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I love short audio books! Six hours feels just right. It’s long enough to build a whole experience, but short enough to grab attention, especially when reading burglaries. Whether you read or not, short audiobooks can serve as good breaks from work or long readings. Some are perfect for long trips alone or with someone with similar interests. This list is just a starting point, but I’d recommend keeping a list of short audiobooks handy the next time you’re bored and unwilling to invest too much time or effort.
Here is a list of six audiobooks of different genres linked together by great short audio samples.
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We Are The Weather By Jonathan Safran Foer (5 hours 6 minutes)
Many people choose not to take responsibility for how human activity is causing global warming. Even those who understand our implications rarely do anything to change the role they play in it. We Are The Weather is focused on making this topic feel closer to home with great prose and relevant dates. It also highlights how animal husbandry is a major contributor to drastic climate change, a topic that is ignored in many environmental awareness books.
The audio book is told by the author. You can hear how much he cares about this. In his tone and examples you can hear how he tries to do his part but tries a little every day. If you want to learn more about the climate crisis but don’t know how to get started, this book can be a good introduction.
Clap When You Land By Elizabeth Acevedo (5 hours 32 minutes)
This beautiful verse novel is performed by the author who is a phenomenal spoken word poet. Issues such as ethnicity, race, infidelity, and sisterhood are examined. It also examines objectification and women problems, as well as the need to elevate each other. The book is tense, moving, tender, and hopeful throughout. I love how the author presents important feminist issues with courage and honesty. The beautiful verse format is only made more beautiful by Acevedo’s sweet but powerful voice.
Content warnings: plane crash, parent death, infidelity
We’re okay by Nina LaCour (5 hours 39 minutes)
This novel brings us in touch with loss, grief and the quiet sadness that can sometimes surround us. It’s also about friendship and human connections, how we sometimes avoid them and how they find their way back to us. It urged me to slow down and put myself in a calm daze. Jorjeana Marie’s calming voice as the actress added to the slow sectarian mood of the book. It is a book that connects the past, present and future and shows how each affects the other.
Content warnings: death, grief, mental health
Over The Top by Jonathan Van Ness (5 hours 50 minutes)
This raw and beautiful memory is best enjoyed with jvn’s confident, high-pitched voice. Everyone who loves her on Queer Eye and is curious about her journey should definitely check it out. The way she wears herself now, I couldn’t have imagined everything she’s been through. It is an honor to hear the story of this wild, non-binary queen in all of her difficult glory. The stories of how I struggled with self-acceptance and learned to love myself most days made me say, “YAS QUEEN!”
Content warnings: bullying, sexual abuse, sex work, mental health
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams (5 hours 51 minutes)
There is no need to introduce the first book in the series “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”. It has intergalactic adventures and mishaps, whimsical made up words, and the coolest insults! The way it questions the meaning of life and especially life on earth is really fun and refreshing. It’s a great break from the troubles and stresses of your day. While the short book is great read, Stephen Fry’s narration helps bring it to life. It feels like the ultimate armchair travel experience when the character voices flood your ears!
Hunger: A Reminder Of (My) Body By Roxane Gay (5 hours 58 minutes)
Roxane Gay’s memoirs are powerful in her low, somber voice as she utters her trauma. She talks about how she was brutally assaulted when she was 12 and how it affected her life. She talks about hunger, shame, weight and body image. It is a painful but moving telling of its truth. To me it felt intimate, difficult to read, and important.
Content warning: sexual assault, body image issues, Fat phobia, eating disorder
Also, check out 6 Under 6: Fast and Exciting Audiobooks Under 6 Hours to Get More Recs!
