Simply Audiobooks Inc.

Take the Vegan Challenge like Oprah with the Help of this Audio Book

You may have noticed the craze of healthy eating these past couple of years. People are more conscious about fueling their bodies with their needs verses wants. Being a vegetarian myself, I know that it can still be a challenge to say no to honey mustard chicken wings, or fries deep fried in sheep’s fat. But that yearning slowly dies off, when you’re introduced to foods that literally change how you feel, for the better. Oprah seems to be taking the challenge as well, the Vegan Challenge. Inspired by Kathy Freston’s new book “Veganist: Lose Weight, Get Healthy, Change the World”, Oprah and 378 staff members will be going vegan for one week. Freston’s new book goes on to discuss why a “plant-based diet is not only good for the animals and the environment but also for your physical and spiritual well being.”

There is a positive message about veganism. However, if you’ve never embarked on such a challenge, adopting a vegan lifestyle for good is much harder than one would anticipate. I’m looking forward to seeing the Oprah Show and how everyone makes out. Now, time to make some vegetarian chili.

Ever wonder what narrators think when recording an audio book? What they strive for, the goals they have in place? Well, a great article was released by Sinclair McKay outlining some experiences narrators have had. Like the beautiful actress Rosemund Pike, who used audio books “to brush up her regional accents.” Now, the author of The Secret Life of Bletchley Park, Sinclair McKay, had the opportunity to read her own novel. She describes her own experience, how one would think reading was so straightforward and yet you find yourself fluffing it up, going into unfamiliar territory, feeling self-conscious about your voice and trying to keep the audience entertained all at the same time.

I thought the article was quiet entertaining. I’ve listened to audio books many times but never really envisioned what it would be like listening to yourself for hours on end in a studio, questioning whether it’s time to raise your voice, creating authentic accents. Also, ever wonder why you’ve never heard the reader turn the page? It’s because they stop reading on the bottom of the right-hand page and start recording again when the page has been turned over and pinned back. And let’s not forget about the sensitivity of the microphone, it picks up everything, including a “gastric intrusion”. This is a perfect illustration as to why you should never read on an empty stomach. And why it’s important not to forget the amount of work and talent needed to present such amazing entertaining audio books.

Read the full article here.

Plus, stay tuned this Friday when we announce the winner for the AUDIO BOOK OF THE YEAR!

From now until the end of the month, you can download DRACULA, by Bram Stoker for free.

At more than 110 years old, Bram Stoker’s Dracula is still considered the ultimate vampire novel.

Jonathan Harker, a young English solicitor, travels to Count Dracula’s home on business, but soon finds himself prisoner in the eerie castle and subject to its nefarious spells.

The Count soon heads for London on an ill-fated ship from which no sailors survive. He begins to menace Harker’s fiancee and preys upon her best friend, ultimately turning her into one of his undead.

Download Bram Stoker’s DRACULA now.

This month download The Stolen White Elephant, by Mark Twain for free!

A royal white elephant – a gift from the King of Siam to the Queen of England – disappears in New Jersey during a stopover after a long sea voyage and the local police department goes into high gear to solve the mystery. This Mark Twain audiobook is sure to leave you laughing out loud.

Get your free audiobook download now.

June is Audiobook Month and we want to get you listening! And we’re going to do it with a good ol’ fashioned Battle of the Books.

Most of you are familiar with Simply Audiobooks’ free audiobook download of the month, but this month we’ve got a little something extra up our sleeve. For the entire month of June we’re going to be offering a new free download every week as voted by you.

On Tuesday June 1st watch for our first free audiobook download – you can find it right here on the blog, on the Simply Audiobooks homepage, or on our free download page. Once you’ve downloaded your first free book of the month, head right back here to the Simply Audioblog and vote for the title you want to see as next week’s free book. Voting will start every Tuesday afternoon and will close the following Monday when the winner will be declared. The winning title will be posted the following day as the new free download and two new contestants will go head-to-head to vie for the title of ‘free download’ for the next week. This will go on for the entire month of June, which means, if my math is right (and it hardly ever is), you can get 5 free audiobooks this month.

You don’t have to be a member to vote or download the free titles, so spread the word and the audiobook love.

P.S. You can vote once every day so visit us regularly to help get the title you want voted the winner.

Let the battle begin!

This month’s free audio book download is from the ‘Queen of Crime’ herself, Dame Agatha Christie.

The Mysterious Affair at Styles was Christie’s first novel, and introduces us to Hercule Poirot, the Belgian detective who would become one of Christie’s most famous and long-lived characters, appearing in 33 novels and 51 short stories.

In this tale, Poirot is summoned to a magnificent country estate to solve a murder. The victim: a wealthy heiress. The suspects: her fortune-hunting husband, her jealous relatives, her hired companion. The solution: a deadly scheme that is revealed by the master detective himself.

Download The Mysterious Affair at Styles for free today.

March’s free audiobook download is The Lost Stories of Louisa May Alcott.

This month get a little taste of lesser-known Louisa May Alcott tales. The ‘Lost Stories’ include numerous newly discovered stories that were originally published anonymously.

Written while she was completing Little Women, Alcott scribbled these short stories of ‘intrigue and suspense’ in her Boston attic, drawing from her experiences, her reading, and even her dreams.

Get your free audiobook download now.

November’s Free Download of the Month is The Stock Market Crash of 1929. Visit www.simplyaudiobooks.com and learn about what contributed to the crash from the actual newspaper reports written in 1929 through to the 1930′s. This audiobook captures the immediacy missing from the present-day historical perspective, covering causes, results and the short and long term effects on individuals and the economy.

But if that’s too close to reality for an entertaining read this month, for the next 2 weeks only, choose up to 10 audiobooks to download, FREE! Stories include: Anne of Green Gables, The Art of War, The Wasteland, and more! Click here for details, and to start downloading!

Note: Free downloads are for personal use only and not for commercial distribution.

If you love audio books and getting free stuff, then this is your lucky day (or more accurately, your lucky 2 weeks)!

Visit http://www.simplyaudiobooks.com/free_stuff and:

- download 10 free audio books

- enter to win a hot new book on CD from bestselling authors Nicholas Sparks, Michael Connelly or James Patterson

- play our audio book trivia game for your chance to win a free trial of our 2-at-a-Time audio book rental membership, or free shipping

- show your love of audio books with a free Simply Audiobooks bumper sticker

Fill the lull between Halloween and the holiday season with some free stuff from Simply Audiobooks. Don’t wait, get your free stuff today!

… no pun intended.

Of all the monsters, I think Dracula should be Halloween’s ‘official mascot’. He can turn into a bat (he’s got a costume) and he drinks blood (which is super scary) and costumes and scariness are totally the two main components of Halloween! Well, that and candy. But none of the monsters have candy.

To remind you of Dracula’s awesomeness (and our free download of the month), his story, well, Bram Stoker‘s story of Dracula is our free download this month. That’s right, F-R-E-E! Visit Simply Audiobooks and click on the ‘Free Download’ tab. Don’t wait! It’s only available free until Halloween.

If you’re looking for other scary tales, shop now, and get 20% off horror and thriller audiobooks on CD or cassette until Friday, October 31!