While traveling the long, lonely stretches of Nevada’s Highway 93, I was transported to the 18th and 19th century streets of New York City, Albany, and Washington, D.C., along with America’s founding father, alexander hamilton.
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and as i gazed at the wonders of the grand escalante stairway national monument in southern utah, a part of me was in the scottish highlands, right in the middle of a group of energetic witches and wizards.
You are reading: Good books to listen to on a road trip
Such is the beauty of audiobooks: those wonderful creations that allow you to listen while a narrator reads a book. For me, they offer an unparalleled opportunity to travel virtually on the go.
As an avid road traveler, I’ve long turned to audiobooks as a means of combating the boredom of long drives. When I recently checked my audiobook history over the last year, I found that I had listened to 40 audiobooks, mostly while driving.
Since no one expects the travel landscape to change rapidly in 2021, I’ve compiled a list of audiobooks, some fairly new, some older, to lighten up your future road trips. here are 11 of them.
1. the big one alone
alaska has been on my must-travel list for years, and I had toyed with taking a trip there in 2020. that didn’t happen, but I was able to “travel” there anyway through the great solo, kristin hannah’s wonderful novel by 2017 which is part coming of age story and part fictional travelogue for the area around Homer, Alaska.
I see great only as a way to transport yourself to the Alaskan wilderness, even if you’re stuck driving to places in your own backyard. Or, if you’re lucky enough to travel through Alaska, the book would make a great introduction or accompaniment.
2. the boys in the boat
I love a non-fiction book that makes me think, “why didn’t I know this?” That was the case with Daniel James Brown’s 2013 The Boys in the Boat, which tells the story of a team of young rowers from the University of Washington in search of a gold medal at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin.
The rowing saga is compelling, but I also enjoyed the backstories, especially team member Joe Rantz’s incredible odyssey as he moved through Washington and Idaho while dealing with the trials of the Great Depression. it made me want to see the back roads in the northwestern us. uu.
3. the stewardess
With the HBO series drawing attention to Chris Bohjalian’s 2018 thriller The Flight Attendant, I decided to listen to the book before watching the series.
Without spoilers, I will say that the series is quite far from the book. For one thing, the main stage is Dubai instead of Bangkok. I especially enjoyed the book’s focus on air travel, as well as its later locations in Rome and New York City.
4. confidential kitchen
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While I had long been an unqualified fan of the late Anthony Bourdain’s television series, The Scale and the Uncharted Parts, I had never read the book that started it all, Cooking Secrets: Adventures in the Culinary Belly.
I finally made it in 2020. I found the audiobook very entertaining, especially its descriptions of Bourdain’s early culinary adventures in Normandy, France, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and New York City. A special treat with the audiobook is that Bourdain narrated it himself. the book is the perfect complement to a foodie-focused journey.
5. the dutch house
Author Ann Patchett’s 2019 novel, The Dutch House, offers a gripping story focused on family dynamics, wealth and poverty, and how a magical house can make an impression for a lifetime. i also loved the story settings in the suburban area around philadelphia and the columbia university area in new york city. would make a great introduction to an East Coast road trip.
an added bonus: movie star tom hanks narrates the audiobook.
6. harry potter
for some reason, i never read j.k. rowling’s harry potter series when it became a global sensation in the early 2000s. i made up for the omission in 2020, listening to all seven audiobooks narrated by the incomparable jim dale.
In addition to offering a fun and exciting adventure story, the books beautifully transport you to the sights and sounds of the Scottish Highlands. I’m late for this party, but I’d love to take a road trip through places like glencoe and stell falls, scotland.
7. born a crime: stories from a south african childhood
trevor noah, the host of comedy central’s daily show, recounts his remarkable early childhood and youth in his 2016 book born as a crime: stories from a south african childhood.
for me, understanding the last years of apartheid south africa and the early years of democratic rule was eye opening. Along with the serious subject matter, comedian Noah offers a wild and engaging look at growing up in Johannesburg, South Africa. noah narrates the audiobook.
8. Alice’s web
I love a good spy story, and Kate Quinn’s 2017 novel Alice Network brilliantly presents it in a dual-timeline historical tale during and after World War II.
I always know a book is a hit for me if I look online for the setting of the story. That was the case with the Alice Network’s disturbing descriptions of Nancy, Grasse and Oradour-sur-Glane, France.
9. alexander hamilton
I’ll admit I tried to read Ron Chernow’s 2004 biography of Alexander Hamilton a few years ago, but I couldn’t get through the 818-page tome.
After seeing Hamilton’s entertaining production on Disney Plus in the summer of 2020, I decided to give the book another try as an audiobook. I found it to be a fascinating and enjoyable deep dive into early US history, with excellent descriptions of places in New York, New Jersey, and the District of Columbia.
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however, at almost 36 hours, the audiobook is the best for the long road trip!
10. become
Along with the extraordinary life story that takes michelle obama from a childhood on chicago’s south side to eight years living in the white house, the former first lady’s 2018 memoir also offers a captivating look at her extensive travels around the world: from kenya to england and india.
in addition, the book offers information on travels around the united states during the electoral campaigns of president barack obama. The audiobook is especially fun because Michelle Obama narrates it herself.
11. where the locusts sing
Once in a while, a book’s descriptions are so captivating that you feel like you’re there, smelling the sea air, feeling the sand between your toes, and hearing the songs of the marsh birds. that was the case with delia owens’ 2018 novel where crayfish sing.
In addition to being an edge-of-your-seat story, the audiobook also offers a beautiful overview of the North Carolina tidelands, sure to inspire many road trips to come.
how to access audiobooks
There are many ways to access audiobooks, but I like to use my local library’s selection. With a library card, and through the overdrive or libby apps on smartphones or tablets, many public libraries provide free access to a large selection of audiobooks.
I use overdrive and have devised a system to always have a handful of books on my “waiting” list. That means when the book is available for loan, I get an email notification that I can download it. Because libraries only have a limited number of each title available for checkout, you often can’t get your chosen book right away, but instead have to stand in line. however, if you keep your queue full of titles, chances are you’ll always have something to listen to when you hit the road.
but if getting your selection right away is important, there are several options for payment services that will allow you to get what you want when you want it. Audible, an Amazon company, offers the world’s largest selection of digital audiobooks and spoken word content. With Audible, customers can listen anytime, anywhere to professionally narrated audiobooks in a wide variety of genres. Amazon Prime also offers subscriptions that will allow you to access a limited number of audiobooks per month. both services offer free 30-day trials.
I like to connect my phone to my car-play option and listen through the car stereo, though I’ve also listened on an ipad.
pro tips
Like the radio or a podcast, listening to audiobooks can be a bit distracting while driving. I recommend listening only while on long stretches of interstate highway or when driving on stretches of rural highways. I routinely turn off my audiobooks in city traffic.
I often travel alone on my road trips, so I just have to indulge myself when it comes to book selections. While I think all of my picks would be good for anyone, couples might especially like Noah’s Born a Crime or Brown’s The Boys in the Boat. Plus, history-loving couples embarking on a long road trip may want to tackle Alexander Hamilton together. Obviously, for families, the Harry Potter series can’t be beat. and there is always the option to use headphones.
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