10 Free Audiobook Libraries Just for You

Published on 30 March 2023 at 13:58
Reading is great! However, reading can also be an expensive hobby. When you can, buying a new book is awesome, because it means you get to read something new and exciting. It also means you're supporting the author who wrote that book. Of course, you can't buy every book you want to read. That's one of the many reasons that public libraries are so valuable.
 
If you're reading this blog post, you probably know that there are plenty of other barriers to reading, like living in a community that doesn't support the themes you want to read about -- in which case, you need to find new ways to read books that matter to you.
 
The same is true if you prefer audiobooks to reading print. For some people, it's because audiobooks let you enjoy a good story during your commute. For others, audiobooks make reading more accessible if you have a learning or print-related disability. Still others just enjoy the medium. Whatever your reason for seeking free audiobooks, you can find them using the resources listed below.

Image Description: A thick book with a reddish-brown cover lays flat on a gray cloth. A pair of vintage-style headphones lean against the book binding. The wire headphones are gold with a rose and stars stitched onto the fabric on the outside of the speakers.

Photo Credit: Oscar Ivan Esquivel Arteaga/Unsplash via Webador

Free Audiobook Websites

 

  1. Archive: This website is unique because it doesn't house audiobooks itself, but it catalogs books in other libraries. It's a great way to do a master search rather than searching each audiobook library individually.
  2. BBC Sounds: While BBC Sounds focuses on music and podcasts, it has started adding abridged audiobooks. If you don't mind listening to a shortened version of a book, this might be worth exploring.
  3. Digital Book: Many of the free audiobooks that I've found on Digital Book so far are considered classics, but many classics started out challenged or banned in various communities.
  4. Free Classic Audiobooks: Just as the name suggests, Free Classic Audiobooks focuses on the classics. Of course, authors like Frederick Douglass continue to be challenged in towns and school districts.
  5. Internet Archive: The Internet Archive's Audio Archive boasts 15-million pieces of audio content from audiobooks to poetry readings, radio shows, and original music. They also connect you with other audiobook libraries like LibriVox.
  6. Learn Out Loud: This site offers more than 50,000 educational audiobooks, podcasts, and videos. You can find some historically banned books like The Awakening by Kate Chopin.
  7. Libby by Overdrive: In order to use Libby, you will need to be associated with a library that uses this app. If your local library doesn't stock the kind of books you are interested in, try checking your county or state library, or test out a free online library.
  8. LibriVox: You'll only find free books that have entered the public domain on LibriVox. Most other books have a cost. However, if you look closely, you may find books with queer themes. Carmilla by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu is a great example. This book was written before the famed Dracula by Bram Stoker, but is a vampire classic with sapphic undertones.
  9. Lit2Go: This library is managed by the University of Southern Florida, but you'll still find books by black authors that specifically discuss race and the history of slavery in the United States. Their focus is education, so you'll find some teaching guides. They also have sections on Hispanic Heritage and teaching the Holocaust.
  10. Loyal Books: This library boasts more than 7000 free audiobooks. Unique from other free audiobook libraries, Loyal Books has sci-fi, fantasy, and young adult sections in addition to the more standard non-fiction and fiction.

 

Sources

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