topic Re: Having Alexa read your Kindle book? in Book Club

Having Alexa read your Kindle book?

lovescats — Tue, 26 Dec 2017 17:51:59 GMT

I've just started trying this on my current kindle book I'm reading. Alexa is reading the book I have from the library. This is different from the old female or male voice on the first kindles with whisper sync. It is Alexa not the audible version. I just wondered with others thought of her reading? It's not too bad but is she/it going to put narrators out of work?

Re: Having Alexa read your Kindle book?

aprildreams — Tue, 26 Dec 2017 18:16:21 GMT

I have a Kindle .......and read a lot. How do I do this?

Re: Having Alexa read your Kindle book?

millieshops — Tue, 26 Dec 2017 18:20:38 GMT

@lovescatsI hope Alexa doesn't push other readers out of business. I'm not just being selfish although I really have no reason to own an Echo or even to pay for Amazon Prime. I just remember well that years ago when I subscribed to Books on Tape, I definitely had favorite speakers and found myself ordering their books just to hear them read.

I still prefer to read on my own - and still prefer print over digital although I'm also well aware that for me, there's going to come a day when my vision is likely to force me to digital. Even then, I'm going to be hoping for variety instead of the same voice for all my books.

Re: Having Alexa read your Kindle book?

lovescats — Tue, 26 Dec 2017 18:33:29 GMT

@aprildreams wrote:
I have a Kindle .......and read a lot. How do I do this?

ask alexa to read your kindle book name of book or ask alexa to read your current kindle book name of book.

You might have to ask her a couple times each a little bit different to get her to read the right book.

Re: Having Alexa read your Kindle book?

aprildreams — Tue, 26 Dec 2017 18:33:42 GMT

Thank you for sharing. I figured it out with the help of a YT tutorial. Sometimes at night, I enjoy having my book read to me. Helps me go to sleep. Her voice is not too bad, actually.

Re: Having Alexa read your Kindle book?

Mz iMac — Tue, 26 Dec 2017 21:33:12 GMT

@lovescats

Macs built in software/hardware have been reading books & kindles like devices since 1984. They didn't put any narrators out of work.

FWIW...

I don't use my DOT to read anything. Doesn't have time to read to or for me. It's too busy being my personal assisstant.

Re: Having Alexa read your Kindle book?

lovescats — Tue, 26 Dec 2017 23:26:03 GMT

for further reference

Read Kindle Books with Alexa

https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=201975870

Re: Having Alexa read your Kindle book?

kcladyz — Wed, 27 Dec 2017 01:17:07 GMT

I prefer audible. The text to speech and / or a Alexa sounds kinda un-human. lol

Re: Having Alexa read your Kindle book?

kcladyz — Wed, 27 Dec 2017 01:20:11 GMT

You can just ask alexa verbally. ( I tried with ther dot) and it will read the book to you . text to speech are accessible from link on bottom right of the book page on a tablet. personally it sounds too much of a fake voice. I prefer audible where a real human talks

Re: Having Alexa read your Kindle book?

lovescats — Wed, 27 Dec 2017 04:20:32 GMT

@aprildreams wrote:
Thank you for sharing. I figured it out with the help of a YT tutorial. Sometimes at night, I enjoy having my book read to me. Helps me go to sleep. Her voice is not too bad, actually.

I don't think her voice is that bad either. I like real narrators but sometimes they are not always that good. Hearing the books helps me go to sleep also but then I fall asleep before the sleep timer and miss part of the book.

Re: Having Alexa read your Kindle book?

lovescats — Wed, 03 Jan 2018 23:46:40 GMT

The more I use this feature of having Alexa read the kindle book the more I like it. Alexa really isn't that bad of a reader. And I can only see her reading being improved.

I don't think it will replace all narrators but it will replace some.

It eliminates listening to readers who have to take big breaths before reading which I feel in some ways is a fault of producers who make them read to much without breaks.

I like to listen to Alexa read along with reading the book.

Re: Having Alexa read your Kindle book?

Lilysmom — Thu, 04 Jan 2018 10:02:08 GMT

@Mz iMac, will my 2016 MacBook Pro read to me? Who knew??? How do I do that? LM

Re: Having Alexa read your Kindle book?

Mz iMac — Thu, 04 Jan 2018 19:42:22 GMT

@Lilysmom

Actually, it has nothing to do w/hardware. It's the software that Macs uses to enable "speakable items" & "dictations."

If you want your "TextEdit" read back to you: TextEdit>Edit>Speech>Start speaking.

For Kindle: Kindle>Tools>Start Text To Speech

For all others, suggest that you read Apple's Knowledge Base Article called "macOS Sierra: Enable, disable, and create dictation commands." The Article also explains how to use Speakable Items to translate "text to speech." Sorry, cannot post the link. Will get deleted by the Mods.

If you cannot find the Article, let me know & I will copy paste same for ya!

FWIW.....

Apple has now subtituted "speakable items" with "Dictation." Now you have to hunt for SI.

I'm lazy by nature. I have always customized my Macs to "work as well as to speak for me!" Example: When I wake my computer I "command" it to open my mail, read it to me (I use Thunderbird). When done, open FF (Firefox).

Re: Having Alexa read your Kindle book?

Lilysmom — Fri, 05 Jan 2018 23:10:34 GMT

@Mz iMac, thanks! Will check this out. I am chuckling because I think this will freak my Lab out hehe. LM