The 25 Best Audiobooks Narrated by Celebrities
Michael Kovac/Getty Images for AFI
You always hear the phrase “The book is better than the movie.” That tends to be the case, at least most of the time, but is there a way to make books’ dominance over the big screen even more complete? What if books… also had movie stars? With audiobooks, it’s possible. Many big-name celebrities have lent their talent to narration, making great books better .
While it’s not uncommon for celebrities to read the audio versions of their own memoirs, those aren’t the only books that have gotten the A-list treatment. Works of fiction, both established classics and bestselling new releases, have audiobook versions with famous talent doing the reading. Below are 25 of the best audiobooks narrated by celebrities.
RELATED: I Read 365 Books This Year and These Were My 10 Favorites .
DFree/Shutterstock
Parks and Recreation star Nick Offerman has a dry sense of humor and an appreciation for work. Mark Twain had the former but Tom Sawyer definitely does not have the latter. That makes Offerman, a real salt-of-the-earth guy who probably actually does think painting a fence would be fun, a charming choice to narrate this American classic .
Matteo Chinellato/Shutterstock
There’s a natural pensiveness in Scarlett Johansson’s voice that lends itself well to going down the rabbit hole in Lewis Carroll’s trippy classic . With as many strange goings-on in Wonderland as there are in this book, you need a good guide to get through them all, and Johansson obliges.
DFree/Shutterstock
Lawrence Fishburne was perfectly cast as Morpheus in The Matrix , a role that required him to be a bold, risk-taking leader who made you want to follow him when you listened to his voice. He lends that powerful voice to that of a real-life leader, civil rights icon Malcolm X , in this reading of his autobiography .
lev radin/Shutterstock
The creator and star of Hamilton reads Junot Díaz’s Pulitzer Prize-winning 2007 novel about a Dominican boy growing up in New Jersey. The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao drew praise for its magical realism, and Lin-Manuel Miranda’s quirky enthusiasm adds the proper amount of lift and whimsy to the narration.
s_bukley/Shutterstock
Sissy Spacek famously played the title character in Brian De Palma’s acclaimed 1976 adaptation of Stephen King’s debut novel. How fitting for her to return years later to narrate the book . (Presumably, no blood was dumped on her head while in the recording booth.)
RELATED: 16 Ways to Create a Cozy Reading Nook .
Tinseltown/Shutterstock
Dan Stevens has never played James Bond on the big screen, but the English actor known for roles in Downton Abbey , the live-action Beauty and the Beast , and plenty of genre movies, certainly has the charm required to play 007. He reads Casino Royale , the first Bond novel author Ian Fleming ever wrote.
Cubankite/Shutterstock
Patrick Stewart is no stranger to voice acting (he’s been voicing a frequently recurring character on American Dad for more than a decade now). He projects timeless gravitas, and he has a playful side, making him a fitting choice to read Charles Dickens’ holiday classic , which is both timelessly earnest and a lot funnier than you might remember it being. The Star Trek actor also has considerable familiarity with the material, having written and starred in a stage adaptation and played Ebenezer Scrooge again in a 1999 TV movie.
<img loading=“lazy” src=“https://bestlifeonline.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/10/hanks-main-e1696427694435.jpg?quality=82&strip=all" onerror=“this.onerror=null;this.src=‘https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhe7F7TRXHtjiKvHb5vS7DmnxvpHiDyoYyYvm1nHB3Qp2_w3BnM6A2eq4v7FYxCC9bfZt3a9vIMtAYEKUiaDQbHMg-ViyGmRIj39MLp0bGFfgfYw1Dc9q_H-T0wiTm3l0Uq42dETrN9eC8aGJ9_IORZsxST1AcLR7np1koOfcc7tnHa4S8Mwz_xD9d0=s16000';" alt=“Tom Hanks at the premiere of “Asteroid City” in June 2023 - 9”>
lev radin / Shutterstock
Everybody loves Tom Hanks , so having his charming voice in your ears for a few hours is a treat regardless of what he’s saying. Luckily The Dutch House , Ann Patchett’s Pulitzer Prize-winning 2019 novel about two siblings and the house they live in across five decades, is a great book that’s worthy of Hanks’ narration .
<img loading=“lazy” src=“https://bestlifeonline.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/03/jake-e1680190637181.jpg?quality=82&strip=all" onerror=“this.onerror=null;this.src=‘https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhe7F7TRXHtjiKvHb5vS7DmnxvpHiDyoYyYvm1nHB3Qp2_w3BnM6A2eq4v7FYxCC9bfZt3a9vIMtAYEKUiaDQbHMg-ViyGmRIj39MLp0bGFfgfYw1Dc9q_H-T0wiTm3l0Uq42dETrN9eC8aGJ9_IORZsxST1AcLR7np1koOfcc7tnHa4S8Mwz_xD9d0=s16000';" alt=“Jake Gyllenhaal at the premiere of “Strange World” in 2022 - 10”>
Fred Duval / Shutterstock
Let Jake Gyllenhaal take you back to the Jazz Age as he reads F. Scott Fitzgerald’s masterpiece , The Great Gatsby . An actor of Gyllenhaal’s caliber and charisma really makes you understand Nick Carraway and why he would become so enamored with the mysterious title character.
lev radin/Shutterstock
Claire Danes is a world-class crier , as anybody who watched Homeland can attest, but she also can convey strength and steely reserve (as anybody who watched Homeland can also attest). That combination of vulnerability and fortitude is necessary for anybody narrating Margaret Atwood’s iconic work of dystopian feminist fiction.
RELATED: 30 Travel Movies to Help Inspire Your Next Trip .
Denis Makarenko/Shutterstock
Nora Ephron was a legend, and her autobiographical novel about her marriage and divorce to Carl Bernstein requires a legend to read it. Who better than Meryl Streep , a friend of Ephron’s who starred in the 1986 movie adaptation? It’s a perfect match of book and narrator .
Featureflash Photo Agency/Shutterstock
Stephen Fry is a renowned comic actor, but he also happens to be one of the most famous narrators around, so there are countless audiobooks that he’s read that could appear on this list. His take on The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy , Douglas Adams’ beloved absurd sci-fi comedy, is an ideal showcase for his talents. He’s got the perfect amount of wry British-ness the book calls for.
Featureflash Photo Agency/Shutterstock
Tatiana Maslany is used to playing multiple characters aftering starring in Orphan Black , where she played a string of different clones. That experience serves her well reading The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins , as she brings Katniss Everdeen and all the other contestants in this dystopian fight to the death to life.
DFree/Shutterstock
Jane Eyre is one of the most iconic characters in all of literature, and it takes a smart, confident narrator to really get inside her head for the Charlotte Brontë -penned first-person narration. Thandiwe Newton has the poise , posh, and quick personality needed.
Kathy Hutchins/Shutterstock
Gollum himself narrates J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings —and he’s also narrated other books set in Middle-earth, including The Silmarillion . Andy Serkis famously played the ring-obsessed Smeagol in Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings films and is famous for playing other motion-capture creatures, but he can also be quite charming and has a lovely English accent, making him a great choice for hours of fantasy entertainment.
RELATED: The 25 Best Animated Movies Ever Made .
magicinfoto/Shutterstock
The Odyssey , Homer’s epic poem from antiquity, was originally part of a long oral tradition, so having it read to you as an audiobook is kind of a full-circle moment. Ian McKellen , a beloved actor who knows something about long epic journeys from his time traversing Middle-earth in the Lord of the Rings films, gives Odysseus’ centuries-old voyage new life .
DFree/Shutterstock
Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist is, among other things, incredibly British. Jonathan Pryce is one of the most classically British actors out there today. He’s got a voice that was made for reading stories, especially Oliver Twist .
Matteo Chinellato/Shutterstock
In addition to being a very, very funny comedic actor, John C. Reilly also brings a surprising amount of pathos to his work. (He has a supporting role in Kong: Skull Island , for example, that has no business being as emotionally effective and affecting as it is.) One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest , Ken Kesey’s seminal novel about patients inside a mental institution, is a perfect book for him to narrate .
s_bukley/Shutterstock
The Office ’s Rainn Wilson narrates this children’s classic , bringing bemused whimsy to the fantastical happenings in Norton Juster’s novel. The Phantom Tollbooth is an especially quirky book, and Wilson excels on that front.
Featureflash Photo Agency/Shutterstock
Rosamund Pike played kind eldest sister Jane Bennet in the 2005 movie adaptation of Pride and Prejudice , but for this audiobook of the Jane Austen classic, she gets to voice every character , including headstrong heroine Lizzie.
RELATED: The Most Hated TV Characters of All Time .
Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images
Love it or hate it, Ernest Cline’s Ready Player One is a feast for geeks, full of references to ‘80s pop culture and plenty of other nerdy Easter eggs. Who better to read it than Wil Wheaton , who is geek royalty himself? The book’s protagonist isn’t that unlike Star Trek: The Next Generation ’s Wesley Crusher, to boot.
Tinseltown/Shutterstock
The truth is that the scariest part of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz is the horrifying cover art. A lot of the stories are actually quite silly in a spooky kind of way. Patton Oswalt , a comedian with plenty of enthusiasm, is the right call to narrate the audiobook , rather than somebody trying to do their best Vincent Price impression.
Shutterstock
Henry James’ novella The Turn of the Screw is a horror masterpiece, following a governess at a country estate who is either seeing ghosts or is going crazy. Emma Thompson effortlessly conveys the poise needed to be a governess in the Victorian era but also captures the sense of unraveling needed to make this Gothic fiction as chilling as it is.
Tinseltown/Shutterstock
Britney Spears didn’t narrate her 2023 memoir, but she got a very, very talented actor to do it for her . Five-time Oscar nominee Michelle Williams stepped in to tell the “Toxic” singer’s life story.
DFree / Shutterstock
Anne Hathaway’s theater-kid enthusiasm is a perfect match for L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of O z , a beloved fantasy book that offers the Oscar-winning actor a chance to go big—and, when it comes to the Munchkins, small, too.
30 Travel Movies to Help Inspire Your Next Trip
Sony Pictures Releasing
One of the great things about movies is that they can take you places without you having to squeeze into an uncomfortable airplane seat or with all the other hassles that real-life travel entails. There are lots of great movies about people setting out to see the world , so let the big screen scratch your wanderlust by checking out these 31 films.
Some of the movies on this list are romantic, following two people as they come together in that special way that happens when you’re away from home. Others are about journeys of self-discovery, showing what can happen when you hit the road solo. Some movies are uproarious comedies that will transport you away from your troubles as you laugh along to the antics on screen. There are also movies that are less of a vacation than they are an adventure, sure to get your blood pumping. And there are some scary movies about travel—the sort that might make you think, “You know, actually, maybe let’s make this one a staycation.”
Don’t bother packing your bags. All you need to do is hit “play” to embark on any one of these 30 great travel movies.
RELATED: 24 Feel-Good Movies to Lift Your Spirits .
Romantic Travel Movies
Diane Lane stars in this charming 1996 movie as a recently divorced woman who travels to Italy in an attempt to break out of her post-divorce funk. (In her defense, her husband was cheating on her and he got to keep the house, so she’s right to be miffed.) Once in Tuscany, though, she somehow becomes the owner of a villa, and as she begins to make a new life for herself, the potential for new love emerges amidst some of the most beautiful scenery and delicious-looking wine ever put to film. It’s the type of movie that will have you looking up flights to Florence.
A destination wedding counts as travel, and the breakout comedy of 2023 was shot on location in Australia. Glenn Powell and Sydney Sweeney play two people who left on bad terms after a one-night stand only to have to make nice when their mutual friends get married. Anyone But You is enough to make you want to take a trip Down Under, although perhaps without all the rom-com shenanigans.
Kate Winslet and Cameron Diaz play lovelorn women who swap homes so that they can get away from their respective heartbreaks over Christmastime. When Winslet’s Iris and Diaz’s Amanda get to Los Angeles and London, respectively, they find new love in Jack Black and Jude Law’s characters. The 2006 movie, from the great Nancy Meyers , works extra well as a travel movie because, thanks to the house-swapping premise, it’s a reminder that everyone’s home is somebody else’s trip.
The first of Richard Linklater’s Before trilogy introduces audiences to Ethan Hawke’s Jesse and Julie Delpy’s Céline as they meet on a train from Budapest and decide to spend the night together wandering Vienna. Widely regarded as one of the more romantic movies ever made, Before Sunrise will also make you want to explore Vienna with someone you’ve just met—someone who maybe you could see yourself spending the rest of your life with.
Technically, Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris is a travel movie (because Owen Wilson’s character is visiting Paris with his fiancee, played by Rachel McAdams ) and a time travel movie (because he goes back in time to 1920s). It’s a romantic movie both because of the relationship Wilson’s Gil strikes up with Marion Cotillard’s Adriana and because of how it romanticizes Paris and nostalgia—and deftly interrogates that romanticism.
RELATED: 20 Date Night Movies You and Your Partner Will Both Love .
Movies About Traveling Solo
Dev Patel stars in this 2016 film, which is based on the true story of Saroo Brierley , who was separated from his parents in India at a very young age and adopted by an Australian couple. Once he grew up, he went back to his birth country in an attempt to find his biological parents. Saroo’s trek through India and into his own forgotten past is a tear-jerking, emotional travel story, and Lion was rewarded with six Oscar nominations.
This 2014 adaptation of Cheryl Strayed’s memoir Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail stars Reese Witherspoon as Strayed sets out to hike from Southern California to Washington State in an attempt to find herself. The tour of the West Coast’s trails is a tour-de-force for the actor as her character remakes her life one hiking boot-clad step at a time.
In 1977, Robyn Davidson set out on a nine-month journey across the unforgiving Australian Outback with her dog and four camels. She later wrote about her adventure in National Geographic and in her memoir Tracks . In 2013, her story was adapted into a film with the same name. Mia Wasikowska plays Davidson in the movie, which features stunning cinematography of the Australian desert in all its harsh beauty.
A lot of solo travel stories are tales of self-discovery where the voyager has learned something by the time they reach their destination. Into the Wild offers no such catharsis, instead telling the true story of Christopher McCandless , a man who hiked across America and eventually ended up in the Alaskan wilderness—an environment he was not prepared for. It’s a poignant, tragic counterpart to the more common celebrations of wanderlust you tend to see in pop culture.
Julia Roberts stars as Elizabeth Gilbert in this 2010 adaptation of her memoir of post-divorce travel and self-discovery. Feeling her life is aimless and without purpose, Liz elects to travel around the world, stopping in Italy, India, and Bali where she eats, prays, and well, you can probably guess.
RELATED: The 15 Movies That Won the Most Oscars .
Travel Horror Movies
Ari Aster’s supremely disturbing folk horror movie stars Florence Pugh as a young woman who is begrudgingly invited by her not-great boyfriend and his friends to go to Sweden to observe a commune’s midsummer festival. Upon getting there, Pugh’s Dani soon learns that the Hårga are not all sunshine and flowers, and that there are dark rituals and sinister plots. It’s the type of movie that will make you think twice about a Nordic vacation, and you’ll never look at a taxidermied bear the same way.
This 2005 horror movie, from director Eli Roth , is one of the biggest examples of the so-called “torture porn” subgenre, but there’s more to Hostel than just blood and guts. (There are a lot of blood and guts, though.) The film follows some American backpackers who, while traveling in Eastern Europe, become the victims of a shadowy organization that lets the ultra-rich live out their most depraved fantasies by torturing and killing unsuspecting tourists. Let’s just say that Hostel is not exactly a great promotional tourism campaign for Slovakia—something that the country was actually pretty upset about .
This 2022 film, released by the horror-centric streaming service Shudder, follows a social media influencer who, when traveling in Thailand, meets and befriends a young woman. It’s the type of movie that lives or dies on its twists, but let’s just say that Influencer is what you would get if The Talented Mr. Ripley were set in the social media age and a full-on horror film instead of a thriller.
The Creator director Gareth Edward’s 2010 debut follows a photojournalist as he tries to escort a young woman through Mexico, which has been taken over by kaiju-sized alien monsters. There are moments of beauty and discovery along their journey, as well as high-stress moments of terror when they encounter these creatures, which Edwards brings to life on a shoestring budget—though you can’t tell that by watching.
It’s right there in the title: John Landis’ 1980 comedy horror is about an American in London, although he’s not a werewolf when he first arrives in the UK. No, that happens after he’s mauled by a strange beast in the moors of Yorkshire—and that same beast kills the friend he was backpacking with. When he recovers in London, things get gnarly in the light of a full moon.
RELATED: 27 Movies With Shocking Twist Endings You Won’t Recover From .
Comedy Movies About Traveling
If you like the misadventures of the Griswold family’s first vacation attempt, great news: There are five sequels to this 1983 Chevy Chase comedy. Before the European , Vegas , or Christmas Vacation , though, Clark Griswold tries to drive his family from Chicago to southern California. Their journey makes for some classic comedy, though it might hit a bit too close to home if you’ve had to endure a family vacation that went awry.
A lot of Wes Anderson’s movies are about travel, including his most recent film, Asteroid City , and The Grand Budapest Hotel . His ultimate travel movie, though, is 2007’s The Darjeeling Limited , which stars Owen Wilson , Adrien Brody , and Jason Schwartzman as three estranged brothers who agree to make a trip through India together in the hopes of reconnecting after their father’s death.
Lots of movies are about travel, but are they about a big adventure, the way Tim Burton’s directorial debut is? Paul Reubens stars as his Pee-wee Herman character, who hits the road in an attempt to recover his beloved bicycle, which has gone missing. Following a psychic’s totally legit vision of his bike in the basement of the Alamo, Pee-wee encounters a ghost trucker, biker gangs, and all the madness of a Hollywood backlot.
Netflix’s Oscar-nominated animated movie has a setup that’s not too dissimilar from that of National Lampoon’s Vacation . Aspiring filmmaker Katie Mitchell can’t wait to get away from her family and start film school. Her dad, voiced by Danny McBride , feels his daughter slipping away and opts to have the whole fam drive her across the country rather than take a plane to school. At the same time, an A.I. gone rogue has started a robot uprising. Oops!
In addition to featuring a hall-of-fame cameo from Matt Damon as the singer of “Scotty Doesn’t Know,” Eurotrip is a classic, if not especially intelligent, teen sex romp. It’s not the movie to watch if you want to get a feel for Europe, but it is what you put on when you want to enjoy some good, dumb laughs.
RELATED: 23 Movies Like Interstellar That Will Also Bend Your Brain .
Adventure Travel Movies
Ben Stiller directed and stars in The Secret Life of Walter Mitty , an imaginative adaptation of a 1939 short story about a mild-mannered man who gets lost in his daydreams. When circumstances force Walter to embark on a trip around the world, he starts living his daydreams for real, going to Greenland and the Himalayas. Featuring a fantastic soundtrack and gorgeous cinematography of some truly beautiful, off-the-beaten-path places, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is the type of movie that might make you stop just thinking about taking a trip and actually buy a ticket.
William Friedkin , best known for directing The Exorcist , also helmed this 1977 thriller about possibly the worst road trip of all time. When four people, all on the run from their various sordid pasts, find themselves trapped in a remote oil village in Colombia, they are desperate to get out by any means necessary. The opportunity presents itself when the bosses need people to drive boxes of dynamite that are extremely unstable and could blow at any minute across miles of rainforest. There is one sequence in Sorcerer that’s some of the most unbelievably tense filmmaking you’ll likely ever see. (Note that it’s a remake of another classic film, Wages of Fear , should you want another movie that’ll keep you on edge.)
Johnny Depp stars as an average man who finds himself smack in the middle of an international criminal incident when on vacation in Europe after a woman, played by Angelina Jolie , tries to trick the authorities into thinking Depp’s the fugitive they’re looking for. Thrills, laughs, and a little romance ensue.
Charlie Hunnam plays real explorer Percy Fawcett in this adaptation of the book by the same name from author David Grann , who also wrote Killers of the Flower Moon . The film follows the British explorer in the early 1900s as he tries, time and time again, to prove the existence of a mythical city deep in the jungles of Brazil. Think of it as a somber, reflective take on a real-life Indiana Jones, one whose obsession with traveling to hostile environments in search of knowledge may prove to be his undoing.
This gripping survival drama about the infamous 1996 Mount Everest Disaster, as documented by Jon Krakauer in the book Into Thin Air, is the type of film that will probably make you consider an all-inclusive beach resort for your next vacation rather than mountain-climbing.
RELATED: 25 Movies Like Knives Out That Will Bring Out Your Inner Detective .
Movies About Roadtrips
This biopic follows the man who would become the Che Guevara when he, as a young man in the early ‘50s, travels across South America with his friend Alberto Granado . The film, which is based on Guevara’s trip diary, is both a road movie and a coming-of-age film about an important historical figure, as we see him become radicalized by the poverty and inequality he sees on this journey.
Margaret Qualley and Geraldine Viswanathan star in Ethan Coen’s romp from earlier this year, and it wouldn’t be inaccurate to call Drive-Away Dolls “ The Big Lebowski , but just the silly parts.” Set in the late ’90s, it follows two lesbian friends who learn that the car they’ve rented has a human head and a briefcase in the trunk—and that some shadowy types really, really want whatever’s in that case back.
Burt Reynolds stars in this 1977 classic, which was the second-highest-grossing movie of its release year after the original Star Wars . He plays a legendary bootlegger who accepts a job to smuggle 400 cases of Coors from Texarkana to Atlanta in under 28 hours. Along the way, he encounters a runaway bride played by Sally Field , and Sheriff Buford T. Justice, who wants to stop the Bandit. Smokey and the Bandit also features an incredible theme song, “ East Bound and Down ,” and while the lyrics describe the plot of the movie almost beat-for-beat, you’ll find that it’s a fitting song to blast on your own car stereo when you’re on the road.
Il Sorpasso , which is sometimes given the English title The Easy Life , is a masterpiece of 1960s Italian cinema. It follows a boisterous middle-aged man who decides to take a timid, bookish college student he meets under his wing for a good time out on the road—whether or not the younger man actually wants to tag along or not. Hilarious and poignant when you might not expect it, Il Sorpasso ’s well worth the watch.
This seminal adaptation of Hunter S. Thompson’s novel of the same name stars Johnny Depp and Benicio del Toro as they drive to Sin City under the influence of an absurd amount of drugs. In that way, it’s the ultimate travel movie. It’s about a trip, but it’s also about a trip .
The 10 Best Audiobooks for Your Next Road Trip
Prostock-studio / Shutterstock
Packing up the car and heading out on a road trip is a rite of passage. Many of us remember our first road trip as a kid, when we loaded up our suitcases to venture out toward a new destination. Maybe you also hit the road with friends after college, or have taken your kids on a road trip of their own, seeing the sites or exploring different national parks . But if you’re spending hours in the car—no matter who you’re with—you need something to pass the time. Music and podcast episodes can only cover so many miles, which is why you might be in the market for an audiobook.
According to Hayley Yager , bookstagrammer and blogger of Backpacking Bookworm , there are a few key factors that go into selecting the right audiobook for a road trip. To maximize your listening experience, she recommends looking for “engaging and authentic narrators,” who will keep your attention. Second, consider the genres or types of books you’re most interested in. Podcast-lovers might prefer a non-fiction pick, and if you’ve always wanted to learn about some historical or contemporary figure, a biography or memoir could be a great option. Fiction is also a great option, and you’ll find a plethora of different stories that you can immerse yourself in on a long drive.
If you’re having trouble making the right call, travel experts and book bloggers have recommended some of their top audiobook choices, which you can either purchase or borrow from your local library. Read on to find out what you should be listening to while on the road.
READ THIS NEXT: The 8 Most Charming Towns in the U.S. for a Fall Getaway .
Audible Studios
Anything by renowned nonfiction author Bill Bryson is worth a read or a listen. He writes about complex concepts—including the intricacies of the human body and the history of the universe—but does so in an accessible, often comical way. Of Bryson’s many worthy reads, Anthony Presti , travel writer of ValueQuack, recommends The Lost Continent: Travels in Small-Town America .
“Follow Bill on his cross-country road trip in the United States. From the backwoods of Kentucky to the badlands of South Dakota, Bryson covers it all in this hilarious account of his journey,” Presti says.
Bryson travels across 38 states in total over the course of the travelogue, as he searches for the perfect small American town—and you’ll be waiting to see if he finds it. “If you’re looking for a laugh-out-loud book to listen to on your road trip, this is the one for you,” Presti says. “It is one of the funniest books you’ll ever read, whether at home or on the road.”
Random House Audio
If you love a good modern mystery, The Flight Attendant is a solid choice for your next road trip. Full of suspense, this story follows Cassie, a binge drinker who finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation. It’s also been turned into a popular show on HBO Max, so you can engage in the age-old debate of book versus TV series when you’re done listening.
“Why not infuse a little ‘travel talk’ into your travels? With the release of the new HBO show based on this novel, I wanted to give the book a try before watching it,” Bryan Mullennix , founder of the travel website Feeling Vegas, explains. “It’s a suspenseful novel and makes for a good road trip audiobook because of how it is written and also the fact that it kind of relates to travel.”
This audiobook has three narrators, meaning you’ll hear different voices for different characters in this chilling and thrilling read. Looking for something even darker? You might want to opt for Yager’s thriller pick, The Night Swim by Megan Goldin .
Macmillan Audio
If you just want to be transported to another world, let TJ Klune take you there by listening to Under T he Whispering Door . Klune has quickly become a mainstay in the fantasy genre, often featuring LGBTQ+ characters. Under The Whispering Door also adds a splash of romance, humor, and some more intense themes of grief and loss.
John Hubbard , founder and CEO of the outdoor blog Urban Dare, recommends Under The Whispering Door if you want something that will truly keep your attention. “The audiobook gives you all types of feeling with every character’s unique and suitable voice,” he explains, adding that Kirt Graves , a well known audiobook reader and audio producer, narrates. “It provides a great message from life and love to death with its lovable characters.”
Hubbard recommends this for a long drive, “as it will take some time to understand the deep questions Klune’s tale poses throughout.” The audiobook has a listening length of 14 hours and 54 minutes, so it’ll get you through a good stretch of your trip. “Some listeners might find the audiobook a bit slow at the start,” he notes. “It is better to listen at 1.5 speed until you begin to understand the plot of the story.”
Random House Audio
If you’re choosing a memoir for a long-haul drive, Yager recommends selecting one that is recorded by the author. “In my experience, stories are brought more to life when read by the person who knows the book better than anyone,” she tells Best Life , suggesting Becoming by Michelle Obama as a notable choice.
The former First Lady narrates her memoir, discussing her childhood all the way through her time in the White House and after. You’ll feel connected to Obama when listening to her tell her story, and if you needed any more convincing, she won the 2020 Grammy for Best Spoken Word Album for her audio edition of the book.
If you’ve already checked Becoming off of your reading list—it was, after all, the best-selling book of 2018—Presti also recommends Barack Obama’s 2020 memoir A Promised Land . “It chronicles his upbringing, his time in office, and the challenges he faced throughout his presidency,” he says. “It’s an inspiring story that will leave you feeling hopeful and motivated—perfect for a road trip where anything can happen.”
READ THIS NEXT: This Type of Vacation Is About to Skyrocket in Popularity, New Survey Finds .
Pottermore Publishing
One of the most beloved series of all time centers on a young wizard named Harry Potter. The stories have captivated young and old readers alike since Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone was first published in 1997. Presti recommends this audiobook for your next trip on the open road, especially if you’ve got your kids in tow.
“If you’re looking for a book the whole family can enjoy on your road trip, look no further than Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone ,” he explains. “With its magic, adventure, and suspense, this book is sure to keep everyone entertained on a long car ride.”
As The Sorcerer’s Stone is the first installment in the seven-part series, you might also want to bring Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets along as well, just in case the kids (or you) can’t wait to find out what happens next.
Macmillan Audio
While you can’t watch a rom-com while you’re driving, you can certainly listen to one. Yager recommends The Switch , which is set in the U.K. and features a plot line that might remind you a little of the movie The Holiday . The story focuses on a newly-single grandmother looking for love in the rural town of Yorkshire and her granddaughter, who has become exhausted by life in London. The two decide to switch places, and drama, romance, and comedy ensue.
The audiobook is read by two English actors, Daisy Edgar-Jones , of Normal People and Where the Crawdads Sing , and Alison Steadman , award-winning stage, film, and television star.
“This is an easy and light listen with two celebrity narrators, which evokes familiarity,” Yager says. “The chapters are the perfect length, enabling you to get invested in one storyline before moving on to the next when the narrators switch.”
You can listen to this 10-hour audiobook on a longer drive, but Yager notes that you can also “dip in and out for shorter trips.”
READ THIS NEXT: The 5 Newest National Parks You Need to Add to Your Bucket List .
Random House Audio
Some stories are classics for a reason, and even if you haven’t picked up a copy of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy , odds are you’ve heard of it. First published in 1979, it was adapted from author Douglas Adams’ radio series and follows the journey of the only man to survive after earth is destroyed.
“Full of laughs, science fiction, and awesome ’70s and ’80s references, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is the perfect audiobook for a road trip,” Tim White , CEO and founder of the travel site MilePro, says. This pick is more “lighthearted,” he adds, making it a good choice for those who don’t want an audiobook that’s too intense.
The book is just under six hours long, White points out, making it optimal for shorter journeys. It’s also narrated by English actor and broadcaster Stephen Fry , so you might recognize a familiar voice.
Harlequin Audio
Another one of Yager’s fiction picks is The Funny Thing About Norman Foreman , which has all the necessary components of a family comedy—think Little Miss Sunshine with a twist.
“This is the perfect road trip listen as the book itself revolves around a family taking a detour-heavy road trip up to Edinburgh so 12-year-old Norman can perform at the Fringe,” she says.
For those unfamiliar with the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in Scotland, it’s the largest arts festival in the world, dating back to 1947. In this contemporary fiction novel, young Norman is hoping to take his comedy act to center stage at the event. “It’s an absolute rollercoaster of one hilarious feat after another, yet still manages to retain every ounce of authenticity,” Yager says. “It’s a feel-good book that anyone can enjoy, making it perfect for a long road trip.”
READ THIS NEXT: If You’re Going to Yellowstone, Check Your Car for This First, Officials Warn .
Hachette Audio
For those who want an audiobook that is chock-full of different stories, check out David Sedaris’ When You Are Engulfed in Flames .
“If you’re looking for a more introspective, thought-provoking read, When You Are Engulfed in Flames is the book for you,” Presti tells Best Life .
Sedaris narrates the audiobook himself, and you’re sure to be entertained by his wit as he covers topics that range from ridiculous to deeply insightful. “It’s a hilarious and poignant look at the human condition that will have you thinking about it long after you’ve finished reading,” Presti says. “Follow as David travels the world and tries to make sense of it all.”
Random House Audio
Ernest Cline’s fantastic 2011 novel Ready Player One is a must-read—or listen, in this case—for anyone interested in gaming, virtual reality, or just science fiction in general.
“If you’re looking for a lighthearted, fun book to keep you entertained on a road trip, look no further than Ready Player One ,” Presti says. “This science fiction novel follows the story of Wade Watts, a teenager who finds himself thrust into a virtual world in search of an Easter egg that will grant its finder ultimate power and control over the world. Along the way, he makes allies and enemies as he fights to be the first to find the egg.”
The novel has also been adapted into a film directed by Steven Spielberg , but the book has significant differences. S0, even if you’ve seen the movie, you should still give the book a go. “It will have you laughing, crying, and cheering—the perfect way to pass the time on a long car ride,” Presti says.
