Listening to an audiobook is a great way to enhance your reading experience—especially when you figure out what elements make for a must-listen! Talented narrators bring characters to life, celebrity memoirs become all the more personal, and production effects make books stand out in audio form.
We’ve compiled a list of books that we think are better on audio. Grab your headphones and immerse yourself in these favorite audiobooks, perfect for a road trip or a leisurely afternoon.
Celebrity-narrated audiobooks:
I’m Glad My Mom Died
This poignant and humorous memoir self-narrated by Jennette McCurdy, star of iCarly and Sam & Cat, brings emotional depth to the narration. In the audiobook, she recalls her struggles as a former child actor, and shares her battles with eating disorders, addiction, and her complex relationship with an overbearing mother.
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Finding Me
Narrated by EGOT winner Viola Davis herself, Finding Me is a brutally honest and captivating memoir covering Davis’s life journey from her coming-of-age in Rhode Island to present day. Her powerful and genuine narration will resonate with many hearts and minds.
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The Dutch House
The Dutch House is a profound and deeply moving tale that delves into the unbreakable connection between two siblings, their childhood home, and a haunting past. The audiobook is performed by Tom Hanks, his narration making readers feel as if they are witnessing the events right alongside the siblings.
Also check out Tom Lake by Ann Patchett, narrated by Meryl Streep!
View the audiobookNarration bringing stories to life:
Thank You For Listening
Julia Whelan is regarded as one of the top narrators in the industry today. Her novel Thank You For Listening follows a former actress turned audiobook narrator, as she rediscovers her dreams after an accident. Narrating a romance novel with an unknown voice actor leads to unexpected connections and challenges, pushing her to confront buried desires for intimacy and acceptance.
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The Vaster Wilds
January Lavoy was named Audiobook Narrator of the Year by Publishers Weekly and received a Golden Voice award from AudioFile. The Vaster Wilds is a tale of a servant girl who escapes a colonial settlement and confronts societal norms. Lauren Groff and January LaVoy offer an engaging narrative that captures listeners’ hearts.
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Children of Blood and Bone
In Tomi Adeyemi’s West African-inspired fantasy debut, she crafts a stunning world of dark magic and peril. This audiobook was the winner of the Audie Award for Audiobook of the Year, which AudioFile Magazine described as a “breathtaking narration [that] will keep listeners rooted to their seats, listening intently.”
View the audiobook More from Bahni
Braiding Sweetgrass
Read by the author, Braiding Sweetgrass is Libro.fm’s #1 bestseller of all time. Robin Wall Kimmerer’s book is thought-provoking, focusing on how to reconnect with the earth and nature, and presents a profoundly moving collection of interwoven stories about the natural world and Indigenous life.
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Audiobooks with special production:
Daisy Jones & the Six (TV Tie-in Edition)
Daisy Jones & the Six is a novel about how a legendary 1970s rock band came together, and broke up at the height of their fame through a series of interviews. This audiobook guarantees a fulfilling listening experience with multiple narrators, with every narrative engaging in its own unique way.
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The Ballad of Perilous Graves
The Ballad of Perilous Graves is a homage to New Orleans, blending vibrant characters, rich world-building, and poetic depictions of music in a wildly imaginative narrative. The audiobook features a jazz score written and performed by Andrew McGowan.
Explore more audiobooks with music in this playlist.
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Good Talk
A humorous and insightful, yet heartbreaking, memoir of what it means to mother a brown boy and what it means to live in this country post-9/11, as a person of color, as a woman, as an artist. Produced beautifully with full-cast audio performance, it weaves a series of stories in the form of conversations.
View the audiobookThrillers and mysteries: a listener’s delight
Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers
If you’re in the mood for a cozy mystery, Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers will make you laugh out loud with its likable characters and hilarious dialogue. Vera Wong, a sharp-witted elder in San Francisco’s Chinatown, discovers a murder in her tea shop and decides to solve it herself. Eunice Wong excels the narration with her crisp, accented portrayal of the characters.
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Silver Nitrate
Montserrat, a talented but overlooked sound editor in 1990s Mexico City, joins forces with a faded soap opera star and a cult horror director. As they work together to unravel the mystery of the film, they uncover hidden powers and confront supernatural forces that blur the line between fantasy and reality. This spooky novel, narrated by Gisela Chípe, will send shivers down your spine.
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Promise Boys
This groundbreaking YA mystery follows three teen boys of color as they investigate their principal’s murder to clear their names. Booklist says: “the full-cast narration helps the listener track the extensive collection of characters in this whodunit….Musical accompaniment is peppered throughout the production as well, adding to its overall polished production and thrilling atmosphere.”
View the audiobookBooks Better On Audio
Listening to an audiobook is a great way to enhance your reading experience. We’ve compiled a list of books that we think are better on audio. Grab your headphones and immerse yourself in these favorite audiobooks, perfect for a road trip or a leisurely afternoon.
