I admit it. I love audio books. I’ve been a member of Audible.com since 2001, when I joined to get access to the free podcast, Robin Williams at Audible, maybe the best interview show I’ve ever had the privilege to hear. As intended, the free program led me to make other purchases, and down the audio book rabbit hole I went. Although I still read traditional books, too, with audio books, I can enjoy two of the great loves of my life, good novels and vocal performance. I have enjoyed thousands (if not more) of hours listening to the books I love. I really enjoy the freedom the hands-free/eyes-free experience gives me. I can read practically anywhere.

And since today begins our final week of the 2018 season on the ocean in Fire Island, audio books have been much on my mind. There’s no place better to listen to a book than on a beach. Who wants to hold a book when you’re sitting in the sand? Your arms get tired, you get squint lines, your tan comes out weird, and you miss all that gorgeous scenery. On the beach, it’s audio books all the way for me. So when I spotted this article, I knew I needed to share it. The article is on Open Culture, a website that shares free web-based cultural and educational media. I have long been a fan of their finds, and this post really knocks it out of the park. They have compiled links to over 900 free downloadable audio books. The list is arranged by genre, and some of the offerings are even available from more than one source.

I’ve loaded up This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald,  a few David Sedaris essays, and some Ogden Nash. It’s going to be a wonderful week!

You can peruse the entire list of free books on Open Culture.