It’s official: as far as your brain is concerned, audiobooks are not “cheating.” The mental processes involved in experiencing a book are pretty much the same, whether you “read” it with your eyes or your ears.
Nobody needed to convince me. I love a good audiobook, and never worry about whether or not it’s cheating. (What a silly question!)
Audiobooks let me “read” while I’m driving, or running, or folding the laundry. They let me get through more pages, more quickly, than I ever could if I was confined to paper and screens.
But my favorite audiobooks are good for more than just hands-free reading. The best aren’t a substitute for actual books; instead they enhance it, adding layers to the reading experience.
These 14 titles aren’t just good books; they’re also wonderful listening experiences. I hope you enjoy them, and I can’t wait to hear about your favorites.
Tell me about some of your favorite listening experiences in comments. What audiobooks have you loved? What titles would you add to this list?
145 comments
The Martian has been toiling in my Audible account for an embarrassing long time – I should probably get after that:)
I was so disappointed when the second Veronica Mars book wasn’t narrated by Kristen Bell. I know she’s busy, but it was a let down. I adore the narrator for the Cormoran Strike series.
I highly recommend Cinder, Scarlet, Cress, and Winter by Marissa Meyer (The Lunar Chronicles) on audio. They are narrated by Rebecca Soler and I think she’s up there with Jim Dale in her ability to differentiate voices.
Also the audiobook for Illuminae by Amie Kaufman is a cast production and I just thought it was amazing.
I, too, loved The Martian. I listened to one of Louise Penny’s books (Brutal Telling – book 5) on audio and switched back to e-book after that, but I did really enjoy it. I think I’ll give #8 a go on audio. I can’t thank you enough for recommending that series, by the way.
I’ve made note of this post for when I’m in need of another good audiobook!!!
I have The Martian in my Audible library – you just convinced me to listen to it next.
My personal favorite audiobook is As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride, narrated by Cary Elwes (and several tidbits from the other people involved in making TPB, many of whom did their own reading). High literature? Hardly! But a thoroughly enjoyable listen for anyone who loves that movie
Yes! I read As You Wish in hardback and enjoyed it very much, but when I was able to snag the audio for cheap (maybe it was a deal of the day?) I snatched it up and listened to it again. The audio was even better!
Got The Martian on a trial membership to Audible. Had a 3-hour drive to go meet my Mom for lunch on my day off. Tried listening to it during the drive up and back. Loved it! Had to finish it right away when I got home. Loved the movie too, but not as much as the audio. Its the only book I’ve read in forever that I actually wanted to read again as soon as I finished it.
I third As You Wish in audio! It was so good that I immediately followed it with re-watching and -reading The Princess Bride.
I’m so glad i read the comments on this one! Adding it to my list!
Great list, thanks!
One thing I struggle with on audiobooks is whether they will be fit for my boys (11 & 6). I had to bail on The Signature of All Things. Luckily the foreshadowing made me suspicious and we bailed after an interest in botany was sparked, but before anything I was not prepared to discuss ? (The other thing is truffle with is paying attention….). Anyhow, did you find anything objectionable in the Three Sisters, Three Queens?
I’ve not read that particular book, but I’ve read three others by Gregory (The Other Boleyn Girl, Lady of the River, and The White Queen) and would not listen with my own 11 & 6 yo with me. All of these focus on love stories and how they endure or are affected by the history of their time. The intimate parts are usually tasteful, but there are also wars/ battle scenes, beheadings, burnings, husbands cheating on their wives. Not what I’m interested in sharing with my kids at their particular ages, especially if the focus is entertainment and not historical. Mine would both rather listen to a Kate DiCamillo book or Narnia anyway. Good luck.
Thanks for the feedback! Common Sense Media doesn’t cover many historical fictions, nor does IMDB parents guide, unless a movie’s been made.
I can’t speak to that Philippa Gregory, but I’d think in general that they wouldn’t be a good fit. But “All the Light We Cannot See” might be. I listened to that one earlier this year and it was so good. I’ve heard “Ready Player One” would be more family-friendly listening, too.
There are some excellent young adult/kids audiobooks out there that won’t make you pull your hair out. Our whole family loves the Ashtown Burials series by N.D.Wilson, the Redwall series is great, with amazing narration.
My kids loved the audiobooks by Richard Peck ( great narrator. The Harry Potter Series is awesome on audio. We have listened to several books by the following authors that were a great read. Sharon Creech, Carl Hiassen, Pam Munoz Ryan, Carl Hiassen.
I wouldn’t listen to any Phillipa Gregory with my kids around, for what it’s worth.
I am currently listening to Ready Player One, and agree that Wil Wheaton is doing an excellent job. I also thoroughly enjoyed Far From the Madding Crowd, narrated by Jamie Parker (I was having a hard time getting through the printed version of this), and Nadia Hashimi’s novel “When The Moon is Low”, which actually has two narrators, one for the mother and one for the son. The voices made it so real to me.
I listened to The Martian and enjoying it so much inspired me to see the movie on the bigscreen when it was released. I also HIGHLY recommend listening to the Outlander series of books on audio, narrated by Davina Porter. Ms. Porter does an excellent job with voicing all the different characters, it’s hard to believe just one person is narrating. I hope she continues to narrate any of the books in Diana Gabaldon’s repertoire.
I agree with you on the Outlander series – Davina Porter is outstanding and has narrated several genres and authors.
I’m kinda surprised The Boys in the Boat didn’t make the list. That’s my go-to audiobook to recommend to people. I’m not sure I would have enjoyed it as much without Edward Hermann’s narration!
I’m reading The Martian right now as an ebook. I am curious now about the audio and may have to check it out. I can easily see the sarcasm and humor of Mark’s commentary being enhanced by a good narrator!
I almost bought the Boys in the Boat audio a couple weeks ago, but I was afraid Edward Hermann narrating would make me sad. Also, it’s long and have a backlog of audiobooks:)
I came to this post for the sole purpose of ensuring you had Modern Romance on this list. Hilarious!
I totally agree on the Louise Penny series. The narrator does an excellent job of bringing the characters to life in very distinguishable ways. I listened to the first 11 books that way!
I also thought The Kitchen House was a fantastic audio experience.
Thank you for the suggestions!
Thanks for this list!
The Flavia de luce series by Alan Bradley are great audiobooks. This series begins with “The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie”…the accents are awesome as is each book itself!
Totally agree! I just finished Flavia #5 and have listened to all 5 on audio. Jane Entwistle is fantastic. Flavia de Luce forever!
I just came here to mention this series! Jayne Entwistle also narrated a Barbara Pym book that was recently an Audible deal — it’s up next on my list, after I finish listening to my current Louise Penny.
I agree! I love the narrator’s voice.
Great list! I’ve been tearing through audio books since a major bridge on my commute closed unexpectedly, thereby DOUBLING my commute time. Audio books are saving my life. Lots of books to add to my TBR list here. Thanks!
I wholeheartedly second The Cuckoo’s Calling (and the rest of that series). Excellent narration. And everything Bill Bryson, but make sure you get the ones where he’s the narrator. I’ve returned audiobooks to the library once I realized that Bryson wasn’t the narrator of the books he wrote! #booknerd
Yes! I love Bill Bryson and picked up “A Short History of Nearly Everything.” The Brit who was reading was not able to convey Bryson’s humor! I brought it back before I finished the 1st chapter.
I particularly enjoy his half American, half British accent. But Carrrie, pick back up A Short History of Nearly Everything – it is still worth the listen! And if you like that check out the Disappearing Spoon and Sam Kean’s other books. They’re great science writing!
It wasn’t Bryson reading that one. 🙁
Yeah, I know. I think I listened to it before any I heard any that he had narrated. So I didn’t have the expectation of hearing his voice. Even though it isn’t Bryson narrating, I still think A Short History is worth a listen, but I get that having the expectation of Bryson can make it not work. It’s the same for me with the new Louise Penny narrator, I can’t get past not having the same accents.
I am currently listening to H is for Hawk. Beautifully written and spoken.
Anne! I was so excited to see that you listed Faithful Place! I know you often mention The Likeness as your favorite Tana French book, but this mine. I’ve actually read this in hardback and listened to it at least two times each. French’s first book, In the Woods, is also really good on audio — if a little creepy. I also agree with The Martian, Ready Player One and anything by Louise Penny. With the Louise Penny books, listening helped me catch more humor than I was inserting into my reading. I haven’t read/listened to this Joshilyn Jackson, but Gods in Alabama is great on audio (though it’s not read by Jackson). Dear Mr. You by Mary Louise Parker was also awesome on audio. More often than not, I don’t enjoy authors reading their own work, but Parker did a great job.
Thank you so much for this list. I recently went from a 5-minute commute to a 30-minute commute. I listened to Amy Schumer’s “The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo”. At first it was weird hearing her read her own story rather than her usual comic voice, but it grew on me and I ended up loving it.
Then, since I’m such a fan of Bill Bryson, I went to “A Short History of Nearly Everything.” The reader of this book was sooooo incredibly dry. I quickly returned it in learning that all audiobooks are not created equal.
I’ve learned it’s hard to pick and choose. A great book could be horrible on audiobook. Likewise, some books might be more enjoyable that way! I appreciate your recommendations. It gives me a place to start
I would add Lonesome Dove and The Golem and the Jinni to the list. George Guidall, who narrated The Golem and the Jinni, is one of my favorite narrators.
I love audiobooks. I have an hour commute every day and can usually get through a book in a week. I recently listened to “The Goldfinch” – what a tremendous book and narrator. I also enjoy any comedians audiobiography. They usually narrate themselves and they are hilarious. A couple noteworthy ones were Billy Crystal and Martin Short.
I agree about Billy Crystal’s autobiography. Totally entertaining and engaging.
Thank you. The list sounds excellent. Maybe the push I need to get started.
Pride and Prejudice narrated by Carolyn Seymour was done well. Also, Unbroken was great on audio. Currently, I’m engrossed in Louise Penny’s Still Life.
I second Unbroken!
Thank you for this list! I find that I tend to listen non-fiction on audiobook, with the exception of family-friendly books for traveling, so I’m thrilled to have some tested fiction to borrow from the library.
I just listened to Rob Lowe read Stories I Only Tell My Friends and loved it! It’s an incredible story, and Lowe’s impressions of other celebrity voices are priceless.
One of my bookish successes this year was getting a coworker hooked on audiobooks! It was getting hard to remember and recommend books, so I recently created a bookshelf on Goodreads for all the books that I’ve finished on audio. In addition to some of those you already listed, my top favorites are Rules of Civility, Bel Canto, Unbroken, At the Water’s Edge, and Cutting for Stone.
A couple of weeks ago, I finished listening to “A Man Called Ove”. It is now one of my all-time-favorite books! When I read the title of this post, I immediately thought of Ove and was so pleased to see that you felt the same way. The narrator is wonderful.
The Mitford Series by Jan Karon absolutely should be included in this category. I read the first book years ago and thought it just okay. John McDonough’s narration is stellar. I LOVED this series in audio format. Listened to every one of the books and crave more.
Another favorite in audio format was “The Thirteenth Tale” by Diane Setterfield. I listened to the book mainly while walking in the neighborhood and walked a lot more than planned because I loved the book so much! The writing took my breath away and I don’t know that I would have had the full effect of it by reading it myself. We sometimes read so fast that we are past a beautifully written sentence before we’ve really taken it in. I gasped more than once at the beautiful use of language and the pictures it painted.
Clearly, I totally agree that reading may be enhanced by narrators in audiobooks and don’t think it cheating in any way. Audiobooks are the ONLY reason I’m willing to exercise!
Oh gosh…how could I forget “The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society” got my kitchen painted. The ensemble cast of readers did a fabulous job!
So good! I didn’t want it to end!
Most of these would be on my list too! But because I take audios VERY seriously…they are my passion, as you may have deduced…I went back to my “best of” lists for the last handful of years and came up with more. First, I’ll just say that ALL of Joshilyn Jackson, Tana French, Robert Galbraith and Kate Morton audios would be on my list. I will not read them in print, period. They are all amazing. Also, Where’d You Go Bernadette (Maria Semple), Bossypants (Tina Fey), The Time Traveler’s Wife (Audrey Niffenegger), We Are Water (Wally Lamb), 11/22/63 (Uncle Stevie), Rod an Autobiography (Rod Stewart), and The Dinner (Herman Koch) all made the top lists in years when I may have listened to upwards of 80 or more. I will talk about audios forever if you let me 🙂
Thanks so much for these recommendations! I’m currently listening to Jane Steele, and the narrator (Susie Riddell) is fabulous. A Man Called Ove is on my Audible wish list, as are a couple of Bill Bryson books. I’m excited to check out some of the others you’ve listed as well.
Currently listening to Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese, narrated by Sunhil Malhotra. Wonderful to hear the accents and correct pronunciation of names and places. Love this book.
For people with middle grade kids or adults who like middle grade, The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place series is fun.
And I loved Jim Dales narration of Night Circus
Love all of the Louise Penny books on audio. I am in the middle of Book 6 now and feel like all of these characters are my friends. Just yesterday I learned that Ralph Cosham died in 2014, though. I’m not sure I can listen to the ones where he isn’t the reader! He IS Gamache!
Three thoughts. I know you focus on adult literature, but the Neil Patrick Harris version of the Henry Huggins books are amazing. Perfect for family car rides. 2. The Martian is great in three ways. Audiobook, regular book and movie. Such a rarity. 3. Bill Bryson does the narration on the audio tour at the baths in Bath, England and it was fantastic. I’ve always wondered if he does it for other historical sites as well or if that was a one off deal.
I LOVE Neil Patrick Harris doing Henry Huggins! My family has listened to that series sooo many times. (We also like Stockard Channing reading Ramona, but not nearly as much.)
Two of my children are dyslexic and have struggled with reading. This is frustrating to them because they want to read the books their friends are reading, but often haven’t yet developed the reading skills necessary to tackle these books. We found the answer to this dilemma by down loading the audible version of books such as “Fablehaven” or “The Sorcerers Stone” to our childs kindles. The audio syncs to the text, which allows the child to follow along as the book is read to them. It evens highlights the text as it is being read. This has exposed to a greater range of books and vocabulary of words that they would have had access to on their own, while allowing them to maintain independence, and keep up with the reading habits of their peers.
I have been an audiobook fan since Books on Tape days in the last century! I loved “The Martian”, “A Walk in the Woods” and “The Cuckoo’s Calling”. I have found listening to the “classics” is far easier than other modes of reading. That’s how I was able to read “War and Peace” earlier this year – definitely a commitment.
Great post, Anne!
I always have an audio going and many of my favorites made your list…Faithful Place and The Kitchen House rank way up there for me as well.
A few recent listens that were very good: Vanessa and Her Sister by Priya Parmar and Call the Midwife by Jennifer Worth. Also, I know this book may not be for everyone, but I found A Mother’s Reckoning by Sue Klebold to be one of the most emotional and heartfelt audios I’ve ever experienced.
I have that book in hardcover and I keep hearing it’s amazing. I’m a little scared to pick it up though. It never occurred to me to even look for an audio version! I’m glad to hear it was a wonderful listening experience.
Not really of the same style or genre of the books you listed but the Harry Potter audio books are AMAZING! Jim Dale is incredible with his voices of the characters. I have yet to find an audio book that compares.
Jim Dale also narrates the Night Circus and he’s great on that one too
Interesting! I will have to check that out. Thank you!
I loved the audiobooks for One Plus One, The Kitchen House and A Man Called Ove. They are all on my list of favorites! Three very different settings and type of characters.
Thank you so much for this list! I work at a county public library and I have a lot of back of house work so I’ve been trying to listen to more audiobooks while I work. This list came at the PERFECT time for me and I’ve added Maisie Dobbs to my list.
I have to say I hated Ready Player One on audiobook. Wil Wheaton read it so unbearably slowly it almost turned me off from the book completely. My husband had read and loved the book, so we were listening to it together on a road trip. I had to stop, but I eventually finished it in paper format which was much more enjoyable.
Also, when oh when are they going to come out with another Veronica Mars book?!
Have you ever used a different speed on audible or overdrive? For a slow reader speeding up the narration can really help make it more enjoyable (and you finish the book sooner).
Oh, interesting! It was on our iPod so I don’t know if I’d have been able to do that, but that’s good to know for the future. I always speed up YouTube videos and such, so maybe I’m just an impatient person, haha.
1.5 speed is the answer! (Or 1.25, or 2.0, whatever floats your boat. 🙂 )
The comoron strikes series are some of the best audio books I’ve listened to. I also enjoyed Aziz Ansari’s modern romance, I don’t think I would have stuck with it on paperback. I read the Martian on paperback and loved it(I even cried at the end, lmao), wonder how different the audio experience would have been.
I did rules of civility on audio and it was just fabulous and I’m currently doing “seabiscuit” on audio (so far so good).
Anne, thank you for this post! It is so timely for me. I have often thought that were I to sit down for a conversation with you and you asked what I wanted to change about my reading life, I would say that I wanted to try audiobooks. So, recently, I signed up for Audible and ordered my first book, A Man Called Ove. Like you, I tried the paper version and wondered what the excitement over this book was all about because it did nothing for me. I decided to try it as an audiobook and am so glad I did. What a difference between reading what Ove says versus hearing someone speak for Ove! The narrator does a great job bringing Ove to life! Your other suggestions for great audiobook experiences plus all of the comments to your post are giving me some great ideas for my next audiobook. Thanks everyone!
I am a very very visual person, ie. not auditory. I have tried audio books since they’d be so convenient to listen to while playing with the little baby, but I can’t follow the story. I will definitely give one of these a try and see if that helps!
Thanks for such a great list! This is probably a silly question, but do you listen to these books in audible? I did a free trial with audible and before I kept it I looked around, and the books I was looking at seemed so expensive! Are they all expensive or do they have deals sometimes? Or maybe there’s another place to get audio books that I don’t know about? Thanks!!
Karen–I get all of my audio books from apps affiliated with my local library, both Overdrive and Hoopla. No purchase necessary!
Audible has a daily deal. Today it’s I Am Malala for $3.95.
They run other sales but those are generally members only – I hit the sales hard. Currently 200 books are on sale for $4.95 (ends Friday). Americanah, Water for Elephants, A Court of Thorns and Roses, I’ll Give You the Sun, The Complete Sherlock Holmes.
I also do great through Overdrive with my library. If you have Amazon Prime they offer 50 free audio books a month, but I think it’s complicated to find them.
Check with your library! I use CD books in my car, and Overdrive makes it super easy to listen to books through the app on my tablet or phone.
I use Audible and frequently use my membership to get the hot new releases I’d have to wait FOREVER for at the library, but that I’m not sure I want to buy. I also scoop up many titles from their daily deals. You don’t need to be a member to buy them, and prices range from $.95 to $4.95. I also use the Whispersync deals to get audiobooks for cheap.
Good to know about the Louise Penny books! I’ve read the first three and they just weren’t doing it for me, but will keep trying with book 4, and in audiobook format if I can find it.
I think this list is what I needed to get into audiobooks beyond the Harry Potter series. Thanks!
I found out last week that “The Night Circus” by Erin Morgenstern is also narrated by Jim Dale so that jumped to the top of my list:)
You won’t regret that decision! It is fabulous.
My husband and I listened to Ready Player One on our road trip from Kansas to New Orleans and back. And by the time we pulled into our driveway (with an hour left), I was RIVETED!! I insisted that we listen while we had dinner that night. Even if that meant splitting a set of ear buds at a diner!
I would also recommend the audio versions of Neil Gaiman’s books. He does the narration himself and it’s just wonderful. Two more excellent series – Nevada Barr’s Anna Pigeon (although they got too graphic for me eventually) and Elizabeth Peters’s delightful Amelia Peabody series (female archaeologist in Egypt starting in 1884). Both are narrated by Barbara Rosenblat who is truly gifted.
I was walking my dog while finishing Ove and had to walk home blubbering and tears streaming down my face. Three months later, and I think about that book pretty much every day when I walk that stretch of trail.
I’m sad to learn Ralph Cosham died — I really love his reading of the Gamache series. I’m trying not to binge on them, but it’s really hard.
My kids and I have adored the Narnia series read by a whole host of famous British actors — Lynn Redgrave, Kenneth Branagh, Derek Jacobi — and I loved the audio version of Code Name Verity. The companion, Rose Under Fire, didn’t have nearly as good a narrator.
What a fun post! I’ve been a die-hard audiobook listener for 15 years, when I was fresh out of college and couldn’t afford cable, a DVD player or internet, and would check out audiobooks from the library to listen to in the evenings after work.
Have you read the Incorrigible Children series? It’s a middle grade book, but I’m loving the sometimes dry wit.
Anne, you turned me on to Outlander, and I bought the 7-book bundle when you published it as an Amazon deal. I got seriously hooked immediately, bought #8, then joined Audibel so I could listen. (Just finished them up last week.?) Davina Porter is simply the best narrator I’ve ever experienced! I’ve hunted her down and listened to her read several other books as well- and she never disappoints.
I haven’t been listening to audio books long, but I have One Plus One going in the car right now! It’s great fun, too.
I just picked up Ready Player One recently and was not fully engaged in the first pages, so maybe I will try the audio version of that as well.
Such great recommendations; thank you! I did recently try listening to a book with a narrator I found grating, so I put that down pretty quickly for sure, but I’ve learned that a well-narrated book can really help get over the challenge of getting started on a book I just can’t seem to get motivated for, even if I do want to read it.
To Kill A Mockingbird narrated by Sissy Spacek was amazingly enhanced by that beautiful southern accent!
Oh I forgot about this one! Good pick! 🙂
Thank you for the list, audio is how I do most of my reading and I was happy to see that my library had almost every one of these. I agree that the narrator can add to the reading experience and just as I have my favorite authors, I have my favorite readers. I would add Caroline Lee as a favorite, she read so many great ones including Liane Moriarity’s books. Right now I am enjoying Colin Firth’s narration of The End of The Affair, a book I probably wouldn’t read otherwise.
Currently finishing up Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier and have gotten swept up in the suspense as the narrator does an excellent job of making each character come alive. My kids have adored the Peter and the Starcatchers series narrated by Jim Dale. LOVE audiobooks as I am an auditory learner. Couldn’t get into The Martian and am wondering if it might be better on audio?
I listened to Veronica Mars on audio and it was fantastic! There were a couple of times where I said that I needed to go finish watching Veronica Mars even though I was just listening to it :). I too was disappointed that the second book wasn’t narrated by Kristen Bell :(. I look forward to checking some of these others out.
I loved 11/22/63 by Stephen King (Craig Wasson). It is such a long book so audio was the only way I could get through it. Also, Lauren Graham reading her Someday, Someday, Maybe is so delightful! The Help is also a great listen.
When do you have time to listen to books? My husband and I used to read to each other, but haven’t been able to in the last few years due to schedule conflicts. In the car, with kids, doesn’t work for obvious reasons. 🙂 So?
Usually in the car when I’m doing an errand by myself or going somewhere on my own. Weeding the garden, folding laundry, doing any chores around the house.
Also, headphones. I listen while cooking dinner, cleaning the house, mowing the lawn, etc. Wireless Bluetooth headphones make it easy and obviously the kids can’t hear it 🙂
I have an audiobook for all the things I loathe doing – yardwork, laundry, exercise etc. Sometimes I actually do these things before it’s absolutely necessary because I want to finish my book!
I could listen (and actually have) to the whole Harry Potter series over and over. It’s so well done.
Ditto!
Great post, Anne. I listen to audiobooks when walking my dog, and while sewing. I can highly recommend Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts. The narrator adds an extra layer to the book with his wonderful reading. I will listen to it again. For kids, the How To TrIn Your Dragon books for liveliness and humor. Pleasing to kids and their parents!
May I also recommend the audio versions of “The Underground Railroad” by Colson Whitehead and “Between The World and Me” by Ta-Nehisi Coates? Both are excellect books and excellent listens.
Every Thursday I drive 3 hours to where my husband works. I stay through to Sunday and drive back. I’d never make it without audio books.
So many great recommendations here!
Any sci-fi/fantasy recommendations? Are there any good audiobook versions of Lord of the Rings series?
Stephanie,
Anything Neil Gaiman has written (and then narrated) is fantastic. Monster Hunter International (maybe not quite the fantasy you’re looking for) is wonderfully narrated. Also Jim Butcher’s Dresden files is wonderfully narrated (by James Marsters aka Spike from Buffy). Tamora Pierce’s series are a bit more traditional fantasy and narrated very well. Those are more young adult, but I still enjoy them very much.
Looking for g-rated audiobook recommendations for car trips with my 80 year old parents. They won’t listen if there is profanity or sexual content but they aren’t interested in children’s books either. Any ideas?
I LOVED ‘Little Princes: One Man’s Promise to Bring Home the Lost Children of Nepal’ by Conor Grennan, and read by the author. There may be a couple profanities (Oh My G–), but I think that’s all. I bawled for a good portion of the seventh CD, but laughed out loud many, many times throughout. SO GOOD! I don’t often go out of my way to recommend books, but I keep mentioning it to people. Do yourself and your parents a favor, and give it a listen! 8 Discs.
Karen…I second the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society for your parents. I also highly recommend the Mitford series by Jan Karon.
Yep, try these: https://modernmrsdarcy.com/40-favorite-audiobooks-kids/
Great list. I am not always a huge audio book fan, but I really enjoyed listening to The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. It is read by a cast of engaging people, and the central character’s voice reminded me a bit of Julie Andrews.
I’ve been waiting for a post just like this for awhile now…thank you, thank you for delivering some excellent audio recommendations! I credit your website and podcast for pushing me to try audio, and I’m so happy I did! Life is full with work, family, graduate school…but taking care of oneself is so important, and that’s where reading comes in for me. Thank you for helping me figure out how to remove that barrier that is ‘time’, and take advantage of those moments when I can listen (in the car, mostly!!).
So far, I’ve listened to: “The Poisonwood Bible” by Barbara Kingsolver – the narrator does different voices for the very different perspectives of the sisters…this was such a great first audio experience. I love her southern accent.
“Pines” by Blake Crouch – really not my typical genre, and while the premise was interesting, the narrating was pretty terrible, and the writing not too impressive.
“I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” by Maya Angelou – I LOVED this one…I could listen to Ms. Angelou read anything, beautiful narrating, and the writing is exquisite. I went out and bought a paperback of this, too, because I want to pore over the sentences.
“As You Wish” by Cary Elwes – I’m currently listening to this one. It’s entertaining…the writing is ok, and it’s narrated by the author and some of the cast members, which is great. The behind-the-scenes stories are fantastic. Princess Bride is one of my favorite movies, though…and now I need to read the actual book!
And now, with all the reader comments, I’ll have even more recommendations! Thank you for helping me sustain my reading life through audiobooks 🙂
Oh, almost forgot! I also read “The Girl on the Train”, and I loved that, too! Again, a different genre for me, but it was a “page-turner”!! Great narration.
I just finished that on audio and loved it too!
Have you listened to the Flavia DeLuce series? The narrator captures her voice and the tone of the books so well that I will wait for weeks to get the audio book as opposed to reading them.
I agree!
I will be adding Faithful Place and 3 Sisters, 3 Queens to my audible queue.
I agree wholeheartedly about audio books. I love that they allow me to enjoy a book while driving, knitting or folding laundry. However, I do have to be completely alone to fully engulf myself into the listen.
Currently, I am listening to Hamilton by Ron Chernow. It’s amazing thus far. I am also listening to book 4 of the Game of Thrones (GOT)on audio and it’s the best audio experience I’ve ever had. I tried the ebook and the paperback and always got lost or forgot who I was dealing with because there are thousands of different characters to keep track of. The narrator of GOT brings that book alive for me and I love the show that much more because of how awesome the audio books are.
Your faithful reader,
Dana
The Shack audiobook was excellent. I hadn’t read it first or since, so I can’t say for sure, but I added the audio when I bought the Kindle version for my teen daughter because I enjoyed it so much.
I listened to Modern Romance in one shot. I started it on my drive home from work one Friday night (I commute), I liked it so much that I kept listening during my workout, then continued listening while I did my grocery shopping, came home and listened while I did meal prep, and then made a bowl of popcorn to snack on while I finished it. The book is great, and Aziz is hilarious. I also listened to Gretchen Rubin’s The Happiness Project on audio based on a reccomendation from one of your posts. I don’t know that I would have read it otherwise, but I’m so glad I did! I’m not an avid Gretchen Rubin fan and follow all her work obsessively. I just finished listening to A Man Called Ove today. The narrator was perfect! It added a lot to the story. I think Ove will end up being my favorite book I’ve read this year. I laughed and cried throughout the whole story. It was deep yet lighthearted and had such a wonderful message without being sappy or nauseating. I’m always looking for great audio reccomendations. Thanks for this great post!
Me too– both Modern Romance and The Happiness Project are perfect for the listening experience!
A Man Called Ove is my all time favorite book/audio books. I have recommended it to everyone. I’ve actually listened to it a second time. I rarely watch/listen or read anything more than once and it was just as good the second time around!
The Neapolitan Series by Elena Ferrante is awesome. Even after 4 books, I didn’t want it to end.
Heartless by Marissa Meyer was really good!
Reading this post and these comments, I have added so many books to my Audible Wish List! I wanted to mention how much I LOVED Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides on audiobook. The narrator, Kristoffer Tabori, does an amazing job with the Greek-American accents. It was such an experience listening to this book. Loved it!
So happy to see Ready Player One on this list!
I’d add Dimension of Miracles narrated by John Hodgman, another great pairing.
I loved listening to The Mitford Series by Jan Karon. Simple, calm, uplifting stories. Too simple to read but wonderfully relaxing to listen to.
I love audiobooks! I listen to them while I work. I just placed almost all the books on hold at my library. Thank you for your recommendations!
Some of my favorite audio books listed! I drive 60 miles a day to work (roundtrip) so I have a lot of time to listen and cry ( Man called Ove). My number one favorite is still Code Name Verity- really is an outstanding audio book.
I loved the Audible version of “A Prayer for Owen Meany” by John Irving. Owen’s voice was great. I have gotten into the habit of reading along on my Kindle and listening to the book on Audible whenever I can. I can’t imagine this book without hearing Owen’s voice.
Thank you so much for this post – some book-reading experiences really can be enhanced through audio editions, and this list is a great place to start. I really regret not having listened to Amy Poehler’s book, as I felt when I was reading it I wasn’t quite capturing her voice, and therefore didn’t find it nearly as funny or enjoyable as I do when watching or listening to her perform. That said, I was somewhat disappointed by the first couple of lines in this post:
“It’s official: as far as your brain is concerned, audiobooks are not “cheating.” The mental processes involved in experiencing a book are pretty much the same, whether you “read” it with your eyes or your ears.”
I completely agree with you, the author of the initial article Melissa Dahl, and Professor Daniel Willingham, that audiobooks are not “cheating” and that this concept of “cheating” when talking about reading is rather silly and definitely arbitrary. However, to state definitively that the mental processes involved in experiencing a book are the same via the act of reading and the act of listening is an oversimplification of an idea that lacks empirical evidence. There are no studies cited by you, Ms. Dahl, or Professor Willingham which conduct experiments that directly compare the two experiences in the cognitive processes of two or more groups. Additionally, Willingham is only one expert, and the only expert cited — and while his credibility and expertise is not being questioned here, the fact that only one source (one without empirical evidence) is being cited is worthy of concern, and makes the reliability and validity of the statement made questionable. Since it was the initial statement, as well as the main idea of the post, it really distracted me from enjoying the rest of the post, which was otherwise both poignant and astute.
I am a huge fan of your blog and your book lists, and I am also an avid reader who believes in the worthiness of audiobooks in anyone’s library. Again, thank you for creating this list and for your many thoughtful contributions.
When possible, I enjoy having both a hard copy of a book AND the audio version (although my library probably frowns on this). I’m a visual learner, so I often NEED to see the words, but I also enjoy the accents and the pure LUXURY of being read to. It’s not such a gamble to buy a used audio CD if I have a book as back-up for the parts of the CD that skip. A non-fiction audiobook I LOVED was “Undaunted Courage” (about the Lewis and Clark expedition). “Big Little Lies” is my all-time favorite fiction audio, but I’m currently enjoying “Circling the Sun” very much, although with my mouth hanging open at some of the protagonist’s exploits!
I just listened to, “The Clancys of Queens” by Tara French. The book is read by the author and she is a fantastic narrator. I so enjoyed meeting her family in this book as she really has a group of really interesting and funny family!
I wish I knew how the edit my post! The author is Tara Clancy, not French sorry about that!!!
The Outlander series is amazing!!! On audio. The best
Here are some audiobooks I listened to in 2016 great experiences:
Call the Midwife by Jennifer Worth; The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder (lyrical Southern reading); Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult (three main characters read in three different voices); Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston (loved the vernacular speech interpretation). I listen on my work commute time and a book a week. These four were memorable!
I have just listened to a great one, The Boston Girl by Anita Diamant. It is read by Linda Lavin and she is a fantastic narrator.
I absolutely loved “Cuckoo’s Calling,” and I think it is because of your recommendation! Some of the complaints about the book – too much description and dialogue were perfect for listening to the book!
I only read audiobooks, since I’m blind and this is the only way to truly enjoy them. I can only imagine you haven’t heard Seán Barrett narrate something, or he would be on this list. Perfume by Patrick Suskind and the Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco are two favourites that spring to mind. He also does an astounding job with the beckett Trilogy, but they are very hard going books.
Other great listens include The discworld Series by terry Pratchett, A Song of Ice and Fire series by George R. R. Martin and Niel Gaiman usually has wonderful narrators for his books or he does a rather excellent job himself.
Glad Cuckoos Calling made the list. I’d like to add The no. 1 Ladies Detective Agency books. There are 17 in the series with another coming Nov-17. The woman who reads them does a fantastic job of voicing characters – you can recognize the characters and it’s consistent across all 17 books. These aren’t intense mysteries, but the stories about Africa suck you in, give you perspective on life, and make you laugh and cry.
My favorite audiobook is Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson. This is a verse novel read by the author and it’s just so beautiful. I also just listened to Murder on the Orient Express on Overdrive. The narrator does all the voices and it was amazing.
I listen to audiobooks in my car exclusively. I loved AMan Called Ove! I loved also Lauren Graham’s I’m Talking As Fast As I Can! Amazing! Thanks for the recommendations!!
I love anything narrated by Richard Armitage, and he’s narrated quite a few books (Dickens, Shakespeare novelizations, Georgette Heyer).
I also love David Sedaris on audio. Reading his books is just not the same for me as listening to him narrate one.
Finally, Alan Rickman narrated one audio book, Hardy’s Return of the Native, and it was excellent.
My two favorite audiobooks are: ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’- the narrator of this novel draws the listener right into the story!
‘The Iliad’- not a genre of book I would ever pick up to read, but as an audiobook this story is completely enthralling!!
I tried to listen to Cuckoo’s Calling and was SO VERY BORED. I might try to read the book but…. eh. I was disappointed.
This column is from 2-3 years ago, so my recommendation is current (2018). “Born A Crime” by Trevor Noah is such a wonderful audiobook! His story is so interesting, about his growing up up in South Africa, and I could listen to his accent all day and night!
I know I enjoyed listening to Tom Hanks read The House more than the actual story. Not sure if I read the physical book if I would have enjoyed as much or even finished. Audio can add such an enjoyable layer to the story. My favorite audio has been Daisy Jones and the Six. Full cast audio – loved it!