Audio Books for Holiday Road Trips

Submitted by Stefanie on December 20, 2010 - 3:01pm

Audio books can help the miles go by faster on a holiday road trip. With the holds service on hiatus, this is a great time to explore DPL's Audio eBook collection for titles to download or to visit the closest branch location to browse books on CD in person.

I’ve found that some of the best audio books are juvenile and young adult fiction. Short stories are also a good option because you can listen to one story—or a couple of stories—and then take a break to converse with whomever you're traveling with, listen to music, or just silently enjoy the scenery until you’re ready for another story. Plus, a good audio book must have a great reader to tell the story: even a good story can’t survive a bad reader. Here are some favorites:

Fiction
Any of the Harry Potter series. Jim Dale is absolutely the best audio book narrator. I’d listen to anything he narrates. These are all books on CD. Check record for availability at branches. Not available in our Audio eBook catalog.

Two more narrated by Jim Dale:
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, Book on CD. Check record for availability at branches.
Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne, Book on CD. Check record for availability at branches.

Books on CD by Neil Gaiman. (DPL's Audio eBook catalog also has several of Gaiman's titles.) I’ve only suggested two here, but there are many others. Perhaps readers can suggest their Gaiman audio favorites?
Fragile Things, Audio eBook
Anansi Boys, Audio eBook / Anansi Boys, Book on CD. Check record for availability at branches.

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, Book on CD. Check record for availability at branches.

The Life of Pi by Yann Martel, Audio eBook / The Life of Pi, Book on CD. Check record for availability at branches.

Nonfiction
This American Life: Stories of Hope and Fear by Ira Glass and the staff of The American Life, Book on CD.