Taking a little road trip, meditating on the dock, mastering BBQ chicken, or putting your green thumb to work – summer is filled with quiet moments like these. But how can we make these moments even more special? Audible.ca’s got you covered with a curated list of titles that are the perfect addition to a range of interests and activities – whether you’re solo or with the social distancing crew.
Spruce up your garden with Michael Pollan’s new literary classic, Second Nature, or spice things up on the grill while listening to Samin Nosrat’s Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat. Go for a relaxing jog by the lake with Ash Ranpura and Alice Fraser’s meditative guide, Calm World, or explore the artist in you through Jerry Saltz’s inspirational handbook, How to Be an Artist.
See below a roundup of our favourite titles that are guaranteed to motivate you, spark new passions, inspire creativity, and teach you a thing or two.
As a reminder, Audible also released Audible Sleep, a collection of tools and resources designed to help you get a better night’s sleep.
Around the house
Written by: Marie Kondo
Narrated by: Emily Woo Zeller
Length: 4 hrs and 50 mins
Japanese cleaning consultant, Marie Kondo, takes tidying to a whole new level, promising that if you properly simplify and organize your home once, you’ll never have to do it again.
Written by: Bea Johnson
Narrated by: Henrietta Meire
Length: 8 hrs and 10 mins
In Zero Waste Home, Bea Johnson shares the story of how she simplified her life by reducing her waste. This book shares essential how-to advice, secrets and insights based on Bea’s experience.
Written by: David Suzuki, Wayne Grady, Peter Wohlleben – foreword
Narrated by: David Skulski
Length: 5 hrs and 37 mins
The story of a single tree, from the moment the seed is released from its cone until more than 500 years later, it lies on the forest floor as a nurse log, giving life to ferns, mosses and hemlocks, even as its own life is ending.
Written and narrated by: Michael Pollan
Length: 9 hrs and 1 min
A new literary classic, Second Nature has become a manifesto not just for gardeners but for environmentalists everywhere.
In the kitchen
Written and narrated by: Samin Nosrat
Length: 5 hrs and 57 mins
Master the use of just four elements – salt, which enhances flavor; fat, which delivers flavor and generates texture; acid, which balances flavor; and heat, which ultimately determines the texture of food – and anything you cook will be delicious.
Written and narrated by: Jackie Kai Ellis
Length: 4 hrs and 59 mins
For fans of Eat Pray Love, Wild and H is for Hawk, The Measure of My Powers is the story of one woman’s search for self-love, experienced through food and travel.
Written and narrated by: Jann Arden
Length: 2 hrs and 50 mins
Feeding My Mother is a frank, funny, inspirational and piercingly honest account of the transformation in Jann Arden’s life that has turned her into the primary “parent” to her mom, who is in the grip of Alzheimer’s.
Me Time
Written by: Aaptiv
Narrated by: Jaime McFaden
Length: 6 hrs and 20 mins
Achieving a new goal is all about taking the first step and with the help of certified personal trainer, Jaime McFaden, those first steps will lead to a successful first mile.
Written and narrated by: Ross Edgley
Length: 9 hrs and 2 mins
Dubbed the body’s complete user guide, The World’s Fittest Book will become the go-to resource for learning all you need to know about building muscle, losing fat, eating (healthy) cake and unlocking your superhuman physical potential.
Written by: Alice Fraser, Ash Ranpura
Length: 2hrs and 15 mins
With the help of neuroscientist Ash Ranpura, comedian Alice Fraser explores the science, history, and culture behind meditation.
Written by: Richard Wagamese
Narrated by: Christian Baskous
Length: 4 hrs and 1 min
One Drum draws from the foundational teachings of Ojibway tradition, the Grandfather Teachings. Focusing specifically on the lessons of humility, respect, and courage, the volume contains simple ceremonies that anyone anywhere can do, alone or in a group, to foster harmony and connection.
Channelling your inner creativity
Written by: Ann Hood
Narrated by: Ann Hood, Sam Adrain
Length: 7 hrs and 48 mins
In Knitting Yarns, 27 writers tell stories about how knitting healed, challenged or helped them to grow. Poignant, funny and moving, it is sure to delight knitting enthusiasts and lovers of literature alike.
Written by: Rebecca Burgess
Narrated by: Tia Rider
Length: 7 hrs and 26 mins
Fibershed is a resource for fiber farmers, ranchers, contract grazers, weavers, knitters, slow-fashion entrepreneurs, soil activists, and conscious consumers who want to join or create their own fibershed and topple outdated and toxic systems of exploitation.
Written and narrated by: Jerry Saltz
Length: 2 hrs and 20 mins
For many, becoming an artist is a lifelong dream. But how to make it happen? In How to Be an Artist, Jerry Saltz, one of the art world’s most celebrated and passionate voices, offers an indispensable handbook for creative people of all kinds.