5 of Our Favorite Audio Books for Science and Space

Whether you’re listening on your commute, following along while you do chores, or simply want to give your eyes a rest, audiobooks make it easy to catch up on your reading list. And for a limited time, the PCMag Shop is offering up a killer deal on your first month of Audible Gold.

• Three audiobooks, $6 Amazon credit, and two Audible Originals for new Audible members

Get two audiobooks of your choice, a special Halloween bonus book, two Audible Originals, and a $6 Amazon credit for just $5.95. And if you don’t know where to start, the wfoojjaec writers have you covered. Below, you’ll find five tech and science-themed audiobooks that we absolutely love.

Rocket Billionaires

Gone are the days of the Soviet and American rivalry – now tech and commerce billionaires are the ones scrapping for supremacy of the skies. There’s a lot of innovation going on in the private sector these days, but this recent release from a Quartz reporter dives into the logistical, political, and interpersonal turmoil it’s producing.

By: Tim Fernholz
Narrated by: Erin Moon
Total time: 10 hours, 40 minutes
One Credit

Bad Blood

Theranos was red hot for a short while – a company that was supposed to change the world. Unfortunately, the sea change that was promised was smoke and mirrors. John Carreyrou of The Wall Street Journal shares incredible details of this entire ordeal in this 2018 book.

By: John Carreyrou
Narrated by: Will Damron
Total time: 11 hours, 37 minutes
One Credit

Packing for Mars

Known for cleverly covering the nitty-gritty of everything from the afterlife to human sexuality, Mary Roach uses this book to explore some of the finer points of living like an astronaut. Eating, excreting, and simple movements can be much more complicated in space, so you know that the intrepid Mary Roach won’t shy away from the gross and fascinating reality of space travel.

By: Mary Roach
Narrated by: Sandra Burr
Total time: 10 hours, 28 minutes
One Credit

The Selfish Gene

Richard Dawkins has grown to be a prolific and controversial public figure, but his first book remains undeniably influential. Not only does this classic tome thoroughly explain the theory that genes themselves are what natural selection is acting on, but it also introduced the internet’s favorite word: Meme.

By: Richard Dawkins
Narrated by: Richard Dawkins, Lalla Ward
Total time: 16 hours, 12 minutes
One Credit

Predictably Irrational

Duke University professor Dan Ariely is an expert on human behavior, and he uses this book to convey exactly how irrational we are when it comes time to make a decision. Even better, he has some suggestions to help recognize the influences that can trigger irrational behavior and encourages us to think a bit more clearly going forward.

By: Dan Ariely
Narrated by: Simon Jones
Total time: 7 hours, 22 minutes
One Credit

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