I finished the #audiobook version of Alan Cumming's second memoir, BAGGAGE: TALES FROM A FULLY PACKED LIFE.

Oddly, the part that sticks with me the most from this one is when he acknowledges that he's never been an out of work actor. I find that...so odd. Otherwise this was a lovely mix of memoir, mild gossip, and self-reflection. His voice is stunning. I love this dude.

#librofm #TheStorygraph #reading #booksofmastodon #bookstodon

I swim every day as physio for a chronic pain condition, and I listen to 2-3 books/month on my underwater MP3 player, disappearing into an imaginary world as I scull back and forth in my public pool. I'm able to get those audiobooks on my MP3 player thanks to #LibroFM, a DRM-free store that supports indie booksellers all over the world:

https://blog.libro.fm/a-qa-with-mark-pearson-libro-fm-ceo-and-co-founder/

18/

I’ve seen a few posts over the last couple of weeks about how to get away from the #Amazon environment. Many #mastodon users are likely already people who have fled from one evil empire or another. ;-)

I too have been trying to remove myself from Amazons ecosystem as much as possible over the last year, especially since a lot of my reading was done via #Audible and #Kindle and my reviews through #Goodreads

If anyone is interested these are my current alternatives to these services

My favourite Goodreads alternative:

#StoryGraph , A bit less cluncky than Goodreads and has an app that works, some insightful stats and graphs about your reading habits, and certainly better recommendations. And unlike Goodreads, this is being improved continuously

Website: https://app.thestorygraph.com/
Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.thestorygraph.thestorygraph
Apple: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/storygraph-reading-tracker/id1570489264

My favourite Audible alternative: #LibroFM

Just opened in #Australia this WEEK, #DRMfree #audiobooks from all over the world, and you’re supporting your local Australian #bookstores (picked by the user themself!)
Website: https://libro.fm/
Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=fm.libro.librofm
Apple: https://apps.apple.com/app/libro-fm/id1057776523

My favourite Kindle alternative: #KOBO

Almost all the books Amazon Kindle has as well, plus that one especially nice feature that Kobo devices have #OverDrive built right in — allowing you to check out free library #ebooks directly from your device.

https://www.kobo.com

And touching on that last Overdrive bit, check with your library where you have access to. Via my #Maribyrnong #Libraries I have access to #PressReader (Thousands of Newspapers and Magazines) #BorrowBox and #Libby (ebooks for e-readers) and even to the Library Edition of #TheAge

I am VERY keen to hear others recommendations on better alternatives!

#books #book #audiobook #ebook #nomoreamazon #bookstodon #reading #mastobooks

As much as I genuinely like the concept and ethos of #LibroFM’s DRM-free, local-bookshop-supporting #audiobook sales and/or recurring-monthly-membership setup, I just can’t help but compare the price point to the audio #drama/book/#fiction output of the #BBC that’s available here in the #UK.

Libro’s membership is ~10GBP/month, which gets you 1 audiobook each month.

BBC Sounds is free, but even *if* it required the license fee (which it doesn’t) that’d be <14GBP/month for /unlimited/ listening!

Re last boost, I saw that #LibroFM has an option to support three independent bookshops in Ireland. Will check it out when I have more time.

Subscribed to #LibroFM

Went to cancel #Audible and they offered a free credit to stay so I took that, bought a book, downloaded said book and ripped the DRM; then I cancelled Audible. Take that Amazon

#AudioBooks #Books #Bookstodon

Audiobooks get me through a lot of migraines, and the one today definitely needs it. Does anyone have a recommendation?

#romancelandia #fantasy #highfantasy #highspice #audiobooks #librofm @bookstodon @bookstadon @bookbubble

So this is nice! Today I discovered that I can download M4B files from my Libro FM library instead of zipped MP3 files and now I wish this was the default. I like having structural elements in one file rather than having a folder comprised of nearly 80 tracks. It makes it easy to trance for as well! #Audiobooks #LibroFM @audiobooks@lemmy.ml @audiobooks@a.gup.pe @bookstodon

I read *Boostrapped* in the audiobook edition with expert narration by Beth Hicks. I got my DRM-free copy on #librofm, which I loaded into my waterproof MP3 player for my daily physiotherapy laps in the pool, and, as is the case with the best books, Quart's words and Hicks' reading made the time fly by:

https://libro.fm/audiobooks/9780063028043-bootstrapped

eof/

She wrestles these ideas out of their hands and *works* them, revealing the poverty of those reactionary writers' shriveled imaginations.

I read the Scholomance books as audiobooks, listening to #AnishaDadia's superb narration as I did my physiotherapy laps in the pool each day:

https://libro.fm/search?utf8=%E2%9C%93&q=scholomance+novik

I was delighted to discover #DRM-free editions on #LibroFM that would play on my cheapo underwater MP3 player:

https://sewobye.com/products/waterproof-mp3-player-for-swimming-underwater-sport-waterproof-headphones-clip-mp3-player-sewobye-8gb-shuffle

18/

This is why i use libraries out of state and #LibroFM. Audible is testing advertisements on some audiobooks and podcasts, though it currently remains unclear which ‘free’ titles have ads and which don’t. https://gizmodo.com/amazon-audible-ebook-library-digital-book-1850168978 #Audible #Audiobooks

At last, every single one of my audible books has the DRM stripped away from it, and I have local, MP3, copies of exclusive audible titles for me to listen to. Took me forever to crack the DRM but, finally, I cracked it. Unless it’s an audible exclusive, I am never purchasing from Audible again. From here on out, I will only shop at #LibroFM #Audible

#CurrentlyReading

#paperback Jonas Saul - The Future is Written
#paperback George R.R Martin - A Game of Thrones
#paperback Lisa Jewell - The Family Upstairs
#kindle Freida McFadden - The Locked Door
#librofm Rachel Hawkins - The Wife Upstairs
#podimo Sally Rooney - World, Where Are You

🤭🤭🤭

I jumped from Audible to #librofm

#rachelhawkins #books #audiobook #bookstodon #booknerd

#bookstodon @bookstodon

Have y’all made these switches?

• Goodreads to @thestorygraph #StoryGraph
• Audible to Libro.fm #librofm
• B&N/Amazon to your local independent bookstore like @Paperbacks_n_Frybread
• As always, support your local #library & #librarian

Does anyone have a rec/sub for Kindle?

#bookish #booklovers #bibliophile

Our January Pages Challenge for 2023 is now live! 🎉

Want to get into the habit of reading a little bit every day, and have the chance to win prizes from us, Bookshop.org, Libro.fm, Kobo.com, and Blackwells.co.uk while doing so?

Head to the Reading Challenges section in the app!

#bookstodon #storygraph #JanuaryPagesChallenge #JanuaryPagesChallenge2023 #Kobo #bookshoporg #blackwells #librofm #books

Saw a good post earlier by Brandon Sanderson re: not pushing his kickstarter books to audible, mostly because audible is kind of a dick.

(https://www.brandonsanderson.com/state-of-the-sanderson-2022 section titled "AUDIOBOOKS for NON-BACKERS")

I've been using Libro.fm for a while now instead of audible just to be half-assed anti-amazon. Most of their copy is about paying out local bookstores and has very little focus on authors, however!

Any other users know what payout is to authors on libro.fm? It may just be the usual store cut, then they take some off the top from what the store would get.

Also, anybody have experience with speechify as an audiobook platform? They don't appear to have many books.

#audible #audiobook #brandonsanderson #librofm #speechify

@bookstodon Hey all. This week I finished reading The Many Daughters of Afong Moy by Jamie Ford. A really good book that I discovered through #LibroFM. Heads-up, it does talk about multigenerational trauma and mental illness and the causes thereof.

Anyone else love using #audiobooks as a motivation to workout? I force myself to only listen while working out, so if I want to hear what happens next, I have to go for a run!

I recently switched to #android and bought a watch with LTE so I can run and listen to audiobooks without my phone, but the apps on #wearos3 are lacking compared to the Apple watch. I use #librofm, so my #books are already mp3.

If you listen to audiobooks on an Android watch, I'd love some tips!

#bookstodon @bookstodon

In this video, I show you how to navigate the Libro FM iOS app with voiceover https://youtube.com/watch?v=kzRhNvkWfBI&feature=share #Accessibility #Audiobook #Audiobooks #LibroFM #Apple