Audiobooks for running
May 15, 2023 10:20 AM Subscribe
I ran my first marathon a couple of weeks ago and loved it. I’m thinking of starting another training cycle for a fall half or full marathon. I have a music playlist, but I’m kind of burnt out on it. I would like to give audiobooks a try. I’m looking for suggestions. I’ve found good reads from Metafilter suggestions before so I’m hoping y’all can help me with this.
I don’t read nearly as much as I used to and I no longer have a list of things to read next. I’ve spent too long asking friends for suggestions, searching online, reading reviews, and still not finding what I’m looking for. I’m looking for suggestions of books that meet the following criteria:
Must have-
1. Fast paced, ideally from the start- the kind of book that starts strong and makes you really want to read another chapter
2. Not overly complicated- doesn’t have too many characters or locations or details to keep track of.
3. Non-problematic authors- I don’t want to read anything by authors who have serious misconducts outside of their novels
Would like to have:
4. Fiction set in current-ish times. Historical fiction isn’t really my thing. Books set in the future are ok as long as they don’t involve massive amounts of world building
5. Well written female characters that aren’t focused on romance- romantic subplots are not a deal breaker, but I find heterosexual romance very boring
6. No copaganda- I’m not interested in the police or stories about them. I’m fine with detective characters as long as they are not law enforcement affiliated.
I enjoy modern horror and have read a lot of books by Paul Tremblay and Grady Hendrix. In the past couple of years, I read and loved Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica, everything by Carmen Maria Machado, The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins. Weird is good.
I don’t have any strong preferences for narrators. I get most of my books through my public library with Libby, but I am not opposed to paying for audible if I need to.
I don’t read nearly as much as I used to and I no longer have a list of things to read next. I’ve spent too long asking friends for suggestions, searching online, reading reviews, and still not finding what I’m looking for. I’m looking for suggestions of books that meet the following criteria:
Must have-
1. Fast paced, ideally from the start- the kind of book that starts strong and makes you really want to read another chapter
2. Not overly complicated- doesn’t have too many characters or locations or details to keep track of.
3. Non-problematic authors- I don’t want to read anything by authors who have serious misconducts outside of their novels
Would like to have:
4. Fiction set in current-ish times. Historical fiction isn’t really my thing. Books set in the future are ok as long as they don’t involve massive amounts of world building
5. Well written female characters that aren’t focused on romance- romantic subplots are not a deal breaker, but I find heterosexual romance very boring
6. No copaganda- I’m not interested in the police or stories about them. I’m fine with detective characters as long as they are not law enforcement affiliated.
I enjoy modern horror and have read a lot of books by Paul Tremblay and Grady Hendrix. In the past couple of years, I read and loved Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica, everything by Carmen Maria Machado, The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins. Weird is good.
I don’t have any strong preferences for narrators. I get most of my books through my public library with Libby, but I am not opposed to paying for audible if I need to.
I really like hearing autobiographies on Audible. May I recommend "Rifling through My Drawers" or "Spilling the Beans" by Clarissa Dickson Wright (from Two Fat Ladies cooking show fame).
posted by ichimunki at 11:23 AM on May 15, 2023
posted by ichimunki at 11:23 AM on May 15, 2023
While not action-packed, I have found Octavia Butler's writing to be well-paced for running longer distances. Her writing is clear and concise and the plot is compelling. And, if you try out the Earthseed trilogy (at least the ones I've read, #1 and #2), the lead is a strong, well-written female character.
posted by gofordays at 11:51 AM on May 15, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by gofordays at 11:51 AM on May 15, 2023 [1 favorite]
I'd recommend Kristen Hannah (author) for easy to grasp, but interesting and move-the-plot along books. Most of her books seem to have stonger female leads, too. The first book of hers that I read was The Great Alone, but each of hers that I've read since is also great.
posted by hydra77 at 11:59 AM on May 15, 2023
posted by hydra77 at 11:59 AM on May 15, 2023
I only listen to audiobooks I have read before, and I would recommend considering that. I find that the different format really changes the experience and helps me understand the book in different ways, plus it's much easier to not miss a bit and lose track of what's going on/fail to distinguish characters/etc. I particularly have enjoyed going back to books I loved as a kid, but these days I often will read a book and, a month or two later, listen to it with my wife.
posted by restless_nomad at 12:00 PM on May 15, 2023
posted by restless_nomad at 12:00 PM on May 15, 2023
Best answer: T Kingfisher. I got on to her work through listening to The twisted ones, then have devoured anything else of hers that I can find. Her fantasy leans more towards the romantic so maybe steer clear of those, but definitely The twisted ones, The hollow places and What moves the dead. A house with good bones has a slower build but once it gets going, it gets going.
posted by Athanassiel at 2:23 PM on May 15, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by Athanassiel at 2:23 PM on May 15, 2023 [1 favorite]
The Martian opens with an astronaut stranded on Mars and continues with him solving one problem after another. It's told via his logs, so has a strong first-person voice that works well for audiobook. There's complicated science stuff but it's all thoroughly explained and it doesn't matter if you don't know the science; it can sort of wash over you. Great pacing and stakes, and also funny. I listened to it on a long late-night road trip and it was my ideal audiobook for staying engaged in that situation.
posted by earth by april at 2:32 PM on May 15, 2023
posted by earth by april at 2:32 PM on May 15, 2023
Best answer: Seconding the rec for Murderbot: I listened to most of them while running and they were perfect.
I find I also like mass market popular fiction while running. Girl on the Train and Gone Girl both come to mind. I don't think I'd have enjoyed them a ton standalone, but as something to half-pay-attention-to while running, they were good.
John le Carré is another favorite of mine to listen to while running, but I don't think he meets your "well written female characters" criteria. He does a bit better written women in his later books, but still not great.
posted by dorothy hawk at 1:29 PM on May 16, 2023
I find I also like mass market popular fiction while running. Girl on the Train and Gone Girl both come to mind. I don't think I'd have enjoyed them a ton standalone, but as something to half-pay-attention-to while running, they were good.
John le Carré is another favorite of mine to listen to while running, but I don't think he meets your "well written female characters" criteria. He does a bit better written women in his later books, but still not great.
posted by dorothy hawk at 1:29 PM on May 16, 2023
I recently finished "I Have Some Questions for You" by Rebecca Makkai and loved it. It's a mystery/whodunnit of sorts, but not really. I was actively looking forward to my 50 mile commute just so I could continue reading.
Currently reading an earlier books of hears, "The Great Believers," which is also great but not quite as fast-paced.
posted by AwkwardPause at 8:18 PM on May 16, 2023
Currently reading an earlier books of hears, "The Great Believers," which is also great but not quite as fast-paced.
posted by AwkwardPause at 8:18 PM on May 16, 2023
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posted by abeja bicicleta at 10:36 AM on May 15, 2023 [3 favorites]