Posted on 12/11/2012 12:40:02 PM PST by Genflag
So I work a job at night that's very repetitive, and I'm allowed to listen to music. I've found though i don't have the time for reading that I used to, and that I'd rather spend my time listening to audiobooks while working, then music to help keep my mind from dying a slow death from disuse.
Which leads me here, what better group of people to come to for help finding books that will further my knowledge of both fiction and non-fiction, then everyone at Free Republic?
I'm looking for any good non-fiction audiobooks on history, science, philosophy, medicine, politics, or any other subject that doesn't really require images to get the points across that will further my understanding of the world, human history, the classics, or the universe.
As for fiction, I read mostly sci-fi and historical fiction, so I'm already working on collecting as much Heinlein, Bradbury, Asimov, Orwell, and Huxley, as I can find with an assortment of others from a list of top 100 sci-fi novels I found online.
but it's hard to trust reviews from people online when a lot of people's idea of a good read is Twilight and Fifty Shades Of Grey.
So I come to the largest source of knowledge I know of, asking for some guidance on my quest to further my learning.
I’m reading Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond. It is non fiction but pretty good so far.””
I tried to read this book but soon saw it was a presentation of excuses for why Africans have failed on their own merits while the rest of the world became the inventors.
For sci-fi, anything by Timothy Zahn or Terry Brooks. Both are outstanding authors.
http://www.thegreatcourses.com/
http://www.naxosaudiobooks.com/home.htm
It takes the Holy Queeran apart, lie by lie.
It will equip you for the battle against Sharia Law.
I highly recommend this audio book:
America: The First 350 Years by Steve Wilkins
It is very long. Wilkins is a minister and covers very interesting topics such as how schools were operating in colonial times and up to about 1850 or so when government got involved. He covers things like how charity is suppose to work and how the government stuck their noses into it, both sides of the civil war run up and not just one side, need for expansion etc...
George R.R. Martin
Aim high!
The Bible.
One word: http://librivox.org
A second thumbs up on The Teaching Company. You might be able to find some at your local library.
Their dynamic pricing has gotten a little crazy so you never know what's on sale or how much it will cost from day to day. I have picked up some of their courses at over 90% off.
I’ve no idea if you might be interested in these recommendations, but here’s my suggestions..
“THE LISTENERS BIBLE”..read by Max McClean, this is the English Standard Bible..very listenable..very easy to understand.The mp3 set contains the entire Bible. Excellent.
“The Reason For God(Belief in an age of Skepticism)”, by Tim Keller. Dr. Keller
draws upon literary classics, philosophy, anthropology, and a multitude of other disciplines to make an intellectually compelling case for God. Challenging,yet very enlightning. Again, excellent.
“How Should We Then Live” by Francis A. Schaeffer. An outstanding work, by someone who truly cared for the culture in which we live..
“How Should We Then Live? was produced by a genius who cared about the battle of ideas. It’s also the book I still recommend to students for a quick overview of ‘the rise and decline of western thought and culture.’ Schaeffer brilliantly takes readers from ancient times through the Renaissance, Reformation, and Enlightenment, then discusses the breakdown in philosophy and science and moves on to art, music, literature, film, and much else besides.”
—Marvin Olasky, Editor-in-chief, World
Dr. Schaeffer is someone who truly influenced how I live my own life. Again, exceptional, excellent.
I have all three of these books in AUDIOBOOK format. If you wish to listen to them.. just send a note to me via Freepmail.
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Sign up for a university that accepts CLEP. Then, get books that will help you get through the exam.
This is what I did to get CLEP credit for over a year of college back in the day...
I would use audiobooks to get past the 4 credit GPA killer courses such as “American Literature” and/or “English Literature”. Listening to the audiobooks are enough to get you a passing grade and college credit!
I knew of someone who did two years of college this way! Why not get a degree for it?
I know, I know, you don’t want t a degree in American literature or philosophy, but these are ‘elective’ and/or required courses, so this is how you get through them!
I had a co-worker who was, I thought, the best read man I knew at the time. Best read in what is considered serious literature. Then he met, or rather was caught by, a woman with a degree in sociology or political science, a moonbat, and started reading what I considered trash, popular literature, politically correct novels. I asked him why. He answered that he was doing it to be able to converse with people. Fair enough. I understood then that people read what other people read for strictly social reasons, to fit, and wanting to be like others. Most people read trash, Oprah Book Club recommendation, politically correct authors and so on. The lesson for a discerning reader is the same as the one for a discerning listener - don’t follow the crowd, don’t ask it what to read and what to listen to.
Guns, Germs and Steel was a great read, although be alert for the liberal propaganda... white people only succeeded due to the sheer luck of our geography, origins, etc.
There are videos of Guns, Germs and Steel on Youtube... look them up... they were also great!
Went to college originally for just an AA and got most of the basics under me, but stopped until I figured out what I wanted to do, went with cooking when I went back.
Most of my education has come from my own reading, the homeschooling I received for a few years till the folks both had to get jobs to support the family, a Grandfather who grew up a poor Kentucky boy, and a Grandma who was a child in England during WWII.
Thanks, that’s right up my alley in terms of non-fiction and things I’m always trying to learn more about.
didn’t know they had free lectures there, thanks.
Another thing to look into:
Book lists.
Look over bestseller lists to be current.
When I was young, I got a copy of the Harvard University Book List of required reading for Harvard students. I couldn’t afford Harvard, but I could read all the books!
Another thing you can try is learning languages.
I studied 7 by using the Pimsleur method and combining that with listening to popular music in my target language of the year. I was able to gain fluency in many languages by only listening.
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