Audible

[Isgrimnur]

December Originals

• Holiday Greetings from Sugar and Booze - Ana Gasteyer, Maya Rudolph and friends in a fictional holiday comedy
• The Half-Life of Marie Curie - historical fiction with Kate Mulgrew and Francesca Faridany
• The Christmas Pact - romance
• Buried Deep - murder mystery
• House of Teeth - kids fantasy
• Peter Pan
• Pont Neuf - WWII fiction

[Blackhawk]

I have yet to listen to a single 'original' Audible has given me.

[Isgrimnur]

I have consumed:

December originals

Out of my Mind - Alan Arkin

July Originals

A Grown-Up Guide to Dinosaurs

August Originals

It Burns - The Scandal-Plagued Race to Breed the World’s Hottest Chilli

September Originals

The Home Front: Life in America During World War II - narrated by Martin Sheen

October Originals

Carnival Row: Tangle in the Dark - prequel to the Amazon series

Currently in progress:

February March Originals

Junk - sci-fi read by John Waters

[MonkeyFinger]

I have yet to listen to a single 'original' Audible has given me.

I think I've downloaded... three? And listened to exactly none of them so far, always seem to have something "better" in line before them.

Listening to The Blade Itself now. I have the large trade volumes buried in the basement somewhere, finally gave up on lugging those around and got the first one on Audible. Wow, really enjoying both the story and how the narrator makes such a difference from some others I've heard. He does an awesome job with the narration and character voices. Only kind of grating thing is (I assume) the British pronunciations of some words. There has only been a small number but the one that constantly jumps out at me is "grimace" because the characters do that a lot and he says "gri-MACE" rather than "gri-mes". But maybe that's just me. Regardless, have the other two volumes in the queue now.

[Isgrimnur]

January Originals

• Tinaca Jones - Comedy
• You Ought to Know Adam Wade - stand-up memoir
• The Minuteman - 1930s US history
• Interview with the Robot - kids' sci-fi
• Junkyard Cats - sci-fi
• The Power of Self-Compassion - self-help

[xenocide]

All the daily deals from 2019 are on sale now. There are some really good books on the list, all for $6.

Just a few I noticed

Spaceman (my favorite book of 2019)
Circe
Skyward by Brandon Sanderson
Boy and his dog at end world (another of my 2019 favs)
Girl with all the gifts
Legion vs phalanx


I thought I saw almost every daily deal last year but I still found 6 more to buy!

[Isgrimnur]

Feblueberry Originals

• Alone with the Stars - historical fiction about Amelia Earhart
• Cut and Run - crime comedy with a star-studded cast
• Malcolm and Me - Ishmael Reed talks about Malcolm X
• Caffeine - Michael Pollan
• Beezer - kids fiction
• Our Harlem - Seven Days of Cooking, Music and Soul at the Red Rooster - chef Marcus Samuelsson, complete with recipes

[Isgrimnur]

Free - Break Shot: My First 21 Years - James Taylor

[Jaddison]

Fair warning- Do Not listen to A Desert Called Peace by Tom Kratman. Read it maybe but for the love of god don't listen. The reader is awful it would have been better to let Microsoft Narrator read the thing.

[Isgrimnur]

A reminder that you can exchange books if you don't like them.

[Jaddison]

Not if you add narration from a Kindle a purchase. At least I didn't waste a credit on this abomination of a listen. I do get to read the book which am not sure I am going to like all that much but may slog through.

[Isgrimnur]

HE RAISED AN ARMY
AGAINST THOSE WHO
TOOK EVERYTHING FROM HIM

They should have picked their enemies more carefully.

Five centuries from now, on a remarkably Earthlike planet that is mankind's sole colony in space, religious fanatics called the ""Salafi Ikhwan"" have murdered the uncle of former colonel Patrick Hennessey. That was their first mistake, because uncle was rich and Hennessey was rather a good colonel. But they also murdered Hennessey's wife, Linda, and their three small children, and that was their worst mistake for she was the only restraint Hennessey had ever accepted.

I don't think I'll be reading the book.

Oh, shit, he's worked with John Ringo...

[Jaddison]

HE RAISED AN ARMY
AGAINST THOSE WHO
TOOK EVERYTHING FROM HIM

They should have picked their enemies more carefully.

Five centuries from now, on a remarkably Earthlike planet that is mankind's sole colony in space, religious fanatics called the ""Salafi Ikhwan"" have murdered the uncle of former colonel Patrick Hennessey. That was their first mistake, because uncle was rich and Hennessey was rather a good colonel. But they also murdered Hennessey's wife, Linda, and their three small children, and that was their worst mistake for she was the only restraint Hennessey had ever accepted.

I don't think I'll be reading the book.

Oh, shit, he's worked with John Ringo...

yeah and Kratman has written books I have enjoyed. If you want a treat go to the Amazon page for the book and read the bad reviews- Kratman responded to every one of them.

This one is a very much an almost alt-right/libertarian porn it is laughable...to the point that on the planet in question tobacco mutated to having no carcinogenic effects so the protagonist can smoke to piss off liberals (Cosmos in the book) but have no fear of ill health effects. It takes the socio-economic aspect that I have enjoyed in Honor Harrington books (because there are no real caricatures used and it is never all black and white) and made it black and white with absurd caricatures

[Isgrimnur]

I enjoyed Ringo's Empire of Man series, and I was enjoying The Council Wars right up to the point where he stated that our grass-covered yards saved us from global warming.

[Isgrimnur]

Marsh Originals

• Blood Territory - Aussie crime thriller
• Certain Woman of an Age - Margaret Trudeau
• The Messengers - sci-fi
• Billy Kelly: This Is a Family Show! - comedy
• The Science of Sci-Fi
• Tell Me Lies - Psychological thriller

[Defiant]

Free "Audible Theater" titles for a limited time (you don't need a subscription)

https://www.audible.com/ep/theater-list

[Isgrimnur]

Apull Originals

• A Woman of the World - drama
• The Mountain and the Sea - romance
• The Man on the Mountaintop - drama
• Second Skin - mystery, thriller
• The Golden Orchard - kids
• How to Build Meaningful Relationships Through Conversation - nonfiction
• Finding Tess - nonfiction
• A Murder of Manatees - sci-fi

[Isgrimnur]

The Life and Times of Prince Albert - bio
Sea Wall / A Life - drama
The Getaway - thriller
Inside Jobs - Tales from a Time of Quarantine
Cold Turkey - How to Quit Drinking by Not Drinking
How to Defeat a Demon King in Ten Easy Steps
The Flying Flamingo Sisters - kids
Exit Interview with My Grandmother - On 76th Between Columbus and Amsterdam, a Ninety-Two Year Old Woman Is Reading Sally Rooney
Andrea Vernon and the Corporation for UltraHuman Protection
Treasure Island - An Audible Original Drama

Covid special is giving them all away.

[msteelers]

Time for some more shameless self promotion. The latest audiobook I have narrated is now available on Audible! Bishop's Gambit is a space sci-fi adventure. Humanity has been forced to flee earth, but one of the colony ships crash lands on the moon. Several generations later, and the survivors have settled into a new normal. Merchant traders, like Bishop, spend their days scouring the system in search of resources, all while dodging pirates, aliens, and sometimes, the law. But when he uncovers a secret worth killing for, his life is turned upside down.

I had a lot of fun recording this. It's a collection of three shorter novella's, and sets the stage for more stories yet to come. I believe book 2 is scheduled to come out in print later this year. I have a handful of promo codes available if anybody would like one. I have a TON of UK codes, but unfortunately just 2-3 US codes left. If you'd like one send me a PM.

The author also is writing a LitRPG series called The Tempest Chronicles. I did not narrate the first book in the series, but I'll be taking over for book 2. The first book in the series sets the groundwork, while the 2nd book is a collection of short stories that flesh out the world and its inhabitants. There are a ton of characters, and this will be by far the most challenging thing I've worked on. I'm excited!

[gbasden]

Time for some more shameless self promotion. The latest audiobook I have narrated is now available on Audible! Bishop's Gambit is a space sci-fi adventure. Humanity has been forced to flee earth, but one of the colony ships crash lands on the moon. Several generations later, and the survivors have settled into a new normal. Merchant traders, like Bishop, spend their days scouring the system in search of resources, all while dodging pirates, aliens, and sometimes, the law. But when he uncovers a secret worth killing for, his life is turned upside down.

I had a lot of fun recording this. It's a collection of three shorter novella's, and sets the stage for more stories yet to come. I believe book 2 is scheduled to come out in print later this year. I have a handful of promo codes available if anybody would like one. I have a TON of UK codes, but unfortunately just 2-3 US codes left. If you'd like one send me a PM.

The author also is writing a LitRPG series called The Tempest Chronicles. I did not narrate the first book in the series, but I'll be taking over for book 2. The first book in the series sets the groundwork, while the 2nd book is a collection of short stories that flesh out the world and its inhabitants. There are a ton of characters, and this will be by far the most challenging thing I've worked on. I'm excited!

I bought it! I'll put it up next on my listening queue.

[Isgrimnur]

August:
* When You Finish Saving the World
* Letters From Camp - Jamie Lee Curtis, kids
* Bluebird Memories: A Journey Through Lyrics & Life - Common's word's and music
* Bella Bella - Harvey Fierstein, political humor
* The Pursuit of Healthiness with Blake Griffin
* Phreaks - phone hacking fiction
* Childhood, Interrupted: Raising Kids During a Pandemic - Dr. Sanjay Gupta
* The Year of Magical Thinking - Vanessa Redgrave narrates Joan Didion
* Stuck - kids fiction
* Dan Rather: Stories of a Lifetime
* Thicker than Water - Theranos whistleblower

[Blackhawk]

Anyone got any suggestions for a good fantasy novel that's not too short, but not too complex (IE - something that can be read while working out without losing track of dozens of characters?)

[Jeff V]

Anyone got any suggestions for a good fantasy novel that's not too short, but not too complex (IE - something that can be read while working out without losing track of dozens of characters?)

Stephen King's The Eyes of the Dragon if you can get by Bronson Pinchot's overly-dramatic reading.

[Isgrimnur]

I hear there's some Dungeoneer books that flow pretty well.

[Defiant]

For Prime Day, if you've got prime, you can get a free trial to the new Audible plus + 2 books. There's also a yearly plan for $100 that's $50 off the normal price.

I guess Audible's done away with the 2all of 6-8 audible originals per month that you get to keep, and now there's a whole bunch (thousands?) of audiobooks available to listen to for free provided you remain subscribed (they don't stay in your account library if you unsubscribe). Seems like a good way to check out a bunch of short audiobooks/dramas.

[Blackhawk]

I'm going to cancel my Audible subscription for now. I've been listening to music more during workouts (I set up a playlist of songs whose beats-per-minute match the RPMs I keep on my stationary bike), plus I'm not listening quite as much on my drives to take Caiden to and from school (about 50 minutes of driving per day.) Taking advantage of sales has netted me a backlog of books, and I've built up a surplus of credits, so at this point I'm paying for something that isn't really benefiting me.

I just need to go and dump four months worth of unspent credits, as they are all lost if you cancel your subscription. Hmm...

[Jaymann]

I just started it, and am enjoying. Reading books almost always puts me to sleep (except when I have insomnia!). Full price seems a bit steep. How do I get credits?

[Blackhawk]

The monthly package includes one credit per month. The trick is to get shorter, cheaper books at price (or wishlist them and get them on sale), then use the credits for the huge, pricey titles (one credit = one book regardless of whether it is a $7.95 book or an $80 book.) Some people put the dividing line at $15 or $20. Pay below, credits over. Given that the credits are part of the $15 sub, that can be a real bargain.

I have no complaints about Audible, fwiw. I just have enough of a backlog that I'm unable to justify a sub until such time as I get caught up a bit.

[coopasonic]

I just need to go and dump four months worth of unspent credits, as they are all lost if you cancel your subscription. Hmm...

I'm just glad you realize this and plan to act on it. Another member of my household lost an entire year of credits when they cancelled. In fairness I was pressuring them to cancel because they signed up for one book and never, ever, used it after that and I don't do audiobooks. I f I had a warning I would have used them on something to at least benefit authors I would like to support.

[Defiant]

The monthly package includes one credit per month.

There's two packages, one of which includes a credit each month (both include free streaming of the "Plus" books in the catelog (which is thousands of titles at least.)

[Defiant]

Reading books almost always puts me to sleep (except when I have insomnia!).

I recommend previewing titles you're considering first, as a poor narrator will put me to sleep even if the book is good.

[Jaymann]

Reading books almost always puts me to sleep (except when I have insomnia!).

I recommend previewing titles you're considering first, as a poor narrator will put me to sleep even if the book is good.

I was talking about reading a physical book, but I suppose a sluggish reader could have a similar effect.

[Jeff V]

I was talking about reading a physical book, but I suppose a sluggish reader could have a similar effect.

Not sure what you mean by sluggish reader. Someone who reads too slow? Increase playback speed. I listen to all my audiobooks at 1.2x.

[Blackhawk]

For me it becomes a problem when the reader has poor recording quality and/or the narration has no energy. I've come across a few books where it sounded like the reader was bored out of his mind, droning on in an uninspired monotone. Luckily that doesn't happen too often on Audible (although it's more common in non-ficiton), especially now that ebook performers have become professionals with professional skills and support rather than just somebody hired to put words into a microphone.

[Jaymann]

For me it becomes a problem when the reader has poor recording quality and/or the narration has no energy. I've come across a few books where it sounded like the reader was bored out of his mind, droning on in an uninspired monotone. Luckily that doesn't happen too often on Audible (although it's more common in non-ficiton), especially now that ebook performers have become professionals with professional skills and support rather than just somebody hired to put words into a microphone.

^ This is what I meant by sluggish.

[Blackhawk]

I'm about to finish a long Tom Clancy run, and I'm in the mood for some sci-fi. I listen to this stuff first thing in the morning, leaving about 20 minutes after my alarm goes off. I cannot mentally parse dense, philosophical sci-fi, or detailed analysis of a scientific concept sci-fi. That early I want space opera that isn't too far out there, but isn't completely obsessed with scientific accuracy, either, and isn't totally grimdark. I can think of some novels that might fit (the Humanx novels, for instance), but they're all too short to spend an Audible credit on. I get one credit a month - I can't drop it on a seven-hour book I'll listen to in a week or two.

Any ideas?

[Isgrimnur]

Science Fiction, runtime, descending rank

[Blackhawk]

That narrows it down to 40,000.

I was mostly interested in some ideas for the right kind of sci-fi, as there are a huge number of styles under that heading.

[Malificent]

That narrows it down to 40,000.

I was mostly interested in some ideas for the right kind of sci-fi, as there are a huge number of styles under that heading.

You might try Becky Chambers - not really space opera but enjoyable positive outlook sci fi - the one I listened to by her was about a group of 4 scientists that had been sent to explore various planets looking for life.

[TheMix]

I found Mike Resnick to be fun space opera. But I suspect his books would fall in the "too short" category for you.