Classical AudioBooks and More

Dads love to give advice.

Sometimes it’s good advice.

Other times, well, they might want to try these audiobooks.

Dad, if you’re reading this, of course, you always give great advice, and of course, I always listen. Now that that’s out of the way…

Our first pick is one of the best-selling audiobooks of all time. An oldie, but a goodie; just like Dad! (Groan, I know, but I couldn’t resist.)

How To Win Friends and Influence People audiobook by Dale Carnegie will teach Dad:

• the 6 ways to make people like him
• the 12 ways to win people to your way of thinking
• the 9 ways to change people without arousing resentment

Our next pick, Social Intelligence by Daniel Goleman is sure to transform his understanding of relationships and redefines what it means to be smart.

Because difficult conversations are unfortunately inevitable, the appropriately titled Difficult Conversations, the audiobook by Bruce Patton, Douglas Stone, and Sheila Heen can help Dad handle these tricky situations.

Last, but certainly not least, Learn In Your Car Spanish Level One By Henry N. Raymond. When I was growing up, my Dad would frequently ask me, “Am I speaking Spanish or something?!” Well yes Dad, now you can.…

My first audiobook experience was the BBC dramatization of JRR Tolkien’s Lord of The Rings by Brian Sibley.

I was about 14 at the time and had borrowed the set of tapes from a friend.

What impressed me is that my friend recorded each of the 26 episodes directly from the radio onto audio-cassette.

On top of that, he hand-illustrated the tape covers. Now that’s dedication.

Being a big Tolkien fan myself, I had already read the Lord of The Rings a few times before popping the first tape in, so I knew the whole story going in.

However, this didn’t stop me from enjoying it – I found the audiobook just as gripping as the unabridged text version and considering that the audiobook came out 20 years before the movies did, it was very effective at bringing the story to life.

Here’s an interesting fact: Ian Holm plays Frodo Baggins in the audiobook – the very same actor that plays Bilbo Baggins in Peter Jackson’s movie adaptations of the trilogy.

I would definitely recommend this audiobook, as long as you don’t expect the technological complexity found in Peter Jackson’s movies.

I got hooked on audiobooks when I was on a road trip. I normally cannot read while the car is moving. Give me a few minutes of a book in a moving car and we will be stopping all the time.

All I wanted was a good book to help with the killing of time. Since that road trip, I have been getting ahold of every audiobook I can. They are great for work as well. I can sit behind my computer in my little cube and jam away to a great book.

It helps the time go by faster! I absolutely love Simply Audiobooks for their great selection of books. I could rent from the library but I have to wait a really long time for the book I want.

With SA I can select the books I want and not have to worry about how long it will be before I get the book I want. Not only that but I like being able to hold onto the book for as long as I need. This way I am saving myself money on late charges.

I have always commuted to work anywhere from 1 hour to 2 hours each way, I got hooked about 3 years ago.

Now it’s all I listen to in my car. I could not agree more when you find a good book with a good narrator it’s special.

I have found Michael Beck to be the best I have heard, with Billy Campbell as a good second, then there is Jim Dale, what more can I say. I am hooked.…

I’d been meaning to read this audiobook, Tuesdays with Morrie, for ages, so when I opened my SAB mailer yesterday, I was excited to see that I’d received the book.

And yes, despite my working at SAB, I still get the mailers as opposed to picking up the CDs at the office.

I’ve often gotten into an audiobook and enjoyed it so much that I find excuses to get in the car.

But this was the first time I ever got the mailer and wanted to get into the car right away. I had to do some shopping anyway, so I immediately went down to the garage, got the car, loaded up my CD deck and happily went off.

For the first 15 minutes or so, I was just enjoying the book and happy to be (about to be) getting some errands taken care of. Then I encountered one of the mixed blessings of audiobooks.

I got so into the audiobook that it kept making me think of things I’d like to ponder. So I’d ponder, and miss the next minute of dialogue.

Then I’d rewind, overshoot, hit the same ponder-inspiring segment, and again ponder and miss the next couple of minutes.

This went on with one particular section on remembering your favorite teachers, and I gave up, stopped the CD and put on music instead, which I can safely ignore while I ponder.

The good part is that I had a nice day/night remembering some of my favorite teachers and being happy that I’d returned to visit many of them from high school and university. But of course not all, and not recently. A nice reminder to make a few phone calls.

I just read that a lady, RuthAnn Hogue, has written a book, Goodbye, Walter: The inspiring story of a terminal cancer patient.

Unfortunately, no audiobook version. She mentions that the most frequently asked question – by far – from those who read “Goodbye, Walter,” is whether she had heard of Tuesdays with Morrie.

I almost have!…