Audiobooks are great on-the-go entertainment, but they cost about twice as much as a standard hard copy of the material. With that price difference, I'd rather read it myself. Happily, for those whose eyesight isn't what it used to be, or others who just prefer the soothing sound of a narrator, there is a way to enjoy digital books without lightening the wallet: public libraries. Many city libraries are now offering audiobooks as free downloads...but there's a catch. Find out what it is below. Also this week: why it's important to pay attention to review dates.

Q: My needs are simple. I would like to be able to download books on CD (from my public library) to a portable device that I can listen to while walking. It would need a bookmarking feature, about 25 hours of memory, and long battery life. I do not need to surf, text, listen to a radio, or even have a screen. Does such a creature exist?--B., via e-mail

Sansa Fuze likes the library and won't break the bank.

(Credit: SanDisk)

A: Several such creatures exist! Of course, a screen comes in handy when using the bookmarking feature on most devices. Also, the player should support protected WMA, as that is the format most libraries use for audiobooks. There are plenty of options out there--I am going to stick with budget recommendations, as you needn't spend a lot to get what you're after. One note: MP3 player memory goes by space rather than time. For audiobooks, you can expect about 70 hours worth of content to fit on a device that offers 1GB of memory.

My first recommendation is the SanDisk Sansa Fuze, which offers a 28.2 hour battery life for audio. The bookmarking feature is automatic (or passive) for audiobooks; that is, it remembers where you left off in each file, but you have no option to set multiple bookmarks in a single file. The Sansa Clip offers the same bookmarking capability, but the 14.1-hour battery life may not be long enough for you.

Zens are good for audiobooks, but only for Windows users.

(Credit: Creative)

My other recommendations include the Creative Zen V and Zen V Plus, both of which offer about 20 hours of audio playback. The Zen players have manual (also known as active) bookmarking, so you can set bookmarks wherever you want in each file, but you must remember to set them before exiting the file. There's also the Zen Mozaic, a recently released player with the same bookmarking capability and a rated battery life of 36 hours for audio.