Like a Love Story

"Mary: We’ve been focusing on the Audie Awards, but I’d also like to mention resources from the American Library Association that recognise the best audiobooks of the year: ALSC’s Notable Children’s Recordings for children through age 14, YALSA’s Amazing Audiobooks for teens (from age 12 through adult titles with teen appeal), the Odyssey Award for Excellence in Audiobook Production for children and teens, and the Listen List for adult audiobooks. Mary: I’m a former public librarian, so I would also send you to your public library where those titles are available for free. Mary: Many audiobooks aren’t even available now as a CD. That format is kind of last century. What’s really making the audiobook field boom is that we all have our phones in our pocket; those are audiobook listening tools. Libraries subscribe to many different services. You go to your library’s website, click on the service—whether it be Overdrive, Hoopla, or RBdigital—look for a title, and then download it to your device using your library card number. Support Five Books Five Books interviews are expensive to produce. If you're enjoying this interview, please support us by donating a small amount . And, as a former school librarian, I’ll point out that many schools also offer free downloadable digital titles through their website, audiobooks included. There are long-established audiobook programs through educational and governmental sources that exist to serve those with disabilities, at no cost. Plus, you’ll find plenty of free classics for all ages on audio at Open Culture , Project Gutenberg , and Librivox . And if you are purchasing audiobook downloads, know that there are many suppliers—from mega vendors, to direct from publishers, to smaller companies that support indie bookstores. Robin: The other thing we should mention is that AudioFile Magazine runs a free summer program for teens, giving away two audiobooks per week. It starts April 30, and it’s completely free, so you definitely should sign up for that ."