Escuela de Lenguas Vivas aim is to foster
the habit of using English in everyday life among our clients. It is for this
reason that we recommend listening to audiobooks during different activities
such as jogging, ironing. People who do not get distracted by listening to the
radio while they drive can listen to an audiobook instead. This should only be
done if this does not cause any
distraction while driving.
Below you will
find a list of audiobook titles organized by levels. They have all been used
successfully in our classes and some of the audiobooks can be rounded off with
a movie adaptation. Please watch this space for a list of movies classified by
levels.
Basic Levels
Beginners:
John
Escott, The Missing Coins. Penguin
Readers level 1
The Teacher's Secret and other Folk Tales. Dominoes one.
Stephen
Rabley, Between Two Worlds. Penguin
Readers
Elementary:
O. Henry,
New Yorkers (Short Stories). Oxford
Bookworms, Stage 2.
Mark
Twain, Huckleberry Finn. Oxford
Bookworms, Stage 2.
L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables. Oxford Bookworms, Stage 2.
James Fenimore
Cooper. The Last of the Mohicans
Penguin Readers - level 2
J. Verne.
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea Penguin
Readers - level 1
Three
short stories of Shelock Holmes - Penguin Readers - level 2
John Scott Dead Man's Island. Oxford Bookworms, Stage 2.
To prepare PET:
Jerome K.
Jerome, Three Men in a Boat. Vivens
Vives (Black Cat Collection). The highest level to prepare PET (with
exercises).
Mark
Twain The ₤1,000,000 Bank Note.
Vivens Vives (Black Cat Collection). The highest level to prepare PET (with
exercises).
Baroness
Orczy, The Scarlet Pimpernel. The
Adventures of the Secret Spy. Vivens Vives (Black Cat Collection). The
highest level to prepare PET (with exercises).
Intermediate
To prepare First Certificate:
Jacques
Futrelle, The Problems of Cell 13. Vivens
Vives (Black Cat Collection). It’s intermediate level to prepare FCE (with
exercises).
Pre-Intermediate
Richard Macandrew, A Puzzle for Logan. Cambridge University Press, English Readers, Level 3 (Although the book doesn't have any exercises, its level could be appropiated to prepare Pet).
Edgar Alan Poe, The Black Cat and other stories. Penguin Readers Level 3
Oscar Wilde, An Ideal Husband. Penguin Readers Level 3. It’s very witty as every
Oscar Wilde plays. The plot is a bit difficult to follow for some
pre-intermediate students.
Alexander Dumas The Count of Montecristo, Oxford, Dominoes 3
A. Brontë, The
Tenant of Wildfell Hall. MacMillan Readers 4
Intermediate:
Colin Campbell, The Lady in White. Cambridge University Press, English Readers nº4
(This mystery book may be a bit difficult because of the plot).
Helen Taylor, In the Shadow of the Mountain. Cambridge University Press, English
readers nº 5. Although it’s graded as Upper-Intermediate the quite simple plot
makes it easier to understand. Sometimes students find difficult the British-English
accent in it.
Rod Neilsen, The Sugar Glider. Cambridge University Press, English Readers nº5
(Adventure/Thriller). Vocabulary is in connection with the outdoors in
Australia, pilots, planes and, social and family conflicts.
Charles Dickens, Nicholas Nickleyby. Penguin Active Readers Level 4. (There are useful exercises in this book for the first stages of First Certificate Preparation; an English teacher will be needed to correct the exercises).
Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Grey. Vicens Vives (Black Cat Colection) The topic is a bit difficult which make the book suitable for students in the later stages of the First Certificate Preparation. An English teacher will be needed to correct the exercises.
Upper-Intermediate
Richard
Preston, Officially Dead, Macmillan
Readers, Level 6. There is an interesting thriller with some vocabulary about
business.
Scott
Fizgerald, The Great Gatsby.
Macmillan Readers, Level 5. This book is harder than the previous one because
it gets deeper in the characters and the recreation of the historical period.
(The movie should be watched after finishing the book. This will allowed the
students to get a step forward in their understanding of English)
Charles
Dickens, Great Expectations. Oxford
Bookworms n.5. Period drama whose main difficulty is the old fashioned language
and historical atmosphere.
John Grisham,The Testament. Penguin Readers.
Advanced
Daphne du
Maunier, Rebecca. Macmillan Readers,
Level 6. This book is excellent due to an interesting plot and the depth of the
characters. (The Hichtcock
black and white movie should be watched after finishing
the book. This will allowed the students to get a step forward in their
understanding of English)
Edith
Wharton, The Age of Innocence. Oxford Bookworms n. 5. (There
is an excellent movie –stared by Winona Ryder, Daniel Day-Lewis and Michelle
Pfeiffer- which should be watched after finishing the book. The subtleties of
the language and the complexity of the feelings and characters make this movie
a useful exercise of comprehension).
Alan
Maley, He Knows Too Much. Cambridge English Readers
nº 6. This audiobook is one of the hardest in the list due to the plot,
vocabulary and speed of the language. It has been very celebrated and enjoyed
by most business people.
Proficiency
At this stage we recommed none abridged books combined with audiobooks and movies. Right now audiobooks are still rather expensive but it's the only way to continue the immersion process.
Bernhard Schlink, The Reader. New York, Vintage Books, 1997. Excellent book, very useful for English Reading Clubs. The Audiobook could be found in Amazone. There is also a movie based, more or less, in the story. It's not difficult for students with a minimun level of proficiency.
Lisa Lee, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan. New York, Random House Trade, 2006. The only audiobook we could find is abridged but it's quite good. There seems to be a movie based on the book but none of the ELV teachers have watched it. The language is not too difficult but the chinesse customs could make it harder for lower levels of proficiency.
Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables. New York, Aladin Classics, 2001. This is a very difficult book due to the language although the story is easy to follow. There are several series based on this book. This book could be recommended to students with the highest levels of proficiency.
