
Why We Read
On Bookworms, Libraries, and Just One More Page Before Lights Out
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed

Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Buy for $25.19
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Paige McKinney
-
By:
-
Shannon Reed
About this listen
A hilarious and incisive exploration of the joys of reading from a teacher, bibliophile, and Thurber Prize Semifinalist
We read to escape, to learn, to find love, to feel seen. We read to encounter new worlds, to discover new recipes, to find connection across difference, or simply to pass a rainy afternoon. No matter the reason, books have the power to keep us safe, to challenge us, and perhaps most importantly, to make us more fully human.
Shannon Reed, a longtime teacher, lifelong reader, and New Yorker contributor, gets it. With one simple goal in mind, she makes the case that we should read for pleasure above all else. In this whip-smart, laugh-out-loud-funny collection, Reed shares surprising stories from her life as a reader and the poignant ways in which books have impacted her students. From the varied novels she cherishes (Gone Girl, Their Eyes Were Watching God) to the ones she didn’t (Tess of the d’Urbervilles), Reed takes us on a rollicking tour through the comforting world of literature, celebrating the books we love, the readers who love them, and the ways in which literature can transform us for the better.
Listeners also enjoyed...
-
Cunning Folk
- Life in the Era of Practical Magic
- By: Tabitha Stanmore
- Narrated by: Anna Wilson-Jones
- Length: 8 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In historian Tabitha Stanmore’s beguiling account, we meet lovelorn widows, dissolute nobles, selfless healers, and renegade monks. We listen in on Queen Elizabeth I’s astrology readings and track treasure hunters trying to unearth buried gold without upsetting the fairies that guard it. Much like us, premodern people lived in a bewildering world, buffeted by forces beyond their control. As Stanmore reveals, their faith in magic has much to teach about how to accommodate the irrational in our allegedly enlightened lives today.
-
-
Double double toil and trouble
- By The one and only Michelle on 06-29-24
By: Tabitha Stanmore
-
Forks over Knives
- The Plant-Based Way to Health
- By: Gene Stone, T. Colin Campbell, Caldwell B. Esselstyn
- Narrated by: Brian Arens
- Length: 2 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For decades, that question has fascinated a small circle of impassioned doctors and researchers—and now, their life-changing research is making headlines in the hit documentary Forks Over Knives. Their answer? Eat a whole-foods, plant-based diet—it could save your life.
-
-
Not the Best Audiobook
- By TrekkerRon on 02-03-21
By: Gene Stone, and others
-
Languishing
- How to Feel Alive Again in a World That Wears Us Down
- By: Corey Keyes
- Narrated by: Landon Woodson
- Length: 8 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Languishing—the state of mental weariness that erodes our self-esteem, motivation, and sense of meaning—can be easy to brush off as the new normal, especially since indifference is one of its symptoms. It’s not a synonym for depression and its attendant state of prolonged sadness. Languishers are more likely to feel out of control of their lives, uncertain about what they want from the future, and paralyzed when faced with decisions.
-
-
Some worthwhile ideas.
- By CloudShepherd on 10-21-24
By: Corey Keyes
-
Your Best Year Ever
- A 5-Step Plan for Achieving Your Most Important Goals
- By: Michael Hyatt
- Narrated by: Michael Hyatt
- Length: 5 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
We all want to live a life that matters. But too often we find ourselves overwhelmed by the day-to-day. Our big goals get pushed to the back burner—and then, more often than not, they get forgotten. It doesn't have to be that way! This is the year you finally close the gap between reality and your dreams. In this fully revised and updated new edition of Your Best Year Ever, Michael Hyatt shares a powerful, proven research-driven system for setting and achieving your goals.
-
-
Frustrating- no pdfs
- By GHF on 01-03-24
By: Michael Hyatt
-
Why We Need to Be Wild
- One Woman's Quest for Ancient Human Answers to 21st Century Problems
- By: Jessica Carew Kraft
- Narrated by: Jessica Carew Kraft
- Length: 9 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Jessica Carew Kraft, an urban wife and mom of two, was rooted in the modern world, complete with a high-powered career in tech and the sneaking suspicion that her lifestyle was preventing her and her family from truly thriving. Determined to find a better way, Jessica quit her job and set out to learn about "rewilding" from people who reject the comforts and convenience of civilization by using ancient tools and skills to survive. Along the way, she found an entire community walking the path back from our technology-focused, anxiety-ridden way of life to a simpler, more human experience.
-
-
I loved this book!
- By Claudia Santos on 10-03-23
-
100 Ways to Change Your Life
- The Science of Leveling Up Health, Happiness, Relationships & Success
- By: Liz Moody
- Narrated by: Liz Moody
- Length: 8 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
What daily habits do happiness psychologists recommend to sprinkle our lives with joy? What does the latest research show about how we can live longer? How do the world’s top gastroenterologists tackle bloating and constipation? How can we amp up our charisma, make and keep quality friendships, and overcome the burn out sapping our energy every day?
-
-
Not your average self-help book - way better!
- By Wesley B on 12-06-23
By: Liz Moody
-
Cunning Folk
- Life in the Era of Practical Magic
- By: Tabitha Stanmore
- Narrated by: Anna Wilson-Jones
- Length: 8 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In historian Tabitha Stanmore’s beguiling account, we meet lovelorn widows, dissolute nobles, selfless healers, and renegade monks. We listen in on Queen Elizabeth I’s astrology readings and track treasure hunters trying to unearth buried gold without upsetting the fairies that guard it. Much like us, premodern people lived in a bewildering world, buffeted by forces beyond their control. As Stanmore reveals, their faith in magic has much to teach about how to accommodate the irrational in our allegedly enlightened lives today.
-
-
Double double toil and trouble
- By The one and only Michelle on 06-29-24
By: Tabitha Stanmore
-
Forks over Knives
- The Plant-Based Way to Health
- By: Gene Stone, T. Colin Campbell, Caldwell B. Esselstyn
- Narrated by: Brian Arens
- Length: 2 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For decades, that question has fascinated a small circle of impassioned doctors and researchers—and now, their life-changing research is making headlines in the hit documentary Forks Over Knives. Their answer? Eat a whole-foods, plant-based diet—it could save your life.
-
-
Not the Best Audiobook
- By TrekkerRon on 02-03-21
By: Gene Stone, and others
-
Languishing
- How to Feel Alive Again in a World That Wears Us Down
- By: Corey Keyes
- Narrated by: Landon Woodson
- Length: 8 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Languishing—the state of mental weariness that erodes our self-esteem, motivation, and sense of meaning—can be easy to brush off as the new normal, especially since indifference is one of its symptoms. It’s not a synonym for depression and its attendant state of prolonged sadness. Languishers are more likely to feel out of control of their lives, uncertain about what they want from the future, and paralyzed when faced with decisions.
-
-
Some worthwhile ideas.
- By CloudShepherd on 10-21-24
By: Corey Keyes
-
Your Best Year Ever
- A 5-Step Plan for Achieving Your Most Important Goals
- By: Michael Hyatt
- Narrated by: Michael Hyatt
- Length: 5 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
We all want to live a life that matters. But too often we find ourselves overwhelmed by the day-to-day. Our big goals get pushed to the back burner—and then, more often than not, they get forgotten. It doesn't have to be that way! This is the year you finally close the gap between reality and your dreams. In this fully revised and updated new edition of Your Best Year Ever, Michael Hyatt shares a powerful, proven research-driven system for setting and achieving your goals.
-
-
Frustrating- no pdfs
- By GHF on 01-03-24
By: Michael Hyatt
-
Why We Need to Be Wild
- One Woman's Quest for Ancient Human Answers to 21st Century Problems
- By: Jessica Carew Kraft
- Narrated by: Jessica Carew Kraft
- Length: 9 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Jessica Carew Kraft, an urban wife and mom of two, was rooted in the modern world, complete with a high-powered career in tech and the sneaking suspicion that her lifestyle was preventing her and her family from truly thriving. Determined to find a better way, Jessica quit her job and set out to learn about "rewilding" from people who reject the comforts and convenience of civilization by using ancient tools and skills to survive. Along the way, she found an entire community walking the path back from our technology-focused, anxiety-ridden way of life to a simpler, more human experience.
-
-
I loved this book!
- By Claudia Santos on 10-03-23
-
100 Ways to Change Your Life
- The Science of Leveling Up Health, Happiness, Relationships & Success
- By: Liz Moody
- Narrated by: Liz Moody
- Length: 8 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
What daily habits do happiness psychologists recommend to sprinkle our lives with joy? What does the latest research show about how we can live longer? How do the world’s top gastroenterologists tackle bloating and constipation? How can we amp up our charisma, make and keep quality friendships, and overcome the burn out sapping our energy every day?
-
-
Not your average self-help book - way better!
- By Wesley B on 12-06-23
By: Liz Moody
-
That Librarian
- The Fight Against Book Banning in America
- By: Amanda Jones
- Narrated by: Amanda Jones
- Length: 9 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
One of the things small town librarian Amanda Jones values most about books is how they can affirm a young person’s sense of self. So in 2022, when she heard of a local public hearing that would discuss “book content,” she knew what was at stake. Schools and libraries nationwide have been bombarded by demands for books with LGTBQ+ references, discussions of racism, and more to be purged from the shelves. Amanda would be damned if her community were to ban stories representing minority groups. She spoke out that night at the meeting. Days later, she woke up to a nightmare that still persists.
-
-
Great message everyone should be aware
- By Shelly on 09-30-24
By: Amanda Jones
-
American Heroes
- By: James Patterson, Matt Eversmann, Tim Malloy
- Narrated by: Joe Mantegna
- Length: 11 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
U.S. soldiers who served in overseas conflicts—from World War II, Korea, and Vietnam to Iraq and Afghanistan—share true stories of the actions that earned them some of America’s most distinguished military medals, up to and including the Medal of Honor. They never acted alone, but always in the spirit of camaraderie, patriotism, and for the good of our beloved country. There has never been a better time for all of us to think about duty, sacrifice, and what it means to be an American hero.
-
-
EXCELLENT
- By Wilson Che' Gray on 10-25-24
By: James Patterson, and others
-
The Final Curtsey
- A Royal Memoir by the Queen's Cousin
- By: Margaret Rhodes
- Narrated by: Jennifer M. Dixon
- Length: 5 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A Sunday Times number one bestseller in the United Kingdom, this is the intimate and revealing autobiography of Margaret Rhodes, first cousin of Queen Elizabeth II and niece of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother. Margaret was born into the Scottish aristocracy, into a now almost vanished world of privilege. Royalty often came to stay, and her house was run in the style of Downton Abbey. During the Second World War, she "lodged" at Buckingham Palace while she worked for MI5.
-
-
A bit too much mucking about in the weeds
- By Etoile NEOhio on 04-08-22
By: Margaret Rhodes
-
LIT: Life Ignition Tools
- Use Nature's Playbook to Energize Your Brain, Spark Ideas, and Ignite Action
- By: Jeff Karp, Teresa Barker
- Narrated by: Fred Sanders
- Length: 11 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In an age of convenience and information overload, it’s easy to go through the motions, pressured, distracted, and seeking instant gratification rather than harnessing our potential for meaningful and impactful lives. When we’re accustomed to a low energy brain state and lulled by the comfort zone it creates, it’s difficult to rouse ourselves to act with intention and create the lives we truly want to lead.
-
-
Do yourself a favor and read this book
- By Ahmed Ibrahim on 04-23-24
By: Jeff Karp, and others
-
Flight Paths
- How a Passionate and Quirky Group of Pioneering Scientists Solved the Mystery of Bird Migration
- By: Rebecca Heisman
- Narrated by: Allyson Ryan
- Length: 8 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For the past century, scientists and naturalists have been steadily unravelling the secrets of bird migration. How and why birds navigate the skies, traveling from continent to continent—flying thousands of miles across the earth each fall and spring—has continually fascinated the human imagination, but only recently have we been able to fully understand these amazing journeys.
-
-
I should have read the description more carefully
- By non de plume on 11-17-24
By: Rebecca Heisman
-
How to Grow
- Nurture Your Garden, Nurture Yourself
- By: Marcus Bridgewater
- Narrated by: Marcus Bridgewater
- Length: 5 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Marcus Bridgewater has been compared to Bob Ross and Mister Rogers for his soothing TikTok videos that relate botany to humanity. A gardener “who shares tips about caring for one’s plants and oneself” (New York Times) and “is not only a trove of information if you’re looking to flex your green thumb, but a balm for the pandemic-induced chaos happening in the world” (Vogue), his soothing observations on plants and life have made him a social media star. In caring for over 600 plants, Marcus has gained invaluable wisdom.
-
-
A wonderful book
- By Helen McCarthy on 02-21-25
-
Emotional Intelligence Habits
- By: Travis Bradberry
- Narrated by: Tom Parks
- Length: 15 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Emotional Intelligence Habits is a groundbreaking book from Dr. Travis Bradberry, author of the bestselling Emotional Intelligence 2.0 that has sold millions of copies worldwide. In Emotional Intelligence Habits, Dr. Bradberry, the world’s foremost expert on EQ, offers an abundance of practical strategies that will teach you how to form good habits, break bad ones, and master the micro behaviors that will take your EQ to new heights.
-
-
Chapter Names Fixed
- By Kindle Customer on 09-13-23
By: Travis Bradberry
-
ADHD Is Awesome
- A Guide to (Mostly) Thriving with ADHD
- By: Penn Holderness, Kim Holderness, Edward Hallowell - foreword
- Narrated by: Penn Holderness, Kim Holderness, Nathan Rosborough, and others
- Length: 8 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
You live in a world that wasn't designed for you. A world where you're expected to sit still, stay quiet, and focus. Because of the way your brain is wired, you can feel like you’re failing at life. But you are not failing. You are awesome. Award-winning content creators Kim and Penn Holderness are on a mission to reboot how we think about the unfortunately named "attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder." As always, they are doing it by looking in the mirror, because they don't just study ADHD; they live it.
-
-
Couldn't take constant jokes and narrative style
- By Lisan on 05-15-24
By: Penn Holderness, and others
-
The Bookshop
- A History of the American Bookstore
- By: Evan Friss
- Narrated by: Jay Myers
- Length: 10 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Bookstores have always been unlike any other kind of store, shaping readers and writers, and influencing our tastes, thoughts, and politics. They nurture local communities while creating new ones of their own. Bookshops are powerful spaces, but they are also endangered ones. In The Bookshop, we see those stakes: what has been, and what might be lost. Evan Friss’s history of the bookshop draws on oral histories, archival collections, municipal records, diaries, letters, and interviews with leading booksellers to offer a fascinating look at this institution beloved by so many.
-
-
Fun if you like book stuff
- By Customer - Reader on 02-22-25
By: Evan Friss
-
I Heard There Was a Secret Chord
- Music as Medicine
- By: Daniel J. Levitin
- Narrated by: Daniel J. Levitin
- Length: 12 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Music is one of humanity’s oldest medicines. From the Far East to the Ottoman Empire, Europe to Africa and the pre-colonial Americas, many cultures have developed their own rich traditions for using sound and rhythm to ease suffering, promote healing, and calm the mind. In his latest work, neuroscientist and New York Times best-selling author Daniel J. Levitin (This Is Your Brain on Music) explores the curative powers of music, showing us how and why it is one of the most potent therapies today.
-
-
Various health issues impacted by music.
- By Anne F. Oneill on 09-22-24
-
The Fun Habit
- How the Pursuit of Joy and Wonder Can Change Your Life
- By: Mike Rucker PhD
- Narrated by: Mike Rucker PhD
- Length: 8 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Doesn’t it seem that the more we seek happiness, the more elusive it becomes? There is an easy fix: fun is an action you can take here and now, practically anywhere, anytime. Through research and science, we know fun is enormously beneficial to our physical and psychological well-being, yet fun’s absence from our modern lives is striking. Whether you’re a frustrated high-achiever trying to find a better work-life balance or someone who is seeking relief from life’s overwhelming challenges, it is time you gain access to the best medicine available.
-
-
A comprehensive manual on everything fun
- By Anonymous User on 02-18-24
By: Mike Rucker PhD
-
The Anxious Perfectionist
- How to Manage Perfectionism-Driven Anxiety Using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
- By: Clarissa W. Ong PhD, Michael P. Twohig PhD, Randy O. Frost PhD - foreword
- Narrated by: Erin deWard
- Length: 5 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Anxious Perfectionist shines a much-needed light on the hidden costs of "being the best," and offers essential skills based in acceptance and commitment therapy to help you cope with the anxiety that is driven by your perfectionism. You'll learn how your "need to be perfect" can actually hinder your productivity and keep you from reaching your goals. You'll also learn skills to help you gain distance from negative self-talk, let go of unhelpful and self-limiting labels, and give yourself permission to make mistakes while still honoring your aspirations.
-
-
Game Changer
- By Christina on 12-01-22
By: Clarissa W. Ong PhD, and others
Related to this topic
-
The Answer Is No
- A Short Story
- By: Fredrik Backman, Elizabeth DeNoma - translator
- Narrated by: Stacy Gonzalez
- Length: 1 hr and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Lucas knows the perfect night entails just three things: video games, wine, and pad thai. Peanuts are a must! Other people? Not so much. Why complicate things when he’s happy alone? Then one day the apartment board, a vexing trio of authority, rings his doorbell. And Lucas’s solitude takes a startling hike. They demand to see his frying pan. Someone left one next to the recycling room overnight, and instead of removing the errant object, as Lucas suggests, they insist on finding the guilty party. But their plan backfires. Colossally.
-
-
Narrator doesn’t get Backman’s satire or rhythm
- By joey1603 on 12-01-24
By: Fredrik Backman, and others
-
Born a Crime
- Stories from a South African Childhood
- By: Trevor Noah
- Narrated by: Trevor Noah
- Length: 8 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this award-winning Audible Studios production, Trevor Noah tells his wild coming-of-age tale during the twilight of apartheid in South Africa. It’s a story that begins with his mother throwing him from a moving van to save him from a potentially fatal dispute with gangsters, then follows the budding comedian’s path to self-discovery through episodes both poignant and comical.
-
-
Great book and perfect narration
- By MarilynArms on 12-15-16
By: Trevor Noah
-
Slaughterhouse-Five
- By: Kurt Vonnegut
- Narrated by: James Franco
- Length: 5 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Traumatized by the bombing of Dresden at the time he had been imprisoned, Pilgrim drifts through all events and history, sometimes deeply implicated, sometimes a witness. He is surrounded by Vonnegut's usual large cast of continuing characters (notably here the hack science fiction writer Kilgore Trout and the alien Tralfamadorians, who oversee his life and remind him constantly that there is no causation, no order, no motive to existence).
-
-
Don't Quit Your Daytime Job, James
- By Keith on 11-20-15
By: Kurt Vonnegut
-
Stranded
- By: Chris Bruno, David Howard Lee, Shukri R. Abdi
- Narrated by: Taraji P. Henson, Tracee Ellis Ross, Blake Griffin, and others
- Length: 2 hrs and 7 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Separated by 10 years, 3,000 miles, and the unrelenting stresses of adulthood, best friends Janet and Serena plan a 40th birthday girls’ trip to reconnect. But after a massive crash, they’re the only survivors to wash ashore on an uncharted Caribbean Island. Armed with only the clothes on their backs and zero survival skills, they fight to overcome hunger, thirst, deadly wildlife—and most terrifyingly—decades of accrued resentment. Can they find their way home, or will they kill each other first?
-
-
Get ready to Laugh
- By Lasheree McFarlane on 11-08-24
By: Chris Bruno, and others
-
I Can't Make This Up
- Life Lessons
- By: Neil Strauss - contributor, Kevin Hart
- Narrated by: Kevin Hart
- Length: 11 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Superstar comedian and Hollywood box-office star Kevin Hart turns his immense talent to the written word by writing some words. Some of those words include: the, a, for, above, and even even. Put them together and you have the funniest, most heartfelt, and most inspirational memoir on survival, success, and the importance of believing in yourself since Old Yeller.
-
-
Best Audiobook I Ever Listened To
- By Sam Clear on 07-13-17
By: Neil Strauss - contributor, and others
-
The Best Man's Ghostwriter
- By: Matthew Starr
- Narrated by: Glen Powell, Nicholas Braun, Ashley Park, and others
- Length: 4 hrs and 37 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A bad best man’s speech can ruin a wedding. Why do we plan every detail of a perfect day and then give the groom’s idiot best friend five minutes of total power? Enter Nate (Glen Powell), a speechwriter-for-hire who helps people write incredible best man speeches. To keep the best man from embarrassing himself (and the newlyweds), Nate uses his list of don’ts: Don’t mention the exes, don’t be rated R, and don’t bum everyone out. Nate’s system never fails. That is, until he meets Dan (Nicholas Braun).
-
-
SO GOOD
- By Csutty on 09-23-24
By: Matthew Starr
-
The Answer Is No
- A Short Story
- By: Fredrik Backman, Elizabeth DeNoma - translator
- Narrated by: Stacy Gonzalez
- Length: 1 hr and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Lucas knows the perfect night entails just three things: video games, wine, and pad thai. Peanuts are a must! Other people? Not so much. Why complicate things when he’s happy alone? Then one day the apartment board, a vexing trio of authority, rings his doorbell. And Lucas’s solitude takes a startling hike. They demand to see his frying pan. Someone left one next to the recycling room overnight, and instead of removing the errant object, as Lucas suggests, they insist on finding the guilty party. But their plan backfires. Colossally.
-
-
Narrator doesn’t get Backman’s satire or rhythm
- By joey1603 on 12-01-24
By: Fredrik Backman, and others
-
Born a Crime
- Stories from a South African Childhood
- By: Trevor Noah
- Narrated by: Trevor Noah
- Length: 8 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this award-winning Audible Studios production, Trevor Noah tells his wild coming-of-age tale during the twilight of apartheid in South Africa. It’s a story that begins with his mother throwing him from a moving van to save him from a potentially fatal dispute with gangsters, then follows the budding comedian’s path to self-discovery through episodes both poignant and comical.
-
-
Great book and perfect narration
- By MarilynArms on 12-15-16
By: Trevor Noah
-
Slaughterhouse-Five
- By: Kurt Vonnegut
- Narrated by: James Franco
- Length: 5 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Traumatized by the bombing of Dresden at the time he had been imprisoned, Pilgrim drifts through all events and history, sometimes deeply implicated, sometimes a witness. He is surrounded by Vonnegut's usual large cast of continuing characters (notably here the hack science fiction writer Kilgore Trout and the alien Tralfamadorians, who oversee his life and remind him constantly that there is no causation, no order, no motive to existence).
-
-
Don't Quit Your Daytime Job, James
- By Keith on 11-20-15
By: Kurt Vonnegut
-
Stranded
- By: Chris Bruno, David Howard Lee, Shukri R. Abdi
- Narrated by: Taraji P. Henson, Tracee Ellis Ross, Blake Griffin, and others
- Length: 2 hrs and 7 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Separated by 10 years, 3,000 miles, and the unrelenting stresses of adulthood, best friends Janet and Serena plan a 40th birthday girls’ trip to reconnect. But after a massive crash, they’re the only survivors to wash ashore on an uncharted Caribbean Island. Armed with only the clothes on their backs and zero survival skills, they fight to overcome hunger, thirst, deadly wildlife—and most terrifyingly—decades of accrued resentment. Can they find their way home, or will they kill each other first?
-
-
Get ready to Laugh
- By Lasheree McFarlane on 11-08-24
By: Chris Bruno, and others
-
I Can't Make This Up
- Life Lessons
- By: Neil Strauss - contributor, Kevin Hart
- Narrated by: Kevin Hart
- Length: 11 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Superstar comedian and Hollywood box-office star Kevin Hart turns his immense talent to the written word by writing some words. Some of those words include: the, a, for, above, and even even. Put them together and you have the funniest, most heartfelt, and most inspirational memoir on survival, success, and the importance of believing in yourself since Old Yeller.
-
-
Best Audiobook I Ever Listened To
- By Sam Clear on 07-13-17
By: Neil Strauss - contributor, and others
-
The Best Man's Ghostwriter
- By: Matthew Starr
- Narrated by: Glen Powell, Nicholas Braun, Ashley Park, and others
- Length: 4 hrs and 37 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A bad best man’s speech can ruin a wedding. Why do we plan every detail of a perfect day and then give the groom’s idiot best friend five minutes of total power? Enter Nate (Glen Powell), a speechwriter-for-hire who helps people write incredible best man speeches. To keep the best man from embarrassing himself (and the newlyweds), Nate uses his list of don’ts: Don’t mention the exes, don’t be rated R, and don’t bum everyone out. Nate’s system never fails. That is, until he meets Dan (Nicholas Braun).
-
-
SO GOOD
- By Csutty on 09-23-24
By: Matthew Starr
People who viewed this also viewed...
-
Why We Need to Be Wild
- One Woman's Quest for Ancient Human Answers to 21st Century Problems
- By: Jessica Carew Kraft
- Narrated by: Jessica Carew Kraft
- Length: 9 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Jessica Carew Kraft, an urban wife and mom of two, was rooted in the modern world, complete with a high-powered career in tech and the sneaking suspicion that her lifestyle was preventing her and her family from truly thriving. Determined to find a better way, Jessica quit her job and set out to learn about "rewilding" from people who reject the comforts and convenience of civilization by using ancient tools and skills to survive. Along the way, she found an entire community walking the path back from our technology-focused, anxiety-ridden way of life to a simpler, more human experience.
-
-
I loved this book!
- By Claudia Santos on 10-03-23
-
The Face Laughs While the Brain Cries
- The Education of a Doctor
- By: Stephen L. Hauser M.D.
- Narrated by: Stephen L. Hauser M.D.
- Length: 9 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A doctor’s powerful and deeply human memoir about the mysteries of the brain and his 40-year quest to find a treatment for multiple sclerosis.
-
-
His drug has not cured MS
- By L. Berendson on 08-29-23
-
What a Bee Knows
- Exploring the Thoughts, Memories, and Personalities of Bees
- By: Stephen Buchmann
- Narrated by: Tristan Morris
- Length: 8 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For many of us, the buzzing of a bee elicits panic. But the next time you hear that low droning sound, look closer: the bee has navigated to this particular spot for a reason using a fascinating set of tools. What a Bee Knows: Exploring the Thoughts, Memories, and Personalities of Bees invites us to follow bees' mysterious paths and experience their alien world.
-
-
Painful Narration
- By The Green Kitten on 09-04-24
By: Stephen Buchmann
-
We Loved It All
- A Memory of Life
- By: Lydia Millet
- Narrated by: Xe Sands
- Length: 7 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Acclaimed novelist Lydia Millet’s first work of nonfiction is a genre-defying tour de force that makes an impassioned argument for people to see their emotional and spiritual lives as infinitely dependent on the lives of nonhuman beings.
-
-
Grief, hope, and love
- By M. McGregor on 11-29-24
By: Lydia Millet
-
A Bridge Not Too Far
- Where Creativity Meets Innovation
- By: Deepak Ohri
- Narrated by: Deepak Ohri
- Length: 4 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A Bridge Not Too Far: Where Creativity Meets Innovation by Deepak Ohri is a must-listen and inspirational book for anyone seeking to harness the power of innovation and creativity to succeed in the business world. Ohri, founder and CEO of lebua Hotels and Resorts, shares his inspiring journey from humble beginnings to becoming a renowned award-winning entrepreneur in the luxury hospitality industry with a focus on management and leadership.
-
-
Happy with this purchase!
- By Anonymous User on 03-02-23
By: Deepak Ohri
-
A Living Remedy
- A Memoir
- By: Nicole Chung
- Narrated by: Jennifer Kim
- Length: 5 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Nicole Chung couldn’t hightail it out of her overwhelmingly white Oregon hometown fast enough. As a scholarship student at a private university on the East Coast, no longer the only Korean she knew, she found community and a path to the life she'd long wanted. But the middle class world she begins to raise a family in–where there are big homes, college funds, nice vacations–looks very different from the middle class world she thought she grew up in, where paychecks have to stretch to the end of the week, health insurance is often lacking, and there are no safety nets.
-
-
Beautiful and heartfelt
- By Sandra on 04-23-23
By: Nicole Chung
-
Why We Need to Be Wild
- One Woman's Quest for Ancient Human Answers to 21st Century Problems
- By: Jessica Carew Kraft
- Narrated by: Jessica Carew Kraft
- Length: 9 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Jessica Carew Kraft, an urban wife and mom of two, was rooted in the modern world, complete with a high-powered career in tech and the sneaking suspicion that her lifestyle was preventing her and her family from truly thriving. Determined to find a better way, Jessica quit her job and set out to learn about "rewilding" from people who reject the comforts and convenience of civilization by using ancient tools and skills to survive. Along the way, she found an entire community walking the path back from our technology-focused, anxiety-ridden way of life to a simpler, more human experience.
-
-
I loved this book!
- By Claudia Santos on 10-03-23
-
The Face Laughs While the Brain Cries
- The Education of a Doctor
- By: Stephen L. Hauser M.D.
- Narrated by: Stephen L. Hauser M.D.
- Length: 9 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A doctor’s powerful and deeply human memoir about the mysteries of the brain and his 40-year quest to find a treatment for multiple sclerosis.
-
-
His drug has not cured MS
- By L. Berendson on 08-29-23
-
What a Bee Knows
- Exploring the Thoughts, Memories, and Personalities of Bees
- By: Stephen Buchmann
- Narrated by: Tristan Morris
- Length: 8 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For many of us, the buzzing of a bee elicits panic. But the next time you hear that low droning sound, look closer: the bee has navigated to this particular spot for a reason using a fascinating set of tools. What a Bee Knows: Exploring the Thoughts, Memories, and Personalities of Bees invites us to follow bees' mysterious paths and experience their alien world.
-
-
Painful Narration
- By The Green Kitten on 09-04-24
By: Stephen Buchmann
-
We Loved It All
- A Memory of Life
- By: Lydia Millet
- Narrated by: Xe Sands
- Length: 7 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Acclaimed novelist Lydia Millet’s first work of nonfiction is a genre-defying tour de force that makes an impassioned argument for people to see their emotional and spiritual lives as infinitely dependent on the lives of nonhuman beings.
-
-
Grief, hope, and love
- By M. McGregor on 11-29-24
By: Lydia Millet
-
A Bridge Not Too Far
- Where Creativity Meets Innovation
- By: Deepak Ohri
- Narrated by: Deepak Ohri
- Length: 4 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A Bridge Not Too Far: Where Creativity Meets Innovation by Deepak Ohri is a must-listen and inspirational book for anyone seeking to harness the power of innovation and creativity to succeed in the business world. Ohri, founder and CEO of lebua Hotels and Resorts, shares his inspiring journey from humble beginnings to becoming a renowned award-winning entrepreneur in the luxury hospitality industry with a focus on management and leadership.
-
-
Happy with this purchase!
- By Anonymous User on 03-02-23
By: Deepak Ohri
-
A Living Remedy
- A Memoir
- By: Nicole Chung
- Narrated by: Jennifer Kim
- Length: 5 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Nicole Chung couldn’t hightail it out of her overwhelmingly white Oregon hometown fast enough. As a scholarship student at a private university on the East Coast, no longer the only Korean she knew, she found community and a path to the life she'd long wanted. But the middle class world she begins to raise a family in–where there are big homes, college funds, nice vacations–looks very different from the middle class world she thought she grew up in, where paychecks have to stretch to the end of the week, health insurance is often lacking, and there are no safety nets.
-
-
Beautiful and heartfelt
- By Sandra on 04-23-23
By: Nicole Chung
-
Of Time and Turtles
- Mending the World, Shell by Shattered Shell
- By: Sy Montgomery
- Narrated by: Sy Montgomery
- Length: 10 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When acclaimed naturalist Sy Montgomery and wildlife artist Matt Patterson arrive at Turtle Rescue League, they are greeted by hundreds of turtles recovering from injury and illness. Endangered by cars and highways, pollution and poachers, these turtles—with wounds so severe that even veterinarians would have dismissed them as fatal—are given a second chance at life. The League’s founders, Natasha and Alexxia, live by one motto: Never give up on a turtle.
-
-
love turtles but...
- By Amazon Customer on 05-08-24
By: Sy Montgomery
-
Talk to Strangers
- The Yes Theory Story
- By: Matt Dahlia, Derin Emre
- Narrated by: Matt Dahlia
- Length: 5 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Matt Dahlia was a recent college grad with no direction in his life: his business was dead on arrival and all his friends had left town. He was broke and searching for belonging in a world that didn’t understand him. That is, until he serendipitously met Thomas, who not only felt the same way he did, but had a project in mind: Together, along with two more like-minded strangers, they were going to move into a one-bedroom apartment and film themselves doing 30 things they had never done before in 30 days.
-
-
The book I needed
- By Amazon Customer on 01-04-24
By: Matt Dahlia, and others
-
The Quickening
- Creation and Community at the Ends of the Earth
- By: Elizabeth Rush
- Narrated by: Helen Laser
- Length: 10 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 2019, fifty-seven scientists and crew set out onboard the Nathaniel B. Palmer. Their destination: Thwaites Glacier. Their goal: to learn as much as possible about this mysterious place, never before visited by humans, and believed to be both rapidly deteriorating and capable of making a catastrophic impact on global sea-level rise. In The Quickening, Elizabeth Rush documents their voyage, offering the sublime alongside the workaday moments of this groundbreaking expedition.
-
-
Too much talk of a baby
- By Michelle Murphy on 10-01-23
By: Elizabeth Rush
-
Clay and Bones
- My Life as an FBI Forensic Artist
- By: Lisa G. Bailey
- Narrated by: Christina Delaine
- Length: 8 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Bailey worked on hundreds of cases and grew to become a subject matter expert in the field. It was the most challenging and fulfilling work she could have imagined, and she never thought of leaving. But her life changed when she became the target of sexual discrimination and harassment. She was stunned when FBI management protected the abusers and retaliated with threats, slander, and an arsenal of lawyers. Trapped in an increasingly hostile work environment, and infuriated at the hypocrisy of the FBI's tactics, Bailey decided to fight back.
-
-
First half better than the last half
- By Millie on 05-24-24
By: Lisa G. Bailey
-
Cunning Folk
- Life in the Era of Practical Magic
- By: Tabitha Stanmore
- Narrated by: Anna Wilson-Jones
- Length: 8 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In historian Tabitha Stanmore’s beguiling account, we meet lovelorn widows, dissolute nobles, selfless healers, and renegade monks. We listen in on Queen Elizabeth I’s astrology readings and track treasure hunters trying to unearth buried gold without upsetting the fairies that guard it. Much like us, premodern people lived in a bewildering world, buffeted by forces beyond their control. As Stanmore reveals, their faith in magic has much to teach about how to accommodate the irrational in our allegedly enlightened lives today.
-
-
Double double toil and trouble
- By The one and only Michelle on 06-29-24
By: Tabitha Stanmore
-
Women Money Power
- The Rise and Fall of Economic Equality
- By: Josie Cox
- Narrated by: Josie Cox
- Length: 10 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Women Money Power, business journalist Josie Cox tells the story of women’s fight for freedom and economic equality. This is an inspirational account of brave pioneers who took on social mores and the law, including the “Rosies,” who filled industrial jobs and helped win World War II, the heiress whose fortune helped create the birth control pill, the brassy banker who broke into the boys’ club of the New York Stock Exchange, and the namesake of landmark equal-pay legislation who refused to accept discrimination.
-
-
Great reporting
- By Tyler on 03-28-24
By: Josie Cox
-
I Shouldn't Be Telling You This
- (But I'm Going to Anyway)
- By: Chelsea Devantez
- Narrated by: Chelsea Devantez
- Length: 8 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
There are things Chelsea Devantez probably shouldn’t be telling you. Many of them are in this book: some are embarrassing (like when she tried to break her three year spell of celibacy using a guide of seduction tips). Some are confessional (getting sentenced to the “hell hill” at Mormon church camp). Some are TMI (a series of outrageous doctor visits that ended with one doctor misdiagnosing her as “pregnant.” Woopsies!).
-
-
A large missing piece
- By F. Pryne on 06-18-24
By: Chelsea Devantez
-
Languishing
- How to Feel Alive Again in a World That Wears Us Down
- By: Corey Keyes
- Narrated by: Landon Woodson
- Length: 8 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Languishing—the state of mental weariness that erodes our self-esteem, motivation, and sense of meaning—can be easy to brush off as the new normal, especially since indifference is one of its symptoms. It’s not a synonym for depression and its attendant state of prolonged sadness. Languishers are more likely to feel out of control of their lives, uncertain about what they want from the future, and paralyzed when faced with decisions.
-
-
Some worthwhile ideas.
- By CloudShepherd on 10-21-24
By: Corey Keyes
-
We Are Experiencing a Slight Delay
- (tips, tales, travels)
- By: Gary Janetti
- Narrated by: Gary Janetti
- Length: 4 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In We Are Experiencing a Slight Delay, he shares stories of his varied trips around the world. Tag along as he enjoys an unexpectedly transformative stay at a rigorous Italian spa where he and his husband go from deep grumpiness to exaltation. Take a ride on the Orient Express to Venice and discover a surprising side of London, including a hilarious dinner with actress Maggie Smith. And pull up a deck chair to watch the entertainment as Gary embarks on a family cruise on the Queen Mary 2.
-
-
Entitled Much?
- By Ed on 07-29-24
By: Gary Janetti
-
If You Can't Take the Heat
- Tales of Food, Feminism, and Fury
- By: Geraldine DeRuiter
- Narrated by: Geraldine DeRuiter
- Length: 9 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When celebrity chef Mario Batali sent out an apology letter for the sexual harassment allegations made against him, he had the gall to include a recipe—for cinnamon rolls, of all things. Geraldine DeRuiter decided to make the recipe, and she happened to make food journalism history along with it. Her subsequent essay, with its scathing commentary about the pervasiveness of misogyny in the food world, would be read millions of times. In If You Can’t Take the Heat, DeRuiter shares stories about her shockingly true, painfully funny (and sometimes just painful) adventures in gastronomy.
-
-
Kind of tedious
- By A. B. on 03-26-24
-
Truth Worth Telling
- By: Scott Pelley
- Narrated by: Scott Pelley
- Length: 16 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A 60 Minutes correspondent and former anchor of the CBS Evening News, Scott Pelley writes as a witness to events that changed our world. In moving, detailed prose, he stands with firefighters at the collapsing World Trade Center on 9/11, advances with American troops in combat in Afghanistan and Iraq, and reveals private moments with presidents (and would-be presidents) he’s known for decades. Pelley also offers a resounding defense of free speech and a free press as the rights that guarantee all others.
-
-
A great listen... worth your time
- By Christina on 05-26-19
By: Scott Pelley
-
Don't Say a Thing
- A Predator, a Pursuit, and the Women Who Persevered
- By: Tamara Leitner
- Narrated by: Tamara Leitner
- Length: 13 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In April 1999, reporter Tamara Leitner woke to an active crime scene outside her Arizona apartment. Her neighbor had been sexually assaulted by a man who would later be identified as Claude Dean Hull II, a serial rapist who escaped justice for decades. New identities. New states. New victims—more than one hundred suspected across the country and thousands more victimized in myriad ways. Tamara’s twenty-year compulsion to follow the investigation began.
-
-
Enunciation Errors
- By Susan on 06-14-23
By: Tamara Leitner
What listeners say about Why We Read
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- CAO
- 01-31-25
Meh
Not as wonderful as I thought it was going to be. Somewhat entertaining and somewhat disappointing. Not sure I can put my finger on why. Glimpses of really great parts and then parts … less so. I really wanted to love it. Perhaps my expectations were too high.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Glenda Frost
- 06-05-24
Why do we read?
This book does go over mostly why we read but everyone is different. I learned to read bc of my grandma and I actually felt a kindred spirit with the author bc of how she felt about books. Also how sometimes in Life makes our joy of reading turn to a chore of reading.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!