14 Feel-Good Audiobooks to Brighten Up Your Day

14 Feel-Good Audiobooks to Brighten Up Your Day

Looking for something a little lighter to pick you up? Curious travelogues, seminal sci-fi stories and audio forms of the best new books should do the trick. The Audible library is packed with feel-good audiobooks that will lighten the soul and fill the heart with joy, introducing listeners to a brave new world of characters along the way. Ready to smile a little more often? Jump in!
Product list
  • Down Under cover art

    • Down Under

    • By: Bill Bryson
    • Narrated by: William Roberts
    • Length: 12 hrs and 8 mins
    • Release date: 01-12-2009
    • Language: English
    • 4.5 out of 5 stars 1,200 ratings
    • The quintessential piece of Australian travel literature is tailor-made for the audiobook format. Bill Bryson's famous jaunt into the heart of this wide brown land is one of the great travel stories of our time, a heartwarming tale of confusion and curiosity excitedly told in dramatic style by William Roberts. The combination of Bryson's storytelling and the energetic narration of Roberts is an Audible favourite and fans won’t be disappointed with Down Under, a unique take on a unique country. Bryson's classic was originally published as In a Sunburned Country, which should give you a good idea of how the British-American icon fared as he travelled by rail and car through Australia, detailing the history, culture and weird bits in his own inimitable style.

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  • Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy cover art

    • Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

    • By: Douglas Adams
    • Narrated by: Stephen Fry
    • Series: Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Book 1
    • Length: 5 hrs and 51 mins
    • Release date: 01-01-2012
    • Language: English
    • 4.5 out of 5 stars 3,678 ratings
    • Stephen Fry is blessed with a voice that is perfect for audiobooks, and Audible listeners are in for a treat with this stunning rendition of one of the most famous sci-fi novels of all time. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is one of the defining stories of its genre and it translates magnificently to audio form, adding another string to a bow that has already won awards and acclaim on every corner of planet Earth. That same planet isn't in its best shape as Douglas Adams' Arthur Dent comes to terms with his situation, but you'll find that out for yourself as you laugh your way through one of the best audiobooks out there. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is a novel that everyone must enjoy, and it might just be at its best with Stephen Fry narrating.

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  • Bossypants cover art

    • Bossypants

    • By: Tina Fey
    • Narrated by: Tina Fey
    • Length: 5 hrs and 30 mins
    • Release date: 18-04-2011
    • Language: English
    • 4.5 out of 5 stars 1,397 ratings
    • Modern superstars don't come much more personable than Tina Fey, a film star celebrity who could just as easily be your new best friend. Bossypants is a charming trip through Fey's journey from awkward teenager to Hollywood darling, splendidly read by the woman herself, a laugh-out-loud tale of real-life that shows a different side to the 30 Rock star. She also happens to be a born narrator, telling her own story with wit and charm and timing in spades, detailing her coming-of-age as a performer and artist even if she isn't too sure if it has actually arrived. As endearing as it is downright hilarious, the audio version of Fey's autobiography is about as feel-good as it gets.

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  • 488 Rules for Life cover art

    • 488 Rules for Life

    • The Thankless Art of Being Correct
    • By: Kitty Flanagan
    • Narrated by: Kitty Flanagan
    • Length: 5 hrs and 43 mins
    • Release date: 01-11-2019
    • Language: English
    • 4.5 out of 5 stars 887 ratings
    • Don't worry, you aren't going to be expected to remember all 488 of Kitty Flanagan's rules, although kudos to you if you do. The tongue is very much embedded into the cheek with that title as much as it is in the work itself, a joke that blossomed into a delightfully endearing audiobook. Sydney-born comedian Flanagan has taken a sabre to every irritating thing that permeates the day, from rude people on public transport to weird noises and all the rest. Will you agree with every single one of the 488 rules? Maybe not, but there's a good chance you'll laugh out loud at the overwhelming majority of them. Flanagan is a delight as a narrator too, although what else would you expect from one of Australia's most loved comedians?

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  • Think Like a Monk cover art

    • Think Like a Monk

    • The Secret of How to Harness the Power of Positivity and Be Happy Now
    • By: Jay Shetty
    • Narrated by: Jay Shetty
    • Length: 10 hrs and 54 mins
    • Release date: 08-09-2020
    • Language: English
    • 5 out of 5 stars 1,847 ratings
    • That title isn't just hot air by the way, as the author (and narrator) Jay Shetty actually spent three years living as a monk at an ashram in Mumbai, India. What did he learn from that time of focus and spiritual peace? Plenty, as it turns out, and much of what Shetty absorbed in Mumbai made its way into his podcast and is also found in this fascinating audiobook. The modern world is full of stresses and worries that can weigh heavy on the heart and mind, and the audio version of Shetty's New York Times bestseller will help listeners navigate them with calm and clarity.

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  • The Flatshare cover art

    • The Flatshare

    • By: Beth O'Leary
    • Narrated by: Carrie Hope Fletcher, Kwaku Fortune
    • Length: 10 hrs and 8 mins
    • Release date: 10-04-2019
    • Language: English
    • 4.5 out of 5 stars 848 ratings
    • What is that old saying about the best-laid plans? Tiffy and Leon might not have met but the two seem to have come up with the perfect way to solve a number of issues, provided a whole heap of dominos fall in line. Things never quite work out the way we may like, of course, and The Flatshare soon descends into a variety of different farces, staying refreshingly charming all the while. Beth O'Leary's first-time bestseller is brought to life with a full cast of engaging voices, narrating a story that is simply begging to get the silver screen treatment. Carrie Hope Fletcher takes centerstage of that reading, anchoring an audiobook that will be a favourite for many years to come.

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  • Judith Lucy & Denise Scott - Disappointments cover art

    • Judith Lucy & Denise Scott - Disappointments

    • By: Judith Lucy, Denise Scott
    • Length: 4 hrs
    • Release date: 26-04-2023
    • Language: English
    • 5 out of 5 stars 355 ratings
    • Judith Lucy and Denise Scott are two of the most well-known names on the Australian comedy scene, and those decades of making people laugh are distilled into an Audible Original podcast that is every bit as hilarious as you'd expect. Disappointments is brimming with real-life charm and personality as Lucy and Scott tell story upon story from the early days to the current, from stand-up sets in dingy Melbourne and Perth bars to rubbing shoulders with big-time celebrities across the world. Lucy and Scott are tremendous at the helm, producing an atmosphere that isn't unlike two best friends reminiscing over a glass or five of wine.

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  • Untamed cover art

    • Untamed

    • Stop Pleasing, Start Living
    • By: Glennon Doyle
    • Narrated by: Glennon Doyle
    • Length: 8 hrs and 22 mins
    • Release date: 17-03-2020
    • Language: English
    • 4.5 out of 5 stars 2,523 ratings
    • Untamed is a self-development audiobook like no other, an inspirational and engaging study in unleashing the real you, the person you would be without the crushing pressure and troubling influences of the modern world. American author and activist Glennon Doyle (one of Oprah's SuperSoul 100, no less) guides the listener through the murky corridors of modern living in the hope of removing the oppression that many people feel while allowing the true self to flourish in the process. Untamed is an audiobook chock-full of pearls of wisdom that will change the way listeners approach each and every day, told in a gorgeously restrained style by author Doyle. Picking yourself up after difficult times is never easy, but Doyle does a tremendous job of putting perspective at the front of the picture.

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  • Riot Act cover art

    • Riot Act

    • By: Kacie Anning, Mark Humphries, Dan Ilic, Evan Williams
    • Narrated by: Mark Humphries, Anjali Rao, Liv Hewson, Tony Martin, Dan Ilic, Heather Mitchell, Gretel Killeen, Fletcher Kennedy, Monica Attard, full cast
    • Length: 3 hrs and 5 mins
    • Release date: 02-12-2019
    • Language: English
    • 4.5 out of 5 stars 204 ratings
    • Where to begin? The title of this Audible Original podcast is delightfully apt, as a full cast of Australia's finest voices bumbles their way through a desperate contest to capture a much-desired breakfast slot on local radio. If that sounds like a ridiculous premise, you're not wrong, and the results are every bit as laugh-out-loud as one would hope. All eight episodes are available on Audible, as the potential presenters encounter one preposterous disaster after another in a race to the bottom, finding ever more outlandish ways to describe it all in the process. A magnificent satire from the mind of Kacie Anning, Dan Ilic, Evan Williams and Mar Humphries, Riot Act will have listeners in stitches from the get-go.

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  • As You Wish cover art

    • As You Wish

    • Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride
    • By: Cary Elwes, Joe Layden, Rob Reiner - foreword
    • Narrated by: Cary Elwes, Christopher Guest, Carol Kane, Norman Lear, Rob Reiner, Wallace Shawn, Robin Wright, Billy Crystal
    • Length: 7 hrs and 1 min
    • Release date: 14-10-2014
    • Language: English
    • 5 out of 5 stars 224 ratings
    • Listeners born long before the advent of the audiobook will remember The Princess Bride fondly. The travails of Westley, Princess Buttercup and the rest have been gaining new fans since the film's original release in 1987, itself based on the 1973 novel by William Goldman, and that trend sees no signs of stopping. While not quite featuring the full cast, As You Wish features many of the famous names that made the '87 film such a charmer, as Billy Crystal, Cary Elwes, Robin Wright and director Rob Reiner go behind the scenes with a variety of anecdotes and stories. The Princess Bride is a classic film that habitually features in 'best of' lists, and As You Wish is all set to join best audiobook lists for years to come.

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  • Ready Player One cover art

    • Ready Player One

    • By: Ernest Cline
    • Narrated by: Wil Wheaton
    • Series: Ready Player One, Book 1
    • Length: 15 hrs and 40 mins
    • Release date: 05-04-2012
    • Language: English
    • 4.5 out of 5 stars 7,721 ratings
    • From a charming take on wartime Britain to a sci-fi thriller straight out of the future. Ready Player One is a bonafide cultural icon at this point and Will Wheaton puts in a remarkable shift in narrating Ernest Cline's 2011 classic, adding depth and personality to the stark predictions of this dystopian future (getting himself a shoutout in the process). It might not immediately jump out as a feel-good audiobook to lighten the mood but good storytelling should always put a smile on the face. Ready Player One is fast approaching compulsory listening status, so get ahead of the curve and throw yourself headfirst into Ernest Cline's sci-fi mastery and Will Wheaton's magical narration.

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  • The Rosie Project cover art

    • The Rosie Project

    • Don Tillman, Book 1
    • By: Graeme Simsion
    • Narrated by: Dan O'Grady
    • Series: Don Tillman, Book 1
    • Length: 7 hrs and 30 mins
    • Release date: 25-09-2014
    • Language: English
    • 4.5 out of 5 stars 4,660 ratings
    • We'll round this list out with a modern Australian classic, a 2014 Book of the Year winner that positively shimmers in audiobook form. The Rosie Project follows the awkward romantic mumblings of genetics professor Don Tillman, a brilliant scientist whose genius doesn't quite translate into the world of love and lust. Unsure of the future, the boffin conjures up what he calls 'the Wife Project', and, well, the whole thing unravels from there. Dan O'Grady does an exceptional job of narrating the first in what became a trilogy, becoming every bit as synonymous with the series as Graeme Simsion's curious characters. Will Don Tillman be successful in bringing his romantic flailing to an end? You'll have to listen to find out.

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  • The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society cover art

    • The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

    • By: Mary Ann Shaffer
    • Narrated by: Taylor Owynns
    • Length: 8 hrs and 19 mins
    • Release date: 23-08-2018
    • Language: English
    • 4.5 out of 5 stars 357 ratings
    • An international bestseller, Kindle favourite and a major motion picture success, the audiobook version of Mary Ann Shaffer's The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society may well trump them all. This incomparable audiobook shines a fictional light on the forgotten figures of post-war Britain through the war-time stories of Izzy Bickerstaff, the pseudonym of Juliet Ashton. Eminently personable and full of exquisite charm, Shaffer's 2008 novel shines in audiobook form. Taylor Owynns does a marvellous job of narrating, bringing Shaffer's characters to life and adding an extra layer of sparkle to an already glittering love story. When audiobooks get the full book club treatment, expect The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society to be a firm favourite across the globe.

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  • Julia Morris Makes It EASY cover art

    • Julia Morris Makes It EASY

    • Half-Baked Advice from Yet Another Deluded Celebrity: An Audible Original
    • By: Julia Morris
    • Narrated by: Julia Morris
    • Length: 6 hrs and 37 mins
    • Release date: 22-02-2021
    • Language: English
    • 3 out of 5 stars 375 ratings
    • An Audible Original that somehow manages to be as laugh-out-loud funny as it is genuinely practical, Julia Morris Makes It Easy is a brave attempt to make the frustrations of life just a little bit easier. Does Morris succeed? You’ll have to be the judge, but she more than succeeds in producing a joyful audiobook that will have listeners smiling from the first minute to the last. The host of a bucketload of shows on national TV, Julia Morris' years of experience have led her to this task, a rip-roaring approach to a brand new life.

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Audiobook lists are hand-picked by Audible editors; inclusion is based on a number of factors including
listener ratings, narrator performances, presence on Audible best seller lists and cultural relevance.


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