THERE seems to be nowhere to go after reviewing such a monstrous App as iPieta, so in this week’s column I will take a look at a different type of App.
Whilst not specifically designed for Catholics or Christians, ‘Audiobooks’ is an App that has something for everyone.
The application enables the user to access a library of over 2,800 audio books that exist in the public domain. These books are downloadable for free through use of this cheap application. Being in the public domain basically means that one is unable to access any recent publications; however, there is a veritable treasure trove of classic literature to be had.
Along with many of the classics of secular literature such as Charles Dickens, James Joyce, Oscar Wilde, and Robert Louis Stevenson, one is able to have full access to a wide variety of classic Christian literature.
From Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy to Thomas a Kempis’ The Imitation of Christ, from the full text of the Bible (read in a wide variety of Catholic and non-Catholic translations) to the writings of the Church Fathers including St Clement of Alexandria, to St Ambrose, St Ignatius of Antioch, St Augustine etc.
There is a whole lot of listening to be done.
There is even a growing catalogue of GK Chesterton texts that are being added to the collection (which I find particularly exciting).
During lent, I was listening to St Therese of Lisiuex’ Story of a Soul and I find that I’m best able to listen whilst in the car, so I’ve taken to hooking up my iPhone to the car stereo – a great way to make use of what would otherwise be wasted travel time.
So, how does it work?
‘Audiobooks’ runs through an online audio book library called LibriVox, a not-for-profit project that has volunteers read the books and then releases recordings for people to download for free. Books that I have listened to are proficiently read and of a high audio quality.
Chapters are divided up into different tracks and the application will keep your spot in the track bookmarked if you need to stop listening at any point.
In a fast paced world, where one is often at odds to find the time to read, this is one great way to expand our knowledge and understanding of our Faith.