On a more positive note from my last post (sometimes, we just need to let the rage out, you know?), I wanted to chat about my favorite audiobooks today! Audiobooks have really been having their moment recently, mostly because they enable us to consume content (a story) and entertain ourselves while doing something like running errands or doing chores.
I was never an audiobook girly until I started running. All of a sudden, I was happy to pull up my current read on Spotify and listen to it during a run. Sometimes, it was even nonfiction. I’ve become everything I used to roll my eyes at, apparently. It all started when I had to go run for marathon training, but simply had to keep reading. Six months later, I prefer to listen to audiobooks when I go on longer runs instead of music because it’s both entertaining and keeps me from going too quickly.
So, let’s talk my favorite audiobooks!
Never Eat Alone by Keith Ferrazzi. My parents gave me this book for Christmas in 2023, but I ignored it on my bookshelf for nearly a year before finally picking it up. I dragged myself through the first couple of chapters because I was not a nonfiction reader. I read to disassociate, thank you very much, not think. In a shocking turn of events, however, the audiobook for Never Eat Alone, a nonfiction book about the power of networking in the business world, easily got me through an 18-mile run, the longest distance I’d ever run at that point. Even if you’re not a business mogul, this book has great tips on forming connections with people and is really easy to listen to.
The Shining by Stephen King. This is the audiobook that started it all. I had to run a 10k for marathon training, but was so hooked on The Shining that I didn’t want to put it down. I ended up listening to the ending while PRing my 10k time. Nothing is as motivating as listening to an evil, sentient hotel try to kill people. This book also has knocked Pride and Prejudice out of the top spot for my favorite book of all time (which is INSANE), so that made it easy to listen to, in addition to the clearcut prose and engaging narrator.
Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid. This audiobook is so good because the book itself is written as a set of interviews. It feels more like listening to a podcast, which is so captivating for an audiobook. Daisy Jones and the Six follows the rise and fall of a Fleetwood Mac-esque band in the 1970s, and frankly, it’s iconic. There are several chunks of lyrics from songs sprinkled in between chapters, which are always cool to hear because it’s a different auditory medium of storytelling inside the book itself. There’s also a TV show on Prime Video and you can listen to the amazing soundtrack if you want a break from the audiobook!
Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros (the graphic audio). Even if you’ve avoided reading Fourth Wing on principle, you should listen to the graphic audio of it, also known as the dramatized adaptation. This kind of audiobook has an entire cast of voices to read the characters, AND includes sound effects. It’s like the audio of an action movie about dragons and a war school instead of book narration. This is a great place to start if you’re hesitant about audiobooks and want a good introduction!
Atomic Habits by James Clear. I know, I know. Another nonfiction audiobook (one that falls under the sub-genre of “self help”, nonetheless!) is crazy. If you’d asked me six months ago if I liked audiobooks, let alone nonfiction audiobooks, I would’ve cackled like one of the Sanderson sisters from Hocus Pocus until you slowly backed away out of fear. That’s how improbable my recently-discovered appreciation of this medium and genre is. Atomic Habits focuses on how to re-wire your habits to improve your quality of life. The information is really easy to break down and absorb, plus it’s narrated by the author himself, so it feels like he’s just giving you some life lessons over the phone.
The God of the Woods by Liz Moore. This book won the BOTM Book of the Year award last year, and I can tell why! It’s part mystery/thriller and part contemporary/historical fiction told from multiple points of view, which gives you a comprehensive understand of (most) sides of the story. Each point of view is narrated by the same woman, Saskia Maarleveld, but she does a good job differentiating each POV in how she narrates so they don’t all blend together. The twist in this book—or twists, actually, there are a few—will GET you, so that’s also fun to hear vs. reading! This is a perfect book to listen to as the weather gets warmer because it takes place predominantly around a summer camp without being a summer book.
I listen to all of these on Spotify, but Audible is a good alternative as well! Spotify doesn’t have every audiobook for free (a.k.a included in the premium subscription that I already pay for), so if there’s one you really want to listen to, it’s easy to purchase on Audible. You can also borrow audiobooks from your local library!!!! All you need is a library card—I’m a huge proponent of this, if my post about “Reasons to Get a Library Card” wasn’t enough indication. Hit me with any and all audiobook recommendations below! Cheers, and happy reading!
Sequels and Scribbles 