12 Of The Best Road Trip Listens On Audible
FOR SHORT TRIPS (1-3 HOURS)
The Elephant In The Room by Jon Ronson
Jon Ronson – bestselling author of The Psychopath Test, Them and So You've Been Publicly Shamed –travels to Cleveland at the height of summer to witness the Republican National Convention. Along the way he reunites with an old acquaintance – the influential provocateur and conspiracy talk-show host Alex Jones – who draws him into one of the most bizarre presidential campaigns in American history. From the private Winnebago where conspiracy theorists and fearmongers discuss key campaign decisions to a chance encounter with notorious political operative Roger Stone, Ronson’s journey into Donald Trump's supporting cast introduces us to the people who orbit the campaign machine and discovers what makes them tick – and what ticks them off. A fascinating listen.
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Seven Brief Lessons On Physics by Carlo Rovelli
With great clarity, Carlo Rovelli’s seven short lessons guide listeners through the scientific revolution that shook physics in the 20th century and still continues to shake us today. In this short, entertaining and mind-bending introduction to modern physics, Rovelli explains Einstein’s theory of general relativity, quantum mechanics, black holes, the complex architecture of the universe, elementary particles, gravity and the nature of the mind. In under three hours, you will understand the most transformative scientific discoveries of the 20th century – this is physics vividly, intelligently and entertainingly revealed.
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Breakfast at Tiffany’s by Truman Capote
Golden Globe-winning actor Michael C Hall (Six Feet Under) performs Truman Capote’s provocative, naturalistic masterpiece about a young writer’s charmed fascination with his unorthodox neighbour, the ‘American geisha’ Holly Golightly. Holly – a WWII-era society girl in her late teens – survives by attending parties and restaurants with men from the wealthy upper class who also provide her with money and expensive gifts. Over the course of the novella, the seemingly shallow Holly slowly opensup to the curious protagonist, who eventually gets tossed away as her deepening character emerges. A must for fans of the film.
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Once Upon A Time In The North by Philip Pullman
This is the story of the very first meeting of Lee Scoresby, a Texan balloonist, and Iorek Byrnison, an armoured bear – two of the most-loved characters in Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy. In this standalone novel, Lee and his daemon Hester land in the Arctic town of Novy Odense, where they quickly become embroiled in an out-and-out political brawl. When Iorek offers to help, Lee is only too happy to accept. Together they take on a slippery politician, his monstrous gas-powered gun and a murderous gunfighter. And so begins a friendship that will continue throughout their lives. This audio edition is read by Pullman himself, alongside a full cast.
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Make Your Bed by William H McRaven
This unabridged downloadable audiobook edition of New York Times bestseller Make Your Bed is read by the author himself. ‘What starts here changes the world’ was the university slogan that inspired McRaven to take charge of the small things that could change his life. Here, he shares the ten life-changing principles he learned during his 37 years as a Navy Seal, helping him overcome challenges not only in his career but also throughout his life. Anyone can use these basic lessons to change themselves, and their world, for the better. Told with great humility and optimism, this timeless book provides simple and universal wisdom, practical advice and words of encouragement that will inspire listeners to achieve more.
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To Die For by Alice Clark-Platts
In an empty car park, Ryan James sits in his car contemplating death. He has set up a hose pipe that is pouring carbon monoxide into the car, and deciding whether or not to close the last window and end it all. Finally, he gets a text and decides to end his life. Detective Erica Martin is called to the scene the next day. At first, she’s convinced it is a simple suicide, but as she looks deeper into the boy’s life and his relationships, she begins to wonder if someone else was involved. A punchy listen that will grip listeners from the very beginning.
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FOR LONGER JOURNEYS (4-6 HOURS)
What I Know For Sure by Oprah Winfrey
The inspirational advice of Oprah Winfrey is collected for the first time in this audiobook book. After film critic Gene Siskel asked her, “What do you know for sure?” Winfrey began writing a column in O, The Oprah Magazine. Saying that the question offered her a way to take “stock of her life”, Winfrey has penned a column a month for the last 14 years – years in which she retired The Oprah Winfrey Show (the highest-rated programme of its kind in history), launched her own television network, became America’s only black billionaire, and was awarded an honorary degree from Harvard University and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Organised by theme – joy, resilience, connection, gratitude, possibility, awe, clarity and power – these essays offer a rare and powerful glimpse into the mind of one of the world’s most extraordinary women.
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Winnie-The-Pooh by A. A. Milne
Those with children will enjoy Alan Bennett reading this AA Milne collection, which includes Winnie- the-Pooh, The House at Pooh Corner and A Party for Pooh. In these stories, Pooh goes visiting and gets into a tight spot, Eeyore loses a tail, Piglet meets a Heffalump, Eeyore has a birthday and gets two presents, and an expedition is mounted to the North Pole. As usual they are accompanied by Kanga, Roo, Rabbit and Owl – as well as Pooh’s young human friend, Christopher Robin. Now with a musical introduction, Bennett gives Milne’s characters the voices you felt they were always meant to have.
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On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan
Multi-award-winning On Chesil Beach is a story about how the entire course of a life can be changed by a gesture not made or a word not spoken. It is June 1962. In a hotel on the Dorset coast, overlooking Chesil Beach, Edward and Florence, just married that morning, are sitting down to dinner in their room. Neither is entirely able to suppress anxieties about the wedding night to come. A classic from Ian McEwan, this version is unabridged and read by the author – the first time McEwan has read his own work. The download also features an in-depth interview with McEwan about the novel, which was turned into a film starring Saoirse Ronan in 2018.
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Animal Farm by George Orwell
As relevant today as it was when it was first published, this classic work of fiction is given a new lease of life through Simon Callow’s imaginative narration. First-time listeners and George Orwell veterans alike will find much to love about this audiobook version. Animal Farm is Orwell’s great socio-political allegory set in a farmyard, where the animals decide to seize the farmer’s land and create a co-operative that reaps the benefits of their combined labours. However, as with all great political plans, some animals see a bigger share of the rewards than others, and the animals start to question their supposed utopia. Little by little, the rules begin to mysteriously change, and the pigs seem to gain power, making the animals question what society they were striving for in the first place and whether their newfound freedom is as liberating as they hoped.
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The Sense Of An Ending by Julian Barnes
Winner of the Man Booker Prize in 2011, The Sense of an Ending is written by bestselling British author Julian Barnes and narrated in this audiobook edition by Richard Morant. Friendships forged in childhood are tested to their limits when the past comes back to trouble a man now in middle age. The more his past appears to unravel before him, the more blurred it becomes. What did happen all those years ago? Nothing is as it appears in this haunting novel. Laced with trademark precision, dexterity and insight, it is the work of one of the UK’s most distinguished writers.
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Bossypants by Tina Fey
Bossypants is an autobiographical comedy book by Tina Fey, the woman behind 30 Rock, Mean Girls and that perfect Sarah Palin impression. The book topped the New York Times bestseller list and stayed there for five weeks on its release. From her youthful days as a vicious nerd to her tour of duty on Saturday Night Live; from her passionately half-hearted pursuit of physical beauty to her life as a mother eating things off the floor; from her one-sided college romance to her nearly fatal honeymoon – Fey reveals all, including the immortal line: “You're no one until someone calls you bossy.” Ideal for anyone in need of a laugh.
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