Audible Haul – Bargain Basement or Money Pit?

Spending more than a few dollars for a book puts me in panic mode. But when I tried Audible.com ten years ago, I enjoyed the many bargains I was able to get. There has been no need to re-subscribe now that my library offers digital downloads of almost everything. So why on earth did I fall for the “3 Months free” offer earlier this year? Pure greed.

Not only did I get my three free books (technically 13 books for 3 credits), but my wish list had become so extensive that I bought three more credits (for a small discount). The folks at Audible are not stupid. I wonder if anyone really ever signs up for the free months and gets away unscathed. Here is what I ended up buying:

For the free credits: C.S. Lewis Essential Audio – nine of his non-fiction books (39 hours), Hercule Poirot Short Stories (35 hours, reg $50), Homer Box Set: Iliad and Odyssey by W.H.D. Rouse – (25 hours) but it came with a BOGO offer so I also received George McDonald’s Fairy Tales)

For my purchased credits, I got the C.S. Lewis Essay Collection (reg $23), Ten Charles Dickens novels (reg $25), and the first five Lord Peter Wimsey novels (38 hours, reg $32)

Did I stop there? Oh no, dear reader. How could I turn down Charlotte’s Web read by E.B. White? ($10), and The Magic Apple Tree by Susan Hill ($13), and 36 hours of Agatha Christie for ONE DOLLAR?

Was my heart satisfied? Not yet. I had to have my favorite, The Ghost and Mrs. Muir ($10) and 12 hours of Miss Marple’s short stories (when it went on sale for $8), and Sean Bean reading King Arthurand the Knights of the Round Table by Benedict Flynn (another $8), and James Herriot’sTreasury for Children ($5)

Well, I’m not sure if I did well or if I was just plain hoodwinked. My three free months led to a spending spree of around $90 - something I would never actually spend in a real bookstore.

Granted, if I had used their regular prices of $15 per credit, I would have gotten only 6 books for that amount. As it happens, I purchased 32 books and dozens of short stories so I am not too disappointed. All I need to do now is to cancel my “free” subscription before my husband checks our credit card statement. And to find time to start listening! 

Do you do Audible? What do you think? 

Blessings, 

Two Molly Clavering Novels

I read my first Clavering novel two years ago and I'm not sure why it took so long to get back to her. Now I’m gulping them down one after the other!

Recently I read was Mrs. Lorimer’s Quiet Summer. It was a pleasant surprise to have the protagonist be married and middle aged (but still very much in her prime). Lucy Lorimer has been mellowed by life, and her gentleness and wisdom attract people to her. She’s not perfect though, which makes her very endearing. Clavering’s books remind me a lot of D.E. Stevenson, but she has her own style, which is lovely. The writing is good and, so far, none of the novels have followed a predictable formula.

The next novel I read was Because of Sam. Millie is a widow in impoverished circumstances, but she has her own home and manages to scrape together a living by running a dog kennel. Her pragmatic adult daughter is sometimes a trial to her, but they bungle along as best they can. There is some romance, but it is not the main reason I keep coming back to Clavering. Her heroines are strong without losing their womanliness. The writing is scrumptious and sprinkled with literary references:

Millie walked easily and lightly in the sparkling clean air, enjoying the sensations of having the whole world to herself and of being ridiculously young. Both were illusions, both were wholly delightful, a part of the fine day and the lonely upland place. Cares and troubles fell away from her like Christian’s burden.

Like D.E. Stevenson’s novels, the houses often have their own personality: The front garden on its steep slope seemed to be tumbling downhill to meet one, and behind it the house looked out with a welcoming twinkle from its windows, rather as if it stood on tiptoe to see over the flowers and shrubs. It was a low house, built before the craze for ornate architecture had set in during the nineteenth century, and its proportions and style owed a great deal to the inspiration of the brothers Adam. The door had a bell-shaped fanlight above it, and a large window on either side, matched by the three windows of the upper story. Tall chimneys rising at each end added to its appearance of eager watchfulness.

I was able to read these through my library (Hoopla), but they are not too expensive for Kindle. A lovely way to spend an afternoon!

Blessings,