Anyone with audible?

I'm an Audible addict! I'm on the 12 month 24 credits plan. You CAN RETURN books you don't like and you can also rollover credits. When I get down to one credit I buy three more for £11.

I have sent many a book back for dreadful narration; I agree that it really enhances/detracts from the experience.

One of my favourite audiobooks is Gillespie and I, narrated by Anna Bentinck who is a fabulous narrator.

I've just listened to After Before, which I recommend.

My latest favourite 1Q84.
46 hours of pure joy!

Just finished Blood Line by Lynda La Plante. Gripping could not put my ear phones down!
Free from my Library (London Libraries Consortium)

My favourite recent purchase is Little Lies by Lianne Morriaty. Funny, tragic with a whodunnit and who is dead thrown in.

I love Audible. I use it to 'read' the big classics that I know I will never get around to.
I just listened to The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins, it was read by Ian Holm and it was MARVELLOUS. I loved it. His reading was just amazing.
I also listened to the Barsetshire Chronicles which were so good.
There is something about having a meaty classic read to you that takes away that feeling you want to poke your eyes out when you get to massive bits of the books you can't be bothered with, you can just tune your head out a bit.
Also loved The woman who Went to Bed for a Year.

Make sure you like the reader, listen to the clips, some voices will grate. Juliet Stephenson is good as is Timothy West (natch)

I not a ......

I completely agree with you Rusty. A narrator can make or break the listening experience. I prefer male narrators, wherever possible purely because I find a concentrate more when listening whereas with female narrators I have more of a tendency to drift and then have to rewind. No idea why, just me I suppose :o

I'm still trying to decide what to spend this month's credit on. It's been sitting there for two weeks and I just can't decide. Tempted to start C J Sansom's Shardlake series, but also thinking about a couple of Murakami novels. Or maybe The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters, but that's narrated by Juliet Stevenson, and I'm not that keen on her narration. Too many decisions :)

My favourite narrator is Diana Bishop - I discovered her reading Patricia Wentworth's detective stories, but next month I'm going to get Anya Seton's Katherine (24 hours worth!). I always listen to the samples, because I think the narrator can make or break an audio book, but they don't always live up to the sample - I had to return a Georgette Heyer mystery because I hated the narrator so much.

This is only true for some libraries. Dorset does audiobooks and I borrow from there as well as using Audible only for the books I can't borrow but Wiltshire doesn't - only ebooks. I'm lucky I can borrow from both.

Have a look at your local library. Many now have audio books that can be downloaded over the Internet just like the paid for service, but for FREE!

Have just had an email from Audible announcing a Halloween horror/crime thriller sale - selected books at £5.99 each. I'm not tempted this time, but is does look quite a good selection.

When they have these sales I don't use my credits on them, but buy them in addition. I got Americanah in one of their sales a couple of months ago.

I listen on my phone, on my tablet and on my computer if no one else is around.
I've just gone back to my library to see what else Ive especially enjoyed and I'd like to add 'The Girl With All The Gifts' and Mr Mercedes' to my recommendations.

I've just joined and am part way through The Book Thief. I love it because I have been finding I'm too tired to read at night. I listen while running.

I was using overdrive with my library, but there was nothing ever there I wanted to listen to.

I love Audible!
The fact that you can return a book and get your credit refunded, no questions asked, is just brilliant. I've even done it halfway through a book before (Jonathan Strange & Mrs Norrell - dull dull dull!).
I wasn't sure what happened if you cancelled, so that's good to know - I've got three credits and three books waiting to read, so I'm ok for now!

Books I'd recommend:
The Stand - Steven King (epic, 50hrs plus, but so so good. Not 'horror' in my book, just bloody good writing)
The Goldfinch - Donna Tartt (also good value for money as long, but I gobbled it up, fantastic)
The Hundred Year Old Man Who... Etc (great narration, very funny)
The Blackhouse Trilogy - Peter May (Blackhouse/Lewis Man/Chessmen - crime drama with a more personal touch, and lovely Scottish accents!)
The Storyteller - Jodi Picoult (different to her usual, three excellent narrators, dramatic holocaust survival story, just excellent)
The Horse Whisperer - Nicholas Evans (cheesy but romantic - love this book)
The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet (beautifully crafted epic book set in Japan, excellent)
Wolf Hall/Bringing Up the Bodies - Hilary Mantell (v.accurate Tudor historical fiction, very well narrated, quite a hard book to read IRL, but I lapped it up on audible)

Currently on One Hundred Pieces of Me by Lucy Dillon which I'm enjoying a lot.
Got a bit carried away there! Thanks for book tips up thread, got some good ideas what to spend my credits on now!

I use Overdrive when borrowing audiobooks from the library, and only ever buy books I can't get from there.

It has worked out well so far and I have used the Whispersync with Audible to get reduced price audiobooks to go with the kindle book - works for the classics and I have had some free.

Audible is my one big treat. Some of my faves:
Elly Griffith's books
Peter James's Roy Grace series
Deborah Harkness trilogy
Robert Galbraith books (I know it's really JKRowling but I didn't when I first started listening. Really like them)
My guilty pleasure is listening to Martina Cole books - they really suck you in!

I've tried the Overdrive but can't work it out. I seem to be going round in circles and nothing is available. I'm not the most technologically minded but I'm fairly competent.

£8 a month sounds a bit much for just one book. I get mine from the library, so it works out at £6-10 a month but at least it's several. Old books usually, nothing new.

That should read long not ling, and no idea where those funny A things came from. Stupid autocorrect

I use an iPod Nano, but a Shuffle or any other mp3 player would do. Doesn't need to be expensive, but I use mine for music too.

The £7.99 a month buys you one credit which you use to get one book, regardless of its price, so you could use your credit for a book listed at £30 and you get it for £7.99. Good value. I tend to go for big ling books to get my money's worth.

Sometimes they have 2 for 1 deals as well

What do you all use to listen on? I'm tempted but don't have an iPod or similar.
Do you have to pay for each book on top of the £8/month?

You're welcome Five . They are a great listen.

I would also recommend Gentlemen and Players by Joanne Harris, also narrated by Steven Pacey. Another opportunity for him to show a range of voices and brilliant narration.

I've got Alan Bennett's Talking Heads on my iPod at the moment. So far wonderful stuff.

DuchessofMalfi Just a quick post to say I've now started the Susan Hill's Simon Serrailler books and LOVE them. I just wanted to thank you and recommend them to anyone else liking a good crime story.

If you cancel your audible membership you still get to keep and listen to all the books you have downloaded. I cancelled mine for several months so that I had time to listen to all the books I had bought and then I just paid up again when I needed more books. Beats going to the movies.

I am the world's biggest Audible fan. I have to say that I don't know what I would do without Audible. I cannot get to sleep at night now without listening to a book and setting the sleep alarm to 15 minutes. I listen whilst ironing, whilst preparing the supper, whilst going on long power walks. I love love love it.

Bill Bryson's Short History of Nearly Everything was fab and I want to Listen to that again. I also loved The Real Me Is Thin by Arabella Weir, anything by Bryce Courtney, The Woodcutter by Reginald Hill, The Unlikely Pilgramage of Harold Fry, Gone Girl and Dark Places by Gillian Flynn, The One-Hundred Year Old Man, Moranthology by Caitlin Moran, The Humans (wow - what a book) and Apple Tree Yard (couldn't tear myself away from the headphones)

At the moment I am engrossed by Ken Follett's Century Trilogy. Fall of Giants (First World War setting) was all encompassing with hours and hours of listening for just 1 credit. Now am on the second book Winter of the World (Second World War) which is just as gripping and just as long. I cannot wait to go to bed tonight to hear the next 15 mins installment. And to think there is a third installment waiting for me! Yippee!

Von, the kindle books are read in a very monotone voice. Audible, the Amazon service, is quite different.
Thanks for the recommendations Duchess and Upandaway.
Sunnybobs, I haven't tried overdrive- off to take a look. Thanks!

I also enjoyed Americanah. Wonderful narration.

I've been working my way through Susan Hill's Simon Serrailler series. Now on final one . Has been very good. Another great narrator, Steven Pacey.

My next book, next month, will probably be the new one by Colm Toibin, Nora Webster. Have also got Haruki Murakami's 1Q84 in my wishlist - very long book. Also lined up is Vanity Fair, Dracula, and Trollope's Barchester Chronicles.