Discovering Audiobooks
In 2020, I have listened to numerous audiobooks. The number is so large given COVID-19 and gym closures. During the months when gyms were closed or I didn’t feel safe at my gym, I would run/walk or otherwise workout outside. Initially, I wasn’t sure if I would like audiobooks, concerned they may sound monotonous. I started with the Chronicles of Narnia and Harry Potter series which were quite captivating, and also taught me I enjoy narrators with accents other than mine. I personally obtain audiobooks through my local library electronically and listen on phone or computer via the Libby app. A trick for listening is to find an engaging narrator and adjust the listening speed to your preference. Libby allows fine tuning of listening speeds at 0.05 increments, where some other services are larger increments of 0.1 or 0.25. Depending on the book, my ideal listening speed is 1.2-1.35. Below are several I have enjoyed during 2020 in hopes you may enjoy them also.
2020 Audiobooks
Fiction that keeps you walking/running:
- Such a Fun Age
- Dear Edward
- All We Ever Wanted
- Nine Perfect Strangers
- To Kill A Mockingbird
- Truly Madly Guilty
- Where the Crawdads Sing
Funny:
- Dear Girls (not for little ears)
- Nobody Will Tell You This But Me
Race:
- White Fragility
- Between the World and Me
- Talking to Strangers
- How to be an Antiracist
- The New Jim Crow
Biographies/Autobiographies:
- Hillbilly Elegy
- The Moment of Lift
- The Answer is…Reflections on my Life
- More Myself
- Notorious RBG
Non-Fiction:
- The Power of Habit
- Why We Sleep
- Hidden Valley Road
- The Body: A Guide for Inhabitants
Motivational:
- Make Your Bed
- Dare to Lead
- The Path Made Clear
I encourage you to check out your local library’s selection of audiobooks. The first section are books that I found to be quick moving books that maintained my attention and drew me to listen more. For that reason, I chose to link them to the Amazon Audiobook version. Happy listening and please feel free to comment with additional books you’ve enjoyed reading or listening to!