Each day, I have a 45 minute commute, which means I have one hour and 30 minutes of ‘me time’ to listen to the radio, take phone calls, listen to podcasts, or, like I’ve been doing for the past 12 months, listening to audio versions of some incredible books.

I’ve been able to make that commute time zoom by and enrich it with top quality books. Each month with my membership to Audible, I listen to two audiobooks and have been captivated by some amazing books such as The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy by Douglas Adams, The Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell and many many more.

In addition to some wonderful classics, I’ve also had the pleasure of listening to books about English football. Here are my five picks:

  1. The History Of The World Cup by Brian Glanville, read by Bob Wilson. With less than one year to go until World Cup 2010, I enjoyed listening to Brian Glanville’s classic book where he discusses how the World Cup started and then takes us through each World Cup from 1930 until the early 2000’s. Narrated by legendary Arsenal goalkeeper Bob Wilson, who was the presenter of BBC’s Football Focus for many years, this is a must listen for any soccer fan. 4 hours, 45 minutes.
  2. My Manchester United Years by Bobby Charlton, read by Christian Rodska. Manchester United legend Bobby Charlton takes listeners through his his historic career at Old Trafford and includes his fondest memories from his 17-year career where he played 754 times for the Red Devils. 1 hour, 55 minutes.
  3. Chippy: The Liam Brady Story by Adrian Mills, read by Adrian Mills. The career of Arsenal and Republic of Ireland legend Liam Brady is told by Adrian Mills, a former British TV presenter. Everything from his early days at Highbury, his move to Juventus and his final playing days at West Ham United. 53 minutes.
  4. Football My Arse!: The Funniest Football Book You’ll Ever Hear by Ricky Tomlinson, read by Ricky Tomlinson. Tomlinson is best known for the film, Mike Bassett: England Manager, which was a comedic mockumentary about a fictitious England manager. In Football My Arse, Tomlinson shares plenty of hilarious anecdotes and one-liners about English football, and gaffs made by footballers, managers and commentators. For a preview of the type of comedy Tomlinson is well known for in his native England, watch the following YouTube clip. 2 hours, 59 minutes.
  5. Rio: My Story by Rio Ferdinand, read by Felix Dexter. Manchester United centre half Rio Ferdinand talks about his career as a footballer from his early days at Leeds United to his pursuits with the Red Devils and England national team. 1 hour, 37 minutes.

If you’ve enjoyed listening to soccer podcasts, you’ll love audiobooks. They make my commute seem much shorter. Plus, I now look forward to jumping in my car and listening to the books. With more than 60,000 titles to choose from, you can listen to them on your computer, burn them on a disc, or listen to them on your iPod and 500 other devices.