I’ve got a trip planned and it would be nice to be able to to some reading while away, but I want to keep weight and space to a minimum. I’d like to get books on CD so I could read them on the laptop, but I can’t find a good selection anywhere.
I’m not looking for any titles in particular; history, trivia, or even sci fi novels are fine. I’m not looking for audio books which seem to be everywhere, but rather books I can read. Obviously the cheaper the better. Can anyone reccomend a retailer either online or in Middle Tennessee?
The selection varies wildly (some have a few, others dozens, sometimes I can’t find a thing I’m interested in and sometimes I’ll find 5 things), but Cracker Barrel restaurants have a program where you buy the book and then return it when finished to any Cracker Barrel. They refund all but $3.50 per week.
Also, most public libraries have books on CD. So does I-Tunes, and since you download them yourself they’re cheaper than buying them in disk form.
:smack: Major apologies- I somehow missed the “not audio” books thing.
Still, Amazon has downloadable readable books. And if you go to Best Web Buys, they’ll include prices for electronic versions for some (not all) books available in that format.
If you want cheap, you can’t beat the Project Gutenberg CDs and DVDs, which are free. Information on how to download them is here. Edited to add that they have a CD containing science fiction if that appeals to you.
I’m going to throw in my crummy, unsolicited two cents and just say it seems sad that people now bring laptops instead of printed books on vacation. My boss just got back from vacation, and he has vacation snaps of his family all using laptops in the hotel room. When I got back from vacation, everyone said, “Did you get my e-mail?” I replied, “No, I was on vacation.” They said, “But didn’t you pick up your e-mail?”
Sorry for the hijack, and I know I’m ridiculously out of step. Incidentally, lots of stuff is just completely free and unabridged on the Web. I read a short novel by H. P. Lovecraft on the Web the other day. I already have the book at home, and was stunned to find the entire thing on somebody’s Web site.
I brought my laptop on my recent two week vacation so I could download the pictures from my digital camera. But I agree, if you’re checking email and what not, you’re missing the point of a vacation.
Frankly, lugging a laptop around is a pain. This is why paperbacks were invented.
As to the OP, let me suggest Wowio , which lets you download up to five books a day in PDF format for free. Start with the Vonnegut novels.
The girlfriend and I are going on a cruise. We’re taking a laptop anyway for many reasons; email, music, etc. Having some books adds no weight or space and some potential enjoyment. I’ll have a stack of paperbacks as well.