Anyone not like audiobooks?

[Catalytic]

I signed up for a trial of Audible and used the credit to buy the Ramona series by Beverly Cleary.  My son LOVES Ramona when I read it to him.  I started playing it this morning (on Alexa) while I was cleaning the kitchen.  I did give him the book to follow along in if he wanted.  He HATED it, like, told me never do it again.  I'm going to try it in the car and see if he thinks any different, but has anyone else had a reluctant audiobook listener and turned them into a lover?

(I personally have never listened to an audiobook, except as a young kid)

[mom2att]

There's a certain amount of closeness/interaction that goes along with reading aloud as opposed to listening to an audiobook. Your son obviously prefers one to the other--enjoy the opportunity to share a book together in this way.

[mathnerd]

It could just be the book - you probably chose the book that he has been read to in your voice already and he did not like to hear it from another person! Try a book that is funny which he has never heard before and he might like it.

[Roadrunner]

One of my kids cants stand listening to audiobooks even though he loves reading. He claims he gets headache. I decided he just doesn't learn well from audio input alone, partly because it takes too much effort for him to stay on the message. His mind drifts away. It's a shame because my other kid would love to listen to books in the car, but it we can't.

[misty.warden]

Maybe he likes you reading to him, not just books being read aloud. Does he like to talk to you about the book, asking questions between paragraphs or chapters? You can't really have that experience with an audiobook.

 

 

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[Jackie]

My daughter loves audiobooks, but only in the car. I've offered to set up a device in the house so she can listen but she seems to think I'm crazy for even thinking that would be a good idea. I don't know what the difference is, but we only get audiobooks for road trips.

[HomeAgain]

We like audiobooks for the car mostly.  We'll listen at home, but it's not our favorite mode.  Though I can get mine to listen to reader's theatre type productions anywhere - old radio shows, BBC broadcasts, things like that.

[Guest]

I can't hear audiobooks (or anything else) unless I'm concentrating on that one thing, and nothing else. But I have some processing difficulties.... Plus, I just plumb can't multi-task.

 

My kids like them just fine, especially in the car. But my husband LOVES them.

[Catalytic]

When we read together, he sits *near* me, but he is definitely NOT a cuddly kid...never has been  :crying:   A lot of times when we read, it's at the table or sitting on barstools.  Sometimes he can see the book and read along, sometimes not.  I haven't read this book to him, we've only read one, and he really surprised me that he enjoyed it, and actually asked me to keep reading, or would ask to go sit and read it. The only one of the series we've read is Ramona the Pest, the audio I started with was Beezus and Ramona.  (In general, he doesn't like reading, he acts like he's being tortured, but I really want to do a literature based curriculum for him (was planning to use the Robinson booklist mixed with other similar booklists, but I just bought the latest edition of WTM and I'm totally leaning toward SWB's methods.  Anyway, despite not *liking* reading, he's a very good reader, so I was hoping to be able to use audiobooks to get some reading in, while he does Legos or puzzles or something (that was going to be another post another day lol, what to do while listening to an audiobook)

 

When we read together, I ask HIM questions, but he rarely asks me questions.  (He's 6, maybe it's a maturity thing, but he's totally different than my other 4 so I'm a bit lost here)  He can always answer the questions, and before we start again after a break (the next day, or even a week later) he can tell me what happened previously.  Sometimes he will talk about it after we read, too.  We've read several of the Magic Tree House, and he loves them while I'm reading them, but suggesting we sit down and read one (that we haven't started) usually means I have to TELL him we're going to do it, not because he wants to.  Once we start, though, he'd be content to sit and listen to the whole book.

 

I'll try it in the car soon, just found out DH got stranded because of the incident in Frankfurt this morning, so I'll have a couple hour drive to pick him up whenever he makes his way back to this side of the pond.

 

Any suggestions of a really fun book he might like for me to try at home?  (The only chapter books we've read so far are MTH and that Ramona, we've mostly been in leveled readers prior to that)

 

As a side note, I despise being read to, and totally zone out if someone reads to me.  I was mostly able to follow along with the audiobook today, though, perhaps it was more engaging?  I was in and out of the room a little bit so I didn't hear all of it.

[Rachel]

I think the narrator make a big difference. I didn't really like audiobooks until we listened in the car. Try Cricket in Times Square or Trumpet of the Swan (read by EB White himself). The Mouse and the Motorcycle series on audio is good as well.

[Hobbes]

We read aloud a lot and also use audiobooks a lot. My kids prefer me to read aloud (because of the closeness), but also love audiobooks. I think they have gotten into audiobooks because they kind of had to... we do a daily quiet time and they can play in their quiet time room with or without an audiobook. They almost always choose the audiobook, since the quiet time isn't optional. Then they get into stories and off they go.

 

I also put them on in the van and we listen together, which also provides the "shared story" dynamic.

 

I agree that you might want to try one you haven't read aloud. I was partway through one book and mentioned that I might buy the audio to finish it, but my daughter, who loves audiobooks, protested because "the book won't do the voices like you do." (I don't do much with voices, but apparently she liked how I read it!)

[Eagle]

Try a Roald Dahl book. The author reads them himself. We also love Jim Weiss audiobooks.

 

The narrator makes a huge difference in an audiobook. I didn't like the first one or two I listened to, but now that we have found narrators we enjoy we listen to audiobooks all the time.

 

Make sure he has something else to do while listening. Lego, colouring, painting, puzzle, etc. He might like it better if it is just a background sound in addition to something else he gets to do. I wouldn't give him the book to read along.

[Bluegoat]

I have a hard time with them, I need to sit and listen, I can't clean or do something else, even fold laundry.  So - a lot of the time I might as well just read the book myself.  Which is also faster and I remember it better (I tend to be visual and remember the words on the page.) 

 

If I was sick or something similar I can see using them, though sometimes I become frustrated with how slow it is.

[Bluegoat]

Try a Roald Dahl book. The author reads them himself. We also love Jim Weiss audiobooks.

 

The narrator makes a huge difference in an audiobook. I didn't like the first one or two I listened to, but now that we have found narrators we enjoy we listen to audiobooks all the time.

 

Make sure he has something else to do while listening. Lego, colouring, painting, puzzle, etc. He might like it better if it is just a background sound in addition to something else he gets to do. I wouldn't give him the book to read along.

 

One of my kids audiobooks that I enjoyed most was a King Arthur story read by Sean Bean - he did a great job.

[smily]

When I read to my son, he sits quietly and listens well. But he is not engaged with audio. His mind wonders and he starts talking about whatever is on his mind.

Honestly I think the difference is that when I read to him, he can see the book and follows along. So the combination of visual and audio keeps him focused.

And this guy is such a book lover a have to MAKE him go outside and play sometimes.

[shawthorne44]

My husband hates them.   With him it is because he is a very fast reader probably 10X the speed of a narrator, so his mind wanders when he listens.  

[LEK]

My husband hates them.   With him it is because he is a very fast reader probably 10X the speed of a narrator, so his mind wanders when he listens.  

 

This is me too, hate them UNLESS I am driving (which I also hate), when I am driving it provides just enough mental stimulation that the driving is more enjoyable while not distracting me. It also keeps the kids quiet and stops them distracting me so win win.

[fralala]

My 6 year old will listen to audiobooks during quiet time or lying in bed at night. In other words, if the other choices are silence and darkness, or leafing through books, or doing flips over the back of her bed and hoping no one hears...

 

But she really loves listening to podcasts, so we usually do those instead.

[Catalytic]

I think the narrator make a big difference. I didn't really like audiobooks until we listened in the car. Try Cricket in Times Square or Trumpet of the Swan (read by EB White himself). The Mouse and the Motorcycle series on audio is good as well.

 

The Ramona series is read by Stockard Channing.  Last night, I downloaded a few of Robert Munsch "reading" his books, and when DS was having a moment today, I pulled him on my lap at the computer, grabbed a copy of "Love You Forever" and put on Robert Munsch's reading of it.  We both sat enthralled, with me, of course, in tears at the end.  (My very favorite book to read to my babies and I have been crying at the end since I first read it in 1992 lol)  I put on another of the Munsch books, and DS stayed in my lap and grabbed some colored pencils and started drawing.  When that book finished, I decided to go peek at Audible and see what might grab his attention.  I've seen elsewhere that Neil Patrick Harris is a favorite narrator, so we listened to the preview of "Socks" for a bit and then I got up and left DS drawing and listening.

 

I found both Munsch and Harris to be "better" than Channing, but we did have progress with the Ramona later in the van.  I will look into the recordings of Cricket and Trumpet, actually just came across my copy of Cricket in Times Square this evening, yay!

 

We read aloud a lot and also use audiobooks a lot. My kids prefer me to read aloud (because of the closeness), but also love audiobooks. I think they have gotten into audiobooks because they kind of had to... we do a daily quiet time and they can play in their quiet time room with or without an audiobook. They almost always choose the audiobook, since the quiet time isn't optional. Then they get into stories and off they go.

 

I also put them on in the van and we listen together, which also provides the "shared story" dynamic.

 

I agree that you might want to try one you haven't read aloud. I was partway through one book and mentioned that I might buy the audio to finish it, but my daughter, who loves audiobooks, protested because "the book won't do the voices like you do." (I don't do much with voices, but apparently she liked how I read it!)

 

The one I was playing isn't one I've read aloud.  The house is mostly going to be quiet after this week, and actually, it's mostly quiet anyway.  The teens hang out in their rooms and DS is outside a lot.  Anyway, I'll think on having a set quiet time, that would be a good way to "make" him listen to them.

 

 

Try a Roald Dahl book. The author reads them himself. We also love Jim Weiss audiobooks.

 

The narrator makes a huge difference in an audiobook. I didn't like the first one or two I listened to, but now that we have found narrators we enjoy we listen to audiobooks all the time.

 

Make sure he has something else to do while listening. Lego, colouring, painting, puzzle, etc. He might like it better if it is just a background sound in addition to something else he gets to do. I wouldn't give him the book to read along.

 

Totally forgot until you said Jim Weiss...I ordered SOTW1 on CD, which is why I started looking at audiobooks lol.  I was hoping to that during breakfast while he eats and I clean up.  My mornings consist of rolling out of bed and taking teens to work.  Some mornings DH does it, but usually it's me.  If I can, I leave DS sleeping and have the other teen watch him, but some days I put him in the carseat and that usually wakes him up.  Can't wait til SOTW gets here so I can hear Jim Weiss and see how we like that!

 

I have a hard time with them, I need to sit and listen, I can't clean or do something else, even fold laundry.  So - a lot of the time I might as well just read the book myself.  Which is also faster and I remember it better (I tend to be visual and remember the words on the page.) 

 

If I was sick or something similar I can see using them, though sometimes I become frustrated with how slow it is.

 

Totally me.  Also like shawthorne's DH, I'm a fast reader.  When we refinanced our house a few years ago, a mobile notary came to do the paperwork with us.  For whatever reason, she insisted on reading the documents to me.  She'd get a paragraph in and I'd already be done with the page...so I'd zone out.  After about the third time of her realizing she was reading it to herself, she finally just let me read it on my own.

 

My husband hates them.   With him it is because he is a very fast reader probably 10X the speed of a narrator, so his mind wanders when he listens.  

 

 

My 6 year old will listen to audiobooks during quiet time or lying in bed at night. In other words, if the other choices are silence and darkness, or leafing through books, or doing flips over the back of her bed and hoping no one hears...

 

But she really loves listening to podcasts, so we usually do those instead.

 

Bedtime is a really good idea.  I'll discuss that with DH because we have been so lucky with this kiddo, he's a wonderful sleeper and easy to put to bed, not sure if DH will like the idea of adding a distraction to keep him awake, but that's a fantastic idea.

 

 

So, just a little update, we listened to the Munsch books today, and then he had to go with me to pick up a teen from work.  I couldn't figure out how to sync the Audible app on my phone to where Alexa was when we paused, so I just started Beezus and Ramona on chapter 2 in the car.  DS said that was about right.  He listened for a good 30 minutes.  When we got home I realized I had forgotten to stop at a friend's house to drop something off, so I told the teen to take DS in and get him food.  DS asked where I was going, told him, he wanted to come.  I said ok, but all you're going to do is sit in the car and listen, you will not be getting out to talk to Joey, I'm just dropped this off."  He liked that idea...until I said he had to get buckled again, then he decided he was going to stay home.

 

I get home about 25 minutes later...he'd made his brother put "Beezus and Ramona" the movie on the TV.

 

So, maybe with some set times and in the car, he'll come to enjoy them.  Thank you all for the suggestions!

 

Now for the next question, what do you all use to play your Audible and Overdrive books?  I do not want to use my phone (I get texts and calls nonstop, which interrupts the audiobook over the car stereo).  I have an iPhone 4S that I use for music in the car, it may work, but I can't get iTunes to recognize the books I've downloaded from Libriovox.  (At all, not as music or audiobooks)  None of our tablets have enough battery life, so I need to purchase something cheap, as that's all it will be used for.

[Catalytic]

For now, he's tucked into the couch, happily listening to Alexa/Audible.  Daddy should be home tomorrow, though, so we will see what he has to say LOL.

[AmandaVT]

My husband hates them.   With him it is because he is a very fast reader probably 10X the speed of a narrator, so his mind wanders when he listens.  

 

I've wondered why I suddenly turn ADD when I try to listen to audiobooks - I bet this is exactly why! I'm a quick reader, and love books, but every time I try to listen to an audiobook, I suddenly start thinking of my grocery list, wonder when my next dentist appointment is, suddenly remember that I need to call a friend, etc. Or worse I find myself reading one book while listening to another....

 

The exception is the Harry Potter series. I think it's a combo of me knowing the books so well already and the narrator being so great. 

[theelfqueen]

The first audio book I ever enjoyed was Meghan Follows reading the Anne books... it was just right. My kids love the Ramona audios... but we really only listen in the car (sometimes I listen when walking or hiking but not the kids) ... they check out cds and Play aways from the library regularly and we've made Great Courses audio a part of our lives...

 

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[Catalytic]

The first audio book I ever enjoyed was Meghan Follows reading the Anne books... it was just right. My kids love the Ramona audios... but we really only listen in the car (sometimes I listen when walking or hiking but not the kids) ... they check out cds and Play aways from the library regularly and we've made Great Courses audio a part of our lives...

 

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(Tell me more about the Great Courses, please!)

 

I really want audio to be part of our lives.  I haven't been to a library in YEARS (thank you Amazon, grrr lol), but I have registered online for a card locally if I can just find the time to go get it.  They do use Overdrive at that library, as well.

 

I am NOT in love (after a couple of hours of on/off listening today) with Stockard Channing reading Ramona.  At all.  I really like her as an actress, but the voices she uses for Ramona, Beezus, and Henry really grate my nerves.

 

Also, my son learns *really* well from songs, he had the Presidents down cold 10 minutes after I handed him the CC app (meanwhile, an hour of perusing it, I hadn't even *found* the President song...)  I want to incorporate CC into our lives, as well, which, reading WTM4, I think is perfect for the grammar stage, but I need to learn more about that, too.

 

With both teens having jobs (neither drives yet), plus co-op classes, sports, and other things, we will be in the car a lot, so I'd like to make wiser use of that time than Angry Birds on the iPad  :blushing:

[shawthorne44]

...

Now for the next question, what do you all use to play your Audible and Overdrive books?  I do not want to use my phone (I get texts and calls nonstop, which interrupts the audiobook over the car stereo).  I have an iPhone 4S that I use for music in the car, it may work, but I can't get iTunes to recognize the books I've downloaded from Libriovox.  (At all, not as music or audiobooks)  None of our tablets have enough battery life, so I need to purchase something cheap, as that's all it will be used for.

 

One idea is a Zen mp3 player off e-bay.  They are cheap.   Mine is so old that when I looked for a firmware update (I thought it wasn't playing nice with Win10) it said basically, this is too old to be supported.  The problem was the wrong cable.  Many of the other brands of older mp3 players don't bookmark within a track.   For Audible's hour long tracks, that is a problem.  

 

For me, I passionately love audiobooks.   I've been listening to them for so long I started before they were a thing.  I would listen behind my dad who got books on cassette as part of a for-the-blind program.  He's blind in one eye so he can't read for long.  

 

But, yeah, you have to do something else when listening to an audiobook.  Sometimes I do logic puzzles online, driving.  I have a little speaker that attach the mp3 to, and I cart them around the house while I do housework.   I used to do counted cross stitch with teeny-tiny squares, and a cat in my lap trained to ignore the thread.  

 

[laundrycrisis]

I don't like things that talk. I love silence and music. So I'm not a fan of audiobooks.

[Hobbes]

I am NOT in love (after a couple of hours of on/off listening today) with Stockard Channing reading Ramona. At all. I really like her as an actress, but the voices she uses for Ramona, Beezus, and Henry really grate my nerves.

 

 

I can't stand Stockard Channing for Ramona. We love Beverly Clearly for audiobooks and I've always been a Ramona fan, but that one... I just can't.

 

Also re: fast reading, I'm a very fast reader and I don't love audiobooks for myself. I only do them with the kids, generally while driving. For the kids, though, it opens up so many story options when they aren't seasoned readers.

[vonfirmath]

One idea is a Zen mp3 player off e-bay.  They are cheap.   Mine is so old that when I looked for a firmware update (I thought it wasn't playing nice with Win10) it said basically, this is too old to be supported.  The problem was the wrong cable.  Many of the other brands of older mp3 players don't bookmark within a track.   For Audible's hour long tracks, that is a problem.  

 

For me, I passionately love audiobooks.   I've been listening to them for so long I started before they were a thing.  I would listen behind my dad who got books on cassette as part of a for-the-blind program.  He's blind in one eye so he can't read for long.  

 

But, yeah, you have to do something else when listening to an audiobook.  Sometimes I do logic puzzles online, driving.  I have a little speaker that attach the mp3 to, and I cart them around the house while I do housework.   I used to do counted cross stitch with teeny-tiny squares, and a cat in my lap trained to ignore the thread.  

 

When I first got into audible, i had a Zen mp3 player I used!  (That I purchased from audible) If you are going to get a mp3 player, you for sure want one that does NOT randomize what it plays. Maybe check out the Sony ones?

 

ipod Touch will also play audible stuff. (I did)

 

Iphone 4s should. Mine did at the time I had the phone. I use a iphone 5 now.  Any tablet that the Audible app is available for should do it as well.

 

Also, you can burn CDs off the audible  and then use those in the car.

 

http://audible.custhelp.com/ has a lot of different types of devices one can use.

 

Here is a website where you can look up tons of devices and see if they will work with audible:

http://www.audible.com/dc (IT comes up with APple mp3 players. But you can use the drop down for Change Device Brand to change brands and the links at the top -- mp3, PDA, Mobile Phones, Other, GPS -- to change type of device)

 

The numbers tell you which formats that player will play. Some books are not available in all number formats so it might affect what in your library you can play.

 

My first audible books were purchased in 2001. It came in very handy when I was driving to and from Everett from Bellevue, WA. I can still access those books now, 15 years later, even though I own a different device and live in a different state.

 

 

Edited September 1, 2016 by vonfirmath

[KrissiK]

My kids love them on a car trip! We have listened to most of the Jim Weiss CDs, we're now doing Lamplighter. They also love Jonathan Park, which I know isn't an audible book, but it's similar. But that is all. They don't listen to them anywhere else. But they do like to be read to at home. I just have to do it. :)

Edited September 1, 2016 by KrissiK

[Rachel]

I use my iPhone, you could use an old phone though. As far as battery life on tablets, couldn't you ok g it into the charger while you are driving?

 

Neil Patrick Harris is a great narrator, Jim Dale and Anne Hathaway are a couple others we like. I'm a fast reader too, I tend to tune out audiobooks unless I'm driving.

[theelfqueen]

I use my phone. We listen to choices from the Great Courses on Audio only -- our library doesn't have the videos.

Right now we're working our way through Food: A Cultural Culinary History via Audible (part of 10th grader's Culinary Class). We're also listening to Robert Lacey''s Great Tales from English History (on CD from the library) (both 6th and 10th grader are doing British History this semester).  I've downloaded the Inexplicable Universe to go with our Astronomy classes (both 6th grader and 10th grader are doing Astronomy -- mostly separately --- 10th is taking an online class and 6th is working through a variety of materials -- they're doing lab work together)...

 

And I'm listening to a pleasure book on the side :)

 

[ByGrace3]

My kids hate them. I get it-- I retain close to nothing from audiobooks myself. I have to see the book and follow along.

[kiwik]

Ds9 has never liked them. I think he saw it as me trying to avoid reading to him. I think ds7 would like them though if he had a chance. I might try next time we drive somewhere now we have a car with a CD player.

 

Ds9 prefers I not do voices also.

Edited September 2, 2016 by kiwik

[BonnieLK]

I'm a genre fiction reader w/a strong preference for romance and I HATE audio books in my for-fun reading. It's all about tone of voice and pacing and inflection.. my head just does characters better than a voice actor.

 

I have a sub to Tales2Go for kids books for my son though and I'm hopeful kids books will better for my son who hasn't developed the closeness to the written word.

Edited September 2, 2016 by BonnieLK

[Catalytic]

I think DS is slowly getting into it, but I cant get the darn book to sync between my phone for the car and Alexa, so we're constantly trying to guess where we left off.  I saw a recommendation on Amazon to use a cheap phone (without cell service) as a player, and that would work great for the car (going to test Overdrive and Audible on the iPhone I use for music).  I was going to buy a phone for DS' room but....that's a bad idea, because the munchkin totally knows how to use the play store and he'll be downloading and playing apps (hmmm, maybe if I put it on top of his bookshelf?)

 

DH isn't totally against using it at bedtime,, I saw somewhere that you can set a timer for it to stop.  Will have to figure out the sync issue for that, though.

 

(I don't have room in my vehicle to charge a tablet, because I have to keep my phone plugged in (horrible battery) and my splitter won't charge two devices at once for some reason.)

[mohop]

My kids love audiobooks, and my 5 yr old is particularly obsessive, but I will say that a lot depends on the particular book and the person reading it.  There have been some books that have just been a bust because we couldn't get into the reader's style (sadly, one of my favorite books, Anne of Green Gables, was like that).  I also will say that although my kids seemed to like the Ramona audibook that we tried, I HATED it.  Hearing that whiny Ramona voice on audio made me crazy.  My kids have enjoyed the Chronicles of Narnia this summer, and are currently listening to the BFG. 

 

ETA: The Ramona audiobook we listneed to was also Stockard Channing.  I really did hate it.  

Edited September 2, 2016 by mohop

[jgrabuskie]

Not an audiobook fan. I tend to do other things and let it go to the background.

 

Based on reviews, I purchased SOTW for DS8 to listen too. He hated it. He tuned it out and I had to redo the lesson. I brought it up again and he said no he did not like it. We have borrowed other audio books where he can view the book but he did not like that method either.

 

 

[sweetpea3829]

My kids love them on a car trip! We have listened to most of the Jim Weiss CDs, we're now doing Lamplighter. They also love Jonathan Park, which I know isn't an audible book, but it's similar. But that is all. They don't listen to them anywhere else. But they do like to be read to at home. I just have to do it. :)

 

 

Krissi,

 

Is there a source for Lamplighter online, where they are low cost/free?  Our library only has maybe 3 or 4 Lamplighter audiobooks, but my kids LOVE them.  

 

We are shuttling two of the boys for swim team twice a week, a half hour each way.  We discovered that on Tuesday nights at 7:30, Lamplighter plays on our local Christian radio network.  This is GREAT, and my boys love it.  But it's only the one night.  Would be great it we had a source to listen to for the other swim team drives.  

[sweetpea3829]

I agree with others....the narrator really matters.  We tried Alice in Wonderland once, and I'm not even sure who the narrator was, but none of us could understand a smidge of what they were saying.  Their British accent was so thick.

 

 

Does anybody have a suggestion one where we can find reviews of the specific narrators?  Otherwise, it's hit or miss, kwim?