Drop Your Netflix Subscription and Binge on Free Books From Kindle and Audible Instead
I am sure many of us have Amazon Prime. It is my wife’s studied shopping opinion that it is unparalleled in the value it provides to its subscribers. I, do not disagree. Having an Amazon Prime membership gives you access to nearly 3,000 free eBooks, comics, and magazines. Simply go to the Amazon Prime Reading Catalog. Another option for finding free eReading material on Amazon Prime is to go to “Best Sellers in Kindle Store” and then select “Top 100 Free.”
Another great source of entertainment is Audible. While not exactly an eReader, it is the same concept, except the books are narrated. A monthly subscription costs about the same as a basic Netflix subscription. You get one free audiobook (of your choosing) per month. Moreover, Audible also has many free selections which you can enjoy including books, podcasts, articles, and magazines. All completely free with your membership.
Since both Kindle and Audible are part of Amazon, you can get the narration (Audible version) with the Kindle (eReader version) in a package deal at a steep discount. Meaning I can highlight, take notes, search, look up words, see others highlights as well as many other features all while having the book read to me. A truly magical experience. So what are you waiting for? Treat your loved ones to the magic of their own imagination and discover new worlds using the written word!
Mike,
ReplyDeleteI am a big fan of the Audible option. As I get older my eyes are not holding up like I would hope. I can see with 20/20 but when it comes to reading small print it cases headaches. Something doctors say is common as you get older and reading glasses should help. Then with all the digital readers I have learned that the blue light from screens is even worse for you than trying to read small print. So I have turned to audibles to do the reading for me. I enjoy them, although sometimes I feel like they read to slow, but that is not a terrible thing. I just wish there was a cheap way to get them in the car. I would prefer to hear books then listen to the same 5 songs on the radio. If you know of a way let me know.
Mike T. if you down load audible to your phone you can link your phone to your vehicle and play it through your cars sound system. On my Equinox I play it under my I pod connection but your home screen also works. Since I drive to Santa Fe so much I am constantly playing the application through my vehicle. Hope that helps. Tammy
DeleteMike,
ReplyDeleteI am not quite ready to give up my Netflix subscription. However, this does sound interesting to try out personally I am not a big reader and having the audible option for me would be the way to go. I do like that the books are being narrated and that would assist me out greatly since I get sidetracked easily and lose interest very quickly when I am conducting my own readings. Also, like mike mentioned as we get older our eyes seem to play tricks on us and sometimes makes it quite challenging to really focus on the book itself. I can honestly say since starting this technological journey with all of you nothing seems to amaze me anymore, technology is getting better and better and is simplifying things that some time ago would be a challenge. Thanks for sharing
Alex
Alex,
DeleteThank you for the comment and I am saddened to hear you will be keeping your Netflix. You should check out an Audible 30 day free trial and see if you don’t change your mind about Netflix. Also there is tons of free content for Audible Plus members and there is a promotion for that at $4.95 for 6 months right now.
Mike W.
Mike, accurate assessment of availability of free books with the prime membership. Our youngest always wants me to download new books. With my prime membership I get my free shipping and she gets all the new titles without me having to pay. Don't get me wrong, she has a bookshelf filled with books but kids books are always more expensive than adult books. We are definitely using prime to the fullest. Thanks as always for the information I did not know about the audible options.
ReplyDelete-Mandy
Mandy,
DeleteThanks for the comment. My daughter is always wanting new books as well. As someone who hasn’t always enjoyed reading, I feel like I have to take advantage and keep her interested. We too have a massive amount of books. I absolutely love the free content I get because as you mention, books are expensive.
Mike W.
Mike,
ReplyDeleteThank you for the information, my family and I have had Amazon Prime from many years and I never thought about audible and kindle are part of the same company. I am not a big reader and have thought of researching eReaders and Audible for books I am interested in reading/listening. The method I always used to listen to books while driving was to check out audio books from local libraries.
v/r
Andy E.
Andy,
DeleteThanks for the comment. Great news is you no longer need the trip to the library, Amazon has you covered. The library is probably closed or covered in COVID anyway.
Mike W.
Mike,
ReplyDeleteKindle and Audible subscriptions are great! I think most, if not all, of us have an Amazon Prime subscription. However, I am a visual guy, so I tend to wait for the movie adaptation of books that are popular. The only books I will read (or mostly skim through) are ones of academic value, so its hard for me to drop my Netflix subscription. If Kindle and Audible can provide books with Academic value, then I would most likely subscribe, but only for the school year, lol.
Pitt,
DeleteThank you for the comment. We should write to Amazon and tell them to go after more augmented reality books so you don’t have to wait for a bunch of movies that may never get made.
Mike W.
That is a great idea!
DeleteMike
ReplyDeleteGreat more entertaining stuff to take me away from school work lol. Just kidding I have Amazon prime and have received some free books on kindle but did not know of the search feature. I will be putting it to the test once I am done with school work for the day. I did purchase a Kindle paperwhite last year that includes the audible for free and it was during a deep sale time so it was definitely worth the discounted rate. Thanks for your post.
Tammy
Tammy,
DeleteThanks for the comment. How do you like the paperwhite? I have always been a Kindle Fire user myself. Mostly because it functions like a tablet and its indestructible. That makes it perfect for my young learners.
Mike W.
But how am I supposed to "Netflix and chill"? "Kindle and chill" just doesn't have the same ring to it... just kidding, Mike! I do like reading your post because then i remember that I have an Amazon Prime account and I just finished a book. Off I go to find a free one to read next. Thank you for that. I may try the Audible route this time, so I can put in my head phones, drown out Zoom 2nd grade crazytown, listen to a book and work on my portfolio... sounds like a plan. Thanks Mike.
ReplyDeleteAndy D.
Andy,
ReplyDeleteThank you for reading and the comment. Be sure to try Audible using the 30 day free trial and the Audible Plus 6 month sale for $4.95. You will get a ton of content to include podcasts and magazines without having to commit too much to it.
Mike W.