For a courier on a long-distance job, it can be hard to keep alert and focused. While there are various methods of keeping yourself stimulated during a long drive Creader VI, there is one that can not only help you pass the time, but will help you impress people with your literary knowledge at the same time. The answer? Listening to audio books. You don’t even need to bring along a stack of delicate CD’s – these days, audio books can be downloaded as an MP3 file, or directly to an IPod. Whatever your taste in stories, there’s an audio book for you. And next time that tricky question about a novel comes up in a pub quiz, you’ll be prepared. Here are a few of our top selections for audio books a courier can enjoy on the road.
Dramatic
For a courier who wants to be gripped by thrilling tales, there are plenty of audio books with fascinating stories and subjects. Sebastian Faulks’ ‘Birdsong’ follows the character of Stephen Wraysford through World War One, and has received acclaim for its retelling of the Battle of the Somme and life in the trenches. There’s also John Grisham’s ‘The Broker’, a tale of suspense that made number one on the New York Times Best Seller list. It features a high-stakes story centred around the world’s most powerful satellite surveillance system – which may give couriers a new view on their GPS systems!
Mystery
There’s nothing like a good mystery to keep a driver puzzling out all the twists and turns like a professional detective. Ian Rankin’s ‘Exit Music’ features his famous detective Inspector Rebus as he searches for the killer of an exiled Russian poet, three days before his retirement. Since the Rebus novels are famous for their Edinburgh location and gritty depiction of Scotland, a courier might prefer a more exotic story – Alexander McCall Smith’s ‘The No.1 Ladies Detective Agency’ is a vibrant story of a female detective in Botswana, and includes musings on the country’s culture and traditions as well as its dangers, such as the snakes and crocodiles that play a large part in the audio book.
Classics
For every modern audio book, there’s a classic updated into the new format, and a courier can have ample time to dip into the world of classic literature and discover a few old gems. And it doesn’t get more classic than Charles Dickens and Jane Austen crp129. With their books ‘Great Expectations’ and ‘Sense and Sensibility’, as well as many more besides, a courier can discover books they may not have expected.
True Life
Not every audio book is fictional, and a courier can get real enjoyment out of discovering a few facts they might not know about. Andrew Marr’s ‘A History of Modern Britain’ began not as a book, but as a television documentary, looking at the major events in Britain from 1945 to the present. Another historical ‘documentary’ is Ben Macintyre’s ‘Agent ZigZag’, presenting the incredible story of a double-agent in World War 2. It’s enough to keep any courier wondering about the real-life Eddie Chapman featured in the audio book.
Norman Dulwich is a correspondent for Courier Exchange, the world’s largest neutral trading hub for the same day courier and express freight exchange industry. Over 2,500 transport exchange businesses are networked together through their website, trading courier services and capacity in a safe ‘wholesale’ environment.
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