Reading every day is very important to me. But on really busy days, fitting in study time can be a challenge. That’s why I’m so thankful for great audiobooks! They are the perfect solution to making reading a priority – even if I can’t physically sit down and read a book.
With a good audiobook, I can clean the bathroom, wait in the carpool line, or fold a load of laundry – and it makes the sometimes tedious work really enjoyable. Are you doing something while you are lost in the story? That’s a big win!
There is also something special about hearing a writer or narrator bring a story to life through their voice. It adds a new layer to the reading experience of the best audiobooks.
Psst! Be sure to check out how I listen to audiobooks for free. And don’t forget to sign up for 3 FREE audiobooks on Audiobooks.com right now!
How to Get Free Audiobooks
Before we get into the list, I want to share how I get free audiobooks because, otherwise, listening to an audiobook can get expensive quickly.
I found the Libby app a few years ago, and I love that I can listen to any audiobook I want for FREE! I highly recommend it!
That being said, Libby’s audiobooks can sometimes have long or short loan periods that require you to return the book before you finish it.
If you’re looking for another way to grab a few FREE audiobooks, you can currently sign up for an Audiobooks.com trial and get 3 FREE audiobooks in your first month! You’ll get access to over 150,000 audiobooks! (Just remember to cancel your subscription before your free trial ends so you won’t be charged!)
Another option is Sound, which gives you access to a streaming library of books and allows you to keep one book per membership month, even after you cancel your subscription. Check out the current Audible discounts and deals here.
Psst! If you like eBooks, you may want to take advantage of this Kindle Unlimited FREE trial that’s available, too! It includes not only eBooks but thousands of audiobooks, too!
7 Best Audiobooks I Highly Recommend
If you’re ready to dive into your next favorite audiobook, here are my top 7 audiobooks that I can’t stop recommending:
1. Before Being Yours
On the advice of my readers, I started reading it and soon I couldn’t stop talking about it.
A sad and true story of the scandals of the Tennessee Orphanage and how it played out in the lives of the children who experienced this terrible situation.
Truth be told, I had never heard of these scandals before listening to this book – and I live in Tennessee! I have asked many people who live here and they have never heard of it.
It’s sad and scary and I think it’s a powerful reminder of how money can make people make bad decisions that can hurt people in devastating ways.
The book is well written and engaging and appears to be very well researched historical fiction. It’s also a beautiful story of sibling love and how trauma and destruction don’t have to define your future.
Note: There are many situations in the book when it comes to trauma that may trigger many people, depending on your life experiences and trauma. This book doesn’t give the nitty-gritty details, but enough that it can be very thought provoking.
2. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society
I read this book a few years ago and loved it. After that, I watched the Netflix movie they made based on the book.
However, after watching the movie and enjoying it, I realized that I don’t remember enough about the book to compare the movie to the book. So, in a flawless move, I decided to read this book again.
Only this time, I listened to it (thanks to getting the audiobook for free on the Libby app). This is one of the best audiobooks, because it is SO well done and I loved that the audiobook is narrated in multiple voices!
3. We were Lucky
This was my favorite audiobook of 2021! This is based on the true story of a Jewish family during World War II that was separated from the rest of the world and how they eventually survived and were finally reunited. It is deeply moving, gripping, and heartbreaking. But at the same time, it’s a story of love, family, and perseverance through all the odds.
One thing I noticed was the creativity and willingness to challenge each family member, to come up with ideas outside the box, and to never give up. When everywhere feels like everything is collapsing and hopeless, they choose to keep pushing and keep holding on to the will to live.
Of all the parts of the book, I think the sections that had the most impact on me were thinking about what it would be like to have young children during the Holocaust and how difficult it would be to try to care for and protect a child or a child in the midst of so much fear, uncertainty, and outright disregard for human life. I can’t even begin to imagine and this book helped me see a little bit of how bad that would be.
Note: There is a little language and, as you can imagine, some deep and graphic topics are touched upon. However, I felt that the book did a good job of not going into unnecessary detail and stayed true to the story and experience.
4. Remarkably Bright Creatures
So, this is a book I never expected to make my favorites list. But, I was completely surprised by how much I loved it and grew attached to the clever characters in it – including the octopus!
In fact, I enjoyed it so much that I bought a copy to finish reading instead of listening to it! I don’t often do that, so you know I loved the book.
It is a book with many different characters telling their story from their point of view and how they all come together in the end is beautiful and lovely. If you enjoy a fictional story told from different heights that covers a wide range of ages and interests, definitely check this book out!
Note: This is not a Christian book and has some silly language in it, but it is well written and an engaging story… and it made me want to read more about the octopus in it as it was interesting and I learned a lot in the parts of the book about it!
5. Things We Won’t Say
This book was not at all what I expected and I stopped reading after the first few chapters because it turned me off… but I’m so glad I did because it ended up being a great story.
I loved walking in the shoes of a mother with a child on the autism spectrum and empathizing with what she was experiencing and going through. This book also made me think about how everyone struggles and how many people probably carry secrets and burdens and struggles that we know nothing about.
Note: This book contains a little crass language.
6. The book Woman of Troublesome Creek
This is a book I wouldn’t have picked up on my own, but it came highly recommended by so many people that I decided to give it a try because it was free to listen to from Libby. I’m so glad I did because it’s one of those books that has stayed with me for a long time.
This book not only explores the Pack Horse Librarian Project started by Roosevelt’s New Deal – a project dedicated to bringing books to people living far from access to libraries – but also delves deep into the Blue People.
I had never heard of the Pack Horse Librarian Project or the Blue People and this book inspired me to dig deeper into both. It was both exciting and heartbreaking to read about.
If you enjoy well-researched historical fiction about important pieces of history that aren’t widely known/talked about (at least I’ve never heard of!), this would be a great read. It has some language and a few adult themed sections, but overall it was worth the time I invested in listening.
I felt like the story was slow in parts and skipped a bit, but it still kept going and drew you in. I have learned a lot from it and have talked about it many times with many people since listening to it – which always shows me that the book has touched me.
7. The Great One
This was an interesting world view of what it’s like to live in Alaska. His sister-in-law and brother-in-law and nephew live in Alaska, so it gave me a new appreciation for their lives.
The audiobook sounded sad and dark in parts… and it opened my eyes to how hard it can be to live where it’s so dark and cold most of the year. I never imagined how much sunlight and warmth can affect our mood and steal a person’s happiness and motivation.
The Great Alone did a great job of helping me to understand more deeply the challenges that Alaskans have faced and how brutal and cruel the winters can be and how alienating they can be. If you’ve ever wondered what life in Alaska is like for others or you’re just looking for a unique, well-written and engaging novel, I can highly recommend The Great Alone.
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What do you recommend as the best audiobooks to listen to? I would love to hear!
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