The Problem: Finding Time to Read

Read in order to live, advises 19th century novelist Gustav Flaubert. Yet, few people today have time to visit local libraries, let alone sit down and read a book. According to Flaubert, those of us who do not make time to read do not make time to live.

Reading expands our understanding of the world around us, and gives us insight into situations and experiences we would otherwise fail to understand. Few have the stamina and resources to climb Everest, for example, but can learn about the adventure through literature.

Reading can teach us about our own psychology, and the field in which we work, whether economics or business. Reading improves our command of language and expands our vocabulary. More over, reading is pleasurable, whether you want to learn more about a favourite band or escape into a world of fantasy. In fact, whatever your interests, there are books you will enjoy. There are books that, once read, will enable you to live more fully.

Certainly, the range of titles currently available is expansive. Not all of us need Chaucer in order to live better lives. Some of us are looking for fitness bibles, travel guides or instruction manuals, and we can easily find them in book format.

Indeed, it is the format that poses part of the problem. Acquiring books, whether from a local library or bookstore, is one thing. Having the time and motivation to read them it is quite another. Here modern technology provides an ingenious solution.

Audio Book library: The Perfect Solution

Thanks to the invention of audio books it is now possible to read books in your car, on an airplane or even while jogging. When audio books the path makers for audio book libraries first appeared, a short novel would take up eight to ten cassette tapes! Later CDs were introduced and now audio books are conveniently available in mp3 format. Utilizing modern technology, you can easily download free mp3 audio books off the internet, load them onto your mp3 player, and listen to them at your convenience.

With various audio book libraries, you can search the range of titles available until you find the perfect audio book, which you can take out for free, like you would any library book. Audio book libraries provide a great service – you dont even have to purchase the titles. These mp3 audio books are absolutely free.

Thanks to audio book libraries and the service they provide you can now read in order to live, as Flaubert would say, all for free. Best of all, you can do other tasks while reading these audio book library books.

A World Of Opportunity: Free Audio Books

If you havent discovered the audio book yet, you could be losing out on a world of opportunity. Many of us love reading, but lament the time we dont seem to have to do enough of it. The joy of reading has its own rewards, but theres a great deal to be said for just listening as well.

Remember when you were a kid, how much you loved having a story read to you? You could just close your eyes, or gaze into the distance, and visualize a whole different world, accompanied by the soothing sound of someones voice?

Audio books are widely available from a number of sources, for purchase, for rent, and as downloads but they do not have to be a major expense in your life. Free audio books are available, once again, from a number of sources.

With books, sometimes one prefers to purchase them new and to keep them at home for a number of people to read and to be able to read repeatedly. Other books, one buys on sale. Either way, one builds a home library. For avid readers, obtaining books from a public library may be a more convenient choice. The same applies to audio books. (There is probably an audio book library near you perhaps even in a section of your regular library. Alternatively, there are audio book libraries online.)

Free Audio Books Where To Find Them:

If you already belong to a library, that would be a good place to start your search for free audio books.

Alternatively, there are a number of sites online where you can download free audio books just doing a Google search will probably reveal more than you expected.

One of the organizations well worth a mention is LibriVox. They provide free audio books from the public domain. Volunteers record books in the public domain and publish the files onto the internet, where you can download them. Their goal is to record all books in the public domain.

Type free audio book into your Google or other search bar and a great number of sites will be listed. Some of them are dedicated to free audio books, while others have books for sale or rent, but will offer a limited number of free downloads.

Free audio books on offer include not only entertainment, but many language courses and other university / educational courses, inspirational material and promotional material.

Remember that while youre carrying out those dull routine tasks, enjoying a leisurely walk, sunbathing at the pool, recuperating at home, or just have some time to fill, there are free audio books available to spice up your life and introduce new elements into your world.