Tuesday, March 6, 2018

Audiobooks: Why I Love Them & Where I Get Them! (And a Playster Promo Code!)


Hello, Bookworms!!
And Happy Tuesday to you!!

Today on Instagram we are talking about Audiobook Recommendations for #AlltheBooksMarch, and I thought it would be the perfect day for a blog post on the reasons why I love audiobooks, and where I get them!!

Before I get started, I have a few things to say about audiobooks.

First, if you don't think audiobooks count as reading, then we can't be friends. *grin* Actually, we can be friends, but I would have to completely disagree with you. Audiobooks definitely count as reading!

Second, if you think audiobooks aren't for you, you probably just haven't found the right one yet!! The narrator definitely makes the book, so if you try one and find yourself not liking it, try another one!! I'll list some recommendations a little later in the post.

Third, while audiobooks will never replace my love for physical books, they are great alternative when you just don't have time to read, and I know they are going to get more popular as time goes on!

Now that I've got that out there, let's talk about why I love audiobooks!!



1. I can listen anywhere and everywhere! (And I do!)

I am a busy mom, and most days I have very little time to sit and read. That is one of the main reasons why I love audiobooks. I can listen pretty much anytime, anywhere, including while sitting in the bleachers or in the carpool lane waiting on the children. I also listen while I'm cleaning, grocery shopping, and even when mowing the yard. The only time I can't listen is when I'm sitting down. I have to actually be doing something to enjoy the audiobook!

2. I get to read a LOT more!

Because I can listen anywhere, I get to read a whole lot more. Which works for me as I'm always behind on my reading!

3. You can listen with your family.

Audiobooks are great for car rides where the whole family can listen along! My kids have listened along to Harry Potter on audiobook, and I think they all really enjoyed it.

4. The narrator can make it an amazing experience.

Have you listened to one of the newer audiobooks lately? No longer is it a person just reading the story for you. You can now find audiobooks with full casts of characters, and even sound effects! Yes, some audiobooks even have sound effects, which makes the story really interesting. The narrator can definitely make the book a more rememberable experience for you.

5. Less strain on the brain. (And the eyes!)

I don't know about you guys, but if I read too much at one time, I start to get a headache, both from brain strain and eye pain. Not an issue with audiobooks!

6. Pronunciation.

Have you ever been reading a book and not know how to pronounce a word, name or place correctly? Yeah, we've all been there. Audiobooks definitely help clear that up. And, it's interesting to go back and listen to a book you've read in the past, and finding a word that you pronounced wrong when you were reading the book!

7. You can get through the hard to read books.

Have you ever tried reading a book that you just couldn't get into? Audiobooks can help with that as well! Especially with classic stories. They can take me the longest to get through, but having someone else read it to me can be a much better experience!

8. Audiobooks are always with me.

Thanks to my handy, dandy smartphone, I always have audiobooks with me! This can come in handy when you accidentally leave your book, e-reader, or tablet at home, or even when you just don't want to take one with you. I also have a set a bluetooth headphones that I use that have an amazingly long battery life, so as long as I have those with me, I'm all set.

9. Other than reading, I'd rather be listening to audiobooks than doing anything else.

And this is why I never have time to watch movies or tv. *grin*

10. Audiobooks are an escape from reality.

And we all need that sometimes.


Wow, that got pretty ramble-y!!
Now that you know WHY I love audiobooks, let's talk about the places I get them!



My local library is an AMAZING resource for audiobooks, and where most of the ones I listen to come from. Not only do they have a great selection to choose from, (and are always adding new ones), but they also have digital media as well, including:

Overdrive - I love Overdrive! Our library is always adding new books and audiobooks for us to listen to via the site. The only downside is that sometimes you have to go on a waiting list, and for the more popular books, it could turn into a long wait. I still love it though.

RBDigital and Axis 360 - My library also offers these digital sites, which I have used a few times, but are not updated very often.

Hoopla Digital - Hoopla is probably my most favorite of the digital services my library offers. They have an AMAZING selection of books, and you don't have to put anything on hold or go on a waiting list to check something out. It basically works on a credit type system. Every month you get a certain amount of 'credits', (our library gives us 10 per month), and you can use those to check out any audiobook (or movie, music, comic or ebooks) that they offer. They have a pretty great selection of audiobooks, and they add new stuff every week! I currently have 1200+ books in my 'favorites' folder waiting to be checked out. I LOVE THIS SITE!!

Check with your library to see what audiobook options they have available, and if they don't have any of the ones listen above, ask them to look into them!

https://www.audible.com/

Audible is another great source for both old and new audiobooks! I've had this service for a few months now, and I'm currently using my credits every month to buy the Harry Potter books on audio, which I usually just check out from the library. This service is good for books that you want to own, and they have pretty much every audiobook you can think of. It may seem a bit pricey, but I imagine that audiobooks aren't cheap to make, so it's definitely worth it to me.

(There are other sites online were you can purchase audiobooks, but Audible is the only one I have experience with.)

You can also get audiobooks from Amazon as well. I did not know this until recently. Most MP3 audiobooks are reasonably priced as well, especially for older books.

https://www.playster.com/us/en/home-9?utm_expid=94568054-179.tUjUxVu3SU-vddoYajic6A.1&utm_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F

Playster Media is a new-to-me site that is perfect for hardcore listeners of audiobooks, (or anyone, really!)! I was recently offered a complimentary subscription to the site, and I instantly fell in love! They have a huge selection of audiobooks to choose from, including both new and older books, and it's unlimited!!

Playster currently offers two unlimited plans for audiobooks:
  • The first is plan is Audiobook Basic, which allows you to listen to unlimited audiobooks from a select select number of titles for $14.95 a month.
  • The second plan is Audiobook Premium, which means you can listen to any audiobook the site offers for $29.95 a month.
(You can get an idea of what audiobooks they offer and which work with the different plans here: https://play.playster.com/audiobooks/overview)

Now, you may think that these options are a bit pricey as well, but just like with Audible, you get what you pay for!! Consider this, you pay half of this amount to stream music from Apple, and these are BOOKS! I love the idea of unlimited service, and I love that they have both newer books as well as older books that I want to listen to as well. You don't get to own the books you listen to, but I don't really want to own all of them, so this works perfectly for me.

(Also, Playster also has different plans that include ebooks, music, movies and even games. Yes, GAMES! I did not look too far into these options, as I'm mostly here for the audiobooks. *wink*)

And today I'm teaming up with Playster with a deal for YOU!! Below is a promo code that will give you 60 days of All-Media access (audiobooks, ebooks, music, movies) for $6! To activate just visit https://plstr.co/2Fspe6O and click Start Your Free Month. Enter code Bee60 on the next page in the box provided. Enjoy!!

** The All Media Access includes unlimited ebooks, unlimited music, unlimited movies and TV shows and unlimited Basic Audiobooks. (Keep in mind while looking at audiobooks; while listening to audiobooks is unlimited, aything with a gold star in the upper right hand corner is Premium only, while all other titles are available to both Basic and Premium members.)



And, as promised, here are a few audiobook recommendations for your listening pleasures! I've recently listened to and LOVED all of these audiobooks, and I hope you will as well!!

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3.Harry_Potter_and_the_Sorcerer_s_Stone?from_search=true

To any one new to audiobooks, I definitely recommend the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling! Whether you are new to the series, or reading it for the 10th time, you will definitely enjoy the audio version of these books. They are narrated by the amazing Jim Dale, and he will draw you into the story with his different voices and narration. Definitely worth a listen!

Note: Jim Dale also narrated The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, which is another great listen.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19547856-simon-vs-the-homo-sapiens-agenda?from_search=true https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30653853-the-upside-of-unrequited

I recently listened to the audiobooks for both Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda and The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli and LOVED them! I had read the books before, but it was my first time listening to the audiobooks, and they were awesome.


So, you know earlier when I mentioned that some audiobooks have a full cast of characters AND sound effects? I was talking about The Illuminae Chronicles series by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff. This series is the best, and I can't wait to get the third book, Obsidio, on audio as soon as it is released!!

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9969571-ready-player-one?from_search=true

And my last recommendation is Ready Player One by Ernest Cline! I read this book for the very first time earlier this year, and I opted to listen to the audiobook, which is narrated by the talented Wil Wheaton, and it was seriously one of the best decisions I've ever made. This is a really great audiobook!


Sooo, my super simple post about why I love audiobook has gotten really long! (I do believe this is the longest post I've EVER made in my 7 years of blogging!) If you made it this far, kudos to you! You deserve an audiobook! So I hope you'll check out the ones I recommended, if you haven't already, and also don't forget to check out the Playster promo as well!

Do you love audiobooks?? If so, what are some of your favorites??

Happy Reading..., er... Listening, Bookworms!!

1 comment:

  1. I am so addicted to audiobooks it’s not even funny. Without them, I’d probably read less than half of what I do. Do you have any favorite narrators? I really like Julia Whalen and am starting to listen to more Bahni Turpin (just started Children of Blood and Bone and it’s amazing).

    Also, another site you might want to check out is Libro.fm. It’s pretty comparable to audible’s basic plan ($15/mo for one book) but the added benefit is getting to connect your account to your favorite indie bookstore so that all of your purchases support them.

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