Have you heard the one about audiobooks not counting as reading? And readers everywhere laughed and laughed…

July brought me back into Audiobook Land, a place that I find mostly filled with nonfiction books, particularly memoirs and self-help guides that will absolutely-change-my-life-if-I-just-complete-Chapter-7.

Anyway, I listened to some good ones in July, so here are those quick reviews:

• No Time Like the Future: An Optimist Considers Mortality by Michael J. Fox – I challenge anyone to listen to Michael J. Fox’s story and not be motivated to do more in your own life. This, his second book, explores how he recovered from extensive surgery on top of his daily battle with Parkinson’s Disease. He is inspirational, witty, and real in his struggles and wins. My favorite sections were when he talked about his wife, kids, and dog. Four stars with a strong recommendation to read or listen to this one.

• Soul Boom: Why We Need a Spiritual Revolution by Rainn Wilson – Who knew the rule-following, beet-farming Assistant to the Regional Manager on The Office was a searcher of all things spiritual? I did know that Rainn Wilson is a member of the Baha’i faith and that he has an organization called Soul Pancake, but this book brought so much to the table. Wilson peels apart aspects of faith, religion, and spiritual traditions (yes, they’re different) and looks at them from a critical lens to help the listener make decisions. He includes nearly every religion in the world and does it with intelligence and a bit of trademark humor. Soul Boom gets four stars, too.

• The Age of Magical Overthinking: Notes on Modern Irrationality by Amanda Montell – I enjoyed Amanda Montell’s book Cultish, so I thought this book would be equally interesting. While full of critical analyses of pop culture and why anxiety is at an all-time high, I found this book to be a bit too pretentious for my taste. That, along with a lot of rambling, made this a “happy to have read” but “glad to be done” listen and three stars.

Do you enjoy audiobooks? If so, which ones would you recommend?