Finally!
Our questionibly unstable postman came through! 3 of the now 5 books are here.
Mermaids, which is what I'm reading now.
That Night
Taxi from Hell.
These are the ones that have come in. I'm still waiting on a really old ham radio book and now one that was sent out today about that disorder where people think they have whatever illnesses that are talked about on TV.
I so totally can not wait 'til we get the digital talking books and players. I might be able to download directly from the internet. I say might as I'm on a mac and this may only work with windows.... If it only works through windows. I guess I'll pester Larry to hook up my old windows box to the giant screen TV. Can think of other useful reasons to have it up and going again.
Well. This is happy news. Very more happy than the horror I posted earlier.
Showing posts with label Talking Books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Talking Books. Show all posts
Monday, July 27, 2009
Sunday, July 26, 2009
E. Lynn Harris dies at 54. 23 July 2009
E. Lynn Harris - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: ""
Just went to Audible.com to poke around for books for want of something to do. I was stopped cold when I saw a little section on their site called "Remembering E. Lynn Harris".
Oh no! I thought. No way. Can't be...
E. Lynn Harris, is a writer whom I've read for years and like quite a lot.
Our worlds are miles and miles apart. I'm a white straight stay at home mom from the middle of America and he was a black gay business man from down south.
A lot of his books delt with young black men who were trying to come to terms with being gay. And I found that very interesting. I like stories wherein the people the story is about come to acceptence, or sometimes not, with something about themselves or their life. A disability, drug use and recovery, being gay, or whatever. Oddly though a lot of my favorite writers are gay.
Mr. Harris wrote an autobiography called What Becomes of the Broken Hearted. I've got it on Audible along with several of his other books. I think I am going to download it on the iPod and listen to it again as it is quite good. And as our sour old postman failed to ever show up yesterday I'm at a lack of items to read. Oh I've reading things alright but the ones I do wish to read are not here... Maybe tomorrow...
Side note. This blogging on the fly is rather addictive. I wish I could post to Open Diary this easy... Ooh I gotta go poke Larry. He's played snooz alarm tag for the better part of an hour and I haven't heard any noise for a while now. Gotta go roost him out of bed. He hates that I do this but it is better than him being late and even more cross... I sware it would be sensible if you've got work at seven in the morning to come to bed before two...
Digital Talking Books and Player Some Thoughts and useful links
Back in the day I can remember TalkingBooks coming in largeish black boxes with buckles and straps. Inside were large blue books and upon opening the book you found several sleeves holding large black record disks.
To play these I had a brown record player with a built in speaker in the lid. The lid could detach or could snap on and you coul d take the recordplayer along with you, given that the place you were headed had electric power.
I used to sit for hours and hours on end listening to these records. I can remember falling asleep to them, then when the side of the record was over I'd be woken up by a loud gravely sound. This was the player arm of the player going round and round and round accross the braille lable that was on the first side of every record. I'd have to get my mom, often times out of bed to fix it. The last record I remember getting was "NightMares and Dream Scapes" by Stephen King. This book was on flexible record disk and didn't play very well on my then older than dirt record player.
Some of the books I remember listening to are Pinoacho, the call of the wild, all the wizard of oz books, Tom Soyar and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Oh how I wanted suc h a car! Along with these one books about a cat who went into space... I wish I could remember what they were called. And The Pippi Long Stocking Book Oh and Black Beauty which I listened to so much my mother was totally sick to death of it.
For the past 25 or so years the TalkingBook program have used tapes and a big giant clunkey talkingbook player (tape player). Tapes had the advantage over records in that they didn't get scratched up and they played longer per side. A record I think had maybe 45 minutes to maybe an hour. The tapes have about 85 minutes per side. 1 4 track tape has about six hours of play time... So you got longer play times and you could get more book on less physical media. The tape containers AKA little green boxes of joy, took up less room than all the records and so it has been for almost as long as I can remember.
Tapes have several drawbacks.
They are not toddler or kitten proof. If you leave a tape out and have a toddler and or kitten, the next time you see your tape it will have all it's innerds pulled out into a shiny slithery brown rats nest of tape. Pitty if it is the first or last or only tape to a book.
Also the toddler and or kitten aren't the only threts to the ongoing workings of a given tape. Sometimes for some reason your tape player will just pick a tape and eat it. The tape ribben will become hopelessly emeshed in the player and you quite honestly have to cut your losses.
Or.
The tape will be so old and clapped out that just at the most interesting bit, or half way through the first side a ear splitting squigy little screetch will take up rendering the tape useless! Completely useless.
Or the stupid things's sound is so bad you can't hear it.
Well take heart! There is hope!
For the past several years the NLS has been moving ever so slowly twords "The Next Big Thing"!
Skipping totally over CDs which other TalkingBook like services world wide have been using, the NLS is going digital!
First there was the RD (recorded disk) and then the FD (flexible disk( and the TB (TalkingBook format unknown)
and then RC (Recorded Cassette) Now just in time for the second decade of the 21st centuary, several years behind Audible and Overdrive we have...
Drumb roll please...
DTB! or just DB for *fan fair here* Digital talking Book!
Which is a talkingbook who is digitally recorded.
These books will be on little cartrages, glorified memory cards and plug in, I'm thinking like the old school Nintendo/Sega/Vic 20 cartrages plugged into their respective players... A whole book can fit onto one cartrage for most titles. The annoying falts of the tapes are gone. Even the digital talkingbooks players are solid state. NO MOVING PARTS INSIDE! Which is grand because no moving parts means less stuff to conk out.
And.
If you have an exturnal hd you can download and play the books directly from the internet thus giving you straight away access to a book. Cutting out the postman!!!
I am very pleased about this.
I learned yesterday that they will start handing out the players within one to three months, laborday has been touted as a possible starting date. I am excited... All the digital yummyness of "Audible" without the price. All the instent gradification of overdrive books without the frustration of A. being wait listed for a book and B. finding the book you want only to find it doesn't work on Mac for some stupid DRM reason... For more information and pictures. Visit the links provided in the end of this post.
I've waited for years to get my grubby little mits on these tap er digital books... and it is almost here! Yaahoooo!
To play these I had a brown record player with a built in speaker in the lid. The lid could detach or could snap on and you coul d take the recordplayer along with you, given that the place you were headed had electric power.
I used to sit for hours and hours on end listening to these records. I can remember falling asleep to them, then when the side of the record was over I'd be woken up by a loud gravely sound. This was the player arm of the player going round and round and round accross the braille lable that was on the first side of every record. I'd have to get my mom, often times out of bed to fix it. The last record I remember getting was "NightMares and Dream Scapes" by Stephen King. This book was on flexible record disk and didn't play very well on my then older than dirt record player.
Some of the books I remember listening to are Pinoacho, the call of the wild, all the wizard of oz books, Tom Soyar and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Oh how I wanted suc h a car! Along with these one books about a cat who went into space... I wish I could remember what they were called. And The Pippi Long Stocking Book Oh and Black Beauty which I listened to so much my mother was totally sick to death of it.
For the past 25 or so years the TalkingBook program have used tapes and a big giant clunkey talkingbook player (tape player). Tapes had the advantage over records in that they didn't get scratched up and they played longer per side. A record I think had maybe 45 minutes to maybe an hour. The tapes have about 85 minutes per side. 1 4 track tape has about six hours of play time... So you got longer play times and you could get more book on less physical media. The tape containers AKA little green boxes of joy, took up less room than all the records and so it has been for almost as long as I can remember.
Tapes have several drawbacks.
They are not toddler or kitten proof. If you leave a tape out and have a toddler and or kitten, the next time you see your tape it will have all it's innerds pulled out into a shiny slithery brown rats nest of tape. Pitty if it is the first or last or only tape to a book.
Also the toddler and or kitten aren't the only threts to the ongoing workings of a given tape. Sometimes for some reason your tape player will just pick a tape and eat it. The tape ribben will become hopelessly emeshed in the player and you quite honestly have to cut your losses.
Or.
The tape will be so old and clapped out that just at the most interesting bit, or half way through the first side a ear splitting squigy little screetch will take up rendering the tape useless! Completely useless.
Or the stupid things's sound is so bad you can't hear it.
Well take heart! There is hope!
For the past several years the NLS has been moving ever so slowly twords "The Next Big Thing"!
Skipping totally over CDs which other TalkingBook like services world wide have been using, the NLS is going digital!
First there was the RD (recorded disk) and then the FD (flexible disk( and the TB (TalkingBook format unknown)
and then RC (Recorded Cassette) Now just in time for the second decade of the 21st centuary, several years behind Audible and Overdrive we have...
Drumb roll please...
DTB! or just DB for *fan fair here* Digital talking Book!
Which is a talkingbook who is digitally recorded.
These books will be on little cartrages, glorified memory cards and plug in, I'm thinking like the old school Nintendo/Sega/Vic 20 cartrages plugged into their respective players... A whole book can fit onto one cartrage for most titles. The annoying falts of the tapes are gone. Even the digital talkingbooks players are solid state. NO MOVING PARTS INSIDE! Which is grand because no moving parts means less stuff to conk out.
And.
If you have an exturnal hd you can download and play the books directly from the internet thus giving you straight away access to a book. Cutting out the postman!!!
I am very pleased about this.
I learned yesterday that they will start handing out the players within one to three months, laborday has been touted as a possible starting date. I am excited... All the digital yummyness of "Audible" without the price. All the instent gradification of overdrive books without the frustration of A. being wait listed for a book and B. finding the book you want only to find it doesn't work on Mac for some stupid DRM reason... For more information and pictures. Visit the links provided in the end of this post.
I've waited for years to get my grubby little mits on these tap er digital books... and it is almost here! Yaahoooo!
NLS/BPH: Player Description: ""
Thursday, July 23, 2009
This Week In Talking Books (20 - 27 July 2009)
WARNING! My spelling is crap and I've not sorted out how to use the spell checker in Mars Edit. So for now please forgive the spelling. May have to resort to writing this in Mail or Text Edit and checking it from there, but as this is so long and I quite lazy. Ya get what ya get. :-) Enjoy and do leave comments, although none about spelling as I know there are heaps of errors in her already. Thanks.
Notice:
The books listed here are the ones currently checked out. However I have not received all on this list but should in the coming days... Book Reviews forth coming...
Books marked with a * are books I'm listening to at the moment.
Title: Mermaids
Author: Patty Dann
Format: 1 Sound Cassett
Read by: Polly Stone
Subjects; Modern Fiction, Short Book,
NLS Book Number: RC 025287
Description:
Fourteen-year-old Charlotte Flax and her young half-sister Kate have always lived an itinerant life--thanks to the wanderlust of their promiscuous mother, whom Charlotte refers to as "Mrs. Flax." In their most recent relocation to Grove, Massachusetts, Charlotte hopes to make good use of the presence of the convent up the hill; her great goal in life is to become a saint
Notes: This movie was on one of Comcast's digital movie stations, I'm guessing lifetime movie network or some such. Autumn was watching it and I got into it too. She told me what it was called and I did a quick book search. I found the above result and as the description of the book sounded like more or less what is going on in the movie, I figured it must be the book the movie was made from... So of corse I ordered it straight away.
Shipped on: 23 July 2009
Title: Taxi from Hell: Confissions of a Russin Hack
Author: Vladimir Lobas
Format: 2 sound cassettes
Read by: George Backman
Subjects: Economics, Adventure, Biography and Autobiography,Medium Length Book,
NLS Book Number: RC 34918
Description:
Filmmaker Vladimir Lobas left the Soviet Union for the relative freedom of New York City and a position as a free-lance radio commentator. In 1977, facing $4000 worth of dental work, Lobas is lured by an offer to earn big money as a taxi driver. His questionable language and driving skills make for a rocky start, but eventually Lobas owns his own cab. He discusses his adventures and those of other Russians
Notes: I was looking for another book I saw on Audible.com. If I find a book there, I see if it is on NLS first. If it is I order it and if it is not I put it on my wishlist to buy at a later date. The only time I'll buy a book from Audible that is also on NLS is if the person reading on Audible is better than the NLS reader. The title cought my eye as I've been in a few hellish taxis in my life. Also greyhound cross country busses and the odd airliner... Which reminds me. Someplace on NLS there is a book by a male flight attendent telling all about the crazy stuff that goes on in the air. Sort of like the A and E TV seeries "Airline which Larry and I loved to watch but was yanked for some stupid reason. It is however on iTunes and it like Ruby, Six Feet Under, random Dr. Drew inspired serees and children's TV for Skye and Benjamin looks like something I'm going to be spending future money on. Hah hah
Shipped on: 23 July 2009
Title: That Night
Author: Alice McDermott
Format: 1 Sound Cassett
Read by: Rita Hottois
Subjects: Young Adult Book, Short Book, Modern Fiction
NLS Book Number: RC 27158
Description:
Set in suburban Long Island in the sixties. Rick and Sheryl, high school sweethearts, eventually become lovers. Then Sheryl discovers that she is pregnant and according to the strict conventions of their time she must go away to have her baby and never see Rick again. As Sheryl's mother prepares to take her away, Rick takes matters into his own hands
Notes: This is another book that I saw as a movie in my Senior year of high school. It looked like it would be a good book so I checked it out and listened to it and it was not so much a good book. About seven years ago when I helped out at the talking book library in Topeka I took it out again and again I didn't quite like it. Third time is a charm? Mabye. I hope now that I've grown more as a person and can look at things from a different point of view than those I had both in high school and seven years ago I will get what this story is after. Then again there is a good chance it could be lost on me... We'll see.
Shipped On: 23 July 2009
Title: The radio amateur's handbook
Author: Archie Frederick Collins
Format: 3 Sound Cassettes
Read by: Merwin Smith
Subjects: Hobbies and Past times, Medium Length Book
NLS Book Number: 16588
Description:
An aid to the beginning or experienced radio amateur, covering fundamentals of construction techniques, elementary electronic theory, FCC regulations, and information on more complicated apparatus
Notes: In my mad quest to get my ham radio license I'm reading any and everything I can get my hands on. The book is very very old and a lot of the information is out of date. However, I want to read it for historical value and in the hopes it can explain all these horrid old things like Ohm's law, electric curcuts, radio waves and frequencies and all that complex stuff I do not understand.
Shipped on: 22 July 2009
Title: Anybody Out There? *current Listen
Author: Marian Keyes
Format: 3 Sound Cassettws
Read by: Anne Flosnik
Subjects: Medium Length Book, Adult Fiction, Strong Language, Sexually Explicit, Psychological Fiction, Foreign Setting, Family Story (single Generation), Mystery and Detective, Suspence, Romance, British Accent
NLS Book Number: RC 62269
Description:
After a taxi injures her in New York, Anna Walsh from Watermelon (RC 47300) returns to Dublin, Ireland, to recuperate. She observes her wacky family's escapades but gets nervous when her husband doesn't answer her e-mails. Strong language and some explicit descriptions of sex. 2006
Notes: It took me so long to copy down the subjects NLS files this book under I forgot what I was going to say about it. Oh I know. It is set in Ireland and I love Ireland as my ancesters are from there, a lot of them. I'm a big fan of a lot of Irish writers like Frank McCourt and Brinden O'dear I've forgot his name. He writes "The Mammy" and "The Chislers" and "The Granny" Oh O'Carol Brendon O'Carol and others who I can't think of right now.... This is one of those Audible finds. I saw it under the "If you like this you might also like" segment under "The Devil Wears Proda" which I loved...
Shipped on: 20 July 2009
Title: Angels
Author: Marian Keyes
Format: 3 sound casettes
Read by: Jill Fox
Subjects: Adult Fiction, Medium Length Book, Sexually Explcit, Strong Language, Modern Fiction, Romance, Woman Interest, Long Book, Humor Fiction, General Fiction
NLS Book Number: RC 63939
Description:
After losing her job and leaving her husband, Dubliner Maggie Walsh joins her best friend, Emily, in Los Angeles. Maggie reinvents herself in the entertainment scene by writing scripts and experimenting with new lovers, but she reconsiders ending her marriage. Some explicit descriptions of sex and some strong language. 2002
Notes: This is another Audible.com find. Just ordered it as the snippit on Audible sounded interesting.
Shipped on: 20 July
Title: Bully: A True Story of High School Revenge *Current Listen
Author: Jim Schutze
Format: 2 Sound Casettes
Read by: Christopher Walker
Subjects: Crime and True Decetive, Journalism and the Media, Violence, Sexually Explcit, Strong Language, Medium Length Book, Biography and Autobiography, History United States, Law and Legal Rights, Adolessent Problems
NLS Book Number: RC 59940
Description:
Journalist investigates the 1993 Florida slaying of twenty-year-old Bobby Kent at the hands of seven young people. Depicts the suburban middle-class but decadent lifestyle of the victim and his killers and the trial that followed, including an "urban psychosis" defense theory. Explicit descriptions of sex, violence, and strong language. 1997
Notes: Nearly done with this one. Should finish it later tonight thus this will be my first book reviewed. If some of the other, shorter books make it here tomorrow or Saturday they might make it in the book review as well. I plan on posting book reviews on Sunday...
I don't want to give everything away, but there are bits in this book that were just. shocking. Was listening to it with ear buds this morning whilst laying in bed and I must of commentedd, I was totally lost in the story. Well my talking caused Larry to wake up well he was half awake already, to ask me what was wrong. I pointed to the tape player and told him sorry there was just some shocking bits in the book.
Notice:
The books listed here are the ones currently checked out. However I have not received all on this list but should in the coming days... Book Reviews forth coming...
Books marked with a * are books I'm listening to at the moment.
Title: Mermaids
Author: Patty Dann
Format: 1 Sound Cassett
Read by: Polly Stone
Subjects; Modern Fiction, Short Book,
NLS Book Number: RC 025287
Description:
Fourteen-year-old Charlotte Flax and her young half-sister Kate have always lived an itinerant life--thanks to the wanderlust of their promiscuous mother, whom Charlotte refers to as "Mrs. Flax." In their most recent relocation to Grove, Massachusetts, Charlotte hopes to make good use of the presence of the convent up the hill; her great goal in life is to become a saint
Notes: This movie was on one of Comcast's digital movie stations, I'm guessing lifetime movie network or some such. Autumn was watching it and I got into it too. She told me what it was called and I did a quick book search. I found the above result and as the description of the book sounded like more or less what is going on in the movie, I figured it must be the book the movie was made from... So of corse I ordered it straight away.
Shipped on: 23 July 2009
Title: Taxi from Hell: Confissions of a Russin Hack
Author: Vladimir Lobas
Format: 2 sound cassettes
Read by: George Backman
Subjects: Economics, Adventure, Biography and Autobiography,Medium Length Book,
NLS Book Number: RC 34918
Description:
Filmmaker Vladimir Lobas left the Soviet Union for the relative freedom of New York City and a position as a free-lance radio commentator. In 1977, facing $4000 worth of dental work, Lobas is lured by an offer to earn big money as a taxi driver. His questionable language and driving skills make for a rocky start, but eventually Lobas owns his own cab. He discusses his adventures and those of other Russians
Notes: I was looking for another book I saw on Audible.com. If I find a book there, I see if it is on NLS first. If it is I order it and if it is not I put it on my wishlist to buy at a later date. The only time I'll buy a book from Audible that is also on NLS is if the person reading on Audible is better than the NLS reader. The title cought my eye as I've been in a few hellish taxis in my life. Also greyhound cross country busses and the odd airliner... Which reminds me. Someplace on NLS there is a book by a male flight attendent telling all about the crazy stuff that goes on in the air. Sort of like the A and E TV seeries "Airline which Larry and I loved to watch but was yanked for some stupid reason. It is however on iTunes and it like Ruby, Six Feet Under, random Dr. Drew inspired serees and children's TV for Skye and Benjamin looks like something I'm going to be spending future money on. Hah hah
Shipped on: 23 July 2009
Title: That Night
Author: Alice McDermott
Format: 1 Sound Cassett
Read by: Rita Hottois
Subjects: Young Adult Book, Short Book, Modern Fiction
NLS Book Number: RC 27158
Description:
Set in suburban Long Island in the sixties. Rick and Sheryl, high school sweethearts, eventually become lovers. Then Sheryl discovers that she is pregnant and according to the strict conventions of their time she must go away to have her baby and never see Rick again. As Sheryl's mother prepares to take her away, Rick takes matters into his own hands
Notes: This is another book that I saw as a movie in my Senior year of high school. It looked like it would be a good book so I checked it out and listened to it and it was not so much a good book. About seven years ago when I helped out at the talking book library in Topeka I took it out again and again I didn't quite like it. Third time is a charm? Mabye. I hope now that I've grown more as a person and can look at things from a different point of view than those I had both in high school and seven years ago I will get what this story is after. Then again there is a good chance it could be lost on me... We'll see.
Shipped On: 23 July 2009
Title: The radio amateur's handbook
Author: Archie Frederick Collins
Format: 3 Sound Cassettes
Read by: Merwin Smith
Subjects: Hobbies and Past times, Medium Length Book
NLS Book Number: 16588
Description:
An aid to the beginning or experienced radio amateur, covering fundamentals of construction techniques, elementary electronic theory, FCC regulations, and information on more complicated apparatus
Notes: In my mad quest to get my ham radio license I'm reading any and everything I can get my hands on. The book is very very old and a lot of the information is out of date. However, I want to read it for historical value and in the hopes it can explain all these horrid old things like Ohm's law, electric curcuts, radio waves and frequencies and all that complex stuff I do not understand.
Shipped on: 22 July 2009
Title: Anybody Out There? *current Listen
Author: Marian Keyes
Format: 3 Sound Cassettws
Read by: Anne Flosnik
Subjects: Medium Length Book, Adult Fiction, Strong Language, Sexually Explicit, Psychological Fiction, Foreign Setting, Family Story (single Generation), Mystery and Detective, Suspence, Romance, British Accent
NLS Book Number: RC 62269
Description:
After a taxi injures her in New York, Anna Walsh from Watermelon (RC 47300) returns to Dublin, Ireland, to recuperate. She observes her wacky family's escapades but gets nervous when her husband doesn't answer her e-mails. Strong language and some explicit descriptions of sex. 2006
Notes: It took me so long to copy down the subjects NLS files this book under I forgot what I was going to say about it. Oh I know. It is set in Ireland and I love Ireland as my ancesters are from there, a lot of them. I'm a big fan of a lot of Irish writers like Frank McCourt and Brinden O'dear I've forgot his name. He writes "The Mammy" and "The Chislers" and "The Granny" Oh O'Carol Brendon O'Carol and others who I can't think of right now.... This is one of those Audible finds. I saw it under the "If you like this you might also like" segment under "The Devil Wears Proda" which I loved...
Shipped on: 20 July 2009
Title: Angels
Author: Marian Keyes
Format: 3 sound casettes
Read by: Jill Fox
Subjects: Adult Fiction, Medium Length Book, Sexually Explcit, Strong Language, Modern Fiction, Romance, Woman Interest, Long Book, Humor Fiction, General Fiction
NLS Book Number: RC 63939
Description:
After losing her job and leaving her husband, Dubliner Maggie Walsh joins her best friend, Emily, in Los Angeles. Maggie reinvents herself in the entertainment scene by writing scripts and experimenting with new lovers, but she reconsiders ending her marriage. Some explicit descriptions of sex and some strong language. 2002
Notes: This is another Audible.com find. Just ordered it as the snippit on Audible sounded interesting.
Shipped on: 20 July
Title: Bully: A True Story of High School Revenge *Current Listen
Author: Jim Schutze
Format: 2 Sound Casettes
Read by: Christopher Walker
Subjects: Crime and True Decetive, Journalism and the Media, Violence, Sexually Explcit, Strong Language, Medium Length Book, Biography and Autobiography, History United States, Law and Legal Rights, Adolessent Problems
NLS Book Number: RC 59940
Description:
Journalist investigates the 1993 Florida slaying of twenty-year-old Bobby Kent at the hands of seven young people. Depicts the suburban middle-class but decadent lifestyle of the victim and his killers and the trial that followed, including an "urban psychosis" defense theory. Explicit descriptions of sex, violence, and strong language. 1997
Notes: Nearly done with this one. Should finish it later tonight thus this will be my first book reviewed. If some of the other, shorter books make it here tomorrow or Saturday they might make it in the book review as well. I plan on posting book reviews on Sunday...
I don't want to give everything away, but there are bits in this book that were just. shocking. Was listening to it with ear buds this morning whilst laying in bed and I must of commentedd, I was totally lost in the story. Well my talking caused Larry to wake up well he was half awake already, to ask me what was wrong. I pointed to the tape player and told him sorry there was just some shocking bits in the book.
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