Being able to listen to books instead of having to read them opens up a whole realm of possibilities in the area of self-discovery, self-improvement, personal enjoyment and education. Reading is no longer something you can only do in quiet times. Any time you are involved in a mindless activity, you can listen to audio books, as well. They are useful for people of all ages and nationalities, and as long as you have access to an MP3 player and a computer, you can download audio books from a huge range of titles.Audio books are excellent gifts for the elderly or anyone you know who has impaired vision. Instead of struggling to see the words and risking eye strain headaches, they can take off their glasses, sit back in a comfortable chair and listen to their book instead. If they love spending time in the garden or going for a stroll to the shops, they can easily take their audio book with them to listen as they go. If you know an elderly person who has problems with illness on a regular basis, buy them an MP3 player, help them to download audio books of their choice and re-inspire them for life.If they are having trouble sleeping or sick of watching TV, they can listen to their books, and it gives them something to talk about next week at bingo, as well! You will be surprised to see how many well-known, popular authors are available as download audio books, and you will no doubt be able to find their favorites for them. Listening to audio books is a great way for the elderly to keep their minds active and stay open to modern day changes and trends. It is so easy for older people to lose touch with the world and society because they find everything so much more difficult to do, so by setting them up with audio books you will be doing them a huge favor.Of course, they are not just for the elderly or visually impaired, but people of all ages can enjoy them every day. If you like to read when you go to bed, you will know how annoying it can be to wake in the middle of the night with the light on and your book pages bent because you rolled onto it. With your audio book, you can switch off the light and lie down comfortably, ready to drift into slumber whenever you feel like it. Next time you are ready to listen, you simply skip to your chapter and scan to where you were in no time.Everyone knows someone who is a self-proclaimed hater of books and reading. It is hard to understand, since a good book is such an inspiring and emotional journey. By buying them an audio book, you could change their whole perspective on reading: Look at the hobbies they enjoy, try to target their level and you are bound to spark their interest.Audio books really are the new age way to experience a book. Why would anyone choose to struggle with heavy hard copies when you could have several books filed away on a neat little player along with music and radio? Whatever you feel like listening to, is available to you at the touch of a button. It is that easy! It is obvious why they have come to be so popular, and if you look on the web today you will be able to download audio books, from thousands of available titles, from classics to modern, as well as very recent works.Copyright: Helen Wall