I love reading, however I have recently taken up a new form of reading referred to as audio books. This is due to the strain of my eyes that develops from reading longer periods of time. This intensive reading is something I will not change, so I became introduced to audio books through audible and their large selection, but now it seems I use google play to read almost any book I wish out loud. I am just hoping to share the new form of reading, is everyone aware or are you an avid ebook reader.
I get my audio books from the library using an app called Overdrive each library may have their own system. I can login to the library system choice a book and check it out for 2 weeks at a time. The download is a temporary download that I can listen to on my pc or cell phone. I really like because it is free and the selection is awesome. I started listening to the audio books because I was working so much on the computer I did not have time to read, I can listen while I work. Technology is awesome.
It's not cheap but I have a subscription to Audible.com, which gives me, I forget how many books a year; probably because it's in points, some books costing more points than others. I don't go beyond the number that comes with my account though because they're not cheap. I much prefer having someone actually reading it to me, as compared to a computer voice. Mostly, I use audible books when I am on a long drive or, sometimes, I'll play one when I go to bed, although I have to re-start it often.
The audio books I get from the library are read by a human. There are different actors reading the stories, several actors I enjoy their voice as they read more than others.
I use the text to speech applications, and I am grateful that the computer voice is understandable. In that the words are spoken fluently, and understood as written. Google play books has an amazing platform for this, allowing the user to upload .epub, this is great seeing that one may download any desired book convert online from .pdf to .epub lets say or ebook and have the machine generated voice read it. Although the format must be in text, it is great for reading a variety of information.
I find audio books less easy to follow than the printed word. I do listen to audio books, but I generally fall asleep or my attention wanders and I miss something that has just been read out. I also listen to a lot of drama on audio, and I find that easier to follow, although I do tend to fall asleep in the middle. My hearing is not so good so it does require greater concentration for me than reading. I've never looked at a book on an e-reader. I understand that e-readers are designed so the words look like they are on a printed page and the print can be increased to any size you want for easy reading. If I was given one I would probably use it, but having worked in print publishing and bookselling, I shall always be more of a book lover.
I have to keep re-starting them in order to follow an audio book. They have their purpose and, as I said earlier, I use them on long drives, and I'll sometimes play one when I go to sleep, and sometimes my dreams reflect the book's content.
I tried some of the audio books from the online library, and I just do not like them as well as I do reading a book, whether a paper book, or an e-book. When I am reading, often I want to repeat something that I just read, or go back and look for something that I read earlier in the book. With an audio book, this is much harder, if not downright impossible ! I do, however really like e-books ! After 60+ years of only reading printed books, I did not think that I would actually like reading an e-book. I found that there are some definite advantages to online books. As an example, I had gotten a gardening book from the Kindle store. It not only had full page beautiful pictures; but there were also some how-to videos in the book, and there is just no way that a print book can compare. Another thing that I really like about an e-book is the size. When you buy a regular book, they are different thicknesses, depending on the length of the book. Some large ones are heavy for an older person to hold and read. However, an e-book is always the size of the device that you are reading it on. For example, my Kindle Fire is just the perfect size for me to read with. It is not too heavy or too large, and it even has its own light source, so I do not need as bright of a light to see what i am reading. Add to that , the fact that you can make the print any size that you want, and overall, it makes an e-book an excellent choice, at least most of the time.
I like the idea of writing eBooks and perhaps try my luck on the Kindle platform of Amazon to make money, but when it comes to reading, i still prefer to read the printed form.