Nothing elevates a boring plane flight or a long car ride like a great audiobook. It doesn’t matter that you have zero leg room, you forgot to pack a sheet mask, and you ran out of snacks three hours to go. When you slip on your headphones and sink into a good story, time glides.
That said, picking the right audiobook to keep you company is crucial–and with Thanksgiving travels fast approaching, it’s time to get your Audible library in formation. Narrated by some of your favorite celebrities, these titles are guaranteed to help you tune in and bliss out no matter the circumstances.
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Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery, read by Rachel McAdams
The spirited Anne Shirley has been capturing hearts with quirk and puffed sleeves since 1908, but this fiery redhead shines even brighter through Rachel McAdams’s stirring modern rendition ($25; audible.com). Laughter and tears, friendship and young love, bad dye jobs and baking mishaps, seriously ya’ll, this story has it all. We recommend pre-ordering before the Nov. 22 release.
The Dispatcher by John Scalzi, read by Zachary Quinto
Zachary Quinto is a certified sci-fi icon, having cut his teeth in two of the genre’s biggest franchises, Heroes and Star Trek. Now, he’s lending his silky drawl to the character of Tom Valdez in John Scalzi’s thrilling new mystery ($15; audible.com) about a world where murder is no longer possible…or is it?
In the Country We Love, written by Diane Guerreo and Michelle Burford, read by Diane Guerrero
Diane Guerrero’s story begins on the worst day of her life. At only fourteen, she returned home from school to find her parents detained and deported to Colombia, their status as undocumented immigrants having been discovered. From this nightmare, Guerrero would eventually emerge a star of two hit shows, Orange Is the New Black and Jane the Virgin. But in this poignant political memoir, the struggle – for love, for belonging, for justice, for survival – is achingly immediate ($20; audible.com).
Born a Crime, written and read by Trevor Noah
We swoon for Trevor Noah, from his dreamy accent to his keen sense of humor. In his forthcoming book of personal essays available November 15, the Daily Show host dishes on coming of age in apartheid South Africa, the trials of high school dating, and his early love for Christian karaoke ($20; audible.com).
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, read by Thandie Newton
Dark secrets and shadowy forces collide in this atmospheric, slow-burning Gothic romance, which chronicles the life of a young orphan as she comes of age, falls in love, and rails against the limits of a rigid society ($35; audible.com). Jane Eyre’s path is never easy, never simple, and (trust us) never boring, especially when versatile Westworld actress Thandie Newton is commanding the mic.
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy, read by Maggie Gyllenhaal
Perhaps the finest of all Russian novels, Tolstoy’s twisted romance comes with all the hallmarks of juicy read: Adultery! Gossipy aristocrats! Political turmoil! Opulent wealth! Set amid the throws of nineteenth century Russia, Anna Karenina ($40; audible.com) is a novel as complex as it is long. But with Maggie Gyllenhaal narrating, a thousand pages feels like a breeze.
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain, read by Nick Offerman
Mark Twain’s classic boyhood trickster tale ($20; audible.com) comes alive when voiced by comedian and manly Midwestern woodworker Nick Offerman, best known for his role as Ron Swanson on Parks and Recreation.
The Turn of the Screw by Harry James, read by Emma Thompson
Few can deliver a performance more haunting than Emma Thompson and her reading of this eerie Victorian ghost tale is no exception ($15; audible.com). So light a candle, roam a dark corridor, and keep your wits about you. With this ghoulish masterpiece, you’ll certainly need them.
