For mysteries that are that length, try the Walt Longmire series. I listen while driving a lot also, and like you, I like the "lighter" books for that.

I thoroughly enjoyed Wesley the Owl, a memoir about life with an owl. You may spit out your coffee laughing at one point and sob uncontrollably at another, and in between it is interesting, informative, and fun.

Billy Crystal has another memoir, also good. I also liked Julie Andrews' "Home", read in her oh-so-delicious voice.

Miss Read's village books are soothing, but not too exciting.

Travels with Charley read by Gary Sinise! I heard that his reading of Of Mice and Men is also quite good.

The comedian Trevor Noah has a good audio of his memoir, I can't remember the name. Our caregiver is also from South Africa and liked it.

Eddie Izzard's memoir was recommended here I think, but i think the review is that the audio version goes "off-book" almost as much as his mind does.

Identical Strangers was also good, got me through painting our garage. It's a memoir of a young woman who learns that she and her twin sister were adopted separately at birth, but were part of a study of identical twins, and how she found out about it.

I hear that the audiobook of Endurance about Scott Kelly is a good listen.

Many of the older Lisa Scottoline mystery/legal drama books had a wonderful narrator/actress called Barbara Rosenblat. Good stories and good narrator!

If you like classic mysteries, the Nero Wolfe novels read by Michael Pritchard are excellent, as are the Agatha Christies that Hugh Fraser reads (he had to play Hastings in the tv series because of his looks, but he does a much better Poirot voice even than Suchet.)

My favorite audiobook is "Dr. Sleep" by Stephen King. I listen to it over and over. It is the continuation of The Shining with Danny all grown up. It is not as scary as you would think...only one part that I hate that is a few minutes long.

Also "The Good Daughter" by Karen Slaughter was good. Kept me going on a 16 hour drive.

I'm not much a fan of audiobooks, but I tried one in Susan Elia McNeal's Maggie Hope series and the narrator was an excellent actress and held my attention so I would recommend that series. Right now, I'm enjoying listening to Anna Kendrick read her own book, Scrappy Little Nobody. I actually had to slow it down to 85% because she speaks so quickly.

I'm not usually a big fan of memoirs but years ago I listened to the audio book of The Longest Trip Home by John Grogan (author of Marley and Me) and it was so good!

I also enjoyed The Big Short as an audiobook, Freakanomics, and the Steve Jobs biography by Walter Isaacson. I have a hard time paying attention to novels in audiobook form in many cases, but these were easy to absorb in this format.

Beagles, I find it hard to listen to audiobooks around the house, unless I'm doing something that restricts me to one space like painting walls. Walking is good, but then I need short sentences lol. Driving seems to call for an audiobook, for me. It helps me pay attention to the road, actually, keeps my mind from wandering, and keeps me awake! And around town on the mindless trips to and for, they make me look forward to the trips.

I don't really drive, so maybe that is why I don't appreciate audiobooks :) I listened to them while walking the dogs, but now I mostly listen to podcasts because I find I don't have to really pay careful attention to those and the time commitment is shorter.

The question is a little funny as my favorites bounce all over the place/back and forth in time, possibly archaic, multiple characters, and are as long as possible. The Historian, The Grand Sophy, Daniel Silva...

Thank you for all the great suggestions. Going to go through them all today.

bpathome, I agree that it is difficult for me to listen to an audiobook at home unless I am doing a completely focused, yet mindless task, like weeding, folding laundry, etc. You also hit on one disadvantage with an audiobook-I’m much more limited as to when I can listen so if the story is engrossing, I can’t necessarily keep going! Like if I’m listening for the whole drive to my son’s school, then I have to turn it off once he gets in the car and then I might not be able to listen again for a couple of days (except for maybe a couple of short drives around town when running errands). I think that’s why it is sometimes easier to listen to a memoir or nonfiction b/c it’s easier to wait in between. The exception would be if I was on a long trip. I listened to a book while driving back and forth to Philly for a college visit-my son was happy to sleep and not talk to me. since most of my daily trips are either short errands or the drive to my son’s school, it would take forever to finish longer books which is why I try to find books no longer than 8-10 hours.

I definitely could not have listened to the Billy Crystal book with kids in the car-not just the constant foul language, but they’d be mortified by all the sex talk.

I listened to Oliver Twist on my 15-minute-each-way commute to work. It took a couple of renewals to get it done, but worth it.

The Billy Crystal memoir that is a mix of studio and live recordings is hard to listen to with kids, you're right. The live readings are more vulgar. His other one, done in the studio, was better.

Books (non-fiction) you can listen to with him in the car, especially if either of you is kind of geeky, include

The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements (by Sam Kean). Surprisingly interesting and entertaining to boot.

What If?, based on the Randall Munroe XKCD comic and read by Wil Wheaton. He's the perfect reader for this book. Just bear in mind though, many scenarios don't end well for mankind, but in a most absurd way.

Oh, another good memoir is Martin Short's. I enjoy him anyway, and he reads his own memoir well. As I recall, except for his shacking up with Gilda Radner, it's pretty PG. We enjoyed it on a car trip (teen boys).

AJ Jacobs' books are fun and interesting (year of living biblically, the smartest man in the world (reading the encyclopedia)) but we find his voice grating. We just turn it off after a bit, let it wear off, and are back to it again.

Jen Lancaster's memoir books are fun, too. I especially enjoyed Pretty In Plaid. Your son won't be so interested. Also her book about a year of living Martha Stewart, or, I'll never get all the glitter off the dog.

Fresh Air with Terry Gross! They are great listens!