Music Fun

Audio Books Are Not Boring.

The narrators of audio books play a very important role in the production of the finished product.
And, thankfully the quality of audio books is generally excellent.

There are novels and text books which are just not suitable for narration. Any book which contains facts, figures and dates is a case in point. Also, if there is an intense plot with many diverse characters, the narrator might have some difficulty interpreting them properly.I listened to an historical account of the Vietnam War recently and because of the many dates and events mentioned, I’m sorry to say that I gave up on the audiobook and reverted to the written word.

However on the other side of the coin, we have fully dramatized productions which do lend themselves completely to the audio book format.  And, for those who are game for a laugh, there are many radio recording of classic comedy show audio books like Beyond Our Ken now available as an MP3 download. These comedy shows are evergreen and are well worth listening to again and again. Who can ever forget Manuel “I’m from Barcelona.” in the Fawlty Towers series.

For those studying English literature, high school or college, there are many titles from their reading lists available for immediate download, including audio book articles.
I remember many years ago trying to read Macbeth by William Shakespeare and having lots of trouble trying to retain an interest. My teacher suggested that we should attend an amateur production of the play at a local theatre and, I surprised myself how much I enjoyed it, and understood it much better.
What makes these audiobooks more interesting is that many of the narrators are Holywood actors. When sound effects and music are added to the mix, this makes the listening experience all the more enjoyable.
Another big benefit is that the student can listen to audiobooks on MP3 players while traveling. In other words they can turn idle time into productive time. That school bus journey could be a lot more interesting.

Another challenging subject for many students is the study of foreign languages and pronunciation in particular. But, help is at hand here in the form of language audio books. There is a range of Pimsleur audio books on the market which are professionally produced and make learning a second language much easier. The big benefit is that the narration is done by native speakers, and so the problem of correct pronunciation is eliminated.

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