Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with audiobook

What are some of your favorite self-help audio books available on MP3?

wordsmith — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 12:51:29 -0800

What are some of your favorite self-help audio books available on MP3?

Need remote waterproof speaker

Joleta — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:48:53 -0800

Does anyone make a waterproof bluetooth speaker that I can use in the shower to listen to audio books from my iPhone. It should be something I can permanently stick to the shower wall, so this won't work. I read this question but it doesn't really address my problem, as I don't have a glass shower door, only a curtain. (And no, I really can't hear the iPhone audio over the shower.)

Are there audiobooks for manga (in Japanese)?

dbooster — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 18:48:40 -0800

Does anyone know of any web sites that provide you spoken manga? Specifically what I'm looking for is audio files for manga, read in Japanese, so I can listen to it and follow along in the manga I already own. Sometimes I have my Japanese wife read a manga to me, but often she is too busy or unwilling. I can read it myself, of course, but my Japanese is not yet good enough to know proper pronunciation, intonation and rhythm, and so on, so I find it helpful if someone reads to me. Anyways, any ideas?

Maximizing quantity/$ in headphones.

DU — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 07:14:05 -0800

Headphone optimization, but not of the usual kind. Quantity/$ There are a couple previous questions asking for "good noise canceling headphones for < ${50,100}". That's what I want, except I don't care about the "good" and I want to double down on the "noise canceling".

Basically, I want to listen to audiobooks while mowing. I know some noise is going to leak through, so getting every little audio nuance is wasted. Furthermore, there isn't much "audio nuance" in spoken text.

I have a $30 pair of noise-canceling phones that just rests on the ear. They eliminate enough that I can just barely hear the book, but it isn't quite sufficient. Plus they died. I'm thinking that if I upgrade the noise-canceling and also get over-the-ear, I should be good.

These two features don't seem to go together very often. I did find a few pairs, but they were either very expensive or no longer for sale.

(I don't want ear buds or those ear canal things.)

Should I buy a suspension mount for my Blue Snowball microphone?

Ian A.T. — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 06:27:33 -0800

I'm about to start recording an audiobook / podcast. I've settled on Blue's Snowball microphone, and thanks to previous questions here I know that a pop filter is vital. Should I also buy the Snowball's suspension mount? I'll be recording with the microphone on my desk or possibly my kitchen table. On my desk is an external hard drive, which I'll of course be unplugging during recording, though I should point out that my desk backs up to an exterior wall. I'll also be the only speaker on the recording, if that matters.

It's not terribly expensive and there are bundles available, so I don't mind spending the extra money if it'll improve the quality of my recording. Will it?

Know of kick ass audio books?

aggienfo — Thu, 14 May 2009 02:15:05 -0800

I'm beginning the second to last Harry Potter book, and fear in a month or so I'll be looking for some more. What I"m looking for isn't so much just a good book (though is important), but also one that has a good reader. Jim Dale (from the HP series) is phenomenal, and I was hoping for some other recommendation. I'm beginning the second to last Harry Potter book, and fear in a month or so I'll be looking for some more. What I"m looking for isn't so much just a good book (though is important), but also one that has a good reader. Jim Dale (from the HP series) is phenomenal, and I was hoping for some other recommendation.

I generally read quite a bit at home more "adult" books, with the audio books being fluff for working out, travel, etc. I owe a few beers (if you make it to Okinawa) to anyone who can point me to a good series. I've done LOTR, and now HP, so what next?

Thanks!

Why do my books skip?

arniec — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 08:10:38 -0800

Why can my mac (macbook pro) not rip audiobook CDs without skipping near the end? I love audiobooks, but I hate carrying around CDs. Best solution for me? Buy CDs, rip them using iTunes "Join Tracks" feature, put on iPod and go.

However I have a constant problem ripping audiobook CDs (all of which run close to the full 70 minutes available on a CD). Near the end of the CD I end up with skips, audible artifacting, and sometimes completely un-listen-able audio.

It is always near the end of the CD, though the point at which the problems come in may vary. It may be as early as 50 minutes in a 70 minute CD or as late as 65.

I'm importing the CDs using Apple Lossles Encoder. I have tried both with and without error correction when reading Audio CDs.

I don't seem to get this problem at all with Audio CDs, no matter their length. It's just an audiobook problem (perhaps audiobooks aren't pressed at the same quality? I don't know...)

I was hoping someone might be able to offer a suggestion, or if this is a known issue.

I'm using my MacBook Pro 2.4GHz Core Duo Intel system (4GB RAM, 360GB 5400RPM hard drive), so 2 models back from the current. I'm using the internal Superdrive for the reading (are there any known problems with this drive? Might I do better with a USB 2.0 external drive?)

Thanks!

iPhone: my ears are happy, but my eyes are bored.

grumblebee — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 14:31:47 -0800

I'm looking for a very specific sort of game for the iPhone: one that (a) takes almost no conscious brain power and (b) doesn't interfere with my iTunes music. I want a game I can play while listening to iTunes. I listen to music and audiobooks on my iPhone. Usually I do this when I'm out and about, so I have plenty of visual stimulation from the city or subway. Or I listen in bed with the lights off, so I don't need any external sights. But when I'm stuck waiting at the dentist or whatever, I find myself wanting something to look at while I listen. Better yet: something to look at and manipulate with my hands.

I can't surf the web, because I can't pay attention to that and an audio book at the same time. But a really simple game could work. For instance, I've listened to audiobooks and played snake (that game where you make a snake move through a maze and eat apples) with success. Something like Bejewelled might work, too -- basically, something that's more about getting into a zenlike state or a tactile state than a logical-deduction state -- the way you can drive your car down the freeway while listening to talk radio.

The other problem is that so many games override the iPod/iTunes functionality. I've heard people say there's a way to stop them from doing this, but I can't figure it out, despite reading "instructions" on many websites.

The instructions always say to start the iTunes song playing, then switch to the game, then double-tap the home button. When I do that, sure enough, my music controls pop back up, but I'm also closed out of the game. The game doesn't come back when after I start the music playing. If I close out of the music controls and restart the game, the game music overrides iTunes again.

As far as I can tell, the reality is that some games allow you to play your own music and some don't. So, unless you can tell me the secret of overriding any game's sounds with my own audio, please recommend simple games that let you listen to whatever you want while you play.

PS. I already know about Galcon.

Good self-help audiobooks

veterinarian — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 18:36:17 -0800

I am looking for good self-help audiobooks/books on cd for building self-esteem and fighting depression. I'm not religious, just looking for something inspiring (scientific validity also a plus).

Don't read me a bedtime story.

Ambrosia Voyeur — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 13:24:41 -0800

What are some exceptionally well-performed audiobooks? I enjoy audiobooks, but sometimes the delivery of the readers is too dry. Presently, I've got Foundation, read by Isaac Asimov in the car, and he sounds like Mel Brooks on valium. It's a shame.

Steve Martin reading Shopgirl was very, very good. Rant, by Chuck Palahniuk was exceptional, because there were different, engaging, distinctive actors for each speaker (the book is composed of "interview" material). The Harry Potter books and the Golden Compass were also performed with verve. Perhaps I need to be read to like a child!?

What are some audiobooks, fiction or non-fiction, which entertain with excellent dramatic readings?

Books on tape in Sacto?

Ambrosia Voyeur — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 15:36:35 -0800

Where can I buy books on _tape_ in Sacramento?

Need a player to listen to audiobooks

reenum — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 12:42:17 -0800

Looking for the best portable players for DRM audiobooks and other large MP3 files I've tried to play DRM'd audiobooks from NetLibrary and OverDrive on my current MP3 player (Lexar JumpGear), and have not been successful. The files are so big that the player hangs up while trying to load them.

Ideally, I'm looking for a player that can handle the following:
1. Files of 100 MB or more.
2. Has bookmarking capabilities so I can save my place in the file.
3. Upgradable firmware.
4. Is sturdy enough to use at the gym.

I have no allegiance to any specific brand. I'm just looking for the best player for my needs.

I've looked into iPods, but they aren't able to play the WMA files used by NetLibrary from what I can tell.

What do you all use to listen to such files?

Adorable American Seeks To Learn Japanese in 24 Hours

ZackTM — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 07:24:19 -0800

Fun "Learn Japanese" Audiobook/Podcast that will make me a popular American at the karaoke bar? Okay I'm flying to Japan tomorrow morning and I need something to listen to on the plane. I want to have some 'Learn Japanese' audiobook that will give me some basic understanding of conversational Japanese so I can at least TRY to speak a little bit when I'm there. Obviously it's basically impossible to learn even the most basic comprehension of an entirely new language in 24 hours but I figured why not give it a shot?

What book should I get? (Podcasts count, anything free is a plus, I will probably buy it off Audible.com)

Priorities:
1. Make me look like I'm at least trying to speak a foreign language

2. Fun to use when I meet new young people out there who will help me improve my conversational skills (I'm a single male 25 year old, and I like to constantly meet new people)

3. Not so boring that I can't stand to listen to it for more than an hour on the flight

Trouble shoot a Sansa Clip for me

lassie — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 18:35:58 -0800

My girlfriend's Sansa Clip has suddenly developed a problem I can't fix. She uses it exclusively to download and listen to audiobooks from the Brooklyn Public Library website. Today, when she tried to download a book that she needs to listen to by tomorrow, she got an error message when she tried to transfer the file to her Sansa Clip. It says ""[Insert3] returned 0xC00D2779," and it occurs not when she downloads the book from the website to her computer, but when she then tries to transfer the book from her computer to her device using the Overdrive Media Console. I see that 0xC00D2779 seems to mean "The file could not be transferred because the device clock is not set," but this does not get me any closer to fixing the damn thing. Thoughts? Thanks.

Where can I find an audio book cast list

ericales — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 03:47:37 -0800

Is there anywhere I can get a list of the cast of an audio book recording? I just finished reading World War Z. I saw that the audio book lists Mark Hamill and Henry Rollins, among others, as voice actors. But I can't find what characters they read for (portray?). Is there any audio book equivalent to something like imdb.com?

Deep in-the-ear earbuds that don't leak sound.

grumblebee — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 12:01:41 -0800

I'm looking for cheap, deep-in-the-ear earbuds for listening to audiobooks. The sound quality doesn't have to be great, because I won't use them to listen to music. I want cheap ones, because I inevitably break headphones, and I don't want to have to spend $100 every month. On the other hand, I'm willing to spend $20 a month if I have to. In-the-ear, because I don't want to keep my wife awake with "leaking" sound. I listen audiobooks when I have insomnia, which is way too often. But if there's even a tiny bit of noise leakage, my wife complains. The only solution I've found is that sort of earbud that sticks way in your ear canal. There's no leakage, and I can keep the volume really low and still hear.

My full-bodied (enclose-the-ear) headphones don't leak, but they're too uncomfortable when I'm lying on my side, which is what I mostly do in bed. Only earbuds seem to allow me to lie on my side.

For whatever reason, I'm finding it harder and harder to find earbuds that go deep inside your ear. I live in NYC, and all the ones I see are those ones with the little round buds on the end. Those leak too much.

I've tried expensive ones, but they're not worth the $ if you're just listening to audiobooks. Also, I'm careless with them. I break them and lose them.

I thought I found EXACTLY what I was looking for at Radio Shack. Deep-in-the-ear headphones for $10 (I got a better deal than what you'll see via the above link). I figured they'd be crappy and that I'd have to replace them, but I'm fine with $10 a month. So I bought about five of them. And -- no joke -- they lasted about three days each! After that point, the sound kept cutting off, and I had to constantly bend them and put rubber bands around them to get any sound out of them at all. I guess you get what you pay for.

Feel free to suggest other solutions or talk me into expensive headphones. I want a solution, and I'm willing to think outside my box.

Requirements: no leakage. comfortable when lying on side. inexpensive (in the long term).

How can I find a track listing for the David Sedaris CD box set?

jmevius — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 13:36:25 -0800

How can I find a track listing for the David Sedaris CD box set? This seems like a internet no-brainer, but I'm coming up blank. Does anyone have the track-by-track listing (or know where it can be found) of the 14 CD set (Amazon Link)?

I know which disc is which, but I'm looking for something like this:

Barrel Fever, Disc 1/3: Tracks 7-9 - "You Can't Kill The Rooster"

Any ideas?

Crosswords without pencils?

mzurer — Sat, 21 Apr 2007 10:34:46 -0800

Anyone have reccomendations for audio brain-teasers? I've been doing language tapes in my car, and I really like the aspect that is puzzle-ish, such as figuring out conjugations from prior examples and finding new word combinations to express a thought. But the actual language-learning is sort of exhausting and sometimes I just don't feel like doing another unit.

Are there any excellent audio puzzle podcasts or commercial audio puzzle collections people have liked? I enjoy crosswords and scrabble, but anagrams without visual stimulation are very difficult for me. I like, but don't love, the NPR puzzle shows. I've been playing bridge recently as well, and if I could find some kind of bridge instruction audiobook, I think I would really enjoy that, though I imagine without seeing a hand in front of you that might not be that feasible.

MP3 player designed for audio books?

Dave Faris — Mon, 05 Mar 2007 00:34:22 -0800

MP3 player designed for audio books? I've tried a couple different MP3 players (Creative Zen and Ipod Shuffle) , and while they're great for listening to 2 or 3 minute long songs, they're not very well suited to listening to audio books -- especially ones I've purchased from a well-known online retailer specializing in them. The files I've downloaded are huge. One or two files make up whole books of hundreds of pages. The mp3 players I've used don't allow me to navigate inside the track. FF and REW move me from track to track instead... more like an audio tape.

Ideally, I'd like an mp3 player that will allow me to navigate inside a track, as well as give me the ability to set a bookmark inside the track. Is there an mp3 player that can do that?

Nano shuffle: exclude tracks?

charris5005 — Mon, 04 Dec 2006 04:13:19 -0800

I have an iPod Nano and I love the 'shuffle' feature -- except -- I can't figure out how to make 'shuffle' EXCLUDE certain types of tracks. I.E.: I have audio book chapters on the iPod, kept in playlists; but during music 'shuffle' these random chapters get thrown in to the music mix and I don't need that! Anybody got a clue? Thanks.

Help me buy an audiobook not for sale in the US

travis vocino — Fri, 27 Oct 2006 08:56:48 -0800

How can I get around the geographic restrictions on purchasing some books and/or where can I buy the audiobook for The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins in the US? I purchased the book The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins from a physical Borders store with no problem. Now I want the audiobook and it seems that it is not for sale in the US. Audible.com tells me "We can not sell you this audiobook due to your geographic location, it has been removed from your cart." Changing my account location to London, UK doesn't seem to hax0r the system either.

A search in iTunes for the book in the US store returns no results but if I move to the UK or other stores I'm able to get it listed but I can't purchase it -- "You are only authorized for purchases at the US iTunes Store. Clicking OK will take you there now."

I even tried Bit Torrent sites (I figured, I purchased the book already and simply can't get what I need available) but I couldn't find it.

Any ideas where I might be able to download or otherwise obtain this?

iTrouble with iTunes

grumblebee — Sun, 17 Sep 2006 06:47:21 -0800

All the audible.com audiobooks vanished from my iTunes library, and iTunes won't let me re-import them. (I've tried searching Google, ipodlounge, Apple support Audible support to no avail.

iTunes tech support is almost non-existent. I've emailed them, and -- from past experience -- I know there will now commence two weeks of frustration where, no matter how many times I write them, flunkies will keep pasting the same useless info into replies. There is no other iTunes support besides email.)

Here's the story:

1. Several years ago, I bought an iPod and signed up for an iTunes account.

2. A couple of years later, I quit using the email address associated with that account. I tried to tell Apple about my new email address, but somehow signed up for a new iTunes account instead. I didn't realize that I did this. And it wasn't a problem, because all the stuff from my old and new accounts worked fine together in iTunes.

3. My 3G iPod died and so I recently bought a 5G (60 gig) iPod.

NOTE: those first three items might have no baring on what follows. I include them just in case they do.

4. Even more recently, I downloaded and installed iTunes 7.

5. After that, I was suddenly unable to play over half of what was in my library. When I tried to play those songs (not audible.com stuff), I was asked for a password. When I tried my current iTunes password, iTunes didn't accept it.

6. This lead to a two-week, unhelpful, email exchange with iTunes tech support (they have no phone number). Eventually, I figured out the two-account thing (see item 2, above), tried the password for my old account, and and worked. Those songs that wanted a password were from my old account and needed my old password. Somehow, the fact that I had songs from two accounts in my library wasn't an issue until iTunes 7. Anyway, now I CAN play all my songs -- from both the old and new accounts.

7. But then I downloaded a book from audible.com. I tried adding it to my library, but it wouldn't import. I don't get an error message when I try to import it. I just choose Add Song to Library... and select the audible file on my hard drive. I click OK and nothing happens. It simply (and quietly) doesn't import.

8. I then noticed that all of my old audible files -- the ones that used to be in my library -- were gone. My guess is they vanished when I installed iTunes 7, but I can't be sure. This is the first time I've looked for them since I installed 7, and they're gone. They're still on my hard drive; they're still on my iPod. They're just not in my iTunes library any more.

9. I have tried re-importing them, but the same thing happens (nothing) that happened when I tried to import that new audible file.

This is really upsetting to me, because I MAINLY use my iPod to listen to audio books from audible. I've had an audible account for years, so we're talking about hundreds of missing files from my library. And I'm even more upset that I can't add new ones to my library.

NOTE: I tried De-authorizing my audible account and then re-authorizing it, but that didn't help.

I'm using the Windows version of iTunes.

How can I get an audiobook bought from Audible to play on my iriver H10?

chrissyboy — Mon, 15 May 2006 17:30:56 -0800

How can I get an audiobook bought from Audible to play on my iriver H10? I know I should have checked beforehand, but they support all kinds of obscure players, so I just assumed mine would be ok as it's a fairly 'mainstream' device.

The downloaded file's extension is .aa, is there any way to get it on to the iriver without messing about with DRM stripping?

I suspect not, so if the only way is to strip the DRM then what program would do it? A quick googling reveals this issue to be a real minefield, and any programs I can find have long since ceased to have any real functionality.

If anyone can help but wants to keep it 'on the down low' then let me know and I'll make myself emailable.

Thanks in advance =)

Best ways to make an audiobook?

Anonymous — Wed, 14 Dec 2005 20:41:37 -0800

Audiofilter: So, I'm narrating a book and recording it digitally for someone as a Christmas present. (The individual reads AskMe, hence the anon question.) There's about 10 hours of material. Each chapter is ~ 40 minutes long. Are there programs out there that will automatically parse the chapter files I've recorded into small segments for easy indexing while listening? I've perfectly able to do this manually, but it involves lots of work going into the audio file and hacking away every minute or two when there's a convenient break. I'm also a little worried about putting together the finished CD with 40-60 tracks per disc ... little things like turning off the 2 second pause between tracks, etc. Any pointers on all this? I already have Adobe Audition and Nero's wav editor but I might be missing out on features that could help me here.

Best audiobook device

stbalbach — Fri, 13 May 2005 08:35:42 -0800

What is the best portable device for playing audiobooks? Critical features would include a feature rich pause and rewind ability. For example, pausing in the middle of a 10hr long file and having it pick back up at the right spot (this seems obvious but some players offset the pause and dont pick back up at the right spot, 5 seconds is a lot in a book). Automatic restore to last section played on power loss. Bookmarking as the file plays and restoring play at a boomark. Easy and precise management of forward and reverse. Wide choice of file formats. There may be other features I had not thought of, but these are ones I wish I had.