Month: March 2013

Bring Reading Back Into Your Life

no-time-to-readReading has many benefits to people of all ages. For example, it can expand the imagination with its real fantasy elements. Reading can also educate people on a variety of different subjects from the mundane to the technical. In addition, reading is the perfect activity to use for some quality time, either alone or with someone special. Relax on the couch with a good book, some favorite people and a warm cup of tea.

Busy Schedules Make Reading Difficult

With today’s busy schedules, however, it  can be difficult to get as much reading in as desired. Many people have full time jobs or attend college full time. Sometimes extremely busy people do both by working and attending college. In addition, families with children often have extracurricular activities to attend. All these different every day occurrences can make the days and nights last for far too long. As a result, reading is often squeezed out of the daily schedule.

Audiobooks Can Help!

Audiobooks are the perfect solution to not having enough time to read. Their flexible format allows you to enjoy your favorite authors or learn a new skill without missing a beat of your busy day. Whether you download them to your laptop or take them with you as you go about your daily routine, they are the perfect way to stave off boredom and peak your interest in something new.

Versatile for Your Busy Life

You might think of audiobooks as simply being books on tape or compact discs. Not true though, as many audiobooks incorporate sound effects, and some are even read by a full cast. This type of medium is perfect for those long commutes to work or while shuttling the kids to their various activities. With the advances in personal listening devices in recent years, however, there are other formats in which you can enjoy audiobooks.

Download Them to Your Computer

When packing for your next vacation, don’t worry about toting around heavy books. You also do not need to be concerned about your favorite paperbacks getting ruined by splashing water at the pool. Instead, download your favorite audiobook to your laptop – where it can be uploaded to the convenience of an MP3 player – and read it anywhere, no Internet connection necessary.

Portable Power

For true portability, however, you can download your favorite books to your trusty mobile device. With so many people carrying their cell phones or tablets with them wherever they go, it just makes sense to download their favorite books on them. This way, reading while you are on the go is as easy as launching the app that contains your book and getting started.

Enjoy all Genres

Both fiction and nonfiction titles are well represented in the audiobook arena. Both adults and young adults can enjoy the latest releases. Young children can enjoy reading, or being read to, even they are aren’t connected to the Internet. This can make doctor’s appointments, hair salon visits and other errands go much more smoothly. In addition, both children and adults might even learn a thing or two along the way.

With the advances in technology today, you really can use audiobooks to listen to anything you want, anytime. Use audiobooks to fit this favorite pastime back into your busy day where it belongs.

Summary of Posts: March 31st 2013

We take a look at how audiobooks are changing the world of literature and technology all around the world in this cycle. Check out the exciting stories we’ve prepared for you:

  • One common problem that first-time audiobook users is dealing with material that is copy protected. Find out what you can do about this issue.
  • Did you know that you can transfer your audiobooks from CDs to your iPod (or a similar device)? This’ll be the perfect companion for taking a jog or traveling.
  • Latino students are having a hard time with reading and math subjects. To help boost literacy in these schools, their administrators have sought the assistance of audiobooks.
  • When we go to the library, what we expect is to see people reading books or newspapers, maybe even browsing or listening to audiobooks. But what about yoga inside the library?
  • The benefits of storytelling are beyond words. Perhaps one of our all-time favorites is how these stories can be be great tools for relaxation.
  • We conclude the cycle with a talk about the power of storytelling then and now. No matter what has changed with the way we tell our stories, the inherent values remain strong as ever.

The Power of Stories

Never underestimate the power of storytelling to the human mind. We might have different views and reasons for loving reading, listening to stories, and telling stories, but one thing remains constant – imagination is one of the best platforms ever. From a very young age, we are exposed to storytelling. Our parents read us bedtime stories whenever it’s time to sleep, or when we’re sick, or when we’re afraid to be in our rooms alone. It can’t really be simply put into words, but the stories that our parents read us have a calming, reassuring effect that somehow tells us that everything’s gonna be okay.

And as we grow older, the stories continue to pour. The context and nature of these stories may change over time, but they are still stories all the same. The stories become more real, more painful, more challenging, and more graphic for some – different qualities that help shape a person’s character and personality. Whether these are stories that we’ve heard from family and friends, stories we’ve heard from complete strangers, stories written in the form of a song, stories immortalized in the big screen or on TV, or the stories that we can read over and over again in books – the charm of storytelling is universal and truly powerful.

Without doubt, times do change, and so do our ways. More and more people ditch the traditional ways of storytelling and embrace modern ones. Some find comfort at the convenience of these technologies, while others simply have not much of another option. But the real way to look at things is to see how lucky we all are to be given the chance to hear and tell our own stories.

There’s Something About Storytelling

Audiobooks – digital tracks and recordings of books and literature – are only one of the many ways that we enjoy the art of storytelling. These special books are being used by people for a variety of reasons – entertainment, research, and most of the time, relaxation. Nairita Mukherjee tells us more about these talking books.

Source: http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-02-26/books/37019660_1_audiobooks-pan-macmillan-amish-tripathi

The Library is for Everyone

There is no more excuse for anybody to not visit the library. With e-books and audiobooks now available in most local and national libraries, even the visually impaired can enjoy a quiet time at the library to catch up on their reading. But what’s this about yoga inside the library? Neal J. Riley tells us the story on his post.

Source: http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Visually-impaired-enjoy-yoga-in-library-4340896.php

Latino Students Get their Headphones On

Based on statistics and surveys, Latino students are lagging behind in their studies – particularly in math and reading. One way to address the problem was the use of audiobooks. Students listened to audiobooks as the schools tried to boost literacy in different subjects. Monica Olivera tells us the complete story.

Source: http://nbclatino.com/2013/03/06/using-audiobooks-to-boost-your-childs-literacy/

Transferring Audiobooks to iPods

Do you have audiobooks on CD? That’s great, but if you plan to listen to your tracks when you are on the go, did you know that you can also use your iPod? Learn how to transfer your audiobooks from the CD to the iPod in a few quick steps, as listed down by Jared Huizenga.

Source: http://www.ehow.com/how_5791687_download-audiobook-cds-ipod.html

On Copy Protected Songs

One of the most common problems when dealing with audiobook playback is not being able to hear anything at all. In most cases, this is because the track is copy protected. What do you do about it, you ask? Check out Rick Maybury’s post as he shares his personal bout with similar technology.

Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/advice/9903039/Why-are-my-audiobooks-inaudible.html

Audiobooks vs. Reading: Who Wins?

cd-and-booksIn 2005, when the MP3 player audiobook craze started, it was considered cute to see people strolling or jogging along the pathways of the local parks listening to their favorite books as they exercised. Audiobooks have really seen an increase in popularity recently with people listening to them on the way to work, on breaks, while exercising and cleaning house, or even while just relaxing. Now, it seems that even times when people could be reading a book, they still tend to prefer to just plug in and listen. Audiobooks are great but controversy points to the fact that they aren’t the same as actually reading a book. Does your brain retain the information as well as if your eyes are following the written word? Read on to find out.

The Feel of the Book

Many people report that the feel of the book helps them to retain information easier. It’s been reported as an association between being cozy and the feel of the book in your hands. When most people think of reading, especially a fiction novel, it brings up images of a couch, a blanket tucked in around the legs, coffee in hand, and a fire in the fireplace. To many people, that is the best way to read, not listening to your book as you rush home from work during 5:00 traffic.

On the other hand, if it wasn’t for audiobooks in today’s ultra busy world, some people wouldn’t get to read their favorite authors at all. For many, the job, kids, and just life in general have them too exhausted to read at the end of the day, so they listen to audiobooks as they go about their daily business. It is certainly better to hear your book than not get to read it at all right?

Research Shows…

Research into the audiobook vs. reading debate has come up with some pretty interesting results. Research has shown that reading and listening are actually cognitively similar. The bottom line here is that people who read and understand what they are reading are just as likely to retain and understand what they are listening to as well. For example, reading and listening is often used in teaching a foreign language.

Research also shows that you can get distracted from reading easily and lose your place and train of thought. Which is true as avid readers know because it has happened to all of us at some time or another. A lot of losing your concentration with audiobooks is the fact that people multitask when listening to them. It’s just not possible to read a book while you are doing the dishes or vacuuming. However, with an audiobook you can easily get wrapped up in whatever task you’re doing and forget about listening to your book.

The Type of Book

The fact has been discussed that the type of book you are listening to can determine how well you absorb the words. Books that are difficult sometimes require you to go back and read other words to tie them together, something you can’t really do with an audiobook. The end result is that whether listening or reading we stop both if there is even a hint that something more interesting might be going on. That is human nature and whether we devour a book with our eyes or our ears we will still get distracted if something happens. Audiobooks force you to listen to every word that is spoken, something books often don’t do. I, myself have gotten so into a book that I skim sentences to see what happened. You can miss a lot that way. This isn’t possible with an audiobook, you hear every word of what is being read to you so the reality is that you retain more of it.

My Conclusions

While I can’t see myself curling up on the couch and listening to my book on a lazy afternoon, I can see the benefit of audiobooks. If you just can’t wait to find out who did it in our latest mystery but you have to clean the bathroom, pop on an audiobook and you will soon know. If you were up all night with a sick baby and have an exam at school the next morning, pop in your audiobook and cram on the way to school.

I guess we will never truly know whether the eyes or the ears are better when it comes to retaining knowledge, and in today’s technology driven world there are so many options from e-books to blogs and audio to video that it’s hard to slow down and even try to figure it all out.

In my opinion, it’s a personal choice or then again why can’t we all just do both? Do you read books or listen to audio? Which way suits you better? We would love to hear your opinion!

Summary of Posts: March 24th 2013

This cycle in AudoBooksNow we discussed everything from the reasons people buy audiobooks to how to download them on your iPod. Join us and tell us what your favorite audiobooks are.

  • Jason Boog tells how the audiobooks are gaining popularity with increasing number sales and decreasing number of people returning the purchases to the stores. Future looks great for audiobook publishers!
  • Valley News gives the reasons why more and more people are buying audio books and other digital versions of books despite the general preference for paperbacks.
  • Shannon Maughan has prepared lists of audio titles that are scheduled to be released this spring. Whether you want to buy fiction or nonfiction for children and young adults, this is the place to go to read up on what’s hot.
  • Downloading audiobooks on your iPad has never been simpler thanks to WikiHows step by step instructions here.
  • Audiobooks have become extremely popular with busy people everywhere. It’s great to be able to listen to your favorite authors new book as you drive home from work in the afternoons, isn’t it?
  • Finally, we discussed the rising popularity of audiobooks and the reasons behind it. Do you listen to audiobooks? Tell us why and which ones here.