Searching for surefire audiobook suggestions to send as a gift? Look no further than Libro.fm’s top sellers from our bestselling genres this year, based on purchases made through our 1,500+ independent bookstore partners for audiobooks published in 2021. When you gift a Libro.fm audiobook membership or gift individual audiobooks, you give back to your local bookstore in a big way—we share profits with bookstores without adding any extra work for them.
Browse the year’s bestsellers below, and check out our list of the Top 10 Bestselling Audiobooks of 2021 for overall winners!
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Literary Fiction | Mystery & Thriller | Science Fiction | Fantasy | Romance | Historical Fiction | Young Adult Fiction
Biography & Memoir | History | Politics & Economy | Self-Improvement
Children’s
Literary Fiction
Malibu Rising
By Taylor Jenkins Reid • Narrated by Julia Whelan
“Perfectly paced and suspenseful from page one!”
Meagan, bookseller at Books are Awesome
Runners-up:
The Lincoln Highway
By Amor Towles • Narrated by Edoardo Ballerini, Marin Ireland & Dion Graham
The Other Black Girl
By Zakiya Dalila Harris • Narrated by Aja Naomi King, Joniece Abbott-Pratt, Heather Alicia Simms & Bahni Turpin
Mystery & Thriller
The Last Thing He Told Me
By Laura Dave • Narrated by Rebecca Lowman
“Wonderful characters, amazing writing, and a twisty plot kept me turning the pages as fast as I could.”
Kaitlin, bookseller at Copperfield’s Books Healdsburg
Runners-up:
Harlem Shuffle
By Colson Whitehead • Narrated by Dion Graham
The Sanatorium
By Sarah Pearse • Narrated by Elizabeth Knowelden
Science Fiction
Klara and the Sun
By Kazuo Ishiguro • Narrated by Sura Siu
“This is a chance to bask in the brilliance of one the greatest writers of our time.”
Caroline, bookseller at Books & Books
Runners-up:
Fugitive Telemetry
By Martha Wells • Narrated by Kevin R. Free
A Psalm for the Wild-Built
By Becky Chambers • Narrated by Emmett Grosland
Fantasy
Under the Whispering Door
By TJ Klune • Narrated by Kirt Graves
“TJ Klune has the unmatched ability to make my heart go all warm and gooey like a chocolate chip cookie.”
Amber, bookseller at Quail Ridge Books
Runners-up:
The Last Graduate
By Naomi Novik • Narrated by Anisha Dadia
A Court of Silver Flames
By Sarah J. Maas • Narrated by Stina Nielsen
Romance
People We Meet on Vacation
By Emily Henry • Narrated by Julia Whelan
“What fun! A hilariously comedic rom-com with memorable characters.”
Shelley, bookseller at Monkey and Dog Books
Runners-up:
One Last Stop
By Casey McQuiston • Narrated by Natalie Naudus
Act Your Age, Eve Brown
By Talia Hibbert • Narrated by Ione Butler
Historical Fiction
The Four Winds
By Kristin Hannah • Narrated by Julia Whelan
“This is character driven storytelling at its best—each time I stepped away from it I couldn’t stop thinking about them.”
Josh, bookseller at Underground Books
Runners-up:
The Lost Apothecary
By Sarah Penner • Narrated by Lorna Bennett, Lauren Anthony & Lauren Irwin
Cloud Cuckoo Land
By Anthony Doerr • Published by Marin Ireland & Simon Jones
Young Adult Fiction
Firekeeper’s Daughter
By Angeline Boulley • Narrated by Isabella Star LaBlanc
“”LOVED, LOVED, LOVED this book. To hear the Ojibwe words spoken is a treat not to be missed.
Suzanne, bookseller at Ballast Book Co.
Runners-up:
Iron Widow
By Xiran Jay Zhao • Narrated by Rong Fu
Concrete Rose
By Angie Thomas • Narrated by Dion Graham
Biography & Memoir
Crying in H Mart
By Michelle Zauner • Narrated by the author
“I was struck by just how much I loved this book for how it walks through grief not as a way to leave it behind, but as a way to remember its exact shape.”
Steve, bookseller at Parnassus Books
Runners-up:
Broken Horses
By Brandi Carlile • Narrated by the author
The Anthropocene Reviewed
By John Green • Narrated by the author
History
How the Word Is Passed
By Clint Smith • Narrated by the author
“Clint Smith takes us on an unforgettable journey through the history of slavery in the United States, revealing many truths we’ve never been told.”
Nancy, bookseller at Raven Book Store
Runners-up:
Four Hundred Souls
By Ibram X. Kendi & Keisha N. Blain • Narrated by Various
The Bomber Mafia
By Malcolm Gladwell • Narrated by the author
Politics & Economy
The Sum of Us
By Heather McGhee • Narrated by the author
“This is the book I’ve been waiting for.”
author Ibram X. Kendi
Runners-up:
Peril
By Bob Woodward & Robert Costa • Narrated by Robert Petkoff
Unbound
By Tarana Burke • Narrated by the author
Self-Improvement
What Happened to You?
By Oprah Winfrey & Bruce D. Perry • Narrated by Bruce D. Perry & Oprah Winfrey
“Both Oprah and Dr. Perry are incredibly engaging narrators.”
Will, bookseller at Newtown Bookshop
Runners-up:
Think Again
By Adam Grant • Narrated by the author
This Is Your Mind on Plants
By Michael Pollan • Narrated by the author
Children’s
Amari and the Night Brothers
By B. B. Alston • Narrated by Imani Parks
“Fast-paced, relatable, and a fun listen!”
Rebecca, bookseller at Rediscovered Books
Runners-up:
Stamped (For Kids)
By Ibram X. Kendi & Jason Reynolds • Narrated by Pe’Tehn Raighn-Kem Jackson
Ancestor Approved: Intertribal Stories for Kids
By Cynthia Leitich Smith • Narrated by Kenny Ramos & DeLanna Studi
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