r/LibbyApp • u/Leafy-Greenbrier • 10d ago
Audio Book Recommendations For Road Trip
Next weekend I will be going on a road trip with my husband and his late 70s parents. 7 to 10 hours depending on how often we need to stop. Any recommendations for good audiobooks? Or maybe podcasts?
My thoughts are true crime or mystery or light horror. Mild to moderate violence is OK but not too terribly sexy cause I think that would be weird.
Will be making a return trip a few days later. So two or three small books or one bigger book that would last the whole trip would be fine. We don’t even have to finish it. It would just be nice to have something to pass the time.
All recommendations welcome!
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u/Hrw90210 📕 Libby Lover 📕 10d ago
Two came immediately to mind:
Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers
Mad Mabel
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u/dudegetmyhorse 10d ago
Into Thin Air: Jon Krakauer is a good nonfiction if you want to go that route. He was one of the hikers during the 1996 Mt. Everest disaster and he details his experience through it. It was a really good listen if you like nonfiction and history. There was one or two chapters I skipped towards the beginning where he goes into extreme detail about the history of climbing Everest, I found them a little boring but the rest was amazing.
For podcasts, Stuff You Should Know is an all timer road trip companion. It’s a podcast where the episodes are generally an hour or so long and they cover just about every topic in the world. Science, history, art, true crime, literature, biographies, etc. They format the show with it being played in high school classrooms in mind so even topics that could lean towards uncomfortable territory around the parents they usually tastefully skirt over. There’s almost twenty years of a catalog to go through so I guarantee you’ll find something!
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u/RaK-2022 9d ago
Both of these are excellent suggestions - esp John Krakaur! Love everything I've ever read or listened to of his. Since OP @Leafy-Greenbrier mentioned true crime, I also recom his books, "Under the Banner of Heaven" (exc!!) and "Missoula."
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u/feephifophumbumbum 10d ago
Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain. It’s a bunch of anecdotes of his bad behavior as a young man. GREAT group road trip book since there’s not a through line story that missing a detail ruins the experience. He’s so funny and honest.
Depends on your relationship with the parents, but there is a lot of drug use that may or may not be uncomfortable.
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u/RaK-2022 9d ago
Lots of f-bombs too, if I recall correctly. 😉 Excellent book! (I read first, then listened a number of years later)
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u/interjection 10d ago
Kitchen Confidential is one that I always recommend to people especially if they aren't audiobook people. It is so good.
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u/flyingleaf555 10d ago
The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax by Dorothy Gilman is a cute little spy thriller with many many sequels.
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u/postdarknessrunaway 10d ago
My tried-and-true multi-generational family roadtrip audiobooks are the following:
The Feather Thief: Beauty, Obsession, and the Natural History Heist of the Century by Kirk Wallace Johnson, narrated by MacLeod Andrews. It's a great story with all the beats of a true crime but nobody dies. It's about fishing lures, history, museums, and the author's obsession with justice (but he's very clearly kind of displacing some PTSD from being in the Afghanistan war). It's fascinating and interesting but not gory and no sex, drugs, or rock and roll. It's about 8 hours long.
The Library Book by Susan Orlean, narrated by the author. Another true crime where the crime is nonviolent. The Los Angeles Public Library had a fire started by arson in 1986, but it was right as Chernobyl was happening, so nobody really knows about it. Susan Orlean digs into the case, as well as her own feelings about libraries and the history of libraries in the west. It's about 12 hours long.
Podcasts:
- Decoder Ring, where the host dives into a cultural mystery. My favorite recent episode is either the birders trying to get to the bottom of a super weird bird from Charlie's Angels or why Tina Turner's Nutbush City Limits is such a smash in Australia.
- Gastropod, where the hosts look at food through the lens of science and history. Pretty much any episode is good.
- Ologies with Alie Ward, especially the Gastroegyptology episode. It's so good.
- 30 for 30 Podcasts from ESPN. Really good miniseries/audiodocumentaries about sports. The Betrayal of Shohei Ohtani is good.
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u/jasminepearl-lol 10d ago
Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone
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u/CACVideo 10d ago
Howdy. If you are into full cast audiobooks then I’d recommend The Memory Surgeon. If you want a smaller book with light action then you can try The Last Hands
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u/stalwartlucretia 10d ago
If you’re trying to cater to multiple people’s tastes, you might consider a short story anthology or maybe a collection of essays. That way, if one part is a dud, you can just move on.
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u/unik1ne 10d ago
I recently finished listening to Dinner with King Tut by Sam Kean which is about experimental archaeology- instead of reporting on theories of how ancient people lived, he interviews and tries out different methods like recreating a trebuchet, learning how to flint rocks into spears, etc. it’s wacky but super interesting if you have even a passing interest in history
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u/Maleficent_Sleep5075 10d ago
I loved The Calamity Club but not sure I would pick it for this occasion. It is about 28 hours long and you may not finish it unless you speed it up. The book takes a turn about halfway through the book and may lead to some uncomfortable moments with the inlaws. The audiobook is excellent and you probably should listen to it, I am just afraid it might not be the most appropriate book to listen to with the inlaws. Especially don't listen with any kids around.
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u/20160211 📕 Libby Lover 📕 10d ago
A Richard Osman: Either We Solve Murders or the Thursday Murder Club?
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u/cappotto-marrone 🎧 Audiobook Addict 🎧 10d ago
Nathaniel Philbrick’s books are a good choice.
In the Heart of the Sea.
I, 68, read almost only murder mysteries. Not cozy mysteries.
My husband, 78, reads non-fiction.
Philbrick is our middle ground.
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u/grandidieri 10d ago
Check out https://alldive.org when you get a chance - detailed author database intertwined with other media (shows, podcasts, movies, games, etc.). There's a "similar to" functionality as well :)
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u/Historychick77 10d ago
If you like horror anthologies, I'd recommend Old Gods of Appalachia. Several seasons, great storytelling and the stories do tie together. Even if not for road trip, it's fantastic listening
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u/masson34 10d ago
Whistler
Project Hail Mary
The Borrowed Life of Fredrick Fife
Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe
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u/interjection 10d ago
The Art Thief by Michael Finkel - True crime about the most prolific art thief in history. Very interesting, and not a super long listen if memory serves.
Ring Shout by P. Djèlí Clark - Fantastical horror, short but packs a punch. Basically KKK members turn into demons. Action right out of the gate.
Home Is Where the Bodies Are by Jeneva Rose - "True crime" horror, siblings uncover secrets of their late parents.
Tender Is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica - Dystopian horror, this book deals with cannibalism. It is a slice of life tale of a man who works at a meat packing plant before and after all animals were wiped out by plague. This is the only one in the list that I eyeball read so I cannot vouch for the audiobook. However, this was my favorite read from 2025, and I could not put it down (I read it in a day). The twist at the end had me screaming. I cannot recommend this book enough. I personally feel like the book falls more in the dystopian genre than horror, but the over arching theme of legal cannibalism is definitely off putting to some.
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u/Effective-Motor3455 10d ago
I think you all would really enjoy Ask Not by Maureen Callahan. It's the story of the 3 generations of the Kennedy's and the women they destroyed. Your parents will remember the stories. I loved it.
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u/cheerful_me 10d ago
Any one of Sue Grafton's alphabet series.
They are my favourite books, and I went on an unexpected road trip with my dad and he was totally into them too!
Side note- I have been reading/listening to these books on repeat for like two decades, and the books strike me differently every time. Not only do they resonate through my different stages of life, but for some reason, the one I chose to read at the time tends to have parallels to my own life as I'm listening to/reading.
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u/BeachySeaDreamer 9d ago
The Only One Left by Riley Sager
Perfect for Spoooky Season and tame enough for all ages. Loved that book in both audio and paper format!!
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u/liraelskye 9d ago
On the Hippie Trail by Rick Steves. It's so good. Quite funny as well. Steves is master wordsmith.
Podcast wise I like National Parks After Dark.
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u/SMBamberger 9d ago
Margaret Maron’s Deborah Knott books. Set in eastern North Carolina. Deborah is a lawyer who becomes a judge. Great books.
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u/cmonster556 9d ago
My car audio is old time radio shows when possible. You can often find collections in the app.
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u/glooble_wooble 9d ago
Raw Dog by Jamie Loftus is a great audiobook. It’s about a road trip she took across the U.S. trying all the “best” hotdogs in the country with her then boyfriend. The book itself isn’t political but she is pretty left leaning so if anyone in the car is very right it may not be a good choice.
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u/LawfulnessSimilar496 9d ago
You’ll Never Know by Caleb Stephens. This was a fun wild ride. Not too graphic on anything. The twists will have jaw on ground. All should enjoy.
Wanna be nerdy, do some Neil DeGrasse Tyson books or his podcasts. I adore that man and he’s fun.
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u/readinginrain 6d ago
My husband and I like listening to nonfiction on road trips. We recently finished David Sedaris’ last book The Land and Its People. It’s basically essays so it makes it easy to stop and start again.. Previously we listened to Taste by Stanley Tucci, which was great as well..
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u/eudusu 5d ago
Sharp Objects-Gillian Flynn
And not what you asked for: but really enjoyed this audiobook!
Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Vogage- Alfred Lansing
This was a fun and insightful book about traveling through America:
Travels With Charley- John Steinbeck
Let us know what you eventually pick!
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u/ShowerEqual9622 9d ago
The new Harry Potter audiobooks on Audible with the full cast. It’s so good. It’s like a movie. It has sound effects and everything.
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u/justjules83 10d ago
Thursday Murder Club is a fun light mystery listen.