14 must-read audiobook books like Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter

Beautiful Ruins

By: Jess Walter

3.63

Format: 224 pages, Hardcover

The story begins in 1962. On a rocky patch of the sun-drenched Italian coastline, a young innkeeper…

If you liked the audiobook plot in Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter , here is a list of 14 books like this:

Cover of Death at Carp High: A Jake Brown Mystery by Jeremy Gold

1. Death at Carp High: A Jake Brown Mystery

By: Jeremy Gold

3.63

Format: 274 pages, Paperback

Death at Carp High, the first in the six part series, begins at the beach when high school seniors,… read more

Similar categories in Jeremy Gold's Death at Carp High: A Jake Brown Mystery book and Jess Walter's Beautiful Ruins

2. Beautiful Ruins

By: Jess Walter

3.63

Format: 224 pages, Hardcover

The story begins in 1962. On a rocky patch of the sun-drenched Italian coastline, a young innkeeper… read more

Similar categories in Jess Walter's Beautiful Ruins book and Jess Walter's Beautiful Ruins

  • romance
  • italy
  • fiction
  • historical fiction
  • contemporary
  • book club
  • audiobook

3. Spin Cycle

By: Sue Margolis

4.11

Format: 192 pages,

read more

Similar categories in Sue Margolis's Spin Cycle book and Jess Walter's Beautiful Ruins

Cover of The Women by Kristin Hannah

4. The Women

By: Kristin Hannah

4.64

Format: 471 pages, Hardcover

Women can be heroes. When twenty-year-old nursing student Frances “Frankie” McGrath hears these wor… read more

Similar categories in Kristin Hannah's The Women book and Jess Walter's Beautiful Ruins

  • romance
  • fiction
  • historical fiction
  • book club
  • audiobook
"Words were creators of worlds; you had to be careful with them."

-Kristin Hannah, The Women

"Love mattered in this ruined world, but so did honor. What was one without the other?"

-Kristin Hannah, The Women

"Love. A thing to be shouted from the rooftops, celebrated, not cultivated in secret and clipped into shape in the dark."

-Kristin Hannah, The Women

Cover of Burned Out by Dean Mafako

5. Burned Out

By: Dean Mafako

4.30

Format: 526 pages, Paperback

Eric Philson came to the Children's Hospital of Biloxi with a goal ― to build the cardiac intensive… read more

Similar categories in Dean Mafako's Burned Out book and Jess Walter's Beautiful Ruins

  • fiction
"The entire belief was insulting to many of us, but nonetheless, the term “top trained,"

-Dean Mafako, Burned Out

"The hypocrisy was too much to bear, the institution was paying over a million dollars for Mr. Hyde to perform “values training"

-Dean Mafako, Burned Out

"When I arrived, I did the job of six people and worked over one hundred hours per week for more than a year until I collapsed in my yard and nearly died!"

-Dean Mafako, Burned Out

"One of the greatest realizations that I clumsily stumbled upon during this process, was that these people didn’t need someone like me to tell them what to do; they needed someone like me to show them…"

-Dean Mafako, Burned Out

Cover of His Forefathers and Mick by Michael G. Kramer

6. His Forefathers and Mick

By: Michael G. Kramer

4.36

Format: 336 pages, Kindle Edition

"His forefathers and Mick", traces the riveting saga of the Kramer family across three tumultuous g… read more

Similar categories in Michael G. Kramer's His Forefathers and Mick book and Jess Walter's Beautiful Ruins

  • contemporary
"Adrian blew his whistle and shouted, “Attack and put too death all those who oppose the fatherland!"

-Michael G. Kramer, His Forefathers and Mick

"Kurt said, “I have always wanted to wipe that self-satisfied smug look from the face of thee Prussian Pickle!"

-Michael G. Kramer, His Forefathers and Mick

"Heinrich replied, “The fact that Kramer’s radio station has  been wiped out by the British Navy in now classified information!"

-Michael G. Kramer, His Forefathers and Mick

"Fritz Kramer said, “I cannot see why my treatment of my Chinese workers as equals should cause any German, American or British person any concern."

-Michael G. Kramer, His Forefathers and Mick

Cover of The Berry Pickers by Amanda    Peters

7. The Berry Pickers

By: Amanda Peters

4.14

Format: 307 pages, Hardcover

A four-year-old Mi’kmaq girl goes missing from the blueberry fields of Maine, sparking a tragic mys… read more

Similar categories in Amanda Peters's The Berry Pickers book and Jess Walter's Beautiful Ruins

  • audiobook
  • historical fiction
  • fiction
  • contemporary
Cover of Sheever's Journal, Diary of a Poison Master by K.  Ritz

8. Sheever's Journal, Diary of a Poison Master

By: K. Ritz

4.33

Format: 410 pages, Paperback

Synopsis: For five years Me’acca Mysuth Sheever has lived among his “sworn enemies,” pretending to … read more

Similar categories in K. Ritz's Sheever's Journal, Diary of a Poison Master book and Jess Walter's Beautiful Ruins

  • historical fiction
  • book club
  • fiction
  • contemporary
"At what point does faith become insanity?"

-K. Ritz, Sheever's Journal, Diary of a Poison Master

"Which is the greater sin? To care too much? Or too little?"

-K. Ritz, Sheever's Journal, Diary of a Poison Master

"Mead. O sweet elixir, Ye bless the lips and steal the wits. "

-K. Ritz, Sheever's Journal, Diary of a Poison Master

"This world would be a pleasant place if people didn’t inhabit it."

-K. Ritz, Sheever's Journal, Diary of a Poison Master

Cover of The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon

9. The Frozen River

By: Ariel Lawhon

4.43

Format: 432 pages, Hardcover

A gripping historical mystery inspired by the life and diary of Martha Ballard, a renowned 18th-cen… read more

Similar categories in Ariel Lawhon's The Frozen River book and Jess Walter's Beautiful Ruins

  • audiobook
  • book club
  • fiction
  • historical fiction
Cover of Isabella Warrior Queen by Michael G. Kramer

10. Isabella Warrior Queen

By: Michael G. Kramer

4.30

Format: None pages, ebook

The complete story of Isabella, her husband King Edward II, their son who was King Edward III and t… read more

Similar categories in Michael G. Kramer's Isabella Warrior Queen book and Jess Walter's Beautiful Ruins

"Eliza answered, “My Lady, that was Sir Roger Mortimer!"

-Michael G. Kramer, Isabella Warrior Queen

"Cynthia said, “How are things going for you with this birth?"

-Michael G. Kramer, Isabella Warrior Queen

"When speaking to her husband, Isabella replied, Mon tresdoutz coer, (My very sweet heart) please do that and perhaps I shall be able to continue to perform official functions on your behalf!"

-Michael G. Kramer, Isabella Warrior Queen

"On the 16th of Febuary 1312, when Isabella was aged sixteen years, the couple were at their hunting lodge when Edward suddenly took Isabella into his arms and began to kiss her and pay her a lot of a…"

-Michael G. Kramer, Isabella Warrior Queen

Cover of Tom Lake by Ann Patchett

11. Tom Lake

By: Ann Patchett

3.99

Format: 309 pages, Hardcover

In this beautiful and moving novel about family, love, and growing up, Ann Patchett once again prov… read more

Similar categories in Ann Patchett's Tom Lake book and Jess Walter's Beautiful Ruins

  • romance
  • fiction
  • historical fiction
  • contemporary
  • book club
  • audiobook
"You can’t pretend this [Covid] isn’t happening,"

-Ann Patchett, Tom Lake

"In the summer the pear trees were fine. In the summer, all that is hideous about a pear tree is hidden by leaves and pears. But once those disguises were removed they were nothing but acres of murder…"

-Ann Patchett, Tom Lake

"Hazel, listen to me. I'm going to tell you something important, you need to be brave.' I then explained to the dog how I have told myself for so many years that my career fell apart because I wasn't …"

-Ann Patchett, Tom Lake

"It's as if someone bought all the diamonds at Tiffany's, and crushed them into dust, then spread that dust across the water so that it sifts down evenly, filtering through the shards of light that cu…"

-Ann Patchett, Tom Lake

Cover of The Covenant of Water by Abraham   Verghese

12. The Covenant of Water

By: Abraham Verghese

4.45

Format: 724 pages, Hardcover

From the New York Times-bestselling author of Cutting for Stone comes a stunning and magisterial ep… read more

Similar categories in Abraham Verghese's The Covenant of Water book and Jess Walter's Beautiful Ruins

  • audiobook
  • book club
  • fiction
  • historical fiction
Cover of North Woods by Daniel       Mason

13. North Woods

By: Daniel Mason

4.15

Format: 372 pages, Hardcover

A sweeping novel about a single house in the woods of New England, told through the lives of those … read more

Similar categories in Daniel Mason's North Woods book and Jess Walter's Beautiful Ruins

  • audiobook
  • fiction
  • historical fiction
Cover of The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James   McBride

14. The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store

By: James McBride

4.00

Format: 385 pages, Hardcover

In 1972, when workers in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, were digging the foundations for a new housing de… read more

Similar categories in James McBride's The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store book and Jess Walter's Beautiful Ruins

  • audiobook
  • book club
  • fiction
  • historical fiction
Cover of Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

15. Remarkably Bright Creatures

By: Shelby Van Pelt

4.39

Format: 368 pages, Hardcover

Remarkably Bright Creatures, an exploration of friendship, reckoning, and hope, tracing a widow's u… read more

Similar categories in Shelby Van Pelt's Remarkably Bright Creatures book and Jess Walter's Beautiful Ruins

  • audiobook
  • book club
  • fiction
  • contemporary
"How does it feel, you ask? It is comfortable. It is home. I am lucky. I am grateful"

-Shelby Van Pelt, Remarkably Bright Creatures

"Day 1,361 of My Captiv- Oh, Let Us Cut the Shit, Shall We? We Have a Ring to Retrieve."

-Shelby Van Pelt, Remarkably Bright Creatures

"Why can humans not use their millions of words to simply tell one another what they desire?"

-Shelby Van Pelt, Remarkably Bright Creatures

"Humans are the only species who subvert truth for their own entertainment. They call them jokes. Sometimes puns."

-Shelby Van Pelt, Remarkably Bright Creatures

Cover of Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano

16. Hello Beautiful

By: Ann Napolitano

4.16

Format: 416 pages, Kindle Edition

An emotionally layered and engrossing story of a family that asks: Can love make a broken person wh… read more

Similar categories in Ann Napolitano's Hello Beautiful book and Jess Walter's Beautiful Ruins

  • romance
  • fiction
  • historical fiction
  • contemporary
  • book club
  • audiobook
"The child inside Julia lay wide-eyed in the dark, knowing that she was Jo, but only because Sylvie was Beth."

-Ann Napolitano, Hello Beautiful

"You and your sisters have so many reference points, such a dense history," William said. "I never get used to it."

-Ann Napolitano, Hello Beautiful

"She was Julia's wild hair, she was the lake her husband had once been carried out of, and no matter what happened next, she was love."

-Ann Napolitano, Hello Beautiful

"You’re depressed, not crazy. It’s not insane to be depressed in this world. It’s more sane than being happy. I never trust those upbeat individuals who grin no matter what’s going on. Those are the o…"

-Ann Napolitano, Hello Beautiful

Cover of Pineapple Street by Jenny   Jackson

17. Pineapple Street

By: Jenny Jackson

3.57

Format: 304 pages, Hardcover

Darley, the eldest daughter in the well-connected, old money Stockton family, followed her heart, t… read more

Similar categories in Jenny Jackson's Pineapple Street book and Jess Walter's Beautiful Ruins

  • romance
  • fiction
  • historical fiction
  • contemporary
  • audiobook
"But you know foundations shouldn't have to be the answer. The real problems are tax laws, anti-labor policies, and the slow expansion of the welfare state," Chip said. Everyone turned and looked at h…"

-Jenny Jackson, Pineapple Street

Cover of Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld

18. Romantic Comedy

By: Curtis Sittenfeld

3.64

Format: 309 pages, Hardcover

A comedy writer thinks she’s sworn off love, until a dreamily handsome pop star flips the script on… read more

Similar categories in Curtis Sittenfeld's Romantic Comedy book and Jess Walter's Beautiful Ruins

  • romance
  • audiobook
  • fiction
  • contemporary
"Just to be clear,"

-Curtis Sittenfeld, Romantic Comedy

"Aren't we all performing the role of ourselves?"

-Curtis Sittenfeld, Romantic Comedy

"I don't write from a point of clarity. I write out of confusion."

-Curtis Sittenfeld, Romantic Comedy

"Isn't the goal to live with out demons, not to expect them to go away?"

-Curtis Sittenfeld, Romantic Comedy

Cover of Table for Two by Amor Towles

19. Table for Two

By: Amor Towles

4.26

Format: 464 pages, Hardcover

From the bestselling author of The Lincoln Highway, A Gentleman in Moscow, and Rules of Civility, a… read more

Similar categories in Amor Towles's Table for Two book and Jess Walter's Beautiful Ruins

  • audiobook
  • historical fiction
  • fiction
  • contemporary
"And though she couldn’t remember the exact reference and whether it was from mythology or the Bible, she knew instinctively as they approached the pier’s limit she mustn’t look back."

-Amor Towles, Table for Two

"It is a funny aspect of life, thought Charlie, how a group of grown people can convince themselves to do something that none of them really want to do. They start by talking an idea into existence. O…"

-Amor Towles, Table for Two

Cover of Victor's Blessing by Barbara Sontheimer

20. Victor's Blessing

By: Barbara Sontheimer

4.34

Format: 582 pages, Paperback

Victor Gant, a 6'5" half-Osage blacksmith is an unusual hero for a Civil War love story. But Victor… read more

Similar categories in Barbara Sontheimer's Victor's Blessing book and Jess Walter's Beautiful Ruins

  • romance
  • fiction
  • historical fiction
  • contemporary
  • book club
"Then wake up my sweet,  wake up knowing that your future is to be happy, and that your heart will heal."

-Barbara Sontheimer, Victor's Blessing

"Victor's tortured eyes blazed down at her, and for a moment she was afraid.  Then he leaned down and dissolved into tears in the arms of Celena who was only six."

-Barbara Sontheimer, Victor's Blessing

"He turned and smiled resolvedly at her.  He knew no one else would ever understand that for Arvellen, sex only had to do with friendship and of pleasing one another, and nothing at all to do with wha…"

-Barbara Sontheimer, Victor's Blessing

"I'm afraid!" She cried breaking free from his embrace. But this time, he refused to let her go.  "No, no, no, you're not afraid of me!  What am I...a foot and half taller than you and out weigh you b…"

-Barbara Sontheimer, Victor's Blessing

Cover of Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

21. Demon Copperhead

By: Barbara Kingsolver

4.50

Format: 560 pages, Hardcover

"Anyone will tell you the born of this world are marked from the get-out, win or lose." Set in t… read more

Similar categories in Barbara Kingsolver's Demon Copperhead book and Jess Walter's Beautiful Ruins

  • fiction
  • historical fiction
  • contemporary
  • book club
  • audiobook
"A kid is a terrible thing to be, in charge of nothing."

-Barbara Kingsolver, Demon Copperhead

"I can still feel in my bones how being mad was the one thing holding me together."

-Barbara Kingsolver, Demon Copperhead

"Counting on Jesus to save the day is no more real than sending up the Batman signal."

-Barbara Kingsolver, Demon Copperhead

"life is a wild, impetuous ride. There could be good shit up ahead, don’t rule it out."

-Barbara Kingsolver, Demon Copperhead

17 Best fiction books like Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter

Beautiful Ruins

Jess Walter

3.63

Transform Your Habits

The Women

Kristin Hannah

4.64

Transform Your Habits

Burned Out

Dean Mafako

4.30

Transform Your Habits

The Berry Pickers

Amanda Peters

4.14

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16 Top contemporary books like His Forefathers and Mick by Michael G. Kramer

Transform Your Habits

The Seventh Spark: Volume One – Knights of the Trinity

J.B. Lion

4.32

Transform Your Habits

Down in the Valley (The Netahs)

Lisa Kaniut Cobb

4.37

Transform Your Habits

Murder on Family Grounds (Mary Wandwalker Mystery)

Susan Rowland

4.33

Transform Your Habits

Sacrifices Beyond Kingdoms: A Provocative Romance Torn Between Continents and Cultures (The Sacrifices and Kingdoms Series Book 2)

Patricia D'Arcy Laughlin

4.32

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