April 2013 - Page 2 of 4 - AudiobooksNow Blog

Summary of Posts: April 21st 2013

In this cycle, we talk about the many benefits of using audiobooks, whether for yourself or for your children. From fostering independence and improving imagination to learning new languages, audiobooks are great tools to have.

Are you thinking about buying audiobooks on iTunes? You should probably read this post first, to be sure that you’re making the right choice.
We often ask about which books are the best, if not for us, then for our kids. The answer may be puzzling for some, but it’s as simple as it can get.
The best time during pregnancy is every mom and baby bonding moment. Make these moments mean more by making sure they’ll be to the benefit of mom and the baby.
Parents agree. There are a lot of benefits that kids can get from using audiobooks. They’re not just sources of entertainment and fun – they can help improve skills that are important in life.
Are you trying to learn new languages? Audiobooks are among the most popular methods of learning on your own. See the pros and cons of self-studying using audiobooks.
Finally, we talk about the many benefits of audiobooks for kids of all ages. These are definitely every parent’s best friends.

Audiobooks are Parents’ Best Friends

In this modern age, parents need all the help they can get – whether this is to keep their kids occupied so they can get work done or to assist in the learning process of their children. Thanks to technology and the many resources now available to us, parenting is at least a tiny bit easier and more manageable.

Audiobooks are great tools for parents, whatever the age of the children. In fact, even if the baby isn’t born yet, mom (and even dad) can start reading stories to the growing bundle of joy inside her belly or simply play back audiobooks while resting and relaxing. And when the babies grow up enough to start learning different lessons, audiobooks are still helpful tools for this task. They help improve the kids’ comprehension and imagination while also fostering their literacy independence, since the parents or guardian don’t have to manually read the book to them from page to page.

Then, when the kids are running about and wreaking havoc all over the place, mom and dad can pop on their earphones and get lost in another world by listening to their favorite audiobooks, too. So you see, these books are definitely a godsend for parents, no matter how they intend to use them.

Which Books are Best for Kids this Summer?

Summer is here sooner than we expected, and it’s that time once again to fill up our arsenal with different activities to keep our kids on the go and not bored. For less physically-inclined activities, books are a great way to go. But which books, you ask? The New York Times answers in earnest.

Source: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/08/02/summer-must-read-for-kids-any-book/

Mommy and Baby’s Reading Time

Reading (or listening to) books is a great pastime for almost everybody – including babies! Even before your precious one is welcomed to the world, be sure he/she knows of the joys of storytelling by reading to him/her or by playing audiobooks. Learn more about this mom and baby bonding activity from BabyCenter.com.

Source: http://www.babycenter.com/0_reading-to-your-baby_368.bc

Audiobooks are Great for Kids

If you think that audiobooks are only great for adults, think again. LIFEclectic, an online magazine for parents, lists the many benefits that kids can get from using audiobooks – both for entertainment and educational purposes. See the list and compare your own experiences. Do you agree with their points?

Source: http://www.lifeclectic.com/2011/07/15/benefits-audio-books-children/

Setting the Record Straight with Audiobook Education

Audiobooks are among the most common methods of learning, especially when it comes to new languages. But is it really possible that these are the best ways to learn a new tongue? Bluse Lee gives us an unbiased rundown of the pros and cons of using audiobooks for this purpose.

Source: http://voices.yahoo.com/can-learn-foreign-language-audio-books-2746013.html?cat=9

The Verdict on iTunes Audiobooks

Before purchasing audiobooks on iTunes, you might want to look into other alternatives. You have to be aware that these aren’t supported files for iCloud sharing, unlike other iTunes downloads. Also, you can only download the same audiobook once from Apple. Find out more about iTunes audiobooks in Andrew Kunesh’s post for macgasm.net.

Source: http://www.macgasm.net/2013/04/03/psa-itunes-audiobooks-are-not-backed-up-to-icloud/

Audiobooks: Abridged vs. Unabridged

Listening to audiobooks is one of the best and easiest ways to catch up on new books and old favorites without having to carve out special time in the day to actually sit down and read. Audiobooks are easy to listen to anytime, but most people take advantage of down time in their vehicles or when doing mundane chores such as housework or yard work. Often, though, you come across a section of the book you’re just not that interested in but decide you don’t want to fast forward on the chance that you might miss an important piece of dialogue or a pertinent description.

Before selecting which audiobook you’re interested in purchasing, consider whether you are purchasing an unabridged or an abridged version of that same book.

The unabridged version of the book is read, in its entirety, exactly the way the author wrote the book and exactly the way it was originally published. The definition of unabridged is “Not reduced in length by condensing. Containing the original content; not condensed.” So when you purchase an unabridged version of the book, you’re getting all the dialogue, all the flowery descriptions, all the meat and potatoes…along with veggies, sides, garnishes, and condiments!

The definition of abridged is “To reduce in scope; to shorten by omission of words without sacrifice of sense.” An abridged version of a book maintains the integrity of the story while reducing the length, thus, reducing the amount of time it might take to read. There are many reasons that a book may be abridged. Books are abridged in order to remove questionable content. They may also be abridged in order to reduce the overall size of the material to make it faster to download and faster to finish listening. Shorter books are sometimes more appealing to people because they don’t take up as much memory on their devices and can be listened to in a few short sessions rather than listening to an unabridged book for several days at a time.

Each version has its positives and negatives. When you listen to, or read, an unabridged version of a book, you can be certain you are listening to the book exactly as the author meant for you to hear it. Every word, every line, every description is read exactly the way it was meant to be conveyed. When you listen to an abridged version of a book, you are getting a version of the story, often with the permission of the author, that is shorter but just as engaging as the full version.

Why Should I Listen to Unabridged Audiobooks?

You are listening to the book the way the author meant for it to be listened to.
You like to define what is non-essential to any story you listen to or read.
You have the time to invest to listen to a full, unabridged book and don’t get bored easily by the same story going on for days, or weeks, at a time.
You read the book already but would like to listen to it this time.
You want to listen to a book that is considered classic literature but you’re only interested in the story.
You don’t have the time or patience to sit through days and weeks of an audiobook. You’d rather hear the shortened version.

Why Should I Listen to Abridged Audiobooks?

Whichever version you decide to choose, unabridged or abridged, rest assured you’re going to enjoy your book, no matter how long it takes you finish listening to it.

Summary of Posts: April 14th 2013

We talked about the many things that we can enjoy with the help of audio books – whether it’s to accompany us during exercise or to help us when teaching our kids the value of listening and reading. Check out the many stories we’ve prepared for you in this cycle:

Discover how listening to audio books while performing other duties can help you to multitask and get two things done at once from Tiffiny Carlson.
Are you among those that use audio books to keep you going during exercise and fitness training? Find out how others are using audio books during their fitness routines at lululemon.com.
Listening is one of the first things taught to kids at school. The literacy benefits of listening can be brought along with a child as he/she grows up and learns different lessons.
Audio books have different purposes, and teaching kids how to read is one of them. Whether it’s teaching your own kids or a group of children in a formal setting, these are great tools to have.
It’s a relatively new debate in the world of books: Is listening to audio books considered an equal to actually reading them, from cover to cover?
Finally, to close off the cycle, we had a little talk about the different benefits of listening.

The Different Benefits of Listening

It’s not just women whining to their boyfriends this time. Listening is an actual skill that is necessary in life. Let’s not over-complicate things – without listening, we wouldn’t be able to communicate properly. Without being able to listen, we would just keep blabbering and no one would be able to understand each other, let alone reciprocate reactions and replies. We won’t make sense in any way. Can you imagine if nobody listened – ever? The world would be full of noise and misunderstanding.

Listening helps hone the values that are considered integral for a healthy social and emotional life. It allows us to connect to other people and build relationships. Listening allows us to empathize to our friends and family, and they to us.

On a more serious note, we all know that listening is a skill that we learn early on in life – even before we are born into the world. As we grow up, it allows us to learn new things and discover stuff we didn’t know before. There are many ways to sharpen this skill: engaging in meaningful conversation, listening to or reading stories, watching educational plays or films, and a whole lot more.

Listening is very important on so many levels. Sometimes, we forget how to do it, even as adults. Teaching our kids how to listen and comprehend the things told to them is a good reminder about this valuable life skill.