EBooks and Audio Books: New Ways to Enjoy the Books You Love

It seems that everyone who reads is buzzing about the Kindle 2 and I have to admit that I am intrigued. Other ebook readers have been on the market for years, but Amazon has made it a modern wonder.

The Kindle 2 is about the size of a small legal pad and fits easily in a purse, backpack, or brief case. It has a good sized screen and good backlighting. It holds about 1500 books and you can download a new one any time from any where in less than two minutes. When you fill your Kindle, you can store your books at Amazon and start all over.

Amazon boasts about 265,000 books, plus top newspapers, magazines, and blogs. The books themselves are cheaper. Although the Kindle costs about $360.00, I am told that the cost is recovered in the savings on the books in just a few months by a fairly avid reader.

I am, however, completely addicted to audio books. I listen to five or six a week. Okay. It is more like seven or eight.

I like to keep my MP3 loaded with good choices so I usually have ten books which is about all it will hold. My MP3 player is a 2 GB Sansa 250e and it cost less than $150.00. I could have music and pictures on it, but they would just take up space. I want books.

What I like about the audio books is that I can listen to them while I do other things. I have a plug for the car so I can listen through the car radio while I drive. Since I discovered audio books, I have never gotten so much as a little drowsy even on the longest drive.

I listen at work when I am doing routine tasks that would otherwise be numbingly boring. I listen while I do dishes and yard work. I listen while I fold laundry. I listen while I clean house and tidy up my office. As I said, I am seriously addicted.

And here's the best thing. I download my books directly from my local library. I can search their collection from my computer. Downloading the books is a little slow, but I could invest in a faster internet server. Transferring the books to my MP3 is fast and easy.

I can have up to 20 books checked out at a time and when they are due, they automatically disappear from my computer. If I have transferred them already, I can listen to them when I am ready.

So, I have a good (not great) collection available any time. They are free and I never have to worry about overdue books.

I am pretty sure I will be getting a Kindle within the next year or so. In the meantime, I am loving my audio books. If you have an MP3 player, go online and see if your local library offers an audio collection.

And here's more good news. Barnes and Noble just announced books now available for MP3 players. When you order a book, you need to download their special software. Then, you download your book and transfer it to your MP3 player. You could keep all your books on a single flash drive or copy them to CDs.

If you are a purist who still wants to have a book to hold and read and then maybe pass on to friends, move over. Electronic books, either audio or ebooks, are here. It has taken longer than might have been expected, but the advantages are just too good to ignore. Take that step now and don't look back!