Exercise is healthy and good for us, but it can get boring. Music is great, but sometimes, we just don’t want to listen to it. Audiobooks are a wonderful alternative, both for entertainment and because they last for many hours. But there are so many, it’s hard to know where to start: an audiobook of a favorite read or a new one? We have some recs in several different genres to help you out in the article below.
What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami, Narrated by Ray Porter
After selling his bar to devote himself to writing, Haruki Murakami also started running. Over the years, he ran in dozens of races and triathlons and published many books, and this memoir reflects on the sport that impacted not only his life but also his writing. He goes over his preparation for the 2005 New York City Marathon and shows the reader places he ran, like Tokyo’s Jingu Gaien gardens and the Charles River in Boston.
He shares insights and memories from over the years he’s been running: the moment he decided to become a writer, his biggest accomplishments and failures, and his experience, as he ages, of seeing his race times get shorter and then fall back again.
The Stormlight Archive Series by Brandon Sanderson, Narrated by Michael Kramer and Kate Reading
The 10 consecrated orders, also called the Knights Radiant, fell hundreds of years ago, but their magical swords and suits of armor remain, giving normal men the power to become near-invincible. Wars have been waged over them, like the one at the Shattered Plains, where Kaladin — a former medical apprentice who picked up a spear to protect his brother — is a slave. In this senseless war, he tries to save his men and do what’s right.
Brightlord Dalinar Kholin, an army commander, is fascinated by the ancient text The Way of Kings. He has visions of ancient times, to the point he begins to wonder if he’s sane. In another country, Shallan wants to train under Jasnah, niece of a famous scholar, though her motives are questionable. But her research and training lead her closer to the truth about this war.
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir, Narrated by Ray Porter
Ryland Grace is the only survivor on a near-hopeless mission, one where humanity and Earth itself are in the balance. However, he doesn’t know that. He doesn’t remember much of anything at all, let alone his mission. The only thing he knows is that he’s slept for an extremely long time and he’s now awake, far from home and in the company of two corpses.
His memories slowly return over time, all of them fuzzy, and he realizes he’s alone on a small ship created from every government and space agency on Earth, all so he can destroy a threat to the human race. It seems impossible, but with the help of a surprising ally, he might pull it off.
Butcher & Blackbird by Brynne Weaver, Narrated by Joe Arden and Lucy Rivers
All serial killers must have a friend, just as every game needs a winner. When rival murderers Sloane and Rowan have an unexpected bond born of a chance encounter, they find something slippery: a friendship of similar pitch-black souls and dark hearts. They collide all across the United States in a yearly game of blood and suffering, where they are up against the most lethal and ruthless monsters across the country.
Their friendship slowly deepens, but the ghosts they’ve left behind are haunting them, ready to destroy more than their new love. Can these two survive, or will they find themselves in a grave?
NOS4A2 by Joe Hill, Narrated by Kate Mulgrew
Victoria McQueen can find just about anything: misplaced jewelry, missing photos, answers to seemingly-impossible questions, etc. When she bikes over a rickety bridge in the woods close to her house, she appears wherever she needs to be. Charles Talent Manx also has a gift; he takes kids for rides in his 1938 Rolls-Royce Wraith with a vanity plate that reads NOS4A2. In the car, he and the children can leave reality and go to a playground of amusements that Charlie calls Christmasland.
However, the journey through Charlie’s warped imagination changes the children, turning them as scary as him. One day, Vic goes looking for trouble, and she is led to Charlie. It was a lifetime ago, but Vic — the only kid to ever get away from him — is an adult and wants nothing more than to forget. But Charlie never forgot her, and he’s after revenge. He wants something special — something that Vic could never hope to replace.
Exercise is good for the body, and reading is good for the soul, making them the perfect combination. Happy reading!
Click here for an article on audiobooks with fantastic casts.
Check out our Bookstr Team Recs shelf on Bookstr’s Bookshop page.
