At this point in many of our lives, we rarely have time to read for fun. I used to read at least a book a week; last school year, however, I only read one novel that wasn’t for class. Most high school students find it hard to squeeze books into their schedules and this is very understandable; we all have mountains of homework, play sports, participate in clubs, take part in community service, meet with teachers, write college essays, attend competitions, have social lives – you name it, we do it. 

Except we don’t often read for fun (although I must acknowledge that this is a broad generalization, as I’m sure that there are many people who do, by some miracle, find time to read).

Because we are all so busy, whenever we do happen to have a few spare minutes when we can relax, it’s difficult to start a book because you never know when you are actually going to finish it – it could be months from the day you started. This, at least for me, acts as a reading deterrent because picking up a book weeks after you started it and not remembering what it was about is discouraging, to say the least.

However, there is another option for book lovers who simply cannot find time to read: audiobooks! An audiobook is essentially what its name implies – it is an entire book read out loud that you can download onto your device and listen to whenever you want. It’s possible to listen to audiobooks while cooking, brushing your teeth, doing mundane work (copying Chinese characters, anyone?) and more. This makes them a lot more convenient for busy students than reading regular books because you don’t have to wait for free time to read. 

There are also many benefits to listening to a book read aloud. First, if a good narrator reads your audiobook, you can find the content to be much more entertaining than it would be on paper – good narrators read with expression that you do not hear when you are the one reading. Second, having a book read aloud means that you are less likely to miss sections by skimming ahead. If a book is really good, many will sometimes skip a page in eagerness to get ahead and often time send up missing important parts they need to go back and read – audiobooks ensure that you never miss any words or sentences of the story. Last, having someone else read aloud to you improves your pronunciation, as trivial as this may seem. When you are reading by yourself and see a word you don’t know, it is likely that the way you pronounce it in your head will be wrong, especially if it’s a word that sounds different from how it looks. By having a narrator read the book aloud, you will easily learn how to pronounce words you may have been confused by otherwise. This is especially helpful for students enjoying a book in their non-native language. It also helps when you are asked to read aloud in class and you come across words you would otherwise have mispronounced; it saves the embarrassment.  

Reading is important for your own growth. It automatically improves your grammar, vocabulary, and writing skills; but above all, it’s just fun. It’s nice to be able to escape into another world or someone else’s life and share in those adventures. For those of us busy book-lovers who can never find time to read, audiobooks are a great and convenient alternative to consider.

This article originally appeared in the August/September, 2015 issue of UNIT-E. It was written by Riena Harker, a student at the International School of Beijing.

About UNIT-E
UNIT-E was founded in the spring of 2010 with the aim of establishing a non-profit, student-run magazine for international students in Beijing. Staffed by current students from a range of international schools, the magazine provides an amalgam of cultural tidbits, fragments of Beijing student life, and a broad spectrum of unique perspectives from a diverse group of young adults.

Photo: Neetalparekh (flickr)

September is finally here! This is one of our favorite months as fall sets in and the balance of hot and cold temperature is just right. As the season changes, more doctor trip season starts as well as kids will get stomach bugs, the flu, and other ailments. So this month’s issue is health heavy focused as we look at the state of local hospital, insurance breakdown, and what’s China’s vaccination schedule is like.

In our health section Dr Melissa Rodriguez gives six reasons to have a well put together salad and Dr. George Hu touches on suggestion to parents on how to support good mental health. Take the trip to Beyou World with the kids to try out different role play or head out of town to one of the organic farms to enjoy the harvesting period as highlighted in our playing section.

After or before heading off to check out Beyou World and farms you can try the Derwent family’s banana-oat cookies for that yum snack. If cooking is taking a lot of time from the busy family, try out TRIBE’s specially crafted meals plans for kids that will be delivered to your home.

Schools and organizations share their latest developments in our Noticeboard column. Also, in the living section we spolight start up technology company Origins Technology that’s makes air purifiers and monitors indoor air quality. The Hutong as a mixed birthday party theme option of cupcakes and martial arts. Shaking things up in our mom makeover is Rebecca Shook who moves to a more smart casual look.

Beijing’s summer exodus means kids were enjoying their time some place else, so here we let the students at Tsinghua International School tell us what they did this summer. ISB students debate the pros and cons of getting vaccinated in our new restructured roundtable format. Ivy Academy’s art teacher describes her students’ art work from their inspiration to their interpretation in our learning section.

How to restart life after the kids have flown off to start a new chapter in their lives? Here’s a close look at expat nest syndrome as written by our Shunyi correspondent Sally Wilson. Ember Swift shares with us her daughter’s curiosity to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) in our parenting section.

Due to the September 3-5 holiday, distribution of our magazine will be delayed at our usual drop off points. Pick up your copy from tomorrow and in the meantime take a look at our online version here.

“Where should I send my child to school?” In Beijing, we are lucky to have a choice between international schools, local schools, and everything in between. From tiny Montessori kindergartens to sprawling K-12 institutions, there is a school for every age and learning style. But what is the right fit for your child? The beijingkids 2014-2015 School Choice Guide aims to help answer that question.

This year, we have listings for 70 schools in Beijing with detailed information on tuition prices, after-school activities, facilities, and more. In addition, the feature section looks at hot topics like choosing the right curriculum, saving for your child’s education, understanding the admission process, and finding extracurricular learning support.

For the coming days, we will post all the articles as we countdown the 2014 beijingkids and JingKids Spring School Choice Fair, sponsored by RGF AIR Purifiers taking place at the Hilton Beijing on March 1 and 2.

Photo by Mishka Family Photography