You might know that Freegal offers music - thousands of songs in all genres from the Sony Music catalog, five downloads per week free with your library card. But did you know they also offer audiobooks, comedy, and other spoken word albums? In honor of National Poetry Month this April, check out The 100 Greatest Poems of All Time.
These classic poems feature the heavy hitters of English literature, from Shakespeare and Milton to Kipling and Wordsworth. Say “Nevermore” along with Poe’s raven and hear more of Robert Burns’ “Auld Lang Syne” than you ever have at a New Year’s Eve party. Ponder mortality with Percy Shelley’s “Ozymandias” and love with Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s “How do I love thee” (Sonnets from the Portuguese 43). There are also a few notable poems in translation, such as “Love” by Khalil Gibran and “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” by Goethe. And they’re all read by great actors including Richard Burton, Alec Guinness, and Claire Bloom.
To find more spoken word recordings, just visit Freegal from the library’s website, and choose Audiobooks from the top menu. Each album may be divided into tracks differently, and the five-song weekly limit translates into five tracks per week, but you can use the preview function to find the track you want. Log in to Freegal with your library card and PIN numbers, then choose an audiobook by title to view all tracks. To the left of each track title is an album cover icon with a circular arrow button - click the button to play a preview.
Check out more staff music reviews.
