As many of you will know our libraries offer a wide selection of audio books in both CD and digital format. Our talking books on CD are found on-shelf in the libraries themselves, and we offer a range of digital titles through our eBook providers - ePlatform and Borrow Box. If you can’t find what you’re looking for anywhere in our collections, you may do well to head to librivox.org; a non-profit, ad-free collection of books in the public domain, read aloud by volunteers and made available to everyone.

The Librivox site is a no-frills affair to be sure, but is extremely easy to navigate and use as a result. Most people browsing for the first time will likely start with a simple keyword search using the search box in the top right-hand corner. The collection covers the better part of canonical literature from the English-speaking world, and works by classic authors such as Charles Dickens, Jane Austen and Charlotte Brontё are all well-represented. Translations into English of materials by such notables as Tolstoy, Voltaire and Cervantes are also available.

For me, personally, I find collections of Native American myths and legends are, in particular, better enjoyed in an audio format, as it better fits the tradition of oral storytelling from which they arise. I find this to be true, also, of early American literature in general, and hearing tales read aloud from such authors as Washington Irving and Nathaniel Hawthorne is an excellent way to while away an evening by the fire.

Most of the content on this website is in .mp3 format contained within .zip files. Just click ‘download’ next to the one you want and extract the files once you’re done. If you need any help with this, feel free to pop in to your local library and ask one of our librarians.

By Josh

Find more great reading recommendations on our Books and Reading page