Try Audible

The Only Thing I’d Rather Do Than Sleep

As one of the most careful shoppers I know, it took a long time to convince myself that Audible was something I should do. I went to their site many times before finally signing up for their introductory trial, and now I regret waiting.

What helped convince me is that as I was browsing, a chat window opened with one of their representatives, who answered every question that was holding me back. The biggest question was whether Audible books were abridged, which annoys me to no end. The person said that very few were, but those were clearly marked.

Like you, I love books, and have read since I first learned how. My brother used to beat me up if he caught me reading instead of playing ball, so I started hiding with a book in the basement, or on the roof of the garage. Since then, I’ve gone without sleep many, many nights, trying to finish one more page, one more chapter.

At some point, I also became hooked on audio books from the library, and would listen in the car and around home while performing mindless tasks like showering or scrubbing the shower. But, of course, books on CD are big and cumbersome, and they get scratched or lost.

That’s where Audible comes in.

Audible quickly downloads whole books directly to my iPhone, so I have them with me always. I can listen straight through, or I can move from book to book and pick up where I left off with each, just like the books on my desk.

The selection is outstanding, everything from novels to biographies to how to do about anything to history to business to self-improvement to lectures on rhetoric. Most of the popular books are there, all the best writers, of course, but there are thousands and thousands of more obscure titles, new and old.

Every book has a description from the publisher, of course, but they also have comments from listeners, which I’ve found to be very helpful with unfamiliar authors. If you’re really unsure, you can download a sample to be sure you like the content and the narrator.

My wife is also a keen reader with limited time, so we joined with the idea that we would download one book per month, taking turns, but we soon discovered this wasn’t enough, so we bumped up to the Platinum Level. For just $22.95, we get two books per month, which means that for just over $11, I get a book. Plus, if Kelly gets one she likes, I can download it too, no extra charge.

Unabridged books on CD, when you can find them, often cost more than $35, which makes Audible a great deal, not counting the ease and convenience. And that doesn’t include the frequent sales for members, that lets you download books for just $4.95.

Right now, I have 29 titles in my Audible library, with another 18 in my wish list, and Kelly has 12. My favorite book, Lonesome Dove, is there, and I’ve listened to it twice, all 36 hours. There are several novels, like The Firm and The Help, there are biographies, like John by Cynthia Lennon, and there are educational books, like The Modern Scholar: A Way With Words, The Dream of Reason: A History of Philosophy from the Greeks to the Renaissance, and The Science of Fear: How the Culture of Fear Manipulates Your Brain .

The Audible app on my phone tracks my usage. So far, while I’ve driven places, while I’ve cleaned the kitchen, and while I’ve shaved, I’ve listened to 315 hours of educational or inspirational or entertaining ideas, time that otherwise would have been wasted. I’m a better man for it.

Average readers finish 5 books per year: the average Audible member finishes 17 books per year.

If you haven’t, visit Audible. Try the trial membership, and see if it isn’t the best thing you can do for yourself.

Download audiobooks to your iPod, iPhone, Blackberry & over 500+ devices. Save 50% for 3 months, only $7.49/mo.