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11 Feminist Books for International Women's Day

11 Feminist Books for International Women's Day

On 8th March every year women around the world celebrate International Women's Day. If you're looking for some great feminist books to read to celebrate, then look no further!

March 8, 2018

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An Interview With Our Copyright Manager

An Interview With Our Copyright Manager

Amy Flinders is the Copyright Manager for Listening Books. She has worked for the charity since 2014. Abigail Jaggers spoke to her about what a copyright manager does, how she chooses what audiobooks to buy for the library, and why there aren't audiobook versions of every book.

February 26, 2018

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First World War Books: Classics to Forgotten Reads

First World War Books: Classics to Forgotten Reads

November 2017 marks 100 years since the Battle of Passchendaele ended. To commemorate this we recommend a list of First World War books, from must-reads to forgotten classics.

November 6, 2017

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Banned Books Week: The Right to Read

Banned Books Week: The Right to Read

This year, the UK is celebrating Banned Books Week to highlight the history of censorship. One of the most famous examples is Lady Chatterley's Lover by D. H. Lawrence. The book was famously banned in the UK because of its explicit content. In 1960, Penguin Books won a court case to publish it due to the 'Obscene Publications Act'. This act said that any book considered obscene but with "redeeming social merit" could be published. After six days, the jury found the book was not obscene. It sold out across the UK on the first day of publication, with 200,000 copies bought. Almost 60 years on, this is considered a landmark case that represented the end of an era.

September 25, 2017

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Back to School Audiobooks: Sound Learning

Back to School Audiobooks: Sound Learning

If you're finding reading difficult, school can be particularly daunting. There always seems to be so many things to read! This is where our Sound Learning service comes in. We record educational audiobooks from ages 7 and up so that at least getting through the reading doesn't have to be difficult. We've collected some of the best back to school audiobooks in our library, so get a head start on listening!

August 23, 2017

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Christopher Robin: The Boy Behind the Book

Christopher Robin: The Boy Behind the Book

The character was based on the real son of A A Milne, Christopher Robin Milne.  However, as he grew up, he started to hate his portrayal in the Winnie the Pooh books and resent his father.

August 21, 2017

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Time travel: a conversation between a scientist and a literature professor

Time travel: a conversation between a scientist and a literature professor

Literature professor Simon John James and physicist Richard Bower were both involved in the curating the exhibition, Time Machines – the past, the future, and how stories take us there. Their conversations quickly revealed to them the many, wildly various, meanings of “time travel”. Here, they discuss how time travelling in literary and scientific terms might, one day, coincide.

July 4, 2017

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Truth is Stranger Than Fiction: Non-fiction Audiobook Recommendations

Truth is Stranger Than Fiction: Non-fiction Audiobook Recommendations

I know, I know, non-fiction has a bit of a reputation as being dry, but I'm here to let you know there are some really fascinating non-fiction audiobooks out there. I’ve pulled together five of the ones I’ve learnt the most from, so sit back, relax, and learn some cool facts while being read to!

June 21, 2017

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What to listen to next? Audiobook recommendations galore

What to listen to next? Audiobook recommendations galore

It can always be difficult to pick your next title to listen to. Whether you've just come off the back of listening to a book you loved or one that you're not sure was quite right for you, or if you've never listened to an audiobook before, how do you pick from the vast range of books out there?

June 5, 2017

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Reading classic novels in an era of climate change

Reading classic novels in an era of climate change

There is a strange and troubled kind of intimacy between our own moment of climate change and 19th century Britain. It was there that a global, fossil fuel economy first took shape, through its coal-powered factories, railways, and steamships, which drove the emergence of modern consumer capitalism. 

May 30, 2017

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