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Dec
9
Listening - Reading
Filed Under Uncategorized
For a couple of years now I have been exclusively listening to audio books. I started listening to audio books when I used to exercise on the treadmill. Then it got to the point that I could listen to books and do other mindless activities like cleaning, folding laundry, working it the garden and driving to work. I really enjoy listening to audio books. I guess I like being read to.
In July 2001, I found a site audible.com where I could buy and download recently released books - two a month for 12.95 that was $6.47 a book that was a great deal. Today, I pay 13.95 for two books a month, still very reasonable. Over the years I have also listened to books on cassette rented from both Books on Tape and Recorded Books. The shipping of books across country got to be troublesome so I quit those clubs. They were also rather expensive and I decided that I have better things to spend money on- like food, heat and gasoline.
In the last year the Spokane County Library has been purchasing MP3-CD’s and have put together a good collection of books, at least good enough to peak my interest. Spokane County Library has a web site where you can reserve books online which has proven to be convenient as you can search other sites for books, read reviews and then find out if they are available at the library. About six months ago they began offering books for download. Most of the books I am interested in can be found in the library either on MP3-CD’s or download. Sometimes you have to wait for the book: No immediate gratification rather anticipation.
As I said, they also have began to offer books for download from your home computer which is amazing. More amazing is the range of books they are beginning to offer. With this wonderful ability to download books I have run into a problem with my Internet provider that every time I download a book I exceed what they call "fair access policy threshold" which means that I using more access than I am paying for and they want me to change my plan so they can make more money off me. I was willing to increase my download ability but this meant that I would have to update my current router and since I live in a remote area they would have to send an installer out to re-point the dish to the appropriate satellite and that would cost $125 so for now I have tabled that idea.
This brings me to the crux of the story, I used one of my monthly credits from Audible to purchase World without End by Ken Follett which is about 45 hours long. I downloaded the first 8 hour section and listened to that. Now I have to wait at least 24 hours to be able to download the next section and once I do that I will exceed my "fair access policy threshold" once again and it starts all over again….
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