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Paul Simon celebrates 80th birthday with new project

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">On his 80th birthday, Paul Simon has announced his latest project, which comes in the form of an audiobook. </span></p> <p><a href="https://variety.com/2021/digital/news/paul-simon-new-music-audiobook-malcolm-gladwell-1235087435/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Variety reports</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> that the five-hour audiobook titled </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Miracle and Wonder: Conversations With Paul Simon</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">, will be available on November 16th. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The audiobook is named after a line in his track </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Boy in the Bubble</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">, and features a new song called </span><span style="font-weight: 400;"><em>Seven Psalm</em>s</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">: his first release since 2018. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">It also features unreleased live versions of his classic songs including </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Boxer</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> and </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Sound of Silence</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Collaborating with Bruce Headlam and Malcolm Gladwell for </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Miracle and Wonder</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">, Paul recorded over 30 hours of interviews over nine sessions for the audiobook. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The autobiographical project documents Paul Simon’s upbringing in New York, the genesis of Simon and Garfunkel and the start of his solo career. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The audiobook also features several cameos, including </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Sting, Jeff Tweedy, Herbie Hancock, Rosanne Cash, and more to chat about their experiences in the music industry together. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Over my career, I must have given hundreds of interviews on various projects, but speaking and collaborating with Malcolm on this was especially enjoyable,” Simon said in a statement. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Malcolm Gladwell added, “He’s the most un-rock-star rock star. Paul is surprisingly down to earth and approachable. Even if he wasn’t the most successful musician of his generation he’d be the same person.”</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image credit: Getty Images</span></em></p>

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Audiobooks could help supercharge your hearing

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">With more than 400,000 audiobooks available to download on your device of choice, their appeal continues to grow.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But for those who have trouble hearing, audiobooks can seem like a hard way to enjoy a good book. Whether your hearing has been affected since you were young or it has started to decline more recently, audiobooks can be more helpful than you might realise.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">If you want to improve your hearing skills, you might be considering - or have already started - an auditory training program. You might be a candidate for auditory training if you are getting a hearing aid for the first time or have trouble understanding speech despite having ‘normal’ hearing, a condition called “hidden hearing loss”.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Currently, specialised programs and smartphone apps are available and are designed to feel like a video game when you interact with them.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">For those of us who like a good story and dramatic voices, audiobooks are a great candidate for auditory training while enjoying literature.</span></p> <p><strong>Why audiobooks?</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Since hearing is about recognising </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">and</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> interpreting sounds, Nancy Tye-Murray, AuD and professor at Washington University School of Medicine, says audiobooks help us exercise “those linguistic areas of your brain that are crucial for comprehension”.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">You can also use them to practise listening to and understanding foreign accents or multiple people speaking at the same time - minus the social pressure and with the option to rewind anytime.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Those with hearing aids can even stream audiobooks directly into their hearing aids via Bluetooth, depending on how advanced the technology is.</span></p> <p><strong>How to get started</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Rather than diving into the deep end, you can find an audio version of a book you own a physical copy of, meaning that you can read and listen simultaneously.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">According to Tye-Murray, it’s best to start off in a quiet space and by listening to a book with a male narrator, since lower pitches are usually easier to hear.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Adjusting the speed can also help, starting at a lower speed than normal speech and increasing it as your skills improve.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But before you pick up your physical book, Tye-Murray recommends listening at a slower speed without reading along “until you’re comfortable with changing to normal speed”.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Start really paying attention to how much you comprehend,” she said. “After you finish listening to a chapter, you might jot down a few sentences that capture the essence of the chapter” to help you strengthen your brain’s comprehension muscles.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Once you’re comfortable with lower pitched voices, you could choose one narrated by a woman and repeat the same steps.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Since listening can be tiring, it’s important to pace yourself too. 20 minutes to half an hour is a good place to start and you can always rewind if you lose focus.</span></p>

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6 best audiobooks of all time

<p>For most book lovers, there’s nothing quite like poring over the written word while cuddled up in bed with a warm cuppa, but for those times you can’t read a physical book (or simply don’t feel like it), you can’t go past audiobooks.</p> <p>Narrated by some of the entertainment world’s best and most recognisable voices, here are six audiobooks that will utterly transport you.</p> <p><strong>1. <em>The Spire</em> written by William Golding, read by Benedict Cumberbatch</strong></p> <p>From the author of <em>The Lord of the Flies</em> comes this hypnotic audio version of his 1964 fable, <em>The Spire</em>, set in medieval Salisbury and recorded by <em>Sherlock</em>’s Benedict Cumberbatch.</p> <p>You can listen to a spine-tinglingly good sample <a href="https://soundcloud.com/canongate-books/william-goldings-the-spire-read-by-benedict-cumberbatch" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">here</span></strong></a> and buy it <a href="https://www.audible.com.au/pd/Fiction/The-Spire-Audiobook/B00MWH7ZEI" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">here</span></strong></a>.</p> <p><strong>2.<em> Home: A Memoir of My Early Years</em> written and read by Julie Andrews</strong></p> <p>Made even more charming by being read by the lady herself, Julie Andrew’s fascinating memoir of her life before fame, up until she was discovered by Walt Disney in 1962, will enthral you.</p> <p>You can listen to a sample and buy it for yourself <a href="https://www.kobo.com/au/en/audiobook/home-133?utm_campaign=audiobook_shopping_feed_au_en&amp;utm_source=google&amp;utm_medium=cpc&amp;gclid=EAIaIQobChMInImN_9X21gIVxQ9oCh0CawC7EAYYASABEgJwrfD_BwE" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">here</span></strong></a>.</p> <p><strong>3. <em>The Harry Potter</em> series written by J.K. Rowling, read by Stephen Fry</strong></p> <p>Revisit the magic of the <em>Harry Potter</em> series as read by the inimitable Stephen Fry. Worth every cent, this set makes a wonderful gift for the kids in your life – or even the adults.</p> <p>Buy the complete collection <a href="https://gbp.shop.pottermore.com/collections/audio-books/products/harry_potter_the_complete_collection_audio_book1-7_english" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">here</span></strong></a> or start with book one <a href="https://gbp.shop.pottermore.com/collections/audio-books/products/harry_potter_and_the_philosophers_stone_audio_book1_english" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">here</span></strong></a>.</p> <p><strong>4. <em>The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time</em> written by Mark Haddon, read by Ben Tibber</strong></p> <p>The 15-year-old narrator of this popular, quirky audiobook (which was written from the perspective of a 15-year-old boy with Asperger’s) has been praised for its ability to bring the story to life.</p> <p>Listen to a brilliant extract <a href="https://soundcloud.com/penguin-books/the-curious-case-of-the-dog-in-the-night-by-mark-haddon-audiobook-extract-read-by-ben-tibber" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">here</span></strong></a> and click <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/au/audiobook/curious-incident-dog-in-night-time-dramatised-unabridged/id81497776" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">here</span></strong></a> to buy it.</p> <p><strong>5. <em>The Handmaid’s Tale</em> written by Margaret Atwood, read by Claire Danes</strong></p> <p>The TV adaptation has been a breakout hit, but there’s nothing quite like the original. <em>Homeland</em> actress Claire Danes gives a stirring performance in this award-winning audio version.</p> <p>Click <a href="https://soundcloud.com/audible/the-handmaids-tale" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">here</span></strong></a> to listen to a sample and <a href="http://t.dgm-au.com/c/93981/71095/1880?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.booktopia.com.au%2Faudio-books%2Fthe-handmaid-s-tale-margaret-atwood%2Fprod9781543661910.html" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">here</span></strong></a> to buy it.</p> <p><strong>6. <em>The End of the Affair</em> written by Graham Greene, read by Colin Firth</strong></p> <p>Who wouldn’t want to be read to by Colin Firth? The Oscar-winning actor gives a rousing performance in this audiobook about a torrid love affair set in post-WWII London.</p> <p>To hear a sample and to buy it, click <a href="https://www.audible.com.au/pd/Fiction/The-End-of-the-Affair-Audiobook/B00VX91BPU" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">here</span></strong></a>.</p> <p>Tell us in the comments below, are you a fan of audiobooks? Which is your favourite?</p>

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7 places you can download audiobooks for free

<p>Audiobooks are a great way to consume literature. You can drift off to sleep at night while still in Wonderland with Alice, or go on a roadtrip across the country while also journeying through Middle Earth. Only thing is, audio versions of books can be much more expensive than their paper and ink brethren, meaning many are loathe to dive in. But fear not, we have found seven places that offer free audiobooks to download and enjoy.</p> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Public domain</span></strong></p> <p>These websites allow you to download audio versions of books that sit in the public domain – meaning their copyright has expired. If you’re interested in classics like <em>Pride and Prejudice, Moby Dick</em>, or <em>Great Expectations</em>, these sites are perfect for you.</p> <p><a href="https://librivox.org/" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Librivox</strong></span></a> </p> <p>This site is run by volunteers, and offers audiobooks read by people from all over the world. What’s special about Librivox is that their books are often read in different languages – making their site more accessible.</p> <p><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/%20" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Project Gutenberg</strong></span></a> </p> <p>You may have heard of this site before. Just like Librivox, it offers public domain titles for free download. You can choose from over 53,000 books.</p> <p><a href="https://etc.usf.edu/lit2go/" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Lit2Go</strong></span></a> </p> <p>This is a great resource for your grandchildren to know about. If they’re studying any of the classics of literature in school, Lit2Go breaks these books up into smaller downloadble chunks, which are great for study sessions.</p> <p><a href="https://scribl.com/" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Scrib</strong></span></a>l </p> <p>Scribl is an interesting service – it offers titles (both audiobooks and ebooks) on sliding scales of price dependant upon the title’s popularity. Many of their titles are free to download, while more popular items will cost you money. For you ebook readers, Scribl will give you an ebook copy of any audiobook title you download.</p> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Free trials</span></strong></p> <p>These websites offer a free trial that allows you to browse their collection and often download a book of your choice to get you started. Then, if you don’t want to pay the subscription fee, you just need to cancel before the trial ends.</p> <p><a href="http://www.audible.com.au/%20" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Audible</strong></span></a> </p> <p>If you’ve ever listened to a podcast, chances are you’ve head of Audible.com. They’ve been around since 1995, and were acquired by Amazon in 2008 for something in the region of 300 million USD. Along with all that experience and wealth go an easy-to-use site and over 200,000 titles in their collection. Sign up for their free 30-day trial to download an audiobook for free.</p> <p><a href="http://www.allyoucanbooks.com/" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>All You Can Books</strong></span></a> </p> <p>Get more bang for your free trial with this site – sign up and download as many audiobooks as you can handle in the first 30 days. Their library is somewhat smaller than other services (only 30,000 titles), but if you want to stock up on free audiobooks, this free trial is perfect.</p> <p><a href="https://www.estories.com/" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>eStories</strong></span></a> </p> <p>This site is a spin-off of a subscription music service, eMusic. What’s great about eStories is that you can choose a plan to suit your listening habits – download 1, 2, or 5 audiobooks each month. Their collection includes over 100,000 titles. The free trial is for 30-days, and lets you choose a free book.</p> <p>What’s your favourite audiobook?</p>

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