Do you ever set a goal for how many books you want to read within a year and about half way through realize you aren’t even close to meeting your goal? Or are you continually looking for ways to squeeze more reading into your crazy, busy schedule? If either of these sounds like you, read on to learn how you can increase the amount of time you’re reading and meet your goals!
1. Always Read More Than One Book at a Time
The easiest way to read more than one book at a time is to utilize a 3-book system. This system could look like the following:
A paperback by the couch for easy reading after dinner or for lazy Sunday afternoons.
An e-reader by your bed, where you can enjoy a good story or easy reading after crawling into bed
An audiobook on your smartphone or other device allows you to listen while you are driving, doing tasks around the house, going for walks or completing other tasks throughout the day.
2. Read More of What You Are in the Mood For
Some people will make a reading list for the year and then follow it exactly. If this system works for you and you enjoy it, great! Keep doing it! For others, reading or listening to books that you are in the mood to read will help you to get through them faster, ultimately allowing you to finish more books than you might have otherwise. If you have a friend or family member who knows you well and downloads audio books, ask them for recommendations.
3. Always Have a Book with You
Everywhere you go, always take a book with you. Whether it is a physical book, an eBook, or an audiobook, always having one with you means that when you are stuck sitting in the doctor’s office or waiting at the train station, you’ll be able to pass the time.
4. Work Reading into Your Schedule
Set a scheduled time in your weekly schedule for quality reading. Whether it is after you have set a standard time to turn off your computer and unwind for the day, following dinner, or after the kids are in bed, find a time that works best with your schedule and take some time to sit down and enjoy a good book. During this time, you can enjoy listening to your latest downloads audio books on your smartphone while you enjoy a bubble bath, curl up in your favorite blanket with your e-reader or any other way you enjoy to read your books. The great thing about audiobooks is that because they allow you to multi-task, they are easier to fit into your schedule.
Find time to enjoy your favorite author’s latest novel from Audiobooks Now! Before you know it, you’ll be reading multiple books a week and everyone will want to know your secret.
In a surprising variation from mystery and gore, author Stephen King presents a poignant novel about what can be the best in people. Of course, King cannot help himself in adding just a bit of supernatural to enrich the story of tolerance and rising above the frey.
Elevation is set in King’s iconic town of Castle Rock, as have many of his stories emanated from. There are a few odd things about his main character, Scott Carey but one really mysterious one is that it does not matter what he eats, or what he wears, he always weighs the same.
The audio version seems best to many readers, since Stephen King himself narrates the story. Nobody would know how to project the story better than author King.
Unlikely alliances are made as local battles ensue in the community. Some call Elevation the feel good novella of the year. And with the audio version, you get a bonus story called Laurie. King also reads the bonus story, which by itself is not fantastic, but it does mesh with Elevation, and it is free. The ending of Elevation is mesmerizing with a kind of emotional finality.
American romance novelist, Nicholas Sparks, has written many award winning novels, with several having been adapted to film. His work has been enjoyed by millions all over the world. In his newest offering, Every Breath, the age old dilemma of making choices from the heart or from reality hits home. Almost everyone has had to make a similar decision, and it is never an easy choice.
Hope Anderson has been with her orthopedic surgeon boyfriend for six years, and does not see any signs of a commitment being made. She is thirty-six years old, and had always thought she would be married by now. And to make matters even worse, her father has been diagnosed with the life ending disease, ALS. Hope must now go to their Sunset Beach, North Carolina cottage to refresh it to begin the sale process. She will use the time to think about possible decisions she must make about her future.
Tru Walls is on an adventure of his own. He received a message from a man claiming to be his father. He was invited to Sunset Beach to meet this man to find out if he was the father he had never met. He made the long trip there from Zimbabwe, to lear
n more about his mother’s early life. She passed away before he was able to find out details from his mother.
When Hope and Tru cross paths, it seemed to be love at first sight. Neither ever imagined that such a connection would ever happen, but here they both were at a most vulnerable time. Every Breath explores that mysterious time when each character has life changing decisions facing them, and now, how will their new found love influence those decisions?
In the same romantic tradition as previous Nicholas Sparks novels…….The Notebook, Nights in Rodanthe…….a chance encounter becomes a touchstone for two vastly different individuals. Readers will wonder if this novel will follow the previous two mentioned, to become an extremely popular movie. Time will tell.
In all of human history, people have never had such torment and torture as those who were led to the death camps in Germany during the Holocaust. It is almost unimaginable how those Jewish ancestry people were herded like animals on trains to the death camps. How did the Nazis convince so many to first participate? The new offering by Bill O’Reilly delves into a lesser known subject……that of four of the SS Agents, the worst of the worst, who managed to escape to another country, primarily Argentina and Brazil. The four that O’Reilly tracks are Josef Mengele, the “angel of death”, who performed hideous medical experiments at Auschwitz; Martin Bormann, Hitler’s brutal personal aid; Klaus Barbie, “Butcher of Lyons”, and possibly the most evil of all, Adolf Eichmann, who coordinated and organized every aspect of the “final solution”, which ended up torturing and killing millions of Jews.
A group called the Nazis Hunters, consisting of Israeli Mossad, a French husband and wife team, an American lawyer who served during D-day, a German prosecutor who had signed a Nazis Party note, and a death camp survivor. Over decades, this group tracked down not only the four worst, but the many, many others who were monsters involved in the satanic plan.
The book is told by O’Reilly as he is very descriptive of the horrendous atrocities that were committed against the Jewish people, Gypsies, Homosexuals, and Special needs people. All who Hitler and his minions determined to be defective people. The book has been extensively researched and organized in its formation. It is a very graphic book, because it is a very graphic subject, following the worst of humanity as they perpetrated monstrous and evil crimes against those they despised.
As with many in the entertainment business, Sally Field had many personal challenges along the way. In her biographical novel, In Pieces, she is very candid about her inadequacies and how they both contributed to and detracted from her successful acting career. She played a 17 year old wholesome teen with the idyllic family life. Her own reality was anything but idyllic.
The shy and anxious little girl who would become a Hollywood and TV star, played every character she was given with everything she had. One of the most moving and emotional of her major works is the made for TV drama, Sybil. She portrayed a schizophrenic of extreme proportions, who like her own reality, had a very tumultuous relationship with her mother. Sybil’s mother was horrendously and violently cruel, performing vile acts against her daughter. Sally Field’s own mother was an alcoholic who was always angry and refused to believe her young daughter that her father was sexually assaulting her. It would seem to make sense that her personal experience would contribute to such a role. Before that serious role of a lifetime, Fields played 17 year old Gidget on TV followed later by The Flying Nun series. Other notable works are Norma Rae, Smokey and the Bandit, Steel Magnolias, Forrest Gump, Lincoln, and the remake of Sybil. She has given each role careful and thoughtful attention. She always receives critic acclaim for her work.
It has been said that Sally Field has written In Pieces with candor and honesty. That is usually a very difficult task for those who are entertainers. They hide behind project roles for much of their life, so when they write about their true selves, it can seem surreal. Those like Sally, who are successful and who speak from a safe height in their career and life, can serve to give guidance to new professionals just beginning. Sally Field hid her shyness and anxiety from the public, but has accomplished much in spite of feeling like her life was at times, In Pieces.
In the newest effort by author, Clive Cussler, the 13th in the Oregon series, Shadow Tyrants, has proven to be a very suspenseful and thrilling novel. It has debuted as #1 on the New York Times bestseller list. As in the previous Cussler books, this one begins with an ancient organization, then jumps to some situation, in this case, a plane hijacking and crash, ending with some type of present day correlation.
It takes the crew of the Oregon to try to come between two fighting factions. The Oregon leader, Cabrillo, is charged with keeping the two moguls from fighting, to end the potential destruction of the earth. It was said that this book had the most impactful affect between the characters of ancient time and those in current times.
The huge threat to the world is that one faction has learned how to permanently deactivate all the computer chips in the world, sending it back to the 1950’s. The estimated loss of life would be in the billions. So, in comes the Oregon to save the world again. The Oregon is triumphant again, but only after a very close call.
Reading and books can have positive impacts on your life. In fact, when you download books on audio your quality of life can improve significantly. Whether you are an avid reader or are just learning how fascinating books are, audiobooks are the perfect way to consume as many books as you can! Here are 5 ways in which audiobooks can improve your life!
1. Enhance Your Education
Reading is power and power is knowledge. Knowledge and education is everything, which is why it is important to read and learn as much as you possibly can.
2. Increase Your Productivity
The time that you previously would have spent on less-productive tasks, such as sitting in traffic, riding your bike, etc. can now be used to enjoy an audiobook and increase your education. These opportunities provide you with the ability to enjoy a book while performing another necessary task. You’ll find that you are more productive and don’t mind commuting to work anymore!
3. Breeze Through Difficult Subjects
Books that once seemed boring are now exciting, as you can listen to a talented narrator bring the story to life. You no longer have the excuse of avoiding difficult books, because audiobooks make difficult books easier to comprehend.
4. Increase Your Reading Speed
If you consider yourself to be a slow reader or not a reader at all, you can still enjoy audiobooks. Most audiobooks allow you to breeze through more books in the same amount of time. Some audiobooks even allow you to speed up the pace at which the narrator is talking, allowing you to get through even more books.
5. Affordable
Audiobooks are substantially more affordable than print books, allowing you to purchase even more. Different platforms offer monthly memberships which discount the price of the audiobooks even more. Audiobooks make it so that you can enjoy reading without breaking your budget!
At Audiobooks Now you are able to download books on audio that you can enjoy just about anywhere! With a wide selection of popular books, new releases and so much more, you can find the book that you are looking for at an affordable price! Check out the selection of audiobooks available today!
There have been many stirring novels about the holocaust, and this novel by Danielle Steel, In His Father’s Footsteps, is a very poignant story about two holocaust survivors, and their struggle to rediscover life. The question is…..will the second generation of these survivors have an easy time in their own lives, or will they also face challenges.
Friends Jakob and Emmanuelle have gratefully survived a horrible ordeal, and now they moved to New York’s Lower East Side. They could only find jobs that were very physically grueling, and the pay was terrible. But, they flourished and had a son, Max, whom they never wanted to have to ever start from the bottom as they did.
Max becomes extremely successful. He is a well-educated Harvard graduate and uses the wise advice that came from his father to build a very successful real estate venture. He also finds who he thinks is the love of his life, which led to an elaborate ceremony and a magnificent wedding. Along the way, Max is burdened to the point of stress, as he finds out his wife is not the person he thought she was.
Max finds himself faced by challenging situations which make him consider re-evaluating his plan for his life and his children. The irony is a struggle like his parents before. He must climb his way out of the ruins to save his family.
Author, James Patterson, teams up with writer, Anthony Bourelle, to present a novel that is a standard Patterson plot, but with a much different setting and with multi-dimensional characters who are very susceptible to human flaws. Reviewers have given this new book, “Texas Ranger”, kudos as the best of the novels at being fast-paced, having great tempo, and transition from scene to scene.
The reader finds Rory Yates being called by his ex-wife Anne, that
she is being threatened by someone, and needs his help. Rory is known to be an over-dedicated lawman, and that part of his character can get him into trouble. Anne is a high school teacher who still lives in their hometown of Redbud, after their divorce, along with all their family and friends. By the time Rory arrives in the small town, Anne has already been murdered. The local police immediately suspect Rory as her ex-husband. Rory does not trust anyone, so he sets out to find Anne’s killer himself.
Rory hones in on an ex-boyfriend, Calvin Richards, who broke up with Anne and left town…….the day before she was killed. Patterson has other characters, such as Alex Cross, and they all have their degrees of foibles and eccentricities. Rory Yates, the new lawman in town, is no exception. It will be interesting to see Rory develop into a repeat main character, as he visits his small town home and interacts with his family and friends.
The memoir written by Arizona Senator John McCain, has even more significance now since his recent death. He had been in another war, this time, a personal one, with an inoperable brain tumor. During his terminal illness, he wrote his newest book: The Restless Wave: Good Times, Just Causes, Great Fights and Other Appreciations.
McCain writes his final book describing his personal history including the 2008 presidential campaign against Barack Hussein Obama, along with his crusades on behalf of democracy and human rights in third world countries. He includes stories of his most satisfying career moments of public service. Those who read, “Faith of My Father’s…..A Family Memoir”, consider it helpful in understanding McCain in his most current book.
Many readers find McCain to be more aligned with progressives than with the party he represented. They appreciate what they perceive to be his maturity in thinking and approach to issues. They firmly believe his voice resonates for politicians and citizens alike. He was an Arizona Senator, but was born in Panama and traveled the world. The experience as a Vietnam prisoner of war also played an important role in his vision. Rest in peace, Senator John McCain.
