Best Audiobooks for Road Trips

Book Summary

In this charming debut novel, Widower Tova works at the Sowell Bay Aquarium to occupy her mind and time. She takes pride in cleaning perfectly every night, even though she doesn’t need the money. She loves all the aquarium life but forms a special bond with the intelligent (and curmudgeonly) octopus named Marcellus.

He’s just as surprised to feel friendly toward this human who visits him nightly. Soon, he connects the sadness he sees in her with something he saw in the ocean long ago. Can he help her solve the mystery of her son’s disappearance 30 years ago?

Book Summary

Born with ocular albinism, Sam Hill’s red eyes cause him problems from the moment that he enrolled at Our Lady of Mercy. Labeled “Hell Boy,” he is bullied by not only his classmates but also by the nun who is the principal of the elementary school. Eventually, Sam finds the friend he desperately needs in Ernie Cantwell, the only African American boy in his class, and eventually also in a fiercely individual girl named Mickie.

Decades later, Sam is a respected ophthalmologist still moving through life with Ernie and Mickie by his side, but his world is about to be upturned when he’s unexpectedly reunited with the biggest school-yard bully from his past.

Book Summary

One day before Allan’s 100th birthday, he’s still in good health. However, he’s not excited about the big celebration planned at his nursing home, so he decides to escape. After crawling out the window, he goes on the adventure of a lifetime.

On his laugh-out-loud funny journey, he encounters a cast of quirky characters, from unpleasant criminals to a friendly hot dog vendor. There’s even an elephant!

Book Summary

Bernadette lives with her husband and her teenage daughter in Seattle – a city where she’s never felt she fits in. She was once a renowned architect, but now spends most of her time in the house hiding from the other moms of her daughter’s elite prep school.

Unlike her Microsoft employee husband, Elgie, who has fully embraced the granola-eating, public transport-using, bike-riding culture of 2010s Seattle, Bernadette spends her days in the house relying on a virtual assistant in India for many of her daily tasks. This becomes a real problem when her daughter’s stellar report card earns her a family cruise to Antarctica, and Bernadette becomes overwhelmed by the planning and preparations.

When Bernadette disappears before the trip, her daughter Bee is determined to track her down, unraveling a web of secrets.

Much of this book is told in epistolary form, including notes from Bee’s school, email exchanges between Bernadette and her virtual assistant, and catty moms communicating about Bernadette’s eccentricities.

Book Summary

When Travis is hired to find the missing author of dark children’s books, he stumbles into a reclusive community. Pastoral was believed to be a local legend, not a real group and place. However, when he reaches the commune, he disappears. It’s the same thing that happened to Maggie, the author he is looking for.

Years later, Theo, who has always lived within Pastoral, finds a truck at the border of his community. No one is allowed in or out, so the truck’s discovery brings up questions and long-buried secrets about their world. Theo, his wife, and her sister begin uncovering shocking and sinister truths.

Book Summary

Sadie has had a rough start to life and is responsible for raising her younger sister Mattie in an isolated small town. When Mattie is found dead, the police do a sub-par investigation. Sadie is once again on her own as she fights to bring the suspect to justice by following the few clues she has. When West, a radio personality, hears about the sisters’ story, he starts a podcast to track the investigation and is determined to help Sadie.

Book Summary

A small town in Oregon was shocked in 1977 when two seemingly random men were murdered with the same gun. The killer left strange notes, leading the town to believe that the killer was a rich, eccentric 23-year-old woman, Beth. After being acquitted of the murders, she became reclusive, tucked away in the isolation of her mansion.

Forty years later, receptionist Shea runs a true-crime website at night. When she has a chance encounter with now 63-year-old Beth, she’s thrilled when Beth agrees to an interview. The duo begin meeting regularly at Beth’s mansion, which is not a comforting place. Shea swears items move on their own, and other strange things also happen. Although Beth is highly charming, Shea can’t help but wonder if she’s befriending a murderer.

Book Summary

Anxious People is about a failed bank robber that stumbles into an apartment open house and inadvertently holds a group of strangers hostage. The eclectic group of captives may just be the worst hostages in the world, and none of them are quite who they appear to be.

Throughout the ordeal, they divulge secrets, form allegiances, and set into motion a chain of events so unexpected that, when questioned by the police, they can hardly explain what happens next.

Book Summary

Set in 1932 during the Great Depression, This Tender Land follows four orphans who have escaped the abusive Lincoln Indian Training School. The kids set off down the river, and have to survive the environment while being pursued by the school.

They have to decide whether to trust each stranger they encounter and discover themselves along the way. Equal parts adventure and heart, this book is often described as a modern classic and compared to Huckleberry Finn.

Book Summary

Set in the early 19th century, 11-year-old Wash is a slave on a Barbados sugar plantation. He’s terrified when he’s selected as a manservant for his master’s brother, but soon realizes that Christopher Wilde is an abolitionist. He’s also an explorer and inventor, exposing Wash to more incredible wonders than he could ever imagine.

When a bounty is placed on Wash after a murder, Christopher flees with him, and their adventures continue worldwide. A story of both betrayal and redemption, Washington Black was named one of the best books of 2018 by the New York Times Book Review and countless other publications.

Book Summary

This young adult historical fiction focuses on life in post-war Spain under Franco’s dictatorship. In 1957, the regime needed money and opened the country to Americans hoping for investment. Eighteen-year-old Daniel travels with his oil tycoon father from Houston to Madrid.

Daniel brings his camera, eager to explore the city beyond the image that Franco is projecting to the world. Along with Ana, the young hotel maid tasked with assisting his family, Daniel discovers and documents the atrocities happening in the fascist regime.

Book Summary

Mary Jane tells the story of two very different family lifestyles and a 14-year-old girl trying to decide who she really is. Mary Jane is a quiet, book-loving girl from a traditional, conservative family in 1970s Baltimore. When she is offered a job as a nanny for a local doctor, her mom assumes their home is equally tidy and respectable.

However, the house is a huge mess and it’s about to get crazier. The doctor has welcomed a rock star and his wife to stay at the house while he tries to get sober. Mary Jane has a lot to teach them about tidiness and schedules, and all the while they are opening her eyes to the world outside her bubble. By the end of the summer, she’ll have a much better understanding of who she wants to be.

Book Summary

West With Giraffes is a charming tale of adventure that takes you on the ride of a lifetime from the east coast of the US to the west, alongside a rowdy 17-year-old, a grumpy older man, and two giraffes. The year is 1938, and no American zoo has successfully housed giraffes before. The female zoo director of the San Diego Zoo believes she can do it. The giraffes have just survived a hurricane en route to the east coast, and Riley Jones, the zoo’s curmudgeonly head keeper, is responsible for safely transporting the giraffes from New York City to San Diego.

America is still in the throes of the Great Depression, and the Dust Bowl conditions continue to ravage the drought-stricken Southern Plains states. A coast-to-coast trek with giant animals is no easy feat. Jones begrudgingly teams up with a starving teenager named Woody to help him make the journey. The adventures along the way include run-ins with circus con artists, being tailed by a female photographer looking for a big scoop, an emotional visit to Woody’s hometown, and so much more.

At its heart, this is a coming-of-age story. Now, at the age of 105, Woody recounts his 12-day cross-country trip with Jones and the giraffes and how it shaped his life.

Book Summary

This novel chronicles the meteoric rise of a fictional, iconic 1970s rock band – The Six – and their beautiful lead singer, Daisy Jones. The story is told through a series of “behind the music” style interviews that will make you feel like you are right there with them in the hard-partying 70s music scene.

As you hear from each band member, the story of these complex characters unfolds, ultimately revealing the mystery behind the band’s infamous breakup.

Book Summary

This entire novel takes place over the course of 10 days in 1954. Eighteen-year-old Emmett has finished his term on a work farm, where he was sent after being convicted of involuntary manslaughter. The warden drives him home to Nebraska, where he plans to pick up his 8-year-old brother before heading west for a fresh start.

However, Emmett discovers that Duchess and Wooly, his friends from the work camp, have stowed away in the trunk. The three teens and 8-year-old Billy adjust their plans and set out across the country together. The book is told from alternating points of view.

Book Summary

Nora has decided she is done. Done with the way her life is going. In a moment of darkness, she attempts suicide, but she finds herself in the Midnight Library between life and death. The shelves go on and on, and inside each book is a life that she could have lived, had she made just one different choice somewhere along the way – from following dreams to pursuing different careers to undoing old breakups.

Each time she opens a book, she finds herself living that alternate life, and she is faced with the decision of whether she wants to permanently exchange her life for a new one. As she visits these alternate realities, she’ll have to decide not only which life she wants, but also what makes life worth living in the first place.

Book Summary

English teacher Jake Epping is recruited by his friend Al, the local diner owner, to help with the most unlikely of requests. Al discovered a portal in the diner’s storeroom that transports him back in time to the era of Ike and Elvis. He becomes obsessed with using the portal to go back in time and stop the assassination of John F. Kennedy. But when he realizes he won’t be able to complete the mission, he enlists Jake for the job. Jake reluctantly agrees to go back to 1958 and live the early years of the 1960s in the small town of Jodie, Texas while devising a plan to stop JFK from dying on 11/22/63.

Book Summary

This debut novel written by Ruth Emmie Lang is magical, both in story and language. Weylyn Grey was raised by wolves after being orphaned. After surviving on his own in nature, he has developed some supernatural abilities. He first realizes his powers when he single-handedly stops a tornado.

His powers, amazing as they may be, tend to manifest at inopportune times and places. In Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance, Weylyn’s story is told by those who have encountered him throughout many years.

Book Summary

While this book is technically a YA Fantasy, it receives high ratings across the board, even from those who don’t typically choose YA or Fantasy novels.

Linus is a 40-year-old caseworker at the Department in Charge of Magical Youth, and spends his days overseeing children in orphanages and his nights in a tiny house with his devious cat.

When Linus is called to a classified assignment to visit 6 children deemed dangerous, he also meets their caretaker, Arthur Parnassus, who is dedicated to the children’s safety. However, as Linus and Arthur connect, secrets are exposed. Linus must choose between destroying the home of the children or risking them destroying the world.

Book Summary

This story follows Wade Watts, a young gamer who becomes caught up in a high-stakes treasure hunt. 

The OASIS, a virtual universe, is the arena for fast-paced competition against rival gamers and the corporation trying to gain control over the OASIS. All along the way, the story features 1980s nostalgia.

Book Summary

The newest book from the author of The Martian has received praise from both fans of Sci-Fi and those who normally avoid Sci-Fi, so it could be a great pick for couples with different genre preferences! Astronaut Ryland has just woken up millions of miles from home, a very long time after his mission. His crewmates are dead, and his memories are fuzzy. Slowly, he begins piecing together that he must single-handedly save Earth from an event that could cause total extinction. With themes of both mystery and adventure, this highly-rated book won the 2022 Audie Award for Audiobook of the Year. Readers consistently call it a must-listen and say the narration makes the story come to life.

Book Summary

Killers of the Flower Moon is a non-fiction tale featuring a plot that seems like it has to be fiction.

Finding oil within their land, the Osage Indian Nation became the richest people per capita in the world. The wealth attracted a whole host of bad characters, leading to murders and other vicious crimes.

This tale also represents the first time we really see J. Edgar Hoover show up in the history books, as a young FBI director leading the first major homicide investigation in the organization’s history.

One of our favorite actors-slash-narrators, Will Patton (Coach Yoast from the film Remember the Titans), does a fantastic job on this audiobook.

Book Summary

Bill Bryson is famous for his humorous travel writing, but in this nostalgic and hilarious memoir, he reflects on growing up in middle America in the 1950s in the middle of the baby boomer generation. Using his childhood imaginary superhero persona to tell his story, he tells his story of growing up in Des Moines, bringing his loving but eccentric family to life.

Book Summary

In this memoir, Clint Hill reflects on his seventeen years on the White House Secret Service detail under Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, and Ford, shedding light on the personalities of five of the most powerful men in the world, and giving a unique insider perspective on many historical events of the 50s, 60s, and 70s. Clint Hill also wrote another memoir – Ms. Kennedy and Me – about his time as Jackie Kennedy’s personal secret service agent throughout her years as First Lady. Both of Hill’s memoirs are vivid and insightful without feeling gossipy, and he provides an in-depth look at the politics of the day without feeling political.

Book Summary

In this non-fiction book that reads like fiction, we are introduced to Louis Zamperini in his childhood. He’s considered a bit of a delinquent before channeling his angst into running. And he was great. His talent for running took him all the way to the Berlin Olympics in 1936. But when the second World War begins, Louis goes from athlete to airman.

In May 1943, Louis’ bomber crashed into the Pacific Ocean. His unlikely survival aboard a tiny raft surrounded by sharks, and on the verge of starvation, lands him in an even more perilous trial as he is driven to the limits of endurance and ingenuity.

Book Summary

Born a Crime is the true story of Daily Show host Trevor Noah’s childhood and early adulthood. His rise to success was unlikely based on his beginning. Trevor was born in South Africa in 1984 to a white father and a Black mother. His parents could have been imprisoned for five years – or worse – for conceiving him. He spent his early years largely hidden from life outside because his mother feared (with good reason) that he could be removed from her custody because of the apartheid rules of segregation.

When the era of white rule officially ended in the early 1990s, the family’s troubles evolved with the times. From attempted kidnappings and domestic violence to high school dating, you’ll find a mixture of relatable and shocking stories that keep you engaged with every page.

Book Summary

If you grew up watching Happy Days or Andy Griffith, this joint memoir from brothers Ron and Clint Howard could be your perfect road trip listen. The brothers answer the question they’re asked all the time – “What was it like to grow up on TV?” by sharing both good and bad stories of their experiences.

Along with their parents, the Howard brothers moved from the Midwest to Hollywood, where Rance and Jean expected to find careers in show business. Instead, their young sons began capturing the hearts of casting agents and finding steady employment. Instead of being jealous, Rance and Jean set out to protect their boys from the dangers of Hollywood, while balancing helping them build their successful careers.

Book Summary

In this memoir, Dave Grohl tells the stories of a lifetime. It begins with his childhood in Springfield, Virginia, teaching himself to drum and dreaming of being a musician someday. Then he tells of his early adult years on the West Coast, where he was rocketed from a starving artist to a member of the biggest band in the world, Nirvana.

Having achieved all his wildest dreams by age 25, but also witnessing firsthand the price of fame, Dave then spent his next 25 years carefully crafting his life exactly as he wanted it – with equal measures of music, family, and friends. He shares some really epic stories starring some of the biggest names of our time, and he tells some really touching stories starring his mom, his wife, and his children.

Book Summary

Written by the long-time director and producer of Anthony Bourdain’s travel food show, In the Weeds takes you on an adventure around the world. They filmed in dangerous locations, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Libya, and Iran.

The book covers what it was like to be on this journey, and how they managed to film in areas so hard for Westerners to visit. There’s a focus on what it was like traveling with Bourdain, on and off-camera.

Book Summary

While this book takes place on September 11, 2001 and the following days, it’s not the devastating story you would expect. Instead, this heartwarming book recounts the experiences of countless passengers from some of the 38 planes that were unexpectedly diverted to Newfoundland – an island in Canada’s easternmost province – when US airspace was closed on 9/11. On that day, the small town of Gander, with a population of just 10,000, received more than 6,600 passengers from 92 countries. Ganderites, along with residents of the surrounding towns, opened the doors to the local churches, schools, and even their own homes.

Throughout this book, you’ll not only learn the personal stories of the passengers, but you’ll also learn a lot about life on this tiny, remote island and about the unexpecting hosts who welcomed strangers from around the world with open arms and generous hearts.