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This Week's Editorial Choice
At what page do you usually put aside a book, if you are not hooked on it? Is it page 50 or 100? Try to pull yourself away from Lee Child's Persuader when you are still on page one. I bet you can't.
Listen to a sample
Persuader
by Lee Child
Jack Reacher, the taciturn ex-MP whose adventures in Lee Child`s six previous solidly plotted, expertly paced thrillers have won a devoted fan base, returns in this explosive tale of an undercover operation set up by the FBI to rescue an agent investigating Zachar... Read more...

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YOU CAN LISTEN EVEN WHILE CRUISING THE INTERSTATE
Have you ever tried listening to an audio book? They are great! If you have a long drive ahead of you, or you are doing some routine work in your house, how much music can you stand? Why not try switching from music to a great alternative - audiobooks. Audio books may give you many hours of unforgettable pleasure. Try it out, and who knows, this might just become a new hobby!
EQUIPMENT YOU WILL NEED
MP3 is a perfect format for audio books because it is compact. One CD in the MP3 format contains ten times as much information as a regular CD. An average audio book in your library usually contains 5 to 20 CD's in the box. You can easily convert this book into the MP3 format and put it on one CD or download it onto your MP3 player. There are several other compressed formats, such as wma, ogg or audible. They are equally compact and good for audiobooks. Before you buy a player, make sure it supports different digital formats , including DRM, if you are planning to download secure audio files from on-line services. So what you need now is a good mp3 player. Bear in mind though, when you start looking for one, that there are some very important special needs for audio books.
HOW TO LISTEN IN THE CAR – CAR ADAPTERS
  • Cassette adapter
    The type of the adapter you need depends on the type of audio equipment you've got in your car. If you have a cassette player you can use a cassette adapter, which looks like this. You can buy it here, or at your nearest Electronics store.

  • FM transmitter
    If you have a CD player, you may want to get one of those FM transmitters, which is a little more expensive, but it works with any FM radio. You can buy it here, Buy a transmitter that can be powered by the 12V power supply of your car. FM transmitters that use batteries are not very practical - the batteries don’t last long.
    • LITTLE MORE ABOUT AUDIO BOOKS
    Is the audio book some kind of a brand new technology? Yes and no. No because the idea of talking books has been known to everybody for many years. Everyone remembers old radio theater shows and 'Big bad wolf' on vinyl disks. Every library, even many years ago, had a big selection of audio books on tape. So, why 'Yes'? 'Yes' because of the new way we can listen to audio books now. 'Yes' because of the new compact digital formats, which make it possible for us to download audio books from the Internet, put them onto our tiny mp3 players and listen to them anytime and anywhere, doing other things in the same time. You don't have to worry about the lack of time to read your favorite book because you are too busy to read it. You can carry your audio book in a tiny mp3 player, and you can listen and complete it any time you like, even in the car when you are driving. On the contrary, when you are reading a traditional paperback, you are absolutely having no chance to do other activities in the same time.

    There is some argument from many people, however, especially parents, about the use of audio books. Their concern is about their children's reading and writing skills. Will the level of literacy degrade in direct proportion to the growth of the popularity of audio books? If you are interested in what other people think about this subject, please, continue reading. You may also want to join the discussion.
    I LOVE AUDIO BOOKS
    OR DO I, REALLY?
    Got hooked on audio books recently. I used to read a great lot, now I listen. Excellent! No harm to my eyes (I have problems with my vision). I like audio theater the most. So, I am delighted. There is one drawback, though: when I am listening I don't pay attention to what is going on around me. Can get into an accident this way, I'm afraid.
    Tried to listen, but knew before I began - not for me. And this was confirmed. I easily miss parts when listening. Often start thinking about something, get distracted and can't even remember what I've just listened about.
    I like audio books as much as I like paper books. Each person perceives information differently. When I read, the plot is most important to me, when I listen my imagination is unleashed, and sometimes I even forget about the plot. That's why if I listen to a book, I always read it afterwards.
    I think that audio can never replace a regular book. When you listen, you can easily miss something. You simply don't get the pleasure you have when reading. It may be good for lazy people, it's like listening to fairy tales. But still it's different. Therefore, a book is better.
    Audio books are sold on CD's, they are read by professional performers, often decorated by music. The original text is unchanged. They can be downloaded in MP3 format. Great convenience!
    I don't listen very often, though I have more than 2Gb of them on my hard drive. Don't know why, but I don't like it much. I do listen when I do something boring, though.
    I recently listened to Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein. I was so impressed, I went to audible.com and listened to everything I could find by this author there.
    You will never get a real pleasure from an audio book - never!
    May I ask you, did you try to listen something read by Dick Hill, for example? It's not just anybody who reads a book to you. Professionals, actors - people who really know how to do it.
    I am all against a book in headphones. Cannot concentrate when listening. I have to read it myself, from paper or from a computer screen. I can read by hours, but when listening, cannot concentrate for more than 20 minutes.
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    TOP 10 MP3 PLAYERS FOR AUDIO BOOKS
    Creative Zen 2/4/8 GB
    by Creative
    We're hard-pressed to find anything not to like about the Creative Zen. Watch video It's a great option for anyone looking for a great-sounding, pocketable MP3 player with an excellent, vide... See specs...
    iRiver Clix 2 Gen
    by iRiver
    February 2008. Great for audiobooks! The re-designed iRiver... See specs...
    Cowon iAudio 7
    by Cowon
    July 2007. The Cowon iAudio 7 is one of the most versatile MP3 players available. It plays music, video, and photos; has unbeatable sound quality; records line-in, voice, and FM; supports OGG and... See specs...
    iAudio G3 2 GB MP3 Player w/FM & Voice Recor...
    by Cowon
    Cowon has made it again. Another exceptional product by that hidden gem of a company. Fantastic sound quality, excellent battery performance and everything you need for listening to audio books. See specs...
    COWON D2
    by COWON
    Take your media everywhere with the versatile Cowon D2 4GB Portable Media Player. Featuring a 2.5-inch LCD touchscreen, wide video and audio file format support, audio recording via internal mic... See specs...
    iRiver T10 1 GB MP3 Player
    by iRiver
    iRiver T10 MP3 Flash Music Player is no ordinary player. It's a lifestyle. Amazingly small, you'd hardly know it's there but you'll appreciate its features and performance. The ultra-portable T10 from iRiver delivers exceptional sound quality in a unique, sport-ready design. The T10 is PlaysForSure verified to support subscripti... See specs...
    SanDisk Sansa M260 4GB MP3 Player
    by SanDisk
    The 4 GB Sansa M260 will hold approximately 64 hours of CD-quality MP3 tracks (encoded at 128kps) or 128 hours of WMA tracks (at 64kbps). It's compatible with MP3, WMA, secure WMA, and Audible audio file formats. The digital FM radio allows you to access local radio stations, as well as preset up to 20 of your favorite stations.... See specs...
    Creative Zen Micro Photo 8 GB MP3 Player Bla...
    by Creative
    The micro-sized, coolly styled Zen Micro Photo digital audio player/photo viewer enables you to watch slide shows of your favorite digital images on its stunning, high-intensity 1.5-inch OLED screen while listening to an MP3 or WMA soundtrack. This 8 GB player in black can hold up to 10,000 JPEG images or 4,000 songs. It's also ... See specs...
    Sandisk SDMX4-4096 Sansa e260 4 GB MP3 Playe...
    by SanDisk
    Enjoy skipless music playback, photo slideshows, and videos with the sleek, easily-pocketable SanDisk Sansa e260 flash memory digital audio player with 4 GB of storage. It features MP3 and WMA playback and is also compatible with secure PlaysForSure WMA files downloaded from online music stores and subscription services (like MT... See specs...
    iAudio X5L 20 GB Multimedia Player
    by Cowon
    The iAudio X5L 20 GB Multimedia Player Black combines an MP3 player, video player, FM radio, voice recorder, and digital photo album in one tidy package with a smooth aluminum finish. With its capacity for up to 5,000 songs, 2,000 folders, or 10,000 files, and a lithium-ion battery that provided up to 35 continuous hours of play... See specs...
    iRiver H10 20 GB MP3 Player/Recorder
    by iRiver
    The iRiver 20 GB model H10 is the perfect portable digital player/recorder for true music and audio enthusiasts. Hardly bigger than a deck of cards, its 1.8-inch hard drive has space for over 5,000 songs (128 kbps MP3, 4 minutes per song) or more than 330 hours of music. Yet the whole player measures just 2.4 x 4 inches (W x H) ... See specs...
    COWON A2
    by Cowon
    Why Cowon A2? In addition to a wide range of audio, video, and still image compatibility, Cowon A2 also offers an FM radio, and unique in-line audio and video recording. Well, Archos 604 features in-line video recording too, but it requires an additional expensive docking station. C... See specs...
    Samsung YP-K3JQB 2GB Ultra Slim MP3 Player
    by Samsung
    The Samsung K3 Slim 2GB MP3 Player lives up to its name. It's the slimmest subscription-enabled MP3 Player on the market. The OLED display has a light emitting touch-pad, for easier control. Samsung's proprietary DNSe (Digital Natural Sound engine) technology lessens distortion at high volume & gives you natural, accurate sound.... See specs...