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Photo : suchitra printsREMEMBER the good ol days of sitting around the radio listening to nightly programs? Me neither. Do one better by listening to some of the thousands of free stories and interviews that are available online.
Librivox.com provides free audiobooks from the public domain. Librivox’s archive of works within the public domain is HUGE! Granted, the selection is pretty arcane, but there is something comforting knowing you could listen to volunteer readers recite Aesop’s Fables and the 9/11 Commission Report.
Wired for Books is good for writers who want to spend many long hours listening to interviews and readings by some great authors.
From Wiredforbooks.com :
“For many years, most of the best writers of the English language found their way to Don Swaim’s CBS Radio studio in New York. The one-on-one interviews typically lasted 30 to 45 minutes and then had to be edited down to a two-minute radio show.”
MORE FREE AUDIO BOOK SITES
Learn Outloud.com
Featuring “40 of the top free audiobook downloads available online” including such hits as Pride and Prejudice, Heart of Darkness and War of the Worlds.
Podiobooks.com
Podiobooks has about a zillion serialized audiobooks, most of which are provided by no-names under Creative Commons.
Audio Books for Free.com
With free audiobooks selectable under categories such as “Adventure”, “Terrorists”, “Space Travel” and “Philosophical”, audiobooksforfree.com seems to have a little something for everyone.
Free-books.org
If you can get past the dated web design of this site you have over a thousand free audiobooks at your finger tips.
iTUNES
A search of the iTunes store for “free audio book” reveals over 90 podcasts to subscribe to.
COMMUNITY CONNECTION
Do you listen to audiobooks? How is the experience of listening to a story different from reading one? Let us know what you think in the comments and if you have more great sites for free audiobooks hook up the links!
Joshywashington
Joshywashington is a Travel Media Ninja from Seattle who enjoys writing, climbing trees and strong coffee.
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Many libraries also have a downloadable feature for audiobooks such as Overdrive and Recorded Books . Go to your library’s homepage and look for a link to Audiobooks or something similar.
Great tip Robyn!
Listening to audio books is a great way to pass the time, especially when you’re flying or on a road trip. However, it doesn’t replace the “feeling” you receive when you hold a book in your hand. You can’t run your fingers over the binding, re-read pages, or make notes in the margins.
Links for audio books: http://www.openculture.com (you can listen to courses from Yale University in addition to other MP3 or iTunes); http://freeclassicaudiobooks.com (audio books for the 21st century); http://www.gutenberg.org/browse/categories/1 (Project Gutenberg).
I completely agree. The tactile pleasure of reading a book cannot be replaced. I am knee deep in a thick ass book and I can’t say how much I enjoy lugging it around and turning the pages over in a coffee shop. But I also love hearing a story told. There is something comforting in it. Although my attention can wane much easier if I am listening to a story and not reading it.
great links! Thank you soooo very much!!