Top 21 Best Audiobooks for Road Trips

When on the road for a long journey, time passes by slowly and it can quickly become very boring. The landscape or some company along with you can help eliminate that boredom. But sometimes you’ll find yourself driving on an unsightly road all alone or with a passenger who is disagreeable. In that scenario, an audiobook can become your lifesaver.

There are countless audiobooks out there so we have compiled a list of the 21 best audiobooks for road trips that you can enjoy on the road without feeling that dreaded boredom.

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Bird Box by Josh Malerman

You can’t ever look at it or you will go violently insane. That is basically the premise of this book. What is it? What are they? Why are they here? What is it that people see that makes them go crazy? You’ll have to fasten your seat belt and prepare for a long night to find out.

Read by Cassandra Campbell.

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

It is about the happy-go-lucky hobbit Bilbo Baggins and his adventures as he is whisked by the wizard Gandalf and a company of thirteen dwarves. They all plan on raiding the treasure hoard of Smaug the Magnificent, a large and very dangerous dragon.

Narrated by Rob Inglis.

Harry Potter and The Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter has no idea how popular he is. But everything changes when Harry is summoned to attend Hogwarts, a school for wizards aged eleven to eighteen, and begins to discover some clues about his distinguished birthright.

It has two versions that are narrated by Stephen Fry and Jim Dale

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

A boy is taken in by the late residents of a nearby graveyard. And when the spirit of his newly deceased mother asks for their help, the residents agree to raise her son. He is given to the care of the Owens couple and named “Nobody,” Bod for short, as he looks like “nobody but himself.”

Read by Neil Gaiman himself.

What If? Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions by Randall Munroe

Always curious about “what-if” scenarios? Then this book is for you. Get ready for answers to questions like “If a bullet with the density of a neutron star were fired from a handgun (ignoring the how) at the Earth’s surface, would the Earth be destroyed?”

Read by Wil Wheaton.

How To Win Friends And Influence People by Dale Carnegie

One of the best-selling books of all time that has for over 60 years has carried thousands of now-famous people up the ladder of success in their professional and personal advice through its rock-solid, time-tested advice.

Read by Andrew Macmillan.

Not My Father’s Son by Alan Cumming

Actor Alan Cumming’s memoir about the strained relationship with his abusive father. It is a powerful story of embracing the best aspects of the past and triumphantly pushing the darkness aside. It is at times suspenseful, at times deeply moving, but always brave and honest.

Read by Alan Cumming himself.

War and Peace

This all-time classic is set against the dramatic backdrop of the Napoleonic Wars and examines the relationship between the individual and the relentless march of history. The themes of love and hate, ambition and despair, youth and age are all expressed in this timeless novel.

Read by Neville Jason.

Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom by David W. Blight

An impressive and revealing biography of a major figure in American history. It tells a story of self-creation and independence, supported by a relentless work ethic.

Marvelous example of inspirational writing that gives a new perspective to be explored, of the complexity and prowess that was Frederick Douglass.

Read by Prentice Onayemi.

Everything I never Told you by Celeste NG

The story starts with a small seed – Lydia Lee is dead – and blossoms in every direction. Through non-linear perspective shifts, each member of Lydia’s family deals with their grief in different ways, reflecting on their lives and filling us in on more of the mystery. We come to understand the expectations and dreams each had for themselves as well as Lydia and how damaging they can be.

Read by Cassandra Campbell.

Pleasantville by Attica Locke

One of the most thrilling account of local election politics and hustling for power that you will ever come across. This succeeds as a courtroom drama and political thriller, showing how real human suffering is used for point-scoring. A very intelligent and well-written book, for lovers of intrigue and suspense, this is the total package.

Read by J.D. Jackson.

The Good Lord Bird by James McBride

A wonderful tragicomedy about the life of the abolitionist John Brown told from the perspective of a fictional mascot nicknamed the Onion, a freed slave boy assumed to be a girl. McBride’s bravery and originality make this a very worthwhile read, even when some passages drag and others seem repetitive.

Read by Michael Boatman

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain

There are few children’s stories as memorable for boys as Tom Sawyer. Whether it is pre-adolescent fascination with girls, getting away with not working, or a late-night adventure – Tom Sawyer has it all in spades. It is a true reading pleasure which you should absolutely not deprive yourself of.

Read by Nick Offerman

Destiny’s Captive by Beverly Jenkins

Descended from a long line of pirates, when Pilar Banderas steals adventure-seeking Noah Yates’ ship, it’s not greed that propels her theft but a desperate effort to protect the beloved women of her family, who are her sole responsibility. Laugh and cheer as Pilar shows arrogant Noah what it really means to be heroic.

Read by Thomas Penny.

A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray

Marguerite’s parents are physicists who have successfully created a machine (Firebird) that allows people to jump into another dimension. Each dimension is a reflection of possibilities that could have taken place in our world. Some dimensions are very similar to ours, while some are completely exotic.

Our protagonist sets out on a mission to find the person who murdered her father and is planning her parent’s downfall.

Read by Tavia Gilbert

The Walls Around us by Nova Ren Suma

This is a tale of innocence, jealousy, darkness, obsession, madness, etc. It’s told from the perspective of two girls: Amber and Violet, but their stories are linked by Orianna, a ballet dancer convicted to Aurora Hills juvenile detention after a crime she may or may not have committed.

Read by Rachel Manwill.

Paris Letters by Janice MacLeod

With a single suitcase in hand, former Californian copywriter Janice Macleod abandons her stultifying career and heads off to Europe sharing her journey in this memoir, Paris Letters. MacLeod shares just enough of the gritty details that you can imagine doing the same.

Read by Tavia Gilbert.

Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand

Louis Zamperini was an Italian-American Olympic runner whose plane goes down in World War 2, and he and two other men drift on a raft for a long, long time.

If you’re wondering whether you should listen to this book or not then stop wondering and just play it. Even if you don’t end up liking it, you just need to listen to it. Everyone does.

Read by Edward Herrmann

I Suck at Girls by Justin Halpern

In “I Suck at Girls”, Halpern details childhood and adulthood incidents with the opposite sex. As the title promises, there’s plenty of awkwardness, some of it sweet since the author finds the love of his life. It’s a hilarious read that has Halpern’s father as well with his foul mouth and words of wisdom.

Read by Sean Schemmel.

Self-Inflicted Wounds by Aisha Tyler

Self-Inflicted Wounds is a memoir of sorts in which Tyler recounts all the times in her life, beginning at the ripe old age of five, when she (inadvertently) screwed herself over. From setting the kitchen on fire to boy problems to broken bones, she’s had a remarkable number of incidents where she can blame no one but herself.

Read by Aisha Tyler herself.

The Emperor of All Maladies by Siddhartha Mukherjee

With beautiful metaphors, poignant case studies, breath-taking science and delectable literary allusions, Siddhartha Mukherjee takes us on a detailed yet panoramic trip spanning centuries.

Living, and breathing along with his patients, Siddhartha Mukherjee dives deep into the dark and the light side of cancer, and explores not only how the diseases spreads within the body, but through the lives of his patients, and the doctors and scientists who strived to defeat this complicated, deadly disease.

Read by Stephen Hoye.