My thoughts on Audible

I subscribed to Audible on a whim.  No, I didn't.  What had happened was, they (Audible), and Amazon Prime joined forces at some point a few months ago. Prime Members are now offered a selection of books from various categories, for free.  I was happy about this because I've had a "Should I?" "Shouldn't I?" ping pong match going on about if Audible was for me or not, for quite some time.

I took this union as a sign and promptly downloaded the app and started listening to a book.  About halfway through listening to the book, it was no longer in my library.  Apparently, it was only available in the freebie zone for a certain amount of time.  I was annoyed.

I took a few days to mull over the idea of forking up $14.95 a month to continue using the app without restriction. (Meaning, I would be able to download books and see a larger selection.)  In the end, I decided that I would. Especially since you get the first 30 days free.   I also had a free credit that I could use to buy a book.

I'm not going to lie, if they didn't hand out the free credit each month, (Certain plans give you more. But you pay more.) Audible and I wouldn't last.  Some books are over $30.  I'm not spending that much money on a book just because someone is reading it to me.  Don't get me wrong; I understand that this is a job for people and they need to make money for their services.  If Audible was a free service, but you had to buy the books, things might be different.  But having to pay a certain amount of money to use the app, then pay more money to buy a book it's just not going to happen.  I'm not a cheap person, but I'm not rolling in cash money, ya feel me?

I didn't purchase the book that they took away from me, in case you were wondering.  I'm a bit bitter about our separation and refuse to waste a credit on something I've already half listened to.  But, I saw the movie, so I know how it ends.

I'm still on the fence about how I feel about Audible.  On the one hand, I've already listened to  3 books, and am almost at the halfway mark on a 4th.  It would have taken me a year to get through 1 book, so I feel really happy about that.  Then there's that "old school" part of me that feels like listening to a book doesn't count.  I feel like I've cheated somehow.  Each day I walk into my "library,"   accosted by the hard bound books, jeered at by the paperbacks.  Each volume, disgruntled and offended that they've been sitting on my shelf for years without so much as a scan through the pages.  I've let them down.

I love books you see.  I love the possibilities within their pages.  I love the ideas that their titles conjure up in my mind.  I am a tsundoku- A person who buys books but doesn't read them.   Eventually, I will.  In that magical, far away "one day."  But for now, I just buy them because I need their physical presence in my life.

Halfway through 2014, I read a book a month.  My best record ever.  I made an effort because I really wanted to exercise my mind.  I enjoyed it.  I made time for it.  It was the best thing that I could do for myself.  So when 2015 rolled around, I thought, "I could do more."  How many books did I read in 2015?  None. -_-  I did better at the start of 2016, having read two novels and 28 manga volumes but haven't finished anything since July. 

I've been very restless.  I'm reading two books at once (actual books, with pages. Not listening to them.) because apparently, my mind doesn't know what adventure it wants to be on.  Some days it wants to hang out with a group of Conures on Telegraph Hill, while on other days it wants to read Isak Dinesen's, Last Gothic Tales.  I detest this feeling.  I hate being in between two stories.

At least with Audible, I'm finishing books.  I listen to them on the drive to work, or whilst cleaning, in lue of listening to music.  Because let's face it, my music choices are dated.  I don't listen to the radio anymore; that's a lie.  I listen to the radio sparingly because they play the same four songs.  Every once in a while, I'll check it out to see what's been going on in the music industry.  Ruth B, girl, you have me tearing up with Lost Boy. (I wrote a post about it.)

For the most part, I'm not impressed with what's "hip," so I go back to my Billie Holiday, or cycle through Breaking Benjamin's "old" stuff.  (My music taste varies.) Being able to alternate music with listening to a book has really been a good move.  ::high five::

However, having to listen to someone else's voice for 9+ hours is a chore.  Some people are meant to narrate and some people, plainly speaking, and I mean no offense (but having said that, I already acknowledge that I'm saying something degrading.), shouldn't.

So, I've purchased three books that famous people have written because they do the narrations, and I already know I like the sound of their voices.  Only one of the books was read by someone I didn't know. She could be famous? She sounds like she should be famous. However, she was made to narrate.  I really enjoyed listening to her.

 I think at some point in the new year; I'll start reviewing what I've listened to.

The bottom line is that I think Audible is definitely worth a gander.  Especially since they offer a 30-day free trial and I think sometimes they even throw in a credit or two.  I also like that they offer different plans.  You get a certain amount of credits, depending on your membership plan, each month that you use to buy books.  Regardless of if they're $30, or $11, each book costs one credit. (As far as I can tell.  All the books I've wanted have only been one credit.)

The plan I chose only gives me one credit a month.  But that's fair for me.  I listen to a book, then get back to my music.  If you're a person that doesn't care about music and would rather listen to books, you might want to get a plan that offers you more credits, unless you don't mind paying the $30 for the book.  

I also haven't run into any problems with selection.  Pretty much anything that I'm  interested in has been available as an audiobook.  Having said that, though, I feel like Audible can do a better job with how you can search for a book.  I feel very overwhelmed when I go on their website.

Which reminds me!  You can't make purchases on your phone app.  Purchases can only be made through the Audible website.  I'm not sure what the reasoning is behind that, and in all honesty, I don't care enough to look for an answer.  I have access to a PC daily.

So, that's really all I've got to say about Audible.