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!

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.

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!!

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.

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!!

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!!

Blog Tour: Hero at the Fall by Alwyn Hamilton

Hero at the Fall
(Rebel of the Sands #3)
by Alwyn Hamilton
Website | Twitter | Tumblr

Publication Date: March 6th 2018
Publisher: Viking Books for Young Readers
Pages: 464
ISBN: 9780451477866
Genre: Young Adult | Fantasy
Source: For Review

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Available for Purchase:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository

When gunslinging Amani Al'Hiza escaped her dead-end town, she never imagined she'd join a revolution, let alone lead one. But after the bloodthirsty Sultan of Miraji imprisoned the Rebel Prince Ahmed in the mythical city of Eremot, she doesn't have a choice. Armed with only her revolver, her wits, and her untameable Demdji powers, Amani must rally her skeleton crew of rebels for a rescue mission through the unforgiving desert to a place that, according to maps, doesn't exist. As she watches those she loves most lay their lives on the line against ghouls and enemy soldiers, Amani questions whether she can be the leader they need or if she is leading them all to their deaths. (Goodreads)

Hero at the Fall, the third and final book in the Rebel of the Sands series by Alwyn Hamilton, and was also one of my most anticipated releases for 2018, (and for a good reason). I read the first two books in the series, Rebel of the Sands and Traitor to the Throne, back when they were first released, and completely adored the stories. I had the pleasure of re-reading both books again in the past two months to get prepared for this final story, and I have to say I enjoyed those books even more now having re-read them. And this third and final book was complete and absolute perfection.

Without giving too much away, since this is the third book in the series, I'm going to tell you all the things I liked about the book. The first thing, as always, was the main character, Amani. I have loved Amani since I first met her in the very beginning of the series.  I love that she is fierce and courageous, while also being completely unpretentious as well. I love how much she loved her little rebel family, and was willing to do just about anything to keep them safe. She is amazing.

Another thing I loved about the story is the amazing secondary characters. After the ending of Traitor to the Throne, I didn't know what fate to expect for some of these people that I've come to care for so much. Much like real life, not everyone gets a happy ending, and the body count was a lot higher than I expected. My heart hurt at times for them, and in other times I cheered and celebrated for them. It was hard not to. Read the story and you will see exactly what I mean.

Also, Amani and Jin are my most favorite. Just sayin'.

Another of my most favorite things about this series is the storyline for the books. I can't say I've read too many books about Djinni, but I find the stories and tales included in this series completely fascinating. I definitely need more books like this in my life. Hero at the Fall was full of both fast paced action, and slow paced anticipation. I held my breath throughout the story, waiting to see what surprise would pop up next, and I loved every minute of it. This book was the perfect ending to a great series.

Overall, Hero at the Fall was an excellent finale to this much loved sequel! I absolutely hate to see the series come to an end, as the story and characters have fascinated me for so long, and I'm going to have a hard time letting everything go. If you can't tell by my rambling thoughts above, I really liked this series, and I hope that you will too, should you decide to check it out for yourself. (Do it, you won't regret it!) *grin*





Alwyn Hamilton was born in Toronto and lived between Canada, France, and Italy until the was three, when her family settled in the small French town of Beaune. She studied History of Art at King's College, Cambridge, graduated in 2009, and lives in London.




Rebel of the Sands  |  Traitor to the Throne  |  Hero at the Fall

REBEL AT THE SANDS SCHEDULE

WEEK ONE

1/30 – Spinatale Reviews – Review

1/31 – Library Ladies – Review

2/1 – I Fangirl about books – Review

2/2 – Aimee, Always – Quote Wallpaper

WEEK TWO

2/5 – Opalsbookjems – Review

2/6 – Mundie Moms – Review

2/7 – As Told By Michelle – Review

TRAITOR TO THE THRONE SCHEDULE

WEEK THREE

2/12 – YA and Wine – Review

2/13 – Adventures of a Book Junkie – “5 Reasons to Read the Series”

2/14 – ReadingAnyone – Review

2/15 – The Clockwork Bibliophile – Booklook + Photo Feature

WEEK FOUR

2/20 – The Lovely Books – Review

2/21 – Never Too Many To Read – Creative

2/22 – Sisters Who Read – Creative Post

HERO AT THE FALL SCHEDULE

WEEK FIVE

2/26 – Writing is Hard – Review + Social Media Promo

2/27 – Mike the Fanboy – Fun Recap of Series

2/28 – My Friends are Fiction – Review

3/1 – The Young Folks – Review

3/2 – Lisa’s Lost in Lit – Creative

WEEK SIX

3/5 – The Reader Bee – Review + Bookstagram Post

3/6 – Seeing Double in Neverland – Review + Creative Insta Post

3/7 – A  Book and A Cup of Coffee – Playlist

3/8 – Fiction Fare – Moodboard

WEEK SEVEN

3/12 – The Eater of Books – Moodboard

3/13 – Love Is Not a Triangle – Review + Bookstagram Picture

3/14 – Tales of the Ravenous Reader – Creative Content

3/15 – Forever Young Adult – Review

My Week in Review • Week 9

Happy Sunday, and Welcome to my weekly Week in Review post!

Here I share all the things I've been up to during the past week.
Check back every Sunday for new updates!

Now, here's what I've been up to this week!



This past week was a really good reading week for me! I finished two review books, those being Heart of Iron by Ashley Poston, which you can find my review for here, and Daughter of the Siren Queen by Tricia Levenseller, which I still need to write a review for.



I also *finally* read A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'engle, which was interesting, and now I can't wait to see the movie for. I also read What Happened by Hillary Clinton for my book club!



I also finished three re-reads this week, the first being Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard, which I needed to re-read so that I can FINALLY read the rest of the series. I also re-read The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli, mostly because I re-read Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda last month and just felt the need to re-read this one as well!

I also finished my re-read of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling. Seriously, this series never gets old. *grin*



Unfortunately I did not have time to watch any new tv or movies this week.








It's the first week of the new month!! How did the week treat you? I managed to get ahead on my reading this past week, but that's about it.

However, the hubby is on vacation next week, and since it's our anniversary week, we plan to watch all the movies and all the tv too. I have SO many movies I want to watch, I will never get through them all. But I will try!!


I also spent some time this weekend rearranging my bookshelves, going through the old books I no longer want to make room for new books I want to get. I also rearranged a lot to put more books by genre, and added in my new vintage cameras as well. I'm really excited with the way it turned out!

That's about all for me this week! How was your week??

My March 2018 TBR

Happy First Day of March, Bookworms!!

February flew by faster than I expected, and it's now time to get ready for March!
I have another somewhat ambitions TBR for this brand new month,
but I'm determined to get through most of these books,
especially series that I've started in the past but haven't yet finished.

Here are just a few books that I'm hoping to read this month!

Aru Shah and the End of Time by Roshani Chokshi
(I am SO excited to read this!)

Hero at the Fall by Alwyn Hamilton
(Ahhhh! I'm so curious to see how this is going to end!)

Children of Blood and Bone by  Tomi Adeyemi
(Because this book sounds so awesome!)

Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard
(I *finally* re-read Red Queen in February,
now I'm finally caught up to read this!)

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
(How have I not read this series already?)

Still Me by Jojo Moyes
(I can't believe I still haven't read this.)

A Gathering of Shadows by V.E. Schwab
(I am sooooo excited to move on with this series!)

The Ship of the Dead by Rick Riordan
(I'm curious to see what's going to happen next for Magnus Chase!)

The Traitor Prince by C.J. Redwine
(Finally read The Wish Granter last month,
and am excited to move on to this!)

Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo
(Because I don't know why I haven't finished this series yet.)



The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli
(Because I re-read Simon vs last month, and now I want to re-read this again!)

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling
(Because I started my yearly Harry Potter Re-read last month!)

To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo
(A Little Mermaid retelling with a dark twist!)

More Than We Can Tell by Brigid Kemmerer
(Set in the same world as Letters to the Lost! )

Ice Wolves by Amie Kaufman
(Because it's AMIE KAUFMAN!)

The Room on Rue Amélie by Kristin Harmel
(Because I am obsessed with historical fiction at the moment,

and this one sounds great!)

Obsidio by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff
(I CAN'T WAIT TO READ THIS ALREADY!!)

I Have Lost My Way by Gayle Forman
(The new Gayle Forman!!)

Restore Me by Tahereh Mafi
(Super curious about this one!!)

Normally I would be a little overwhelmed with a TBR this size,

but I had really good reading months in both January and February,
so I'm hoping I can keep it up in March!

There are so many books on this list that I can't wait to read,

and I'm pretty excited that only two of the books are re-reads!
I also have a pretty good bit of audiobooks that I'm hoping to listen to as well,

but I'm not going to list all of those here.
I hope I can keep up!!

That's what I'm planning to read this month! What's on your March TBR??