This post was originally published on Audible.com.
Whether you walk for your health, for transportation, or to exercise a pet, you can get some extra mental mileage with your steps when you take a great audiobook along.
Audiobooks make perfect walking companions. They have the power to help you learn about any topic that catches your fancy, help promote mindfulness during your strolls, or transport you to other worlds. Whether you're on a treadmill, touring the neighborhood, or going to or from work, these are some of the best audiobooks for walking.
Photographer Craig Mod arrived in Tokyo at just 19, emerging from a challenging childhood and grieving the murder of his best friend. In his absorbing, meditative narration, Mod captures his revelatory discovery of Japan, fueled by long walks around the country on ancient pilgrimage routes such as the Kumano Kodo. Blending Japanese history, culture, and spirituality with Mod’s close encounters with villagers and local fauna, Things Become Other Things is a profound walking tour to inspire your own extended promenades.
Hit your step goal to find your center. Mindful Walking with Headspace is a three-part Audible Original series that connects listeners to their minds and bodies through a collection of serene guided practices intended to be enjoyed on strolls throughout the day—morning, noon, and night. With each part containing seven distinct sessions, every day promises a fresh start to process negative emotions while gaining positive insights.
What better topic to learn about while walking than walking itself? Author Jeremy DeSilva explores the pros and cons of bipedalism, how the ability to walk on two legs affected our evolution, and how walking continues to affect human health and development today.
Kennedy Ryan's Skyland trilogy follows the romantic trials and tribulations of three best friends in a fictional Atlanta suburb. The first book, Before I Let Go, introduces us to Yasmen and Josiah Wade, who are divorced but whose lives are still very much entangled between their kids and the restaurant business they share. Wesleigh Siobhan and Jakobi Diem bring this beautifully layered story to life—and once you finish, there are still two more books in the series to walk along with.
After the death of her husband and the disappearance of her son, Tova needs a fresh perspective. She finds it in a friendship with a giant Pacific octopus, Marcellus, at the aquarium where she works as the night-shift janitor. The alternating POVs of Tova and Marcellus paint a moving portrait of human-animal connection, healing, and the inner lives of octopuses. Exceptional narration by Marin Ireland and Michael Urie makes this a poignant audiobook you'll want to hear again and again.
The race for perfection often seems futile and endless. Instead of getting lost in the struggle, let author Brené Brown and narrator Lauren Fortgang explain why perfection is overrated—and how the ability to embrace your imperfections is what makes you special, relatable, and human.
New York City is home to some of the most exceptional museums in the world, including the city’s crown jewel, the Metropolitan Museum of Art. But whether you’re walking the halls of the Met or the streets of your own city, you’ll find an awe-inspiring perspective on art, grief, and solace from former New Yorker staffer-turned-museum guard Patrick Bringley, who wrote and narrates this profound memoir.
Laura Esquivel's historical romance, about a woman who yearns for love and freedom, has been translated into English. Still, there's nothing quite like hearing a story in its original language! Spanish speakers and those looking to improve their Spanish will enjoy Yareli Arizmendi's reading of this modern classic.
From the best-selling author of My Lovely Wife, this one is for the dog walkers! In Samantha Downing’s Sleeping Dogs Lie, a young dog walker named Shelby brings home an adorable husky only to find his owner on the bathroom floor, dead. Suspicion falls on the owner, his ex-wife, and Shelby herself, leaving detectives to, ahem, paw through the clues. Dual narration, a tight two-hour run time, and a satisfying reveal make this the perfect pooch-walking thriller.
After a series of devastating losses, Cheryl Strayed decides to drop everything and hike the Pacific Crest Trail—1,100 miles from the Mojave Desert through California and Oregon to Washington State—alone. Despite her lack of experience, she completes the trek and in the process, learns her self-worth. What better memoir to listen to on your own walk, whether a hike in the woods or a stroll around the block?
The audiobook of J.R.R. Tolkien's classic fantasy is narrated by award-winning actor Andy Serkis, famous for portraying Gollum in the film versions of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. His enthusiastic rendering of Bilbo Baggins's great adventure will make even the most ordinary walk seem suddenly wondrous.
For an immersive way to experience a classic, check out this haunting Audible Original dramatization of George Orwell's timeless tale. Featuring an original score and a star-studded cast, including Andrew Garfield as Winston, Cynthia Erivo as Julia, and Tom Hardy as Big Brother, it's 1984 like you've never heard it before. Sound effects heighten the tension and terror, and Hardy's impeccable performance as Big Brother makes his chilling commands even more sinister.
Before watching the Netflix series that it inspired, listen to the audiobook of Shadow and Bone, a fantasy epic about a young woman's quest to save her nation. Then make sure you go on to listen to the rest of the audiobooks in Leigh Bardugo's Grisha series, all performed by Lauren Fortgang.
For a deeper appreciation of the world around you, Braiding Sweetgrass is a must-listen. Beautifully written and narrated by botanist Robin Wall Kimmerer, this modern classic dives into our relationship with the Earth to help us understand, and truly appreciate, how much it provides us beyond simply a place to exist. As an Indigenous woman, Kimmerer stresses the importance of learning and respecting the land we occupy while cultivating a reciprocal relationship with our planet.
A heartbreaking story of one small life and the multitude of lives connected to it, Hanya Yanagihara’s A Little Life is a staggering piece of fiction that explores the nuances of the human experience, from trauma and relationships to struggle and redemption. The novel’s 28-hour+ runtime can comfortably accommodate a multitude of even the longest walks, while Golden Globe-winning actor Matt Bomer’s knockout performance stays with you even longer.
This mesmerizing audiobook, winner of the 2021 Women’s Prize, will put you into a pleasant trance, thanks to its dreamlike setting and Chiwetel Ejiofor’s impeccable performance. Follow the story’s eponymous narrator as he winds through a labyrinthine mansion and slowly uncovers the mystery of how he came to be there in this unforgettable fantasy novel.