Audiobooks to Listen to While Exercising

The City We Became

“I love N.K. Jemisin’s books, I love New York City, and I love this book about the soul and personification of New York. The City We Became might just be my favorite book to be published in 2020. This story is filled with tension, humor, and great characters, with a guest appearance near and dear to me. While this book is the beginning of a trilogy, it is completely satisfying as a stand-alone novel. Read it and be happy.”

Doug Chase, Powell's Books

Yearbook

“So funny. I couldn’t stop listening until I had heard all of his anecdotes. Loved it.”

Lisa, Pixie Hollow

If you enjoyed Black Sun, then you’ll love How High We Go in the Dark.

“I think I've already found my favorite release for 2022! This dystopian multi perspective scifi book is expertly woven. We jump through time and from character to character experiencing a terrifying pandemic and end of days. Though reading about a pandemic in midst of pandemic seems daunting, Nagamatsu managed to create a heartfelt and intriguing saga that manages to elicit all of your emotions in a short 256 pages. In audiobook format, a different narrator takes on each chapter but little mentions keep each additional perspective rooted to each other and the full cast brings you on a mind-blowing journey. I don't know how he does it but by the end, Nagamatsu somehow ties everything up in a truly magical and breathtaking way that has you questioning if he is the next, great voice of our generation.”

Kimi, Buttonwood Books and Toys

Devil House

“John Darnielle interrogates the true crime genre’s highest aspirations and basest instincts. Devil House is a gripping read that questions what the true costs of salacious stories are, and who pays them.”

Keith Mosman, Powell's Books

Cassandra Khaw's Nothing But Blackened Teeth is a gorgeously creepy haunted house tale, steeped in Japanese folklore and full of devastating twists.

A Heian-era mansion stands abandoned, its foundations resting on the bones of a bride and its walls packed with the remains of the girls sacrificed to keep her company.

It’s the perfect venue for a...

A New York Times Bestseller

A Washington Post Notable Nonfiction Book of 2020

Named a Best Book of 2020 by NPR
 
“A fascinating scientific, cultural, spiritual and evolutionary history of the way humans breathe—and how we’ve all been doing it wrong for a long, long time.” —Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Big Magic and Eat Pray Love

No matter what you... Read more »

In 1967, a Cleveland businessman had a brilliant idea: why not start a women's football team? It was conceived as a gimmick and a publicity stunt in the vein of the Harlem Globetrotters. He recruited women to compete as a traveling football troupe; much to his surprise, he learned that women really wanted to play—and play hard. Hail Mary is the... Read more »

If you enjoyed Take a Hint, Dani Brown, then you’ll love Beach Read.

“2020 is apparently the year I start reading romance novels and loving them. Maybe it's my need for a little lighthearted fluff in quarantine, but straight fluff isn't really my jam no matter the day. I want fluff with meat on its bones. I want fluff with substance.

As for Beach Read... Did I just give a romance novel ALL THE STARS? Why yes. Yes I did. And if I could give it a few more, I would. Because Beach Read is just the kind of substantial 'fluff' I needed to read. It's the kind of book that flips the patriarchy on its head, the one that has told readers like me that romance novels can't be good literature. Because at the end of the day, my preference for anything *but* romance had little to do with the writing quality, and everything to do with social biases. Henry attacks those head on. And then she goes leaps and bounds further, delving into grief and love and identity, and how we understand each other.

This book is therapy. It's a book about writer's block in the best of ways - not just the literal premise of swapping stories, but that of feeling stuck in a rut and not knowing what to do to move forward with life. I felt completely and utterly seen in its pages. I cried ugly tears until I had none left. And then it lifted me up in a bucket full of swoon. Reader, I adored every minute. And with Julia Whelan to narrate, what more could you ask for?”

Britt, Second Star to the Right

Spirit Run

“Noe Alvarez's writing has an ease to it that welcomes the reader. It draws you in to in this journey.”

Julia, The Bookloft

A new collection from David Sedaris is cause for jubilation. His recent move to Paris has inspired hilarious pieces, including Me Talk Pretty One Day, about his attempts to learn French. His family is another inspiration. You Cant Kill the Rooster is a portrait of his brother who talks incessant hip-hop slang to his bewildered father. And no one... Read more »

The Final Revival of Opal & Nev

“If you read the first twenty pages of this book and think, like I did "this seems exactly the same as Daisy Jones and the Six KEEP GOING. The way the stories are setup is similar, but Opal and Nev have a unique story that demands to be heard. Walton combines oral music history, intense relationship dynamics, and strong character development to result in an engaging read. I highly recommend the full-cast audiobook on Libro.fm!”

Maggie, Carmichael's Bookstore

The Nineties

“Born in the mid-nineties but truly a child of the 2000’s, I have always romanticized the nineties. Klosterman uniquely provides a broad but also individual look at my favorite decade. Only having fleeting knowledge of various aspects of the decade- Y2K, OJ Simpson, landlines, watching Friends live- I loved Klosterman’s take and insights on the times!”

Miranda, Loganberry Books

The Family Chao

“An expertly crafted novel of literary family intrigue. Full of character depth and a mysterious death, The Family Chao is a page-turner on immigration, family turmoil, racism, small-town drama, and revenge. It will keep you guessing.”

Danica Ramgoolam, Townie Books

NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE NOMINEE • A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK OF THE YEAR • NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER • A grand, devastating portrait of three generations of the Sackler family, famed for their philanthropy, whose fortune was built by Valium and whose reputation was destroyed by OxyContin. From the prize-winning and bestselling author of... Read more »

How the Word Is Passed

“Smith has crafted a resource, narrative and detailed explanation into how we teach the legacy of slavery. He recounts visits from everywhere from NYC to the Whitney Plantation, integrating stories of people and visitors today. This book is lays a beautiful written foundation for interrogating the history we've been taught. Particularly phenomenal as an audiobook, Smith's skills as a poet and writer shine bright!”

Eliza, Wellesley Books

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet

“This gripping, diverse novel, set well after Earth's residents have scattered to Mars, other planets, and itinerant spacecraft, is as scientifically and sociopolitically plausible as any science fiction I've ever read or listened to. The characters, from a variety of alien species along with AI, have wide-ranging journeys that speak to our current reality and to issues of immigration, xenophobia, colonization, economic class, technological advancement, environmentalism, and more. The members of one species are all born female and becomes male later on, of another all use "they" pronouns, and of another are free with their touch and affection and find amusement in human hangups about touch. In the midst of all this complex representation emerges a story that stands alone as cohesive, meaningful, and powerful.”

Emily, A Seat at the Table Books

"Ashley C. Ford brings listeners into her life in this outstanding coming-of-age story...Listeners will cheer as Ford attends college and weep as she visits her father in prison, and when he is finally released." -- AudioFile Magazine, Earphones Award winner

This program is read by the author, and includes a bonus conversation between the author...

The author of the widely praised Wordslut analyzes the social science of cult influence: how cultish groups from Jonestown and Scientology to SoulCycle and social media gurus use language as the ultimate form of power.

What makes “cults” so intriguing and frightening? What makes them powerful? The reason why so many of us binge Manson...

A groomsman and his last-minute guest are about to discover if a fake date can go the distance in this fun and flirty multicultural romance debut by New York Times bestselling author Jasmine Guillory—author of the Resse Witherspoon x Hello Sunshine Book Club Pick The Proposal.

THE USA TODAY BESTSELLER
#5 LibraryReads Pick

“A swoony rom-com brimming... Read more »

If you enjoyed Save Me the Plums, then you’ll love Taste.

“Stanley Tucci tells his life's story through food, complete with recipes. Taste is a book of love, of family and friends, and of how food connects us all. Tucci is an endearing narrator, heartwarming and sincere, filled with gratitude, funny and self-deprecating...I listened to Taste on audio @librofm and arrived at work each day drooling. When it was over, I purchased a hardcover to sit on my kitchen shelf filled with cookbooks.”

Julie, Honest Dog Books