The Best Audiobooks for Road Trips

Small-town curmudgeon Ove might seem like a poor choice in a travel buddy (he’s big on routine and has a terrible anger problem), but it doesn’t take long to warm up to him. More than following one man’s obsession with being the worst, the book explores the comical and heartwarming relationship between Ove and his ill-fated new neighbors.

While a road trip around the Jim Crow South definitely doesn’t sound appealing on its own, this novel is truly something special (it was adapted into an HBO series created by Jordan Peele and J.J. Abrams). The supernatural forces, secret sorcerers’ cult, and monsters reaching out of these pages won’t scare you half as much as the very real racism an African American family faces as they search for their missing father.

There are very few things more American than road trips, and for the Wangs — Chinese immigrants who made a fortune but then lost everything in the 2008 financial crisis — it might be the thing that keeps their family together and their hopes of reclaiming the American Dream alive. But, as with most road trip novels, hijinks that are not so hilarious in the moment (but definitely are in retrospect) ensue along the way. Will keep you laughing throughout your trip.

Not for the faint of heart: Cormac McCarthy’s masterpiece is a post-apocalyptic tale about a nameless father and son wandering through an endless winter. Despite its bleakness, it’s deeply affecting, a wonderful story about the unbreakable bond between a parent and his child. It gives a new appreciation for the far easier roads we travel.

“All the Light We Cannot See” is, hands down, one of the greatest books of our lifetime. It follows the twin narratives of Marie-Laure, a blind French girl, and Werner, a German orphan recruited to the military, at the height of World War II. The story is haunting, the imagery of war-torn France beautiful, and the characters so rich in depth that devouring every page feels inevitable.

With two resilient siblings, an evil stepmother, and a house almost magical in its beauty, this novel feels like a modern fairy tale. A story of emotional endurance and the beautiful relationship between a brother and sister as they navigate the journey to, and through, adulthood.

Patrick Rothfuss’ masterpiece has taken the fantasy world by storm with its lyrical prose, the seeming boundlessness of the world, and the endearing faults and follies, compassion and cunning of the legendary Kvothe. The world is sprawling, and you’re sure to find a new favorite character among those in Kvothe’s life. (If somehow 27 hours of audiobook wasn’t enough for you, the sequel, “The Wise Man’s Fear,” clocks in at over 40 hours.)

See America’s best sights along with Shadow and his otherworldly companions. “American Gods” is a beautifully written, dark, and otherworldly criticism of American idolatry and deeply emotional tale of love lost. Neil Gaiman’s tale is fun, funny, and frightening, a heady mix that will keep you reading until you make it to your destination.

If you’ve already read “American Gods” but love a good mythology-inspired urban fantasy, then “Hounded” is for you. It follows Atticus, who looks like he’s 21 but is actually 2100 years old, and as you can imagine, in that time, he’s made some curious, magical friends and some even more frightening enemies. Luke Daniels, audiobook narrator extraordinaire, does yet another top-notch job.

Written in third person present, Josh Malerman’s apocalyptic world is a horror that immediately grabs you and doesn’t let go. In it, there’s a type of creature that causes people who see it to commit suicide. So everyone starts doing everything blindfolded when they leave the confines of their house (which they try very hard not to do). The story follows Malorie, a young woman who’s pregnant when the creatures first appear and then begins living in a communal home with others who band together to survive. Guaranteed to keep you wide awake with your eyes glued to the road.

Journey through changing times and Vermont’s Green Mountains with Frith, her mother, and an unexpected visitor in “The Orchard,” one of our very own Scribd Originals. Award-winning author Peter Heller’s evocative observations of nature are on full display.

Just when you think vampires have gone from spooky to sexy, here comes Joe Hill (son of Stephen King), upping the ante on tried and true tropes and horror. Charles Talent Manx drives children to Christmasland, but it’s not as full of fun as one would imagine. Certifiable badass Victoria McQueen is determined to defeat this demon from her past and protect her child.

They planned a picture-perfect destination wedding, but stormy weather isn’t the only thing ruining a celebrity couple’s big day in this thriller. “The Guest List” will let you and anyone else on your road trip keep guessing who the killer is in this breakout, Agatha Christie-like mystery.

While you wander the world, you can also travel through time and space in this Hugo Award-winning love story. Two women, named Red and Blue, fight for opposite factions in the ceaseless time war, flowing from the past to the future, from timeline to timeline. Through a series of letters sent via tea and lava and other delightful delivery systems, Red and Blue fall for each other, and combine for some of the best purple prose around.

You don’t have to be a fan of the podcasts “Welcome to Night Vale” or “Alice Isn’t Dead” to appreciate this reimagining of the latter from the shows’ creator, Joseph Fink. In this horror novel, Keisha becomes a truck driver so she can travel around America searching for her wife, Alice, who’s been presumed dead but has shown up in news footage of various disasters throughout the country. A spooky read with a deep love for horror and the human spirit at its core.

Rivers Solomon’s “The Deep” is based on a Hugo Award-nominated song from Clipping, the rap group headed by Daveed Diggs (Diggs narrates the audiobook!). It’s about a group of mermaid-like people who are descended from pregnant slaves who perished when they were tossed overboard crossing the Atlantic. Defines the word haunting.

A queer time travel rom-com? Yes, please. Especially one by the delightful mind behind the swoon worthy hit “Red, White & Royal Blue.” Everybody’s gushing about this fun, romantic tale of true love on the subway stuck in a time loop between modern day Brooklyn and the punk rock ’70s. Travel is extra fun while you’re rooting for August and Jane.

The “Veronica Speedwell Mysteries” have a little bit of something for everyone — an abundance of adventure and wit, a heroine living in London in 1887 who’s unafraid of going after what she wants, and a touch of romance. Narrator Angele Masters brings a stellar performance to this strong series start.

Gideon, a queer swordswoman, and Harrowhark, her childhood frenemy who is also a necromancer, team up to save the world in this darkly snarky epic fantasy. Compelling characters, original worldbuilding, and a fantastic performance from narrator Moira Quick make this one a real gem.

The late, and impossibly great, Anthony Bourdain continues to bring us his infectious enthusiasm for the wondrous world he left all too soon. There’s no better travel companion: Bourdain bestows his best stories and recommendations culled from a lifetime of exploration in this book.

Looking forward to the future when cars drive themselves? Alex Davies, the transportation editor for Business Insider and previous WIRED writer, provides the fast and furious facts about Google and Uber’s battle to create the first truly autonomous car. As with all great tech insider stories, there is a whole lot of money, hubris, and software snags. Fascinating to listen to, whether you’ve got a Tesla or not.

Let cult classic filmmaker John Waters hitch a ride with you if you want a lot of laughs. This is a hybrid book: The first half is fictional, where Waters imagines a few really good rides with strangers alongside a series of bad ones; the second half relays his real adventures hitchhiking from Baltimore to San Francisco. “Carsick” is such wild fun it might just even make you want to pick up a hitchhiker.

Run out of episodes of “My Favorite Murder”? Then it’s time to listen to this audiobook about how to actually stay sexy and not get murdered, written by the hosts of the podcast, Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark. Not only will you laugh, but you’ll learn a thing or two about how to take better care of yourself.

Think packing for a week’s vacation and holding your full bladder for several miles on the drive to the beach is difficult? Try packing for Mars and living for months on a spaceship. Mary Roach investigates how all the human bodily functions (particularly the gross ones) continue to work in space flight. The answers are out of this world, and Roach’s writing is hilarious.

“Nomadland” has been on everyone’s radar thanks to Hulu’s award-winning adaptation from director Chloé Zhao. It’s a sobering look at the middle-aged and senior citizens who have become “houseless,” living in rundown RVs and doing hard labor in warehouses and the like. This is the “Nickel and Dimed” wake-up call for the post-Recession, gig-economy-fueled 21st century, and it’s important reading for anyone driving through any American state.

Just as Nike’s swoosh symbol is one of the most recognizable symbols of excellence around the world, this memoir from the shoe company’s founder, Phil Knight, has quickly become one of the most-lauded, must-read business books of all time. It’s an impeccable ride to take, as Knight spends his time globetrotting, repeatedly visiting Japan on a quest to design and produce the best shoes.

In her inspiring memoir, Grammy Award-winning musician Alicia Keys invites listeners along on what she describes to The New York Times as “the honest journey of how I found my way to becoming who I am as opposed to being what I’ve been told to be.” A star-studded audiobook with guest appearances from Oprah, Michelle Obama, Bono, Jay-Z, and more.

During your travels, you’ll probably pass a million fast food places, and possibly even stop at a few of them. Marcia Chatelain, a Georgetown University professor who grew up loving McDonald’s, relays the positive and negative effects of fast food expansion in America on Black communities. On the one hand, a McDonald’s brings jobs and entrepreneurial opportunity; on the other, it’s cheap food that doesn’t truly nourish the body or the community. This is a must-read, Pulitzer Prize-winning deep-dive on the duality that the Golden Arches represent, at a current, critical moment where the Fight for Fifteen is led by fast-food workers.

Billed as “The Princess Diaries” meets “Crazy Rich Asians,” “Tokyo Ever After” follows plain old Japanese American teen Izumi Tanaka as she deals with the discovery that her father is the Crown Prince of Japan. Caught between so many identities proves difficult to navigate, even with the help of a hot bodyguard. A royally fun cross-cultural adventure.

Lives up to the elegance of its cover and mouthful of a title. Aristotle (Ari) and Dante meet when they are 15-years-old at the local swimming pool. Despite being complete opposites, they strike up an instant friendship. As the story unfolds, Ari and Dante confront the challenges of family, culture, and sexuality. They spend a lot of time in Ari’s 1957 Chevy pickup.This book is a visceral reminder of how formative and raw our teenage years are, and the life-altering effects that happen when you meet that one person — your first love.

It is widely known that almost all books involving music are better served as an audiobook, and “Let Me Hear a Rhyme” by Tiffany D. Jackson is no exception. This YA novel will transport you to the late 1990s, in the wake of Biggie Smalls’ death, as a group of friends deals with the passing of their friend, aspiring rapper Stephon Davis Jr. The rhymes are fire and the narration is sick.

In C.S. Lewis’ classic, four English school children find their way through the back of a wardrobe into the magic land of Narnia and assist Aslan, the golden lion, to triumph over the White Witch, who has cursed the land with eternal winter. (If only we could use a magical wardrobe to take us to a nice lake house, but the journey is important.)

This thrilling first book in the ever-popular middle-grade fantasy series Wings of Fire introduces five dragonets who, after being raised in a hidden cave, are enlisted to end a terrible war. What happens next? Your kids are definitely going to want to find out in the course of this car ride.

“Pax” is a novel that the whole family will enjoy. It follows a unique pair — a young boy named Peter and his pet fox, Pax — after they have to part and as they try to find each other once more, despite the wilds that now separate them. A wholly affecting story.

Virtually ignored upon its release in 1925, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s masterwork is now regarded as a prime example of “The Great American Novel.” For anyone who’s comforted by a reread, take a trip back to the Roaring Twenties. (But definitely don’t drink and drive like at the end of Gatsby’s party!)

If you haven’t read “The Alchemist” yet, a shorter road trip is the perfect time to do it, if only to enjoy lauded actor Jeremy Irons’ exquisite narration. This book has been praised as life-changing by almost everyone who’s read it, from our very own CEO Trip Adler to basketball superstar LeBron James. There’s a reason it’s been one of the most popular books on Scribd year after year after year.