Top 10 Non-Fiction Audiobooks To Brighten Your Day
More and more people are discovering the joy of audiobooks. Not only do they help create space for reading in a hectic life, but they can brighten the most menial tasks - you might even look forward to ironing!
Whether you’re new to audiobooks or a seasoned listener on the hunt for recommendations, these 10 non-fiction titles are sure to add a dose of interest and inspiration to your life.
If you’re tempted by audiobooks but don’t have an Audible account, you can either try a 30 day free trial or get 3 months for 50% off by being part of the City Girl Network.
1. Notes on a Nervous Planet by Matt Haig
Narrator: Read by the author.
Genre: Self-help.
Duration: 5:10
Synopsis: Matt Haig, author of the bestselling Reasons to Stay Alive, returns with Notes on a Nervous Planet, written in the same light and accessible style. In this book, he explores how aspects of the modern world, from Twitter to shopping centres, are increasing our anxiety.
More importantly, how can we learn to survive and keep our sanity on this over-stimulating, fast-moving planet?
2. Help Me! By Marianne Power
Narrator: Read by the author
Genre: Self-help.
Duration: 10:22
Synopsis: The self-help book for those sceptical about self-help! Marianne Power is at a low point in her life and has come to realise that reading self-help books doesn’t work...especially when you ignore every single piece of advice they contain.
In Help Me! she experiments by choosing one self-help book per month for a year and following the instructions zealously. Is it possible to attain the happiness promised by their enticing covers?
3. The Perfection Detox by Petra Kolber
Narrator: Dana Wilson
Genre: Self-help
Duration: 8:00
Synopsis: This book is subtitled ‘Tame Your Inner Critic, Live Bravely, and Unleash Your Joy’ - advice I’m sure most of us could benefit from! Noticing the unreasonable, draining demands that women tend to put on themselves in their quest for perfection, Wilson began a series of popular workshops.
The Perfection Detox is the culmination of all her experience in helping women free themselves from perfectionist tendencies.
4. The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper by Hallie Rubenhold
Narrator: Louise Brealey.
Genre: True crime, history.
Duration: 10:20
Synopsis: For over a century, obsessive efforts to identify the serial killer known as ‘Jack the Ripper’ have obscured the voices of his female victims. Rubenhold sets out to correct this in The Five; her fascinating insight made this book a Goodreads Choice Award winner in 2019.
5. A History of the World in 21 Women by Jenni Murray
Narrator: Jenni Murray
Genre: History
Duration: 8:45
Synopsis: Another history book that challenges the discipline’s traditionally male-centred approach! Murray documents the stories of inspiring women from Boadicea to Emmeline Pankhurst, women separated by centuries but united in their refusal to conform to society’s expectations.
6. Eve Was Shamed by Helena Kennedy
Narrator: Read by the author
Genre: Feminist non-fiction
Duration: 11:01
Synopsis: Working as a high-level barrister at the heart of the justice system, Kennedy is well placed to examine whether this system is working for women. In her book, she draws on experiences working with women, both as victims and perpetrators of crime, and the challenges she has faced as one of the only QC female barristers.
Eve Was Shamed is a shocking revelation of how women remain discriminated against by the law. It is also a powerful call for change.
7. Not That Bad: Dispatches from Rape Culture, edited by Roxane Gay
Narrator: Various
Genre: Feminist non-fiction, essay collection
Duration: 8:41
Synopsis: In this highly anticipated audiobook, all 30 contributors read their first-person essays from the collection, examining the oft-silenced topics of rape, assault and sexual harassment with unflinching honesty. This powerful anthology has been marked as ‘must-read’ by Vogue, Elle, Buzzfeed, The Huffington Post and many more.
8. Becoming Michelle Obama
Narrator: Read by the author
Genre: Memoir/autobiography
Duration: 19:03
Synopsis: Michelle Obama is, of course, an extraordinary woman - the first African-American to serve as First Lady of the USA. However, what makes her memoir so engaging are the moments which ordinary women can relate to, whether it’s raising strong daughters or surviving the dual demands of work and motherhood.
9. I’m Afraid of Men by Vivek Shraya
Narrator: Read by the author.
Genre: Memoir/autobiography.
Duration: 1:26
Synopsis: Described as ‘cultural rocket fuel’ by Vanity Fair, I’m Afraid of Men is the memoir of trans artist Vivek Shraya. Recounting her struggles against a poisonous mix of misogyny, homophobia and transphobia, she provides a razor-sharp examination of both femininity and masculinity in the twenty-first century.
10. Educated by Tara Westover
Narrator: Julia Whelan
Genre: Memoir/autobiography
Duration: 12:10
Synopsis: Tara is brought up in a family of Mormon survivalists - her parents don’t believe in schools, hospitals, or modern media. Certain that a life like this can’t be all that’s waiting for her, Tara makes a break when she wins a college scholarship.
She begins to learn things she never knew about the modern world, including the Holocaust and the Civil Rights movement. Tara’s powerful story reminds us of the value of education and the truth in the statement that ‘knowledge is power’.
*TIP* If you’re tempted by audiobooks but don’t have an Audible account, you can either try a 30 day free trial or get 3 months for 50% off by being part of the City Girl Network. We have an affiliate deal with Audible, meaning that if you sign up for either of these trials through our website, they will give us a tiny bit of money.
OR you could sign up for a library card at your local library, download an app such as BorrowBox or Libby and borrow these audiobooks for free!
Written by Florence Edwards
Disclaimer: Almost all book links in this article link to Audible. This is because we have an affiliate deal with them, meaning that if you sign up to the 30 day free trial or get 3 months for 50% off through us, Audible will give us a little bit of money. If you want to support the City Girl Network but can’t afford to be a Patreon, pay a one-off donation or sign up to our paid events, getting your free or discounted Audible trial through our website is one huge way that you can support us.