Affordable audiobook apps for classics and light listening recommendations

[omghereistrouble]

are there actually any audio book aps that do not cost a fortune? there was one i joined nearly £10 a month and you could only have one book. majority of my reading is on paperbacks etc but i do like an audio to get me to sleep and while away the long hours. I do like ones like classics and fun ones like some i read about paramedics etc on duty and the crazy things they encounter

If it audible, they usually have a deal on for £4.99 a month for 3 months. If you see this deal pop up, talk to audible team and they usually transfer you onto it “just this once”!

If you have a library card, look at Libby.

Otherwise old ChatGPT suggest librivox but also said “they were volunteer recordings, one version of a book can be fantastic and another can be a bit “someone’s nan reading into an iPhone” 😂. You can choose different narrators/versions.”

They all seem to basically be Audible or the same terms. Or they are just AI “reading”🤖 which sounds like Mickey Mouse. I know Spotify has “reading hours” but I don’t know how that works.

Join your local library - they’ll have a digital catalogue you can access via apps like Libby or BorrowBox, including audiobooks. Entirely free.

An then, join libraries in the neighbouring county because their digital catalogue will be slightly different.

(You can also borrow ebooks too and send them to your e-reader, if you have one, or read on your phone or iPad. And there’s newspapers & magazines too.)

BorrowBox is amazing if your library supports it.

Another vote for you library and BorrowBox. Although I don't want too many people using it in case the books I want are taken!

Another vote for BorrowBox and if you like ebooks, you can borrow them online as well if you have a Kobo (I traded in my kindle because of this. Great tip about joining a neighbouring library as well:)

My library swapped from Libby to BorrowBox - I liked Libby, my kobo synced with it automatically (ebooks). Now I have to download books and convert them to get them from borrow box. (It’s not that much of a hassle for free books but I was spoiled!)

BorrowBox/ Libby with a library card are good. And defo join other counties/boroughs to increase your options. I joined city of London libraries a few years ago - I could use it online for 6 months before I had to present my ID in branch. I had a busy few months before it expired - I was just not near enough to warrant the trip.

If you have iPhone, there are free audiobooks on iBooks. BBC sounds has some full length narrated classics on the app as well as abridged versions that go on the radio. YouTube is also a good source. If you have Spotify premium you can listen to some of their premium books for free (15 hours a month) but there is a lot of free content on there too - some is AI crap, but plenty isn’t, particularly if you are looking for classics. Finally we have had a lot of success buying cheap audiobooks on cd in charity shops.

If you like audible, sometimes it is cheaper to payg rather than subscribe. The classics are often cheaper than the cost of your monthly credit, particularly for older recordings (like 5 years old rather than latest recording performed by that famous guy that was in the film).

Try your local library. Ours does audio books free.

BBC Sounds have a huge range of books, stories, podcasts and radio plays that you can download to your phone free
,look for spoken word or books

I’ve just discovered that some libraries also offer LinkedIn Learning access with your library card too