2009 GAPERS BLOCK READER SURVEY! Help us get to know you better & improve the site by filling out our survey — win tickets to Jesus Lizard @ Metro New Years Eve!

TODAY

Sunday, November 22

Search


Book Club
« Adult Summer Reading Program at CPL August 2007 Selection: Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen »

Ink Thu Jul 05 2007

Listening to Books

Do you listen to audiobooks?

Alice Maggio / Comments (7)

Richard / July 5, 2007 6:53 PM

I definately listen to books! I've been downloading them off the internet because I exhausted my local libraries supply.

When I first started downloading, I found it irritating, but then I found a cool website that doesn't try to trap me into subscriptions or hassle me. (www.exclusive-audiobooks-download.com)

As a business person I also appreciate the diversity of content. I like a good book as the next person, fiction is great, but sometimes I like historiographies or other non-fiction morsels of audio goodness.

I just purchased and downloaded "Kite Runner" and intend on listening to it as I cook dinner tonight!

Judi Schindler / July 8, 2007 10:38 AM

I've been an avid audio book fan for more than 15 years. I used to rent from a company that is no longer in business. Now I download from www.audible.com.

What I love is the ability to multi-task -- to enjoy a book while driving, cooking, riding my bike.

In no way does it take away time from actual reading -- an activity enjoyed by itself.

I've frequently been introduced to an author via an audio book, and then purchased another title by that author in print.

Ed Dziedzic / July 8, 2007 2:16 PM

I too listen as well as read. They are great when I walk for exercise, which can be boring without a good book to listen to. The only problem I ever had was a poor reader on a Walter Mosely novel. He mispronounced words and often put the em phas is on the wrong syll ab ble. It was an excellent story (The Little Yellow Dog) that the reader did his best to make unlistenable. Fortunately, 99% of the audiobooks have very skillful readers.

TOM RUDD / July 8, 2007 9:58 PM

PLEASE PUT ME ON YOUR EMAIL LIST FOR FUTURE ANNOUNCEMENTS.
THANKS
TOM

Joan Friedman / July 10, 2007 10:51 AM

I love audiobooks and have been listening to them for years. I now get them from audible.com and listen to them on my Mac in my office while I work on my windows based PC. I aso listen on my ipod while I drive and when I walk the dog.Because I have a bad habit of reading the end of the book first audio books keep me honest.Most of my reading time (visual) is newspapers and magazines and the occasional book.

Joan Friedman / July 10, 2007 10:52 AM

I love audiobooks and have been listening to them for years. I now get them from audible.com and listen to them on my Mac in my office while I work on my windows based PC. I aso listen on my ipod while I drive and when I walk the dog.Because I have a bad habit of reading the end of the book first audio books keep me honest.Most of my reading time (visual) is newspapers and magazines and the occasional book.

Terri Lackey / July 12, 2007 12:12 PM

Audio books have saved my life. No longer am I bored driving 50 minutes to work and 50 minutes home from work. I no longer have to listen to the same NPR stories over and over. I can now "read" a book while driving. I'm concerned, though, that I'm not really reading, and that I can't count listening to an audio book as the same thing as reading. But by the time I get to read a real book at night when I go to bed, I'm pooped. I fall asleep after two or three pages, so it takes me forever to get through a book. I've "read" about 50 audio books in the last couple of years, and I get them all FREE. I used to check them out from the public library and burn them. But now I download them for FREE from Netlibrary.com or the Chicago Public Library.

What does everybody else think about "reading" audio books. Is it real reading?

ADVERTISEMENT

Two FREE Audiobooks RISK-FREE from Audible

This Month's Selection:

November 2009

Travel Writing

by Peter Ferry

Travel WritingIn this debut novel, high school English teacher Peter Ferry witnesses a fatal car accident and becomes obsessed with learning about the life of the victim, Lisa Kim.

Meet & Discuss

Join us at The Book Cellar at 4736-38 N. Lincoln Ave. (map) to discuss the book. We'll meet on Monday, November 9, at 7:30pm. New members are always welcome!

Upcoming Books

November 9
Travel Writing
by Peter Ferry


Past Books

October 12
Lords of the Levee
by Herman Kogan and Lloyd Wendt

September 14
The Echo Maker
by Richard Powers

August 10
La Perdida
by Jessica Abel

July 13
Every Crooked Pot
by Renee Rosen

June 8
Cat's Cradle
by Kurt Vonnegut

May 11
Passing
by Nella Larsen

April 13
Then We Came to the End
by Joshua Ferris

March 16
The Book of Ralph
by John McNally

February 9
A River Runs Through It
by Norman Maclean

January 12
A Raisin in the Sun
by Lorraine Hansberry

~*~

2008 Book List

2007 Book List

2006 Book List

2005 Book List


Events

Sun Nov 22 2009
Open Books Grand Opening

Mon Nov 23 2009
Going Pro: How to Take Your Literary Venture to the Next Level

Mon Nov 23 2009
Eye of the Sandman Screening and Discussion @ Gene Siskel Film Center

Tue Nov 24 2009
Chicago Moth StorySLAM: BLUNDERS


About GB Book Club

The Gapers Block Book Club is a reading group dedicated to reading fiction by Chicago area authors and nonfiction works about our city. We read a new book every month, and new members are always welcome.

In Person
The book club meets on the second Monday of the month at The Book Cellar bookstore in Lincoln Square (map).

By Email
Sign up for the book club mailing list to receive reminders about upcoming meetings and other special announcements.


Editors: Alice Maggio & Veronica Bond, bookclub@gapersblock.com

Archives

 

 Subscribe in a reader.