Monday, February 28, 2011

Listening to Books

Add to Technorati FavoritesAnyone listen to books while you drive, walk, run, bike, garden, work out or clean house? Do you download to your own devise or just put in the CD? Do you use your library or a private renting service?


Recently I have considered the download route and need advice: the pros and cons. What devise do you use? Which ones really don’t skip? Which ones can easily be turned off right where you want to resume? Which ones are easy to accept downloads?

One of the side effects of menopause can be insomnia. Reading or listening to books is quiet and can even be helpful to lull you back to sleep. Stresses of the day can all be forgotten by the immersion into a good book. Irritability can be another delightful side effect of menopause. If you use public transportation, listening to books is a great way to not hear the beat from another rider. It is a wonderful way to calm and involve you so you don’t thump the seat hog on the side of his/her head to move over!

My library has a feature on line where not only can you request books on CD, but you can add them to your list. So..You may ask? If you are an avid reader sometimes you forget that you have already read or listened to the book. This feature helps. Forgetfulness and menopause are partners in the brain. Nothing irritates me more than a long drive in traffic and thinking I have a book to listen to and find out I have all ready read it!

I have been listening to audio books for years. I love when the author reads his or her own book. That is a special treat. I don’t want to get into the discussion if listening really counts as reading, because it does! What I really would like is comments on the investment and rewards of a new devise.

10 comments:

Kevin K said...

Moto 'Droid Smart Phone for all my digital media from tv shows/movies/books/music mp3

Patricia N said...

I'm still listening the old-fashioned way - either cassettes or CDs, but I listen to books all the time in the car. I hear you with the insomnia. That and the night sweats keep me up.

Nicole Fende said...

For long road trips I've used the local library to get books on CD. Its old school but free!

Janice Schwarz said...

We listen to books when we travel. We've used my husband's iPod. But I see someone mentioned Droids can do it and we have those too...

Haralee said...

Then it is about the headphones too? The car is easy and I use the library like Nicole also, but the portable is more challenging for me.

Rachel Blaufeld said...

Haralee - I do not listen to books....I do read on mmy ipad with the kindle app -- which I sort of have a love hate relationship with .....
I miss the actual book but love the convenience of the ipad.
I think you may like a kindle -- you can change the font etc making it easier to read -- may help you get back to sleep at night.
Rachel

mk said...

It's nice to have a variety of reading/listening options. Downloading library books means no overdues & maximum portability when walking, working in the gardening, traveling. An ipod works great as I'm sure do a lot of other devices. The initial setup to download the file from a library site can take a little time but after that it's easy listening.

Haralee said...

MK, you are so right. The library is the best and free source of audible books. The advantages of downloading are enticing for me to investigate.

Unknown said...

There have been many times I have read to get back to sleep but have never really listened to books. I do have a droid and it works great for listening to podcasts and music so I am sure it would be great for listening to books.

Good luck in finding the best device!

Haralee said...

Thanks Denisse. A good friend bought me an ipod (pink) for my birthday, so I am busy figuring out how to download books!