Audiobooks in English: how to listen and where to find them?

Audiobooks will improve your vocabulary, grammar and listening comprehension of proper English. There are original books and adapted books. Adapted books use grammatical structures and words that will be understandable to a group of people of a certain level of English. If your level is intermediate and above, you can start listening to books in the original.

Here are a few points to consider when choosing an audiobook in English and getting the most out of your listening experience.

• Level. Each level of difficulty is filled with appropriate lexical and grammatical structures. If you choose a book that is beyond your ability, you will quickly lose interest. On the contrary, by choosing "your" audiobook, you will discover the English language from a completely different perspective.

• Adapted books. They are always very well written. Each chapter in them builds on the previous one, reinforcing previously encountered phrases. Such books, not the original books, will help you learn and actively practice new grammar and vocabulary.

• Your preferences in books. A book of your favorite genre, author, publisher will make the process of listening to a book productive and motivate you to listen to books more and more.

• Choosing a narrator. The book can be narrated by a male or female voice. British or American English. Decide which voice and accent is more pleasant and easier for you to listen to, and you can start!

And now catch some useful tips on how to listen to a book and understand what you hear.

1. Listen to the book in segments. Try to absorb the general meaning of the passage. Only look up a dictionary if a particular expression interferes with your understanding of the general meaning.

2. Use the text of the book. After listening to a chapter or a certain part of the book, you can open the text and listen to the passage again, paying attention to new phrases.

3. Listen to the book again after you have learned the words. If you have the time and desire, listen to the passage again after you have worked with the unknown words and phrases.

And for dessert, here is a selection of resources with books for every taste:

1. Spotify:

• Availability of books: A large collection of audiobooks and podcasts.
• Price: Free with advertising and some functional limitations (random selection of chapters and a limited number of track skips), or a paid subscription to Spotify Premium. 
• Platforms: Android, iOS.
• Unique features: Playlists by genre. Family and student discounts are also available.

2. Apple Podcasts:

• Availability of books: A wide range of genres and educational materials.
• Price: Free of charge.
• Platforms: iOS.
• Unique features: Simple interface, channel subscriptions.

3. Google Play Books:

• Availability of books: A wide selection for purchase, a limited number of free works.
• Price: Payment for each book, no subscription.
• Platforms: Android, iOS.
• Unique features: Playback speed control, integration with Google Assistant.

4. Audible:

• Availability of books: An extensive collection including materials for learning English for different levels.
• Price: Subscription with a monthly credit for purchasing books.
• Platforms: Android, iOS.
• Unique features: Exclusive promotions and discounts, 30-day trial period.

5. LibriVox:

• Availability of books: A large collection of classical works available in the public domain.
• Price: Free of charge.
• Platforms: Android, iOS.
• Unique features: The audiobooks are narrated by volunteers from all over the world, and you can volunteer and narrate the book yourself.