Best short audiobooks for a drive on the shorter side of longish.
October 15, 2018 8:32 AM   Subscribe

I have a trip coming up that'll bring approximately 4 total hours of driving into my life. I'm seeking recommendations for audiobooks of approximately the same length. The only constraint is that it MUST BE AVAILABLE on Audiobook CD (not downloadable audiobook) from the Chicago Public Library.

I have very limited patience for listening to books outside of very specific circumstances, so anything over 6 hours is too long.

I'm in the mood for just about anything except romance novels and current nonfiction about our political hellscape, but if it helps guide responses, I generally enjoy mysteries and thrillers. Here are a few things I've read this year that I've enjoyed: Talented Mr Ripley, Rosemary's Baby, Winter's Bone, The Window, the Lisbeth Salander books, The Eight, The Likeness, [a pile of Michael Connelly]. Something funny would be nice. Spooky ok, too.

Thanks!
posted by phunniemee to Grab Bag (10 answers total)
 
I don't have any direct suggestions, but Audible allows you to filter by recording length in sets, including the 3-6 hour range, and unsurprisingly, Amazon has a similar feature with a similar 3-6 hour range These aren't perfect tools for your purpose, but may be able to help you further winnow down your search at the CPL.

Alternatively, you could queue up just enough podcasts to get you through such a drive.
posted by filthy light thief at 10:45 AM on October 15, 2018


Anything David Sedaris. Looks like they're more in the 6-7 hour range, but the format is essay-like, so you could stop just about anywhere without feeling like you'd miss an ending.
posted by slipthought at 10:50 AM on October 15, 2018 [1 favorite]


Sedaris is our go-to for road trips as well.
posted by Sweetie Darling at 11:25 AM on October 15, 2018


I really enjoyed Stardust read by Neil Gaiman (also the author). It is 6hrs 23mins and is a fun take on a fantasy book that doesn't take itself seriously.
posted by OnTheLastCastle at 2:55 PM on October 15, 2018


Response by poster: How'd you manage the Connelly, by the way?

I read tons, but eyeball read only. I pretty much never listen to books, it's just not for me.
posted by phunniemee at 4:40 PM on October 15, 2018


Agree with David Sedaris. He is really skilled at reading his own stuff.

I also recommend Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson (aka The Bloggess). It's also individual essays so you can listen to as much as you want of the 8.5 hours. I read this on dead trees, and cracked up so hard that my husband wouldn't let me read it in bed because it was too distruptive. She is so funny and charming, I bet the audiobook is great.
posted by radioamy at 4:56 PM on October 15, 2018


(Oh if you want a preview of David Sedaris reading, here's him on Letterman years ago.)
posted by radioamy at 4:56 PM on October 15, 2018


How about an audiobook of short stories? Two I've enjoyed on car trips have been Stephen King's Bazaar of Bad Dreams and John Connolly's Night Music: Nocturnes Volume 2. They are both spooky-themed and have occasional glimpses of humor, particularly the Stephen King.

I didn't check to see if they're at your library, but I would recommend those audiobooks, anyway. My library system in New Jersey had them on CD.
posted by bananana at 4:59 PM on October 15, 2018


Aunt Laura and the Crack of Dawn.

I'm not finding the length on a quick search, but the chapters are all stories that can stand alone. Very entertaining, memoir-ish.
posted by jaruwaan at 4:22 AM on October 16, 2018


Bossypants by Tina Fey. There are other memoirs that are great listening, but are longer than four hours, such as Rob Lowe's Stories I Only Tell My Friends. They lack strong narrative, so you don't have to listen to the whole thing, if you don't want to go over that time limit.

L.A. Theatre Works has audio recordings of some good cast performances, it's hit or miss, but they're often brief, and diverse works.

Love, Dishonor, Marry, Die, Cherish, Perish by David Rakoff is an epic poem, if you can handle this!

I will nth the suggestion regarding short stories. While I have not heard any short story collections by Stephen King, I find his longer form works can translate well to listening, so perhaps this would work well.
posted by the letter at 10:35 PM on October 16, 2018


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