These addicting audiobooks and podcasts will make you wish your road trip home would never end.
‘A Man Called Ove’
Meet Ove. He’s a curmudgeon — the kind of man who points at people he dislikes as if they were burglars caught outside his bedroom window. He has staunch principles, strict routines and a short fuse. People call him “the bitter neighbor from hell.” But behind his cranky exterior, there is a story and a sadness.
When to tune in: Scrooge has a new name this season. It’s Ove, and he’s got a new story to match.
‘Secrets of Uncle Bertie’s Botanarium’
This is the story of an idle aristocratic plant enthusiast who sets out on an ambitious voyage to the Boiling Ocean — and beyond — to restore the good name of his long-lost Uncle Bertie, the disgraced botanist, and destroy pleasure once and for all!
When to tune in: If you want to make that car ride seems like some kind of Odyssey-worthy adventure, this is the podcast to listen to.
‘Nerdist’
“I am Chris Hardwick. I am on TV a lot and have a blog at nerdist.com. This podcast is basically just me talking about stuff and things with my two nerdy friends Jonah Ray and Matt Mira and usually someone more famous than all of us. Occasionally we swear because that is fun. I hope you like it, but if you don’t, I’m sure you will not hesitate to unfurl your rage in the Reviews section because that’s how the Internet works.”
When to tune in: If you need a little Chris Hardwick in your life (which we all should), then listen away — not to mention his celeb guests like Anna Kendrick and John Stamos.
‘The Chemist’
In this gripping thriller, an ex-agent on the run from her former employers must take one more case to clear her name and save her life.
When to tune in: Twilight creator Stephenie Meyer’s latest book is a new story that still holds true to Meyer’s ability to capture romantic suspense.
‘My Favorite Murderer’
Ready yourself for a murder adventure hosted by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark, two lifelong fans of true-crime stories. Each episode, the girls tell each other their favorite tales of murder and hear hometown crime stories from friends and fans. Check your anxiety at the door, ’cause Karen and Georgia are dying to discuss death.
When to tune in: If you’re dying to discuss something other than mistletoe and Santa Claus, Kilgariff and Hardstark are your girls.
‘Serial’
“Serial tells one story — a true story — over the course of a season. Each season, we follow a plot and characters wherever they take us. We won’t know what happens at the end until we get there, not long before you get there with us.”
When to tune in: If you’re sick of election talk, Serial will give the adults in your family something to really debate.
‘Travels’
Fueled by a powerful curiosity — and by a need to see, feel and hear, firsthand and close-up — Michael Crichton’s journeys have carried him into worlds diverse and compelling — swimming with mud sharks in Tahiti, tracking wild animals through the jungle of Rwanda. This is a record of those travels — an exhilarating quest across the familiar and exotic frontiers of the outer world, a determined odyssey into the unfathomable, spiritual depths of the inner world.
When to tune in: If you’re a fan of Michael Crichton, this audiobook will give you a whole new perspective on his writing.
‘Radiolab’
Radiolab, with Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich, is a radio show and podcast weaving stories and science into sound and music-rich documentaries.
When to tune in: If you’re looking to catch up on all those topics you never knew you wanted to know about, Radiolab has got you covered.
‘The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck’
In this generation-defining self-help guide, a superstar blogger cuts through the crap to show us how to stop trying to be positive all the time so that we can truly become better, happier people.
When to tune in: We all get tired of the holiday cheer. Embrace it for a bit.
‘Citizen Radio’
Jamie Kilstein and Allison Kilkenny have created an important political radio show that balances humor and unreported news. At a time when media conglomerates dominate the airwaves, independent media like Citizen Radio is vital to national discourse.
When to tune in: If you need news updates from someone other than your nasally Uncle Jerry, who loves the good old days.
‘Alice Isn’t Dead’
A truck driver searches across America for the wife she had long assumed was dead. In the course of her search, she will encounter not-quite-human serial murderers, towns literally lost in time and a conspiracy that goes way beyond one missing woman.
When to tune in: If you’ve had enough of Christmas carols, this fiction podcast is for you.
‘Christmas Eve, 1914’
In 1914, the war which was to have been wrapped up by Christmas had — in reality — only just begun, as all sides entrenched themselves deeper into the Great War. Christmas Eve, 1914 follows one company of British officers as they rotate forward to spend their Christmas on the front lines, a mere 80 yards from the German guns.
When to tune in: Find your Christmas gratitude with this stunning audiobook.
‘My Dad Wrote a Porno’
Imagine if your dad wrote a dirty book. Most people would try to ignore it and pretend it had never happened — but not Jamie Morton. Instead, he’s decided to read it to the world in this brand-new comedy podcast. With the help of his friends, James Cooper and BBC Radio 1’s Alice Levine, Jamie will be reading a chapter a week and discovering more about his father than he ever bargained for.
When to tune in: Families are weird. Don’t worry, it’s not just yours. This podcast is sure to make you feel better.
‘The Moth’
The premise is simple: True stories told live.
When to tune in: When your dad starts in on his infamous tales of youth that you’ve heard a hundred times, catch a break with these new tales.
‘The Sleeper and the Spindle’
You may think you know this story. There’s a young queen about to be married. There are some good, brave, hardy dwarfs; a castle shrouded in thorns; and a princess cursed by a witch, so rumor has it, to sleep forever.
But no one is waiting for a noble prince to appear on his trusty steed here. This fairy tale is spun with a thread of dark magic, which twists and turns and glints and shines. A queen might just prove herself a hero if a princess needs rescuing.
When to tune in: If you’re ready for some holiday girl power, this is your read.
‘Welcome to Night Vale’
Welcome to Night Vale is a twice-monthly podcast in the style of community updates for the small desert town of Night Vale, featuring local weather, news, announcements from the sheriff’s secret police, mysterious lights in the night sky, dark hooded figures with unknowable powers and cultural events.
When to tune in: That isn’t Santa on your roof… These stories will have you itching to leave the lights on.
‘Romeo and Juliet: A Novel’
It’s a story you think you know: the age-old tale of “star-cross’d lovers”; two families at war; a romance, so pure and absolute, fated for a tragic end. It’s a story so thoroughly embedded in our culture and so frequently retold. Yet nothing captures the spark, the possibility and the surprise of Shakespeare’s work quite like this….
When to tune in: You aren’t in middle school anymore, which mean you will probably, actually, really like and appreciate this novel.
‘The Dead Authors Podcast’
Legendary time-traveling writer H.G. Wells (Paul F. Tompkins) welcomes literary giants to The Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in Los Angeles for a lively discussion in front of a live audience. Unscripted, barely researched, all fun!
When to tune in: If you need a good laugh and an insightful listen.
‘This American Life’
There’s a theme to each episode of This American Life and a variety of stories on that theme. Most of the stories are journalism, with an occasional comedy routine or essay.
When to tune in: Arguably one of the best podcasts ever made, there’s really no time not worth listening to this one.
Leave a Comment