If you're in the states, apparently the Amazon Echo can read Kindle books outloud, and play audible books, using only voice commands. You would have to purchase the books from audible.com or Kindle for him, and then he could start and stop reading just using his voice. According to Amazon, the commands are:

> Start any book you own with "Alexa, read [Audible book title]"
>
> Resume the current book you're reading by saying "Alexa, read my book."
>
> Control playback with "Alexa, go back/forward."

This seems the easiest. I'm not in the US myself though, so have no echo to try it. YMMV.

You can get a free audiobook reader from the library of congress as well as free books. We haven't used them in several years but they used to mail you a machine that was similar to a casset player and then you could check out several book at a time. When you're done you return the book cassettes. Things may have changed to catch up with the times.

Now my daughter uses an iPhone with the read2go app through her Bookshare account. Bookshare has a small annual fee unless you are a student. My daughter prefers it over LOC because she has instant access to any book she wants in any reading medium, be it large print, audio or even Braille via a digital display. Apple products are fully accessible to the blind right out of the box. There may be a learning curve, especially if your dad isn't very tech savvy, but your state's devision of blind services should offer basic training in accessibility tech.

Just to add since it sounds like your dad is newly blind. There are a ton of free resources he can get from the state and federal government. Something neat that he may appreciate is a money reader from the library of congress. You can slide the corner of any bill into the device and it will audibly tell you what if it's a $1,$5,$10 and so on.

As someone in here already said, Audible is great. You don't even have to sign up for a membership, go on eBay and buy some of the cheap credits on there. I don't know how it works, but I promise it works! ($1)

Using this method can get you books for about $1.50 each. Set up the Alexa to work for him, and all he has to do is say "Alexa, read Gone With The Wind" and it will start the book for him the last place he left off.

My boyfriend is blind and uses Alexa for this and it works wonderfully.

Also, I think you can buy a dot now for a lot cheaper than an Echo, and it still has Alexa on it, so I recommend that! Prime Day is coming up in July so if you're not in a rush, it's usually on sale that day.

I would say try getting the NLS free player but the Victor Reader stream is a great device too!

The National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, (NLS/BPH) in the States offers a free digital talking book player, and free access to recorded books via an iPhone and Android app. The Talking book player is easy to use since it has large, easy to identify controls , but many library patrons now prefer to download materials through the iPhone or Android app since they don't need to handle the task of returning materials via the mail to the local NLS/BPH cooperating library. Conversely, using the iPhone or Android app requires climbing a much steeper learning curve. Visit the links below for more info on signing up and obtaining a free player:
NLS/BPH main page: http://www.loc.gov/nls/
BARD (The online service) page: https://nlsbard.loc.gov/login//NLS

For what it's worth, my technologically-challenged blind mother is able to use an ipod shuffle by feel