A (MINOR) READING DILEMMA

Source:  Pixabay

 

Being the reading fool that I am, I hate to waste a spare moment.  Years and years ago, I began listening to Books-on-Tape in my car, checked out for free from the public library.  Yes, I'm talking about these kind of tapes:

Source:  Public Domain Pictures.net

 
My van started out with both CD and tape players.  As the library transitioned to Books-on-CD, it was my intent to follow along.  Alas, the CD player kicked the bucket unconscionably early in its life.  As part of a built-in dash unit, it wasn't something I wanted to ($$$$) have repaired or replaced.  As luck would have it, the library did a very gentle transition, and Books-on-Tape continued to provide my entertainment for many more years.  Later than sooner though, I had to face the diminishing supply.  I started looking at thrift stores and for some more years and years found an excellent supply for minimal cost.  About a month ago, the well ran dry.  Books-on-Tape as a technology are finished. Oh, I know they're still around as collector's items.  That's a no-go for me. 

I've recently started an investigation of alternatives.  First I looked at commercial sites.  Amazon has Audible, Google has Google Play, the various e-books companies all have audio books libraries.  Be still my penny-pinching heart!  Generally speaking, either you buy books outright or you buy a monthly subscription for which you get you get ~1 book.  Subscriptions run $15-$20 per month. If you want additional books, you pay the equivalent to new-release hardback prices.  Yeah, I don't choose to spend that kind of loot for hardback books and I'm surely not spending it for audio books. 

What might I find for free?  I've been looking and looking.  One website mentioned Project Gutenberg, which is a source of free on-line e-books and audio books with this caveat:  the project involves only books that are in the public domain.

Let me break here for some kudos for Project Gutenberg.  Wow!  From Wikipedia:  "Project Gutenberg (PG) is a volunteer effort to digitize and archive cultural works, to "encourage the creation and distribution of eBooks". It was founded in 1971 by American writer Michael S. Hart and is the oldest digital library. Most of the items in its collection are the full texts of public domain books. The project tries to make these as free as possible, in long-lasting, open formats that can be used on almost any computer. As of 23 June 2018, Project Gutenberg reached 57,000 items in its collection of free eBooks."  What a project!  It's altruism at its purest.  Thanks Michael Hart and Project Gutenberg!

Source:  Michael Sauers/Flickr

Despite my admiration for the PG, however, I wasn't too interested because public domain books tend to the classics, and not only have I read my share of classics,  they now feel like work to me, like taking medicine, like something that's "good for me".   I'm looking for fun! 


I knew people were listening to podcasts, so I asked a friend about that.  She showed me how to access them on a smart phone, and with very little heartburn, I started listening to those a couple of days ago.  They've been enjoyable enough that they'll be part of my permanent vehicle audio repertoire.  But I still want a STORY! 

Back to the www.  I looked again at the Project Gutenberg.  I browsed the classics.  It wasn't immediately obvious how to download audio books, but there was a link to LibriVox.   From the LibriVox website:   "LibriVox volunteers record chapters of books in the public domain, and then we release the audio files back onto the net for free."  They partner with PG for texts. Okay, it's the same issue of pubic domain, but then again, I'm wanting something for nothing and these two sites define that! Offhand, LibriVox looks more user friendly, so I'm about to knuckle under and give it a try.  Hey, if I don't like it, I never have to do it again! 

Another potential source is our public library.  It's not clear on their website if they have downloadable audio books, but it's worth a stop in to chat with someone. 

The final component of this project is how I might want to hear these books.  They'll be downloaded to my smart phone and I can listen through that speaker.  It's been barely adequate for the podcasts, and needs to be better.  The solution is an "FM transmitter radio adapter car kit".  It's a small device that you plug in to what used to be the cigarette lighter.  It connects with the phone through Bluetooth, transmits from your phone over an unused FM radio frequency, and is heard through your car speakers.

Source:  Amazon.com

Oh, my exploding head!  What the blue blazes did I just say?  Was it in English?  I don't know what I'm talking about!!! 

Okay, I'll either figure it all out or give up.  I'll keep you posted!