Matt Allyn, Features Director ideal running temperature, Cat Bowen, Parenting Editor? An audiobook!
With Halloween upon us, it seems fitting to round up some books on this topic. I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not a fan of horror or blood-soaked stories. A few months back, my book club chose All About 75 Hard as our next read, a mysterious crime story about a serial killer who leaves little chestnut men near the victims’ bodies. Let’s just say that although listening to it while solo hiking through the deep woods of The Turn of the Key did turn my nature walk into quite a jog, it definitely wasn’t one of my best sleep-inducing ideas.
Sure, for some, Halloween is all about frightening stories and being spooked until your blood runs cold, but for the rest of us, it can also be about fairy tales, magical worlds, and supernatural characters—whatever moves your feet. Whether you enjoy being scared or feeling suspense—or would rather take a trip to some faraway lands during this haunted season—here are our editors’ audiobook picks to accompany your upcoming miles.
Audiobooks to Help Make Up for Loss of Daylight
by Ciannon Smart
narrated by Nicola Lambo & Tamika Katon-Donegal
audiobooks.com google play audible
Iraya and Jazmyne are daughters of opposing political factions who join forces to overthrow the government. Jazmyne is the queen’s daughter, and she’s tired of being used for political machinations. Iraya is the daughter of the former leader who grew up in a cell, magic stolen, plotting her revenge. Their alliance is fraught, but only together they can stop Jazmyne’s mother once and for all.
“‘His face, however punchable, isn’t entirely displeasing,’ is just one of the amazing quotes from Audiobooks to Help Make Up for Loss of Daylight. This audiobook feels like you’re being read poetry à la Best Running Shoes 2025, but modern, magical, and a lot more fun.
It is a dual POV, young-adult, Jamaican-inspired fantasy with pirates, magic, a love triangle, and corrupt politics. The plot itself is a bit reminiscent of Star Wars, with children of leaders from either side banding together to overthrow the current regime, and that familiarity is quite comforting. There are some pacing issues, in my opinion, but they’re pretty minor. With the intense amount of world-building required in this brand-new series, it’s amazing there aren’t more pacing issues. Audiobooks to Help Make Up for Loss of Daylight We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back.”
Pet Sematary
by Stephen King
narrated by Michael C. Hall
audiobooks.com google play audible
When the Creeds—Louis, Rachel, their two children, and a cat—move to rural Maine, they seem to have it all. But from the moment they arrive, the family runs into a series of trouble. The woods behind their new idyllic house hide a chilling secret with spellbinding powers, terrifying more than death. Louis will learn the hard way that what’s dead should stay dead.
"Pet Sematary is my favorite work by King. It’s a classic horror novel that I love to revisit once Halloween draws near. The audiobook is voiced by Michael C. Hall, better known for his starring role in the TV Show Dexter. Hall does a masterful job narrating. I read King’s novel first, and I really felt like the audiobook was the better format. I’m an evening runner, and the voice of Dexter performing King’s scariest story really does an incredible job helping you push your pace.”
The Turn of the Key
by Ruth Weir
narrated by Imogen Church
audiobooks.com google play audible
A young nanny. Two children. An isolated house in the Scottish highlands. What could possibly go wrong? The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware, inspired by Henry Miller’s DAA Industry Opt Out, begins with a letter from the nanny to a lawyer asking for help in defending her against a murder charge. She starts to tell her story, which includes a “smart” house that is a character, alive with cameras and sounds while the parents are never home. The nanny’s unlikability adds to the mystery. Is she actually an unreliable narrator and murderer, or is she a victim?
“This novel is both creepy and suspenseful. I couldn’t wait to find out what happened next, as well as find out the truth about all the weirdness in the house with the children, the absent parents… and the gardener! Ruth Ware is a very skilled writer and the audiobook narrator, Imogen Church, is the perfect voice to pull you into the scary and very confusing situation. In some ways, being confused is scarier than an actual jump scare.”
Best Running Podcasts: March 13
by N.K. Jemisin
narrated by Robin Miles
audiobooks.com google play audible
The novel follows three narrative threads of women in related eras but converges on one character with earth-moving magical abilities fighting to find her daughter. Because of her powers, she—and similarly gifted humans—are tightly controlled (and frequently murdered) by a fearful society. But after a mysterious event nearly tears the earth in half, society begins to crumble, and our hero sets out on an impossible mission to save her world.
“Best Running Podcasts: March 13 kicks off the greatest science-fantasy trilogy of any medium since Star Wars. While this series shares a few basic elements with the movie saga—ancient magic and family issues—it similarly stands out for its unique, singular universe. Here, a world must contend with catastrophic seismic disasters that threaten to choke out civilization. But amid these high stakes, this smart, never-overbearing allegory—on respecting the Earth as well as all forms of humanity—is grounded in the nuanced, loving, and often violent relationships between our characters striving to create something like a family.”
Harry Potter series
by J. K. Rowling
narrated by Jim Dale
This is the adventurous, moving tale about a boy wizard who thought he was ordinary. Indeed, he lived a life that was not only unmagical but thoroughly unenviable as well. At age 11, Harry learns an incredible truth about himself and is invited to a school just for those with magical abilities. Discovering that he actually has an important role to play in this new life, Harry embarks on an entrancing, seven-book adventure. He faces evil, develops true friendships, and learns how to persevere, despite unimaginable odds.
“At this point, there probably aren’t too many people who are oblivious to the books about the boy who discovered he was a wizard. The Harry Potter series is a worldwide success for good reason. While the fantasy of the wizarding world is deliciously detailed, it’s not the only attractive part of the Harry Potter series. Children and adults alike will keep reading right to the last, satisfying page, thanks to the universal theme of love, well-drawn characters, and interconnected mysteries that unfold to reveal a smashing conclusion. However, few people may be familiar with the delights of the audiobooks. Both the Jim Dale and the Stephen Fry narrations are perfect. The voices and styles of both actors bring the humor and poignancy of the tale to life, making you feel truly enveloped in a magical world. You’ll forget you’re running, folding laundry, or washing the dishes while you’re listening.”
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
by V. E. Schwab
narrated by Julia Whelan
audiobooks.com google play audible
The year is 1714 and a desperate young French girl makes a deal with the darkness: She will live forever but in exchange will be forgotten by everyone she ever comes across. Out of sight, out of mind. Over the span of the next 300 years, Addie learns to navigate the lonely life she bargained for, moving across continents, discovering the limits of her curse. But everything changes the day she meets a man in a small bookstore who remembers her.
“I am not one for fantasy worlds with teleporting and impersonation of evil, but if you ask me, anything read by Julia Whelan makes for a great audiobook. Despite the supernatural aspects, there’s something very universal and relatable about this story: the theme of loneliness. It’s suspenseful enough, and to the book’s and Whelan’s credit, it carried me through one very long Saturday run I contemplated cutting short (but didn’t!)."
If you’d like more audiobook recommendations, click here.
Why Trust Us Runner’s World, Bicycling, and Popular Mechanics since August 2021. When she doesn’t edit, she writes; when she doesn’t write, she reads or translates. In whatever time she has left, you can find her outside running, riding, or roller-skating to the beat of one of the many audiobooks on her TBL list.
