Audio distraction: podcasts, audio books, radio on demand

Like lots of those already mentioned - but didn’t spot the Podcast ‘Fortunately’: Jane Garvey, Fi Glover and guests. Is a rather riotous, informal chat. Great fun & kind of feel like you’re joining them at the Broadcasting House café. Radio 4 podcast, available free on iTunes etc.
 
I love 99% invisible. Design and architecture fun facts, like how curb cuts came into existence or why pools are shaped the way they are.

20 minutes long episodes, very comfortable voice and tempo. No need to concentrate very hard.
 
Ooh, only just found this thread, podcasts and audio books are what has kept me sane!

I've had a traumatic few days because I got a new phone and had to transfer everything after discovering the brilliant podcast app on my old phone wasn't available anymore.

I have 2 types of podcast; daytime ones that make me laugh or might be scary and evening/night ones for trying to wind down/fall asleep. Some of the comedy ones can be very irreverent, probably not to everyone's taste!

Kermode and Mayo's Film Review
The Dork Forest
Richard Herring's Leicester Square Theatre Podcast (RHLSTP if you're a cool kid )
The Dollop
My Dad Wrote a Porno
WTF with Marc Maron (can be hit and miss, plus he's very loud!)
My Favourite Murder
Dr Death (a new one which is a fascinating case but very graphic medically)
In the Dark
Missing and Murdered
James Bonding (if you're a fan of the films)
Undisclosed (the much more in depth/accurate follow up to Serial, can be heavy going sometimes)
Crime Writers On
The 45th
Simon Mayo's Books of the Year
The West Wing Weekly
The Smartest Man in the World

The best thing about podcasts is one leads you to another via recommendations from the hosts.

I use Listening Books, (cheap/free subscription for people with illness) via the Libby app and my library has a good selection of audio books too on the same app, I don't concentrate on books as easily but it's still a good distraction.
 
Hi, guys. I was looking forward to 47 hours of an audio book, I received one of Proust's books yet the reader's inflections made it too hard to listen to.

I need some recommendations.

I'm looking for things that are light, that don't deal with death, health or medical. Intelligent and humorous is good. Something easy to follow. Thanks for any suggestions. I hope the next readers are easier to listen to. :)
 
Hi @Yessica, I don't have any immediate suggestions, as I tend to listen to detective stories which do involve death, though more as something for the detectives to solve than focusing on the tragedy.

If you're buying books on Audible, I strongly recommend using the facility to listen to a sample of the reading before buying. I've rejected books on a short listen because the voice, tone, accent, intonation, reading style are wrong. I agree it's got to be someone you can listen to.
 
Snowdrop said:
If it's light and entertaining you're looking for . . .

https://www.google.com/search?q=Bil...bg3-TiAhVNRKwKHZVHDcYQsxgIMQ&biw=1600&bih=757https://www.google.com/search?q=Bil...bg3-TiAhVNRKwKHZVHDcYQsxgIMQ&biw=1600&bih=757
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Thank you @Snowdrop! :) I completely forgot about Bill Bryson. He was someone I wanted to read his writing someday.

Just ordered some with the free delivery service for the blind (and they do for us home bound too). Also you inspired me with this to search for some other topics of interests along the lines of international, expats and adventures. Also checked out some spy stories too.

Trish said:
Hi @Yessica, I don't have any immediate suggestions, as I tend to listen to detective stories which do involve death, though more as something for the detectives to solve than focusing on the tragedy.

If you're buying books on Audible, I strongly recommend using the facility to listen to a sample of the reading before buying. I've rejected books on a short listen because the voice, tone, accent, intonation, reading style are wrong. I agree it's got to be someone you can listen to.
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Hi, Trish. Yes wish I could listen to mysteries and detective stories. (They are popular with so many people.) They sneak into my dreams but not in a good way.

Thank you for your suggestion for if I someday I buy an Audible book. That's good to know that they have that option and do that.

I do give it a good try to see if I can learn to adjust and listen to some of the ones that are hard to listen to. Sometimes I can. Unfortunately this one I couldn't. Thankfully the Braille institute can tell me who the reader is and block any books I chose if they are the reader.
 
If you're on Amazon Prime you can get 3 months trial of Kindle Unlimited free, think offer started today and finishes on Monday. Audio books included. Renews at £7.99 a month after that. You can unsubscribe at any time. I'm not sure whether to give it a try or not!

https://www.amazon.co.uk/kindle-dbs/hz/subscribe/ku

===========>>>
Kindle Unlimited
Unlimited Reading. Unlimited Listening. Any Device.

Explore over 1 million titles, thousands of audiobooks and selected magazine subscriptions on any device.
===========>>>

Not sure if above link will work if you don't have Prime, but I thought best to put it in to try and make it easy if anyone wants to try.
 
ladycatlover said:
If you're on Amazon Prime you can get 3 months trial of Kindle Unlimited free, think offer started today and finishes on Monday. Audio books included. Renews at £7.99 a month after that. You can unsubscribe at any time. I'm not sure whether to give it a try or not!

https://www.amazon.co.uk/kindle-dbs/hz/subscribe/ku

===========>>>
Kindle Unlimited
Unlimited Reading. Unlimited Listening. Any Device.

Explore over 1 million titles, thousands of audiobooks and selected magazine subscriptions on any device.
===========>>>

Not sure if above link will work if you don't have Prime, but I thought best to put it in to try and make it easy if anyone wants to try.
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I think it’s only 1 month without Prime, but I’ve had several 1 month trials at separate times and come away with a free book every time. Once they even offered me a $20 coupon to stay, another free book:)
 
Just found a treasure trove I'm loving.
BBC World Service - World Book Club. I assume, since it's World Service, it's available everywhere. I hope so.

There are 118 episodes available, each under half an hour. The presenter, Harriet Gilbert, introduces the book and author, and hosts a discussion of the book in which people from around the world ask the author questions. So far I've listened to 8 episodes, with authors as varied as Umberto Eco, Philip Pullman, Kazuo Ishiguro, Arundhati Roy, and Ruth Rendell.

You don't have to have read the book - I've read some, not others. I find it fascinating hearing authors reading bits from their books and answering questions varying from how they got their ideas, how they see certain characters, and how they go about writing.

Edit: I've just discovered that the first 5 I listened to were 26 minutes each. The rest seem to be 55 minutes. Good - they will last longer. By the time I get to the end of all of them, I will have forgotten the first ones and be able to start again!
 
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I have an audible subscription 24 books a year it’s about £105 so works out to just over £4 an audiobook. I actually get through 24 books quite quickly so keep renewing my yearly subscription early - like every few months or so. I listen to a lot of YA fantasy + romance, I love it so much, really takes you into another world entirely, also I re listen to Harry Potter lots of times and Harry Potter podcasts on overcast.
 
(If anyone else here likes children’s fantasy or YA fantasy,
Or romance fiction please feel free to give me recommendations! - either older books or newer ones as well).
 
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lunarainbows said:
(If anyone else here likes children’s fantasy or YA fantasy /romance fiction please feel free to give me recommendations! - either older books or newer ones as well).
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I'm a Harry Potter addict, and my daughter is a Terry Pratchett addict. They are our audible listen of choice when we have no energy to do anything else. I've never managed to get into TP, and she gave up on HP after book 5.
 
Trish said:
I'm a Harry Potter addict, and my daughter is a Terry Pratchett addict. They are our audible listen of choice when we have no energy to do anything else. I've never managed to get into TP, and she gave up on HP after book 5.
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Ohh!! A fellow HP fan! I adore Stephen Fry’s narration. Same for me too, they are my choice when I cannot listen to other things. Have you listened to the other audiobooks: quidditch through the ages, fantastic beasts, crimes of grindelwald movie special, and history of magic?
 
lunarainbows said:
Have you listened to the other audiobooks: quidditch through the ages, fantastic beasts, crimes of grindelwald movie special, and history of magic?
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No. I think I've got fantastic beasts, but only listened to part of it. I'll look out for the others.
 
Trish said:
If you can afford it, I find Amazon's Audible good. You pay about £7 per month subscription which includes one free audiobook. And they have special offers and some free downloads. If you don't like a book you can sell it back and get your money back.

Bargains I've bought include Stephen Fry reading the entire Conan Doyle Sherlock Holmes collection - including several novels and lots of short stories, all counted as a single 'book'.
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Amazons kindle unlimited is a good alternative to audible as many of the books they offer have audible narration included. It costs the same as audible but you can borrow multiple books to listen to from a selection rather than getting to own 1 book a month from audible.
 
Our library has a good audio book and ebooks online range. They use a couple of apps for access. ( press reader is one)

I didn't t know much about it previously as have not really used library since kids were small.

Great for when you can't physically get to library. They also have a 4 weekly delivery and pick up service for those within the town for hard copy books.

My daughter has "read" a couple of audiobooks and has started Harry Potter " the goblet of fire ", one of her favourites.

There are also online magazines available - saves a fortune in subscriptions.
 
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