Audible

A couple of years ago, after I complained about not being able to keep from being bored while on my elliptical trainer no matter what I tried (watching tv, listening to the radio, even reading Smithsonian magazine), a friend suggested I try audiobooks--and I've never looked back.

I started with history and biography and science and math and similarly deep and important topics, but for such topics I've found an audiobook isn't ideal.  I want to learn those topics, not just hear them once, and for that I need to highlight, review, write marginalia, etc.  These tasks require a dead tree book and a highlighter and pen.

So I switched over to fiction.  Just entertain me!  That works extremely well, and I've really been getting into science fiction.  I've gotten involved in several series, not just individual books.

One series I recently read (and by "read", I mean "listened to") is the Ship series by Jerry Aubin.  There was a cliffhanger at the end of Book 3--and there's no Book 4.  What the heck?!  Just a few days ago on Facebook I saw an advertisement for the series, and I thought I'd click on it and ask if there is to be a Book 4.  Turns out, Book 4 has been released in book form on Amazon and will be released on audiobook at the end of September.  The author also mentioned that Book 5 is due at the end of December, with the audiobook due a couple months after that.  I didn't know that this was to be a five-book series, and I'm very much looking forward to the next two books in the Ship series.

Another series I really got into was the Terran Fleet Command Saga by Tori L. Harris.  I was very happy with the 3 books in that series, but surprise surprise, there's a 4th one out on audiobook now!

But I have to wait, because I'm just downloading Book 3 in the Expeditionary Force series by Craig Alanson.  There's also a "Book 3.5", and I hope there will be more.  When I'm done with this series I'll have to decide which to download and listen to first, Book 4 of the Ship series or Book 4 of the Terran Fleet Command Saga.  First world problems, I know :-)

I don't listen to my audiobooks just while on the elliptical anymore.  Now I listen to them while eating breakfast and while driving home from work.  When the weather isn't furnace-y outside, I listen to them while walking the dog around the neighborhood.  I listen to them while on long drives on the weekends.  Sometimes on Sunday afternoons I just lie on the couch and turn on "my story".

I have a subscription to audible.  For $14.95 a month I get one book, no matter the dollar cost.  Depending on the length of the book that comes to about $1-$2 per hour of entertainment.  Not bad.