it seems a little hard to justify $30+ for books. Thanks heaps for the info anyway. If you want free podcasts or amateur recordings of public domain audiobooks then go ahead and knock yourself out, but if you want professional recordings of books that aren't free in the first place why would you expect not to pay? That said, you may also be able to get audiobooks through your library using overdrive or a similar service.
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Jul 8, 2013 15:29
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xcore posted:If people can produce hours of free content a week via podcasts then it seems a little hard to justify $30+ for books.
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Jul 8, 2013 15:31
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I noticed every time my audible goes off the 7.50/month membership into the full 15/month I can hit cancel and say the price is to high and it'll switch me back to 7.50 for 3 months - might be an option if you're a huge cheapskate or unemployed like me.
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Jul 8, 2013 15:36
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Syrinxx posted:Podcasts are just people who are too lazy to write. Audiobooks are pretty much the opposite. Huh? Podcasts are either read by people that can't write (actors) or authors looking to double dip on their profits (yes, im aware that some people only buy the audiobooks) but I'm trying to illustrate that the hard work has already been done (writing the book). Anyway, sorry for the derail. I wasn't expecting the books to be free, just, you know.. book price. All of your information is appreciated and being that you get to keep the audio files and prices aren't too bad with the membership I will give it a crack.
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Jul 8, 2013 16:03
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Audible has The Great Courses lectures!  These were very expensive (as in, hundreds of dollars) and only offered by The Teaching Company, or  .Now they're affordable! 1 credit each! For history buffs look up J. Rufus Fears - Anything by this guy is gold. As is stuff by Kenneth W. Harl and Garret G. Fagan. Mister Facetious fucked around with this message at 18:50 on Jul 8, 2013 |
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Jul 8, 2013 18:43
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Awesome, thanks for the heads up.
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Jul 8, 2013 19:33
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xcore posted:This, but I would also like to ask; Why are audiobooks so goddamn expensive? Something about membership rubs me the wrong way (I would really like to keep the stuff I read/listen to). $35 bucks for a book just seems massively steep. Surely the costs involved in a audiobook are less than a printed paperback but paperbacks are more than half the price. Syrinxx posted:Podcasts are just people who are too lazy to write. Audiobooks are pretty much the opposite. I've certainly listened to more than a few audibooks with far worse production values and editing than any random episode you can pull from that show.
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Jul 8, 2013 19:45
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coyo7e posted:Look at the price for a new hardcover book. The newest GRRM, for instance. Easily $30. Now add in the costs of a recording studio, man-hours for the VA, the editors, agreements to publish in a new format (lawyers!), etc, and yeah I can see how audiobooks can cost $60. I don't like it, so I vote with my wallet by using audible to cherry-pick the spendy ones. That is a poo poo example because that podcast makes money from donations and merchandise sales, something audiobooks don't have the advantage of being funded by.
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Jul 8, 2013 20:38
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What decisions do you have to make to end up defending the honour of podcasting as a medium, how do you get to that point.
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Jul 8, 2013 21:03
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Do you like thrills? Romance? Spies? Butterflies? Monarch has all this and more. Also I am the narrator. Delight your ears with my dulcet tones. If any of you audiobibliophiles actually does give this a listen, I would really appreciate any feedback. I am working as a narrator but I haven't actually listened to many audiobooks, and I'd appreciate hearing what aficionados consider selling points or turn-offs.
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Jul 9, 2013 16:39
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They couldn't get Christopher McCulloch?
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Jul 9, 2013 18:12
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I can certainly understand why audiobooks can be expensive, but the drifting away from 1 credit = 1 book is starting to annoy me. We're essentially sold the membership on this idea, so splitting books into 2 parts (each of which costs a credit) seems dishonest.
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Jul 10, 2013 07:11
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How often does that actually happen, though?
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Jul 10, 2013 12:18
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Wade Wilson posted:How often does that actually happen, though? I've been an Audible subscriber for roughly 5 years, and my Audible library currently contains 109 books. Two of those books cost 2 credits when I got them, but now only cost 1 credit. One of those books was broken into 4 parts, each of which was a 1 credit purchase. It is still broken up that way and thus costs 4 credits. So the short answer is: VERY RARELY.
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Jul 10, 2013 13:55
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I've only once had a book cost 2 credits.
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Jul 10, 2013 17:58
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^^^^ I think a lot of GRRM's audiobooks are 2 credits on audible, or at least they were when I got them years back. Also, what happened with the Returns thing on audible? I picked up Ex-Heroes and whew is it ever a stinker, but I can't figure out how/where to try and return it on amazon or audible.  Wade Wilson posted:That is a poo poo example because that podcast makes money from donations and merchandise sales, something audiobooks don't have the advantage of being funded by.
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Jul 10, 2013 18:49
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coyo7e posted:Also, what happened with the Returns thing on audible? I picked up Ex-Heroes and whew is it ever a stinker, but I can't figure out how/where to try and return it on amazon or audible. Scroll down to purchase history and you can see which books are eligible for return. Just click on "eligible" and the return window pops up. e: It also tends to offer you a return if you rate/review a book at 1 or 2 stars.
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Jul 10, 2013 18:54
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Syrinxx posted:Go to your Account Details: https://www.audible.com/account-details  edit: the Black Count meanders a lot at the beginning (and probably a lot, later, as well,) but it's really riveting. The entire premise of Dumas' greatest crime in his novels being about allowing someone to be forgotten, really changed the way I look at his works. And John Dies at the End had me crying I laughed so much. I haven't done American Psycho yet, the novel took a while to work into the rhythmn so I'm saving that one for a special occasion. 
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Jul 10, 2013 19:11
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coyo7e posted:^^^^ I think a lot of GRRM's audiobooks are 2 credits on audible, or at least they were when I got them years back. Game of Thrones books at some point were 2 credits, but they are now 1 credit. For that matter a decent number of 40+ hour books were 2 credits when I originally subscribed, but they have since all dropped down to 1 credit. I haven't seen a 2 credit book in a long time, years probably. The Mists of Avalon is the book I found that was split into four parts and bought anyway. I was ok with that because the 2 credit a month subscription gives me more audiobooks than I can realistically listen to in a month. As a result I always have a small backlog and burning the credits wasn't a big deal.
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Jul 10, 2013 19:16
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I've been subscribed for a couple years and I haven't once come across a book that was 2 credits.
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Jul 10, 2013 21:44
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