Preparation for a road trip at our house  includes a decision on what audio books to take along.  This takes a bit of negotiating, since Mr. Traveler and I do not always agree on what makes a good read (or listen, in this case).  He likes escape fiction–lots of action. I like more contemplative reads. We generally compromise on mysteries. But we never compromise on the length. We DO NOT buy or rent abridged. Give the author a break! Read it (listen to it) the way it was written.

But whatever you like to listen to in your car, you now have a lot of choices for where to get that audio book.  Our public library branches have a limited selection, but generally something interesting. We are fortunate to have an enormous used book store that carries books on tape (getting rarer) and CDs. And on the way out of town we can always stop at Cracker Barrel Restaurant along the freeway and then return a rented book anywhere along our travels. Problem is, they stock more abridged than full versions.

If you have an MP3 player–an IPOD, cell phone that takes recorded material, or other device, you can download books from dozens of sites on line.

Librarian Chick provides an exhaustive list of on-line sources for FREE print and audio books. Open Culture, a newer site, did not make it on to the Librarian’s list, but is a great source. You can follow their blog, and find them on twitter as well.

While technology has shifted to an emphasis  on downloading to the computer,  we can still choose to buy audio books that will be shipped in the mail from Recorded Books with their library of about 8000 titles.

Of course there is a blog to help you sort out which recorded books are best. Books for Ears This is important, because with audio books, the reader can be as important as the writer.

Audible.com is a reasonably priced membership service with a huge list of titles that has downloads of mp3  files that can be used on portable devices or burned on a CD from your computer to use elsewhere.

Ready for the road?  What’s your favorite source of audio books?