Table of Contents
1. Dune
Classic Comes Alive
Fall into one of the best sci-fi books ever written…or narrated. Frank Herbert, Scott Brick, Orlagh Cassidy
There’s no denying Frank Herbt’s Dune is an iconic tome of science fiction. It’s often been called the best sci-fi book of all time. But it’s also a long, dense book that can be tough to read. The audiobook version of Dune is read by five professional voice actors who help bring the story to life. If you’ve tried to read Dune and gave up because of the strange vocabulary and complex political subplots, try listening to it instead. The first 100 pages (or two hours) of the book are an uphill climb. After that initial setup, the story moves quickly and you’ll soon be wrapped up in the world of Arrakis, spice, and sandworms. If you have 20 hours to kill on a long flight or waiting in an airport, Dune is the perfect escape hatch to a truly different world.
2. THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE KING
Classic Book, Engaging Narration
It’s one of the best tomes of all time, and it’s a great bedtime story. Rob Inglis, J. R. R. Tolkien, Recorded Books
The Lord of The Rings is not just one of the best books of all time, it’s one of the most soothing. And even after all these years, it continues to be a top audiobook. Start with the first book in the epic trilogy. Frodo’s journey begins in The Fellowship of the Ring, as he and his bro squad are tasked with taking the ring to Mt. Doom. If you’ve only seen the movies, you will be pleasantly surprised at how dreamy and lyrical the books are, especially when narrated by the great Rob Inglis. While there is action and adventure, most of the book consists of beautiful descriptions of this beloved fantasy world. You want brambles? This book has brambles. You want babbling brooks? This is the brook book for you. And if you want to drift off to sleep with happy, pleasant thoughts, nothing beats The Lord of the Rings.
3. 2001: A Space Odyssey
By Arthur C. Clarke
“A giant of sci-fi, Arthur C. Clarke explores the advancement of human intelligence and beyond.”Listen Now
4. Homage to Catalonia
By George Orwell
“Recommended because there’s the Orwell I learned about as a teenager, who wrote Animal Farm as a critique of Stalinism. Then there’s the far more complicated Orwell, an anarcho-syndicalist who ratted out British communists to his government for being too authoritarian, and who was nearly murdered by Soviet agents during the Spanish Civil War. Orwell’s politics and life are way more interesting than Animal Farm would have you believe, and they’re fun to learn about (whether you agree with him or not!). Also: this is a cool book that teaches about the Spanish Civil War, Catalan independence, and different strains of left-wing thought.”Listen Now
5. Sherlock Holmes
By Arthur Conan Doyle. Narrated by Stephen Fry.
“It’s every Sherlock Holms story ever writen by Doyle narrated by Stephen Fry, what more reasons do you need?”Listen Now
6. To Hell and Back
By Audie Murphy
“A WW2 biography. A classic book that is a must-read, Audie Murphy is one of the most famous soldiers in WW2 and Sabaton even did a song on this. Must listen to if your interested in WW2 or the horrors of war in general.”Listen Now
7. Twisted: The Story of Larry Nassar and the Women Who Took Him Down
By Mary Pilon and Carla Correa
“I watched the Netflix show about this recently and there were some interesting tidbits in this that were not in the show. Good narrative flow in the survivors’ own words with transitions and explanations from the producer.”Listen Now
15. To Hell and Back
By Audie Murphy
“A WW2 biography. A classic book that is a must-read, Audie Murphy is one of the most famous soldiers in WW2 and Sabaton even did a song on this. Must listen to if your interested in WW2 or the horrors of war in general.”Listen Now
16. Twisted: The Story of Larry Nassar and the Women Who Took Him Down
By Mary Pilon and Carla Correa
“I watched the Netflix show about this recently and there were some interesting tidbits in this that were not in the show. Good narrative flow in the survivors’ own words with transitions and explanations from the producer.”Listen Now
17. A Little History of the World
By E. H. Gombrich
“It’s good to start getting into history, kind of laying down all the major events. It’s not bland either, it’s very fun to listen to. The book and narrarator kind of treat you like a kid, but not in a bad way, in a way that makes it fun to listen to.”Listen Now