13 audiobooks to listen to after Tyler Childers’ Snipe Hunter

If you haven’t listened to Tyler Childers’ new album Snipe Hunter yet, you’re in for a wild, reflective, and deeply spiritual ride. Rolling Stone called the album “career-redefining” and referred to Childers as “arguably the most singular and visionary artist in country music today.”

But Childers isn’t just a country singer-songwriter, he’s also a big reader. He recently launched the Hickman Holler Reading Club in partnership with Libby, turning the spotlight on some of his favorite books and encouraging fans to read along.

As a passionate literacy advocate, it only felt right to pair each track on Snipe Hunter with an audiobook that matches the song’s themes and mood. Although I didn’t grow up in Appalachia like Childers, I did live in the foothills in my early twenties and can attest to the beauty, despair, and transformative power of the region echoed in the lyrics of his music—and in these audiobook picks.

Keep your ears busy and let these audiobooks be your literary companion to the emotional terrain of the album. Happy listening!

Track 1: “Eatin’ Big Time”
🎧 The Sport of Kings by C. E. Morgan

Set in Kentucky, this sweeping novel follows a wealthy horse-racing dynasty and a young Black man who becomes entangled in their world. It’s a story about legacy, ambition, race, and the cost of “making it” in a system built on inequality.

Track 2: “Cuttin’ Teeth”
🎧 On the Come Up by Angie Thomas

This powerful YA novel follows Bri, a teen rapper hustling to make it big while navigating poverty, family pressure, and the legacy of her late father, a local rap legend. Like Childers, Bri starts out performing wherever she can, driven by passion and necessity. As her fame grows, she grapples with how her lyrics are received and whether she’s staying true to herself or just giving fans what they want.

Track 3: “Oneida”
🎧 The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han

"Oneida" is nostalgic and full of youthful longing. Jenny Han’s beachy YA romance captures that same bittersweet ache of growing up and chasing love you’re not quite ready for.

Track 4: “Getting to the Bottom”
🎧 Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut

Vonnegut’s classic novel is a masterclass in satirical apocalypse. It follows a journalist investigating the creator of a substance called Ice-Nine, a chemical that can freeze the world. What starts as a quirky quest quickly spirals into a global catastrophe, all told with Vonnegut’s signature deadpan humor and biting wit.

Track 5: “Bitin’ List”
🎧 Finlay Donovan Is Killing It by Elle Cosimano

A witty, fast-paced mystery where a struggling writer is mistaken for a hitwoman—perfect for when you’re ready to take names and settle scores.

Track 6: “Nose on the Grindstone”
🎧 Night Comes to the Cumberlands by Harry M. Caudill

This nonfiction classic about Appalachian poverty and resilience pairs perfectly with Childers’ lyrics. Both are sobering and essential.

Track 7: “Watch Out”
🎧 Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer

A lyrical meditation on nature, reciprocity, and Indigenous wisdom. "Watch Out" warns us to tread carefully; this book teaches us how.

Track 8: “Down Under”
🎧 In a Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson

A hilarious travelogue through Australia filled with bizarre wildlife and scorching heat that’s a perfect match for a song about koalas and the chaos of being “down under.”

Track 9: “Poachers”
🎧 Winter’s Bone by Daniel Woodrell

A gritty Ozark noir about a teenage girl hunting down her missing father. The outlaw energy of "Poachers" lives here too.

Track 10: “Snipe Hunt”
🎧 The Secret History by Donna Tartt

A snipe hunt can be a fool’s errand, and Tartt’s novel is full of intellectual games and the consequences of chasing illusions. Both are haunting and hypnotic.

Track 11: “Tirtha Yatra”
🎧 Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda

A spiritual classic that explores Hindu philosophy and mystical experiences pairs well with Childers’ study of Eastern religion and Hinduism.

Track 12: “Tomcat and a Dandy”
🎧 Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders

A ghostly, experimental novel about death, memory, and letting go gives the same vibes as Tyler’s song about saying farewell to his younger self.

Track 13: “Dirty Ought Trill”
🎧 The Dog Stars by Peter Heller

Keeping with the hunting theme of the album, this book is a post-apocalyptic tale of a man and his dog surviving in a desolate world. The bond between man and dog is central, and the writing is lyrical and introspective. Both the book and song explore the fierce loyalty between man and dog.

*Title availability may vary.

Check out the Libby app to go hunting for more free audiobooks. After all, sometimes the hunt is the point.

RELATED READ: 4 book picks from Tyler Childers’ new Hickman Holler Reading Club