My family and I just got back from a camping trip, which is how our family takes vacations. Mainly due to cost. Traveling is expensive, especially when you are taking three kids along. And while camping is a great way for our family to spend time together away from home (without spending a fortune) it doesn't stop me from dreaming of going to more exotic places!
Now I can! Sort of. One of the new things in travel is audio guides. They are mp3 files of travel destinations designed to be listened to while you're at typical tourist spot or on a suggested walking tour. Kind of like having tour guide, only you can turn them off whenever you want :)
ItalyGuides has free audio guides of Rome, Venice and Florence. Each city has 3-4 audio guides of different locations, including the Coliseum, Michelangelo's David, and St. Mark's Basilica to name a few. In addition to the audio guides, there are numerous pictures, interactive maps and virtual panoramas to make your vacation more real.
So head on over if you are like me and aren't going to Italy but would really like to. And if you are going to Italy, then you should head over too and get the audio guides to take with you. Either way, have a nice trip!
Happy Listening!
Monday, June 4, 2007
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Listen to the Voices of the Authors
For years, Don Swaim had a CBS radio show called Book Beat. This show aired a 2 minuute interview with writers. But in order to get that 2 minutes, 30-45 minute interviews were taped. Now you can listen to all of the unedited interviews for free at Wired for Books.
These are interviews with some of the greatest writers of the twentieth century. They include: Maya Angelou, Isaac Asimov, Margaret Atwood, Mary Higgins Clark, Tom Clancy, Christopher Buckley, Kurt Vonnegut, Calvin Trillin, Paul Theroux, Amy Tan, Anne Rice, Alison Lurie, Andrew Greely, Janet Daily, James Dickey, Dick Francis and way too many more to list fully.
Wired for Books' mp3 page has an alphabetical listing of the interviewed authors in addition to some free audio books that include Alice in Wonderland, A Christmas Carol, In the Land of Men, The African American Oral Tradition, The Illiad in ancient Greek, the Aeneid in Latin, and some of Shakespeare's works.
Happy Listening!
These are interviews with some of the greatest writers of the twentieth century. They include: Maya Angelou, Isaac Asimov, Margaret Atwood, Mary Higgins Clark, Tom Clancy, Christopher Buckley, Kurt Vonnegut, Calvin Trillin, Paul Theroux, Amy Tan, Anne Rice, Alison Lurie, Andrew Greely, Janet Daily, James Dickey, Dick Francis and way too many more to list fully.
Wired for Books' mp3 page has an alphabetical listing of the interviewed authors in addition to some free audio books that include Alice in Wonderland, A Christmas Carol, In the Land of Men, The African American Oral Tradition, The Illiad in ancient Greek, the Aeneid in Latin, and some of Shakespeare's works.
Happy Listening!
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Free Fiction Audio Books
It can be pretty hard to find full length fiction audio books for free. But it can be done. Your best bet is to head over to Podiobooks.
Podiobooks is a collection of serialized audio books which are made available in podcast format. What's this mean? Well, you get a section (usually a chapter) of an audio book sent to you automatically at the interval of your choosing (once a day, once a week, etc.) You can also get the entire book sent to you all at once. For more information read Podiobook's FAQs.
You'll need to sign up for an account in order to get the audio books sent to you. But there is nothing to pay ever, unless you choose to make a donation to the author for a title that you particularly liked. Most of the audio books are from new, or relatively new, authors that are trying to get more exposure for their work.
You can also download chapters directly from Podiobooks if you are willing to take the time and/or don't want to set up a podcast.
There are 117 titles to choose from in a variety of genres, including fantasy, horror, children's, historical and more. So spice up your listening with Podiobooks.
Happy Listening!
Podiobooks is a collection of serialized audio books which are made available in podcast format. What's this mean? Well, you get a section (usually a chapter) of an audio book sent to you automatically at the interval of your choosing (once a day, once a week, etc.) You can also get the entire book sent to you all at once. For more information read Podiobook's FAQs.
You'll need to sign up for an account in order to get the audio books sent to you. But there is nothing to pay ever, unless you choose to make a donation to the author for a title that you particularly liked. Most of the audio books are from new, or relatively new, authors that are trying to get more exposure for their work.
You can also download chapters directly from Podiobooks if you are willing to take the time and/or don't want to set up a podcast.
There are 117 titles to choose from in a variety of genres, including fantasy, horror, children's, historical and more. So spice up your listening with Podiobooks.
Happy Listening!
Monday, May 28, 2007
Memorial Day Audio Books
It's Memorial Day here in the US. What has become a long weekend of picnics, BBQs and camping. But it was set aside as a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation's service.
What better way to remember their sacrifice than by celebrating freedom? Below are two great sites that have audio versions of speeches and works dedicated to freedom.
FreeAudio is, in their words, "a non-partisan organization dedicated to the spread of liberty." Works that you can find there include Thomas Paine's Common Sense and the Bill of Rights. It is a wonderful site and I encourage you to head on over and add some liberty to your day.
AmericanRhetoric is a large collection of speeches (over 5,000) in text, audio and video formats. You can listen to a huge variety of speeches including presidential (past & present) and other great American statesmen.
So show your appreciation to all those who have served our country by enjoying, celebrating and increasing your freedom.
Happy Listening!
What better way to remember their sacrifice than by celebrating freedom? Below are two great sites that have audio versions of speeches and works dedicated to freedom.
FreeAudio is, in their words, "a non-partisan organization dedicated to the spread of liberty." Works that you can find there include Thomas Paine's Common Sense and the Bill of Rights. It is a wonderful site and I encourage you to head on over and add some liberty to your day.
AmericanRhetoric is a large collection of speeches (over 5,000) in text, audio and video formats. You can listen to a huge variety of speeches including presidential (past & present) and other great American statesmen.
So show your appreciation to all those who have served our country by enjoying, celebrating and increasing your freedom.
Happy Listening!
Sunday, May 27, 2007
Free Audio Documentaries
I'm fortunate enough to live in a country where I can freely express my views and opinions. Even better, others can do the same. And I've found a place where you can listen to some of those thoughts for free.
SoundPortraits has free audio documentaries that you can download and listen to. They are dedicated to bringing the stories of neglected American voices to a national audience.
Most of the feature documentaries at SoundPortraits are less than a half hour long and a lot of the "American Talkers" are less than five minutes long. If you normally listen to fiction audio books, you now can have a quick break from the usual and if you already listen to nonfiction, now you can listen to stories that aren't often told.
Just head over to the "On Air" link for the audio files or go there directly from here.
Happy Listening!
SoundPortraits has free audio documentaries that you can download and listen to. They are dedicated to bringing the stories of neglected American voices to a national audience.
Most of the feature documentaries at SoundPortraits are less than a half hour long and a lot of the "American Talkers" are less than five minutes long. If you normally listen to fiction audio books, you now can have a quick break from the usual and if you already listen to nonfiction, now you can listen to stories that aren't often told.
Just head over to the "On Air" link for the audio files or go there directly from here.
Happy Listening!
Saturday, May 26, 2007
Traveling with Kids and Free Audio Books
Lots of people, at least here in the US, are traveling this weekend. And traveling with kids too. This can be at times pretty darn painful. But audio books aren't just for adults. Put one geared for kids on and see how they quiet down and listen to a good story.
Storynory has free audio stories for children. Titles includes Cinderella, The Billy Goats Gruff, Snow White and The Gingerbread Man. They are also in the process of making Alice in Wonderland available chapter by chapter. Storynory also has titles in sections for Christmas, modern stories, longer stories and more. A new story is added each week so you should be able to find something that suits your needs.
So if you are going to be traveling with kids any time soon, check out Storynory and get something for the kids to listen to. The kids will enjoy it and you will all arrive at your destination just a little calmer, happier and maybe with more of your sanity intact than if you hadn't.
Happy Listening!
Storynory has free audio stories for children. Titles includes Cinderella, The Billy Goats Gruff, Snow White and The Gingerbread Man. They are also in the process of making Alice in Wonderland available chapter by chapter. Storynory also has titles in sections for Christmas, modern stories, longer stories and more. A new story is added each week so you should be able to find something that suits your needs.
So if you are going to be traveling with kids any time soon, check out Storynory and get something for the kids to listen to. The kids will enjoy it and you will all arrive at your destination just a little calmer, happier and maybe with more of your sanity intact than if you hadn't.
Happy Listening!
Friday, May 25, 2007
504 More Free Audio Books
You can get 500 free audio books at LearnOutLoud. And they offer a new audio book free each month. In order to get your free audio books at LearnOutLoud, you'll need to set up a free account and when you do, you'll have the option to receive a free audio resource of the day from them. Now you can get even more free audio content!
May's free audio book of the month is Wallace Wattles' The Science of Being Great. I was absolutely tickled to get this as it was his first work The Science of Getting Rich that attracted me to audio books in the first place. Better hurry over to LearnOutLoud to get your free copy today, May is almost over!
Most of the free resources I have given you so far have pretty weighty audio books, mostly classics and self-improvement titles. So here are 4 short story audio books for you to sit back and enjoy. Although, judging from the cover art, they aren't light hearted stories! You can get them here.
As an aside, LearnOutLoud has a great selection of educational and self-improvement audio books, including a lot of exclusive material. You can buy their titles in CD, cassette and downloadable mp3 format. And at some pretty great prices too. Check them out. Chances are LearnOutLoud has something that you've been looking for.
Happy Listening!
May's free audio book of the month is Wallace Wattles' The Science of Being Great. I was absolutely tickled to get this as it was his first work The Science of Getting Rich that attracted me to audio books in the first place. Better hurry over to LearnOutLoud to get your free copy today, May is almost over!
Most of the free resources I have given you so far have pretty weighty audio books, mostly classics and self-improvement titles. So here are 4 short story audio books for you to sit back and enjoy. Although, judging from the cover art, they aren't light hearted stories! You can get them here.
As an aside, LearnOutLoud has a great selection of educational and self-improvement audio books, including a lot of exclusive material. You can buy their titles in CD, cassette and downloadable mp3 format. And at some pretty great prices too. Check them out. Chances are LearnOutLoud has something that you've been looking for.
Happy Listening!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
