Can you hear me now? Audio books.

I am a big proponent of audio books. They are great for entertainment and for educational enhancement. I like to listen to audio books while I do my housework, the dishes go by much too quickly when I'm really excited about what I'm listening to and I even find myself looking for more chores to do to eke out another 10 minutes from my story.

I have had some questions as to where to find audio books to purchase, borrow, download, etc. I will list some of the places I have found to be helpful. This list is by no means exhaustive and if you have any additions or comments, please let me know.

• netLibrary (now managed by Ebsco) is a great resource for downloading audio or ebooks for free for a certain amount of time. Check with your local library for access.
• The Gutenburg Project at is another source for free electronic and audio books. This is a cooperative project to digitize materials from all over the world. This will not have current and popular titles but things that are in the public domain. It's worth a look.
• If you are affiliated with the military, check the base library closest to you and ask about electronic and audio books.
• Amazon is a powerhouse of audio books in a variety of formats. Just be sure to check the product description to make sure you're not purchasing 20 cassette tapes when you wanted CDs. Some of these books are available for instant download via MP3.
• Barnes and Noble is along the same lines as Amazon. I would recommend comparing prices (of course, I am a confirmed tightwad!).
• Audio Book Stand also has a variety of formats and offers a number of featured books at a great discount every week. They also have a section for WMA downloads so you can purchase your books and listen to them almost instantly.

Well, those are some of the sites I look to for audio book entertainment. I'm excited to return to my dishes tonight and keep listening to Terry Pratchett's Thud!

Happy listening!