Books Worth Using an Audible Free Trial On
I'm sure you're expecting me to tell you that my first audiobook was some profound biography, motivational book, or business book that changed the trajectory of my life.
Nope.
It was Harry Potter.
My commute between Wilmington, Massachusetts and Waltham could take 45 minutes or two hours. There was no in-between. And if I'm going to be stuck in traffic, I want my fun books.
That was my introduction to what we used to call "books on tape," and I've been listening ever since I "rented" my first one from a real library.
These days, audiobooks aren't only how I survive traffic. They're how I catch up on the book my friends are already talking about, learn something new, revisit books I love, find some motivation, or disappear into a world with dragons for a while.
I put my AirPods in and go.
So if you've been thinking about trying Audible, here's my advice:
Don't start by asking, "What's the best audiobook?"
Ask yourself:
Where Are You Right Now in Life?
Have a book you've wanted to read forever but can't seem to get to?
Audible it.
Need to learn something?
Audible it.
Trying to figure out a problem at work?
Audible it.
Need some motivation or want to learn a new skill?
Audible it.
Your book club is three chapters ahead and you haven't even opened the book?
AUDIBLE IT.
Want to completely ignore reality and listen to people dealing with considerably larger problems involving faeries, magic, war colleges and dragons? I can help with that too.
These are books I've actually read, listened to, used, loved, recommended, given away, or, in some cases, inhaled at a slightly concerning rate. This isn't a giant list of 47 audiobooks I found on the internet and have never opened. These are mine.
First, Check Your Audible Free Trial
If you're a new Audible customer, check the current free-trial offer before you buy anything.
And if you're an Amazon Prime member, definitely check the current offer. Eligible new Audible customers with Prime may qualify for an offer that includes two free audiobooks during the trial. Two books.
Now we have decisions to make.
If You Want to Get Completely Sucked Into a Story
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
I started listening to ACOTAR because I needed to catch up. My group of friends was reading it, and apparently they were not going to slow down and wait for me.
I actually started looking forward to getting in the car.
Traffic?
Fine.
I have faeries.
That's one of my favorite things about audiobooks. A book you can't seem to find time to sit down and read suddenly becomes the thing you listen to while driving, walking, cleaning, or doing all the other stuff life requires.
And now we're all biting our nails waiting for the next installment.
If you've been meaning to start ACOTAR because everyone around you seems to know what these people are talking about, this is a very good use of an Audible free pick. Especially because you have some catching up to do.
The Empyrean Series by Rebecca Yarros
Start with Fourth Wing.
I love dragons. There. I said it!!!
I have never ripped through an audiobook series this fast.
Fourth Wing got me, and then I listened to the whole damn series.
When I reached the end of what was available, I was MAD.
THAT'S IT???
WRITE MORE.
I love you, Rebecca Yarros.
This is the kind of series I recommend when you don't need another book telling you how to improve yourself.
You need dragons.
You need something that makes you find excuses to put your headphones back in because you NEED to know what happens next.
If you're looking for an audiobook series to binge on a commute, road trip, while walking, or while doing things around the house, start here.
If You Want a Book That Hits Differently When You Hear It
Fierce Conversations by Susan Scott
This is one of my favorite books.
Period.
I've read it. I've highlighted it. I've taken notes in it. I've used the techniques. I've been in the class. But there's something different about hearing a book you've already spent that much time with.
I especially love when the author reads their own work.
You aren't only hearing the words. You're hearing how the person who wrote them intended them to land.
There are books you read once, and then there are books that meet you differently depending on where you are in your life.
Fierce Conversations is one of those books for me. Something that didn't hit you the first time suddenly does. A concept you've used for years sounds different because you're dealing with a different person, problem, team, or season of life.
I also love when business and learning audiobooks include PDFs and supporting materials that go with the book. I don't want to lose the exercises or tools because
I chose to listen instead of read.
This is one I like having both ways.
Give me the physical book and my highlighter.
Then give me the audiobook.
If You're Trying to Figure Out How You Actually Lead
Rocket Fuel by Gino Wickman and Mark C. Winters
This book changed how I saw myself as a leader. For a long time, I thought leadership meant I was supposed to be this huge Visionary. Big ideas. Big personality. Charging toward the next thing. Except that wasn't where my natural strengths lived.
Rocket Fuel helped me understand that I could lead through my Integrator skills.
I could be the person who takes the ideas and makes them work. The person who:
Connects things.
Builds systems.
Sees what is missing.
Gets things across the finish line.
That wasn't a lesser version of leadership. It was a different one.
This is probably one of the books I recommend or give away most often, especially when someone is struggling to understand which of their natural talents and skill sets they should actually be working with instead of trying to become somebody they're not.
If you're currently asking yourself, "What am I actually good at?" this is where I'd spend a free audiobook pick.
If Life Is Currently Throwing Things at You
The Obstacle Is the Way by Ryan Holiday
Problems are still problems. I don't believe we need to pretend every crappy thing that happens is secretly wonderful. How you choose to face a problem changes a lot. That's what I love about The Obstacle Is the Way.
An obstacle doesn't automatically have to become a stopping point.
It can make you tougher.
It can force you to learn something.
It can make you look for another path.
It can make you solve something differently than you would have if everything had gone according to plan.
You still have the problem.
You get to decide how you're going to face it.
Sometimes some of our biggest advantages come from having to figure out a problem we never wanted in the first place.
If You Work With Actual Humans
The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace
I've probably read this book 20 times.
I've listened to it quite a few times too.
I'm also a facilitator for the workshop!!
So when I tell you I love this one, we're well past "I read it once and thought it was pretty good."
I've used it.
I've taught it.
I've gone back to it.
Again and again.
The reason I keep coming back is pretty simple: people don't all experience appreciation the same way. What feels meaningful to one person might barely register for somebody else.
If you lead people, work on a team, manage people, teach people, or spend a significant portion of your life wondering, "Why did that not land the way I thought it would?" this is worth your time.
It's also another book where listening after you've already read it can be surprisingly useful.
Different things reach you at different times in your life.
If You Know the Story Behind the Story
The Foundry: Book 1 by J. Fitzpatrick Mauldin
This one is personal. I know the author.
I worked with Patrick for years during my regional role, and I always loved hearing what he was writing, what he was working on, and the stories he was fleshing out.
So listening to his books takes on a completely different tone for me.
I'm listening as a reader, but I'm also listening as someone who remembers conversations with the human being who was creating the story.
There's something incredibly cool about that.
And yes, that means I'm biased.
I'm completely fine with that.
It also reminds me of something I think audiobook listeners sometimes forget.
Don't Skip the $0 Books
Don't automatically scroll past the books included with your membership because they say $0. It may feel like no money spent to you because it's already part of your membership, but there's still an author on the other side of that book.
Someone wrote it. Someone spent months or years creating those characters, building that world, rewriting chapters, editing it, publishing it, and hoping someone would find it.
So find it. Listen to it. And if you love it, rate it. Review it. Tell someone about it.
Especially with independent authors, something that feels like a tiny choice to you can mean a hell of a lot more to the person who created the book.
Supporting an author doesn't always mean spending more money.
Sometimes it starts by choosing their book.
Sometimes the Best Audiobook Is the Book You Already Own
This might be my biggest recommendation in this entire post. Before you pick one of my books, go look at your own bookshelf.
What's sitting there?
What's the book you bought six months ago because you really wanted to read it?
What's your book club reading that you're currently pretending you'll catch up on this weekend?
What do you want to learn?
What problem are you trying to solve?
What sounds FUN?
Where are you right now in life?
Start there.
An audiobook doesn't have to replace reading.
Sometimes it's how you finally get to the book.
Sometimes you read the physical copy and then listen because you want to hear it differently.
Sometimes you need to catch up fast.
Sometimes you want to learn while you're walking.
Sometimes you want to make cleaning the kitchen considerably less boring.
And sometimes you're sitting in Massachusetts traffic thinking, "Well, apparently I live here now," and Harry Potter sounds considerably better than another traffic report.
Yes, I Mess With the Playback Speed
I listen to some books faster. Sometimes considerably faster.
I've listened at 2x when I want to move through something quickly.
You do you.
Although I can tell you from experience that Harry Potter at 2x speed starts sounding suspiciously like Alvin and the Chipmunks.
It's hysterical.
If you've never listened to Harry Potter, by the way, start here.
Maybe begin at 1x.
What I Actually Use to Listen
Nothing fancy.
I put my AirPods in and go.
I also have an AirPods leash because I cannot be trusted not to lose or drop one.
Know thyself!!
The point is that audiobooks fit into the parts of my day where a physical book can't. Driving. Walking. Cleaning. Working around the house. Waiting.
All those weird little pockets of time where I'm doing something with my hands but my brain is available. That's reading time now.
So, Which Book Should You Use Your Audible Free Trial On?
I'm not going to tell you there's one answer. If you want to disappear into another world, start with A Court of Thorns and Roses or Fourth Wing.
If you're figuring out your leadership style, I'd hand you Rocket Fuel.
If life is currently throwing obstacles at you, try The Obstacle Is the Way.
If you lead or work with people, Fierce Conversations and The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace are books I return to myself.
And don't overlook the author you've never heard of.
You might find your next favorite book sitting there included with your membership.
But you don't actually need to pick one of mine.
Pick the book that fits where you are right now.
The one you've been meaning to read.
The one everyone keeps talking about.
The one that might teach you something you need.
The one that'll make your commute suck less.
The one that's going to make you want to put your AirPods back in.
That's the book worth using your free trial on.
Put your headphones in and go.
And if you end up listening to Harry Potter at 2x speed...
You're welcome.
Affiliate note: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. If you purchase or sign up through one of them, I may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. I only recommend things I actually use, read, listen to, or genuinely think are worth sharing.
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