Moral Dilemma

[realexplodingcat]

After the baby was born and my quiet private time disappeared, I turned to audio books to satisfy my need for "reading". I still read paper, but I have a lot of time on my feet doing menial chores around the house during which I would be bored to tears without an audiobook on the iPod. Thus far, bit torrent has been my friend. However, recently, I listened to "The Golden Compass" and found the production quality of the multi-cast recording to be so high that I actually feel guilty for not having bought it.

So, I considered Audible.com. But, with the baby here, my budget is also very tight. I'm not sure I can afford to commit to the monthly fee.

How about the library? The selection is limited, but I am giving it a try. I'm borrowing Stephen King's "Cell" at the moment, which I have ripped to my iPod for listening. I'll eventually delete it, too. Not for any moral reason, but because I'm only choosing to listen to books I never intend to "re-read" or to ones I actually own in hardcopy, so I don't have to clutter my hard drive and iPod.

One problem. Out of 11 CDs, each with 17 or so tracks, there are bound to be scratches. Indeed, there are four tracks in "Cell" that I cannot rip successfully due to some damage on the disc. I'm tempted to just torrent the book to get those tracks.

Which leads me to a weird solution to my moral dilemma. Perhaps I shouldn't bother borrowing from the library, but rather only torrent the books online that I could otherwise get from my library.

Comments

[seeliespright.livejournal.com]

I don't think it's bad of you to download the series at this point in your life because, as you said, finances are tight because you are trying to raise a child. I don't feel guilty myself, as I'm still in school and have no money (especially here in Scotland). I think that when you have the financial means, you should pay for what you can, but for now - don't worry about it.

[explodingcat.livejournal.com]

I have a feeling I'll be able to keep making excuses for a long time. Kids only get more expensive as they age.

[aleiphein.livejournal.com]

Quel coincidence! I actually have a (legit!) copy of the audiobook for Stephen King's "Cell" (from audible.com)

Let me know if you want a download link, or if you or Jos are ever around, you can transfer it straight from my laptop.

[explodingcat.livejournal.com]

My hero! There are only 4 tracks I was unable to rip. If I identify those, can you upload them somewhere or email them to me?

[mmymoon.livejournal.com]

Hmm... as a champion of the age of only paying for content that you enjoy, you could just go ahead and buy legit copies of the ones that you've really loved and might possibly want to "read" again, or make Ronan sit through during long car trips in a few years.

I mean, if your library does inter-library loan (which nigh on all of them do if you ask nicely enough) your scope of potential loaned books is limitless. Well, only limited by the range of audiobooks themselves.

As a library patron, you don't buy every book you want to read -- but you well might go out and buy a copy of a book you particularly treasured. So, my advice would be pay for the ones that make you feel very guilty, when you can, and carefully store away those discs or files for future consumption.

[explodingcat.livejournal.com]

I wish there was a pay what you can system. So, for the books I enjoyed, but to which I don't intend on listening again, I could offer $5 or so. Like a small rental fee.

The library system here does have several thousand audiobooks and I think they'll do inter-library loan. I'll just have to be patient, as it seems audiobooks are pretty popular and many of the good ones have waiting lists for borrowing. I'm 3rd on the list for the next book in the His Dark Materials series.