• Pssst! Don't spill the beans, but I think it's safe to talk about Mom's Christmas gift on this blog because she hasn't figured out it's here, and I know you're not going to tell her. ;)
  
  About two weeks ago, she asked me to search around on the Internet to see if I could find Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series available on audio CDs. Well, a quick search of Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble.com and I learned that all six books are available in audio format for about $80 EACH. Correction: All 6 books except book #4, The Drums of Autumn, which was almost impossible to find. When I did finally track it down through an unknown book seller, they wanted $200 for the darn thing.
  
  She said she didn't want the collection if she couldn't have book #4, so I almost despaired...until I stumbled across Audible, an Amazon company. They had the entire series available (for a fraction of the price) in a digital format that I could simply download onto my computer then burn onto CDs for her. I was ecstatic!
  
  Have you ever seen one of those little light bulb illustrations suddenly light up over the top of someone's head? Well, that was me when I realized this would make the perfect Christmas gift for Mom! I joined Audible and hurried to download "Drums of Autumn" to see how it would work. The download was a snap, no problem. However, because this book is a monster—over 40 hours long—I did the math and realized I would need nearly 40 blank CDs and HOURS to spend burning onto CDs. Then I would need a HUGE CD case just to hold this ONE book.
  
  CRAZY! I'd have more $$$ invested in blank CDs than I spent on the audio download.
  
  I finally determined it was cheaper to buy a good MP3 player (I purchased a 16 Gig Sansa View) with a docking/charging/speaker system. The player will store the entire series of books with room to spare. Once the MP3 player arrived, it took me thirty seconds to transfer a 40 hour book onto the device. Absolutely amazing!
  
  
  
  I gave the book a listen and the narrator does a wonderful job; I couldn't be happier, and I know Mom is going to be thrilled. So, if you're ever at a loss what to get for that hard-to-buy-for person on your Christmas list, consider an audio book from Audible. They're wonderful to deal with (tech support was very helpful!), and an audio book is a great alternative for someone who has time to listen to a story while they're traveling or working with their hands (Mom's a quilter).