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Posts Tagged ‘audio book’

If you are like me and have an unquenchable thirst for knowledge, you will know how hard it is to make time during the day to read everything you want to. I am also an entrepreneur, so want to know every new way of making money. Driving to me is a waste of valuable time. So I decided to consolidate this time by getting an audio book to listen to as I drove.

I took great care over this purchase as I do everything, and the positive reviews of The Richest Man in Babylon make me purchase it. What a waste of $4.95 that turned out to be.

The voices used in audio books are vital, and the olde English tongue used here was far from impressive, and quickly began to grate. There was also only just over 4 hours of listening time.

If you are young and keen to learn the basic principals of money making, then this book will appeal to you. If you have been in the game a while like me, you will find the whole experience somewhat underwhelming. There are stories to decode, and the odd hidden meaning, but the main principals are made blatantly obvious.

The Richest Man in Babylon shoots itself in the foot by confusing the characters in the tales, as the stories themselves are very simple and basic. It all ends up as a bit of a mish-mash.

If you are hoping to learn something new from this book, you will be as disappointed as me. It preaches the old principal of the divisible income, you know the one. Spend 10% on investments, 70% on everyday needs and the remaining 20% on clearing debts.

Other wise teachings are that you should never accept financial advice from those who aren’t experts, and don’t become a heavy gambler…I kid you not!

All this is well and good if you are either a child or a bit of an idiot, but if you have to be told this stuff you shouldn’t be working in finance.

The Richest Man in Babylon may have had great reviews, but unless you are an absolute beginner who doesn’t even have a bank account, you will learn absolutely nothing from this book and it will be four hours of your life that you will never get back again. That may sound harsh but I am a successful business man seeking more success, not looking to go over stuff that I learnt at grade school.

For many the words “Pulp Fiction” refers to the movie starring John Travolta, Uma Thurman, Samuel L. Jackson and Bruce Willis. While the movie was a success and helped resurrect John Travolta’s career, there was another form of Pulp Fiction that captured the imagination of millions of fans.

It all began in the early 1900s where well known and budding writers and illustrators began churning out fantastic stories and characters on cheap pulp wood paper (hence pulp fiction). The first and second world war demanded the public be economically minded and cheap disposable pulp paper fit perfectly for that time period. It was also a time where the entertainment value of the pulp magazines fulfilled the need for the war weary and depressed economy people were dealing with. It was a welcome break to experience a swashbuckling high sea adventure or exotic locations and cultures one would normally be unfamiliar with. So popular were these magazines that it was not uncommon for over a million copies flying off the shelves when the next issue came out.

Historically, stories were passed down orally about dramatic events and personas that were relayed to preserve the past. Humanity has always loved a good story teller and it is no different today. However, there is something quite unique and special about our pulp fiction era. The genres were expanded upon which was very well received by the reading audience. It was the era of “Sherlock Holmes,” “Tarzan,” “Zorro,” “The Phantom,” “Spiderman,” “Superman,” Etc. Pre 1900s delivered some of the most beloved classics but pulp fiction gave birth to the superhero! Indeed it was the pulps that were the precursor to the comic book era.

It was not just the birth of the super hero; it was also the expansion of the genres such as detective stories developed to “hard boiled detective, crime and gagsters, spicy detective and courtroom battles. We read horror, fantasy (including dark fantasy), and science fiction like we had never experienced before. The western genre was very popular as was high sea and air adventure, far flung adventure and tales from the orient.

The old classics typically were leather bound and inscribed but the pulps were sensationally illustrated. This gave potential buyers instant access to the nature of the story and boy did it work! One hundred years later we still use the same formula of illustrating the covers because it still works. However the pulp magazine covers were by far much more dramatic and colorful than today’s more conservative illustrations. These books and magazines are highly prized collectors items not just because of the stories but for the original art work.

This era cultivated some of the best writers that are still recognizable today such as; Edgar Rice Burroughs who was best known for the “Tarzan” series but he also wrote in science fiction, adventure and the western genre. Dashiell Hammett was famous for his hardboiled detective and crime stories, Lester Dent was known for having penned most of the “Doc Savage” adventure stories and some writers such as L. Ron Hubbard was a master of all genres. These and many more writers were leaders in their field and have paved the way for future writers to create exciting new adventures for us all. It is well worth it to acquaint oneself with these classic if not sometimes corny (i.e. superhero’s) but absolutely wonderful stories.

This is the 8th of 8 articles about why we should use Audio Books.

I am going to attempt to wrap up the last 7 articles and show you how to get the most out of digital – audio books.

I have given you 21 reasons why audio books are a smart idea.

For those of you that were on the fence, this should have put you over. I am going to give you one more reason why audio books are a great idea for you and your family.

I have shown you that it is very easy to help your children improve their reading skills. I have shown you how you can fill in your busy schedule so that you can also read books. Do you miss the times you read to your kids? Don’t you miss the time you used to be able to read?

Don’t you get tired of listening to the same music whenever you turn on the radio. Don’t you get tired of your kids running around like lunatics because they don’t have anything else to do? Don’t you get tired of the same old TV programs on. Even the new ones are just remakes of old ones.

You could “reread” the classics that you read when you were a kid or listen to a new biography or romance novel or science fiction book or anything else.

The huge numbers of audio books, with it’s variety will keep you busy trying to listen to them all for the rest of your life. They are easy to select, you can listen to excerpts, they are easy to download. You can be listening to a new novel, story, play, radio broadcast, comedy skit and many others in minutes.

Like they told you when you were young, the world is open to you just by reading a book. You could travel the world through the stories being told. Or you could live your life vicariously through the authors.

Finally, like I told you in the last article reading is great fun but if you want to retain what you read then you must read and listen to an unabridged audio book while reading the same book to get the most value out of reading.

But if you just don’t have time in your busy schedule or the same for your children then it is time to start a library of audio books. You can just load them to your computer or “burn” them to CD’s or mp3 players or iPods.

Remember, unlike books, audio books can vary from copy to copy just depending on who the reader is and if they make it interesting. They are not all the same book as each company will have their own reader and they will vary. So go to some where that has samples of the book, usually 3 to 5 minutes. Listen to the book and see if you like it. If not move on or get it if you do like it.

Good luck and happy listening.

Have you listened to a good audio book lately? Rather than read a novel, why not listen to one? You can listen to an audio book whilst commuting to and from work, jogging, or participating in any other activity in which you have brain capacity to spare and would like to make better use of your time.

Audio books can be used to educate and entertain, just like their written counterparts. They are available in more or less every topic including Arts & Drama, Biography, Business, Crime & Thrillers, Fiction, Foreign Language Study, Health & Recreation, History, Humor, Juvenile, Radio Shows, Religion & Spiritual, Self Help, and TV & Film. Audio books are often much cheaper than printed books, particularly if they are purchased as digital downloads.

So, what is an audio book? Well, it’s just an audio file (MP3 or WAV) that is stored and played on devices such as MP3 players, iPods, computers, and even cell phones (mobile phones). You can also burn the file to audio CD and then play it on your home Hi-Fi or pop it into your in-car audio system and, of course, your computer’s CD drive.

How do audio books differ from other MP3 or WAV files, then? In essence, they are no different to song files or podcasts downloaded in these formats. Instead of a song playing, a narrator reads a book.

How can you be sure that audio books are for you? You will only find out by giving it a try. And just like there is no guarantee that you will like the paperback novel bought from your local bookstore, there is no guarantee that you will like the audio version either. But before you spend your hard earned money on an audio book, do some research and find merchants who allow you to listen to (long) samples of your chosen audio book title and offer a money back guarantee. Yes, these merchants do exist! There is nothing more frustrating than to purchase an audio book only to find out that the narrator’s voice is monotonous, or the story is told without passion.

When purchasing audio books via the Internet, you might purchase them as physical products, e.g. a CD shipped to your home or office. However, it is more convenient to purchase an audio book as a digital download, if you have a fast Internet connection such as broadband. You get your audio book delivered ‘immediately’ and avoid problems like the product being lost in the post. As a rough guide, expect 1 hour’s high quality content to result in a file size of around 60MB. This should only take a few minutes to download on a moderately fast broadband connection; if you only have dial-up Internet access, it will take considerably longer.

So, the next time you’re taking a walk in the park, are on a long and boring train journey to work, exercising, cooking, gardening, or just chilling out, why not listen to a good novel? Remember how you enjoyed your teacher reading you a story at school, or your parents reading you a bedtime story? I am sure you do.

The Lord of the Rings trilogy has taken the world by storm over the last few years. J.R.R. Tolkien’s classic stories have been given a new lease of life thanks to the fantastic cinematic world of Peter Jackson. His film adaptations captured the spirit of the original novels and created a whole new army of Tolkien fans. They were released in three installments as The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), The Two Towers (2002) and The Return of the King (2003). As an aside, in 1978 the animator Ralph Bakshi created an animated version of the story, attracting more fans to the world of the Shire and Middle Earth (though not to the same degree as Jackson’s creation).

However, despite the popularity of the novels and the films, many people are unaware of the wonderful Lord of the Rings audio book. The audio book is attracting a sizeable fan base, although purists might sneer at the idea of an audio book version of the novel. However, the classic text read aloud brings a whole new dimension to the story and may even provide new insights into the plot. Also, consider the convenience of being able to listen to the novels whilst on the move: in the car, on the train or plane, for example. Maybe you’d like some entertainment whilst sunning yourself on the beach but can’t stand the glare of the sun on the white pages of a book!

Are there different versions of the Lord of the Rings Audio Book?

Yes, there are several versions of the story, but perhaps the best known is read by actor Robert Inglis. This is a mammoth work which runs to forty six CDs! The recording is first rate and is completely uncut, which means that you’re going to need quite a few days to get through the entire collection! For LOTR devotees this could be the first choice, especially if authenticity is your primary concern.

However, there is another extremely popular Lord of the Rings audio book produced by the BBC. You need to be aware that BBC audio books are usually in a radio-theater style rather than a simple, straightforward reading of the novel. This might be preferable if you are seeking a more entertaining, or fun, experience. The choice between the two styles of audio book is ultimately up to you and your personal preferences.

How much will all this cost me?

As you can imagine, forty six CDs is going to cost quite a bit of money. Think of it, though, as an investment in your future entertainment. In fact, the CDs could cost you up to $100 if bought brand new in the high street. However, thanks to the marvel that is the internet, it is possible to locate discounted, used copies from a number of suppliers. If cost is an issue for you then it would certainly pay to shop around on the web and locate a number of suppliers to compare prices.

Even die-hard Tolkien fans will find the Lord of the Rings audio book an entertaining experience.