Apa kamu pernah mendengar barang yang namanya audiobook? Mungkin bagi sebagian orang, mereka baru pertama kali mendengar apa audiobook itu. Biasanya, orang-orang beralih pada podcast dan bukan audiobook karena podcast dapat didengarkan di mana pun, bahkan di aplikasi lagu. Selain itu, sebagian orang juga mungkin lebih suka mendengarkan radio. Meskipun begitu, kamu mungkin perlu memakai audiobook untuk membantu meningkatkan minat membacamu dalam bahasa Inggris!
Maka dari itu, kenapa tidak mencoba untuk meningkatkan minat membaca melalui audiobook? Bukan hanya terbatas pada tulisannya, namun juga ekspresi, pendengaran, dan pelafalan terlebih dalam bahasa Inggris!
Audiobook: Read to Live
Edward Bulwer-Lytton, a renowned British writer, once made a famous phrase which states “Read to Live, not Live to Read“. The meaning of this phrase is that you need to have a liking for reading to enrich your life, and not living for the sake of reading itself. Sometimes, we forget that there are many benefits to reading. Although the information that we get from a book can help us in our lives, too focused on reading books will make us forget that we need to implement that knowledge in real life. So, in conclusion, we need to live a balanced life.
However, there are also ways to balance your knowledge without the need to sort them out one by one. In today’s era, we can improve our critical thinking skills by reading and listening. So, the most appropriate way to do both reading and listening is through an audiobook.
What is an Audiobook?
The audiobook consists of two combined English explanations from audio (voice) and writings (book). Then, from those two types of explanations, it can be concluded that audiobooks are books in the form of sound. In the past, audiobooks were created for visually impaired persons. But now, it is more developed and can be enjoyed by anyone.
Apart from that, the audiobook has several versions. Some are in the form of a CD, while the rest of them are in the form of media players on a website. So, it feels like having an invisible teacher or listening to a storyteller. Those who like to read Japanese manga or Korean manhwa may be more familiar with the term Drama CD. Drama CDs work in a similar way to audiobooks, where a reader can enjoy the audio versions of the images from these East Asian comics.
5 Best Sites of Audiobooks
Then, at this point, you might be confused and curious about places where you can find an audiobook. Take it easy! Because this time, Engliven will give you the best 5 Audiobook sites that you can use by yourself to enrich your English skills!
A. Loyal Books
First, there is the Loyal Books website. This website offers free audiobooks of various genres, from science fiction to adventure and romance. You can use it by downloading the book title from Loyal Books, then you can listen to the MP3 file directly, or through the Apple Podcasts application. Also, the site offers audiobook content in 28 languages. So, it’s not just limited to English. The best part is that this site also provides e-book downloads for you if you don’t have the time to listen to the audiobooks.
B. Bookbox
The second website in this list that provides various highly recommended audiobooks for children to listen to is Bookbox. On this website, there are many types of audiobooks that contain short stories for children. Moreover, BookBox is a social company located in Pondicherry, India, which intends to create animated books for kids.
C. Open Culture
The third website on this list is Open Culture. This site does not only provide various kinds of audiobooks, but also free cultural and educational media for anyone who needs it. On this site, you can find online educational courses in all genres. Meanwhile, the choices you have made can later be listened to via free MP3 downloads, streaming, or iTunes.
D. Digitalbook
The fourth website on this list, Digitalbook, has been endorsed by Amazon. On this site, they also offer various titles and genres. Besides, the website design that they use also looks clean and simple. So, you will be comfortable when exploring this site. Many of the audiobooks can be listened to as podcasts, so you can easily access them wherever you want as long as it’s on Apple Podcasts. One of the widgets on this site is the most popular audiobooks, so you can get recommendations from various people. You can also choose your own language based on your preferences.
E. Audiobook Treasury
The last website on this list is Audiobook Treasury, where there are various kinds of audiobooks with different categories of existing genres. Furthermore, if you want to download them, itis quite easy, so this website is highly recommended. Besides, this site is free to access and download, too!
Vocabulary Corner
So, that’s all for today’s audiobooks blog. If you find a vocabulary that is complicated to interpret, try to find it out in the table below. Hopefully, this will also help improve your vocabulary.
| English Words | Arti dalam Bahasa Indonesia |
| Balanced | Seimbang |
| Appropriate | Sesuai/Cocok |
| Consists | Terdiri |
| Visually impaired | Tunanetra |
| Storyteller | Pendongeng |
| Manga/Manhua/Manhwa | Komik (dari Jepang/China/Korea) |
| Voice over | Pengisi suara |
| Streaming | Siaran suara/video |
| Renowned | Terkenal |
| Widgets | Perwakilan aplikasi |
Quick Quiz
- Based on the article above, what are the benefits of an Audiobook?
- Bookbox is a social company for kids that created Anibooks. What does the name Anibooks stand for?
a. Animal Books
b. Anima Books
c. Animation Books
d. Anonymity Books
Then, don’t forget to give your comments or answers in the comment box below, okay? So, if you want to see other blogs, then go to this link immediately. Happy reading, everyone!
