Because audiobook listening is still on the rise, and my own audiobook listening continues to play a crucial role in my reading life, I’ve taken to gathering my recent listens and sharing them Quick Lit-style in focused audiobook-only posts like this one. I hope you find a title or two (or six? It happens!) that looks intriguing, and I implore you to share your own superlative audiobook listens in comments so we all can benefit from your readerly experience.
In my last audiobook roundup I focused exclusively on literary fiction and love stories, two genres that my reading journal made clear I was heavily (if inadvertently) focusing on in my listening choices. As you can see, my audiobook reading is (again inadvertently) more diverse this time. We have memoir, literary fiction, autofiction, mystery, historical fiction, cozy, and even an audio drama. The lengths range from under two hours to nearly seventeen. Half of these books were published in the past few years, and even the past few months, but some are much older: 2009, 1963, 1927.
Some of these books have previously appeared on the blog (usually in Quick Lit); some are appearing for the first time. My hope is that these audiobook round-ups can be good resources for finding your next audiobook when it’s time to see what’s on Libby or spend a new credit.
I hope you find something that looks intriguing for your TBR on this list (and in these comments!), and I look forward to browsing your recent audiobook favorites below. Thanks in advance for your recommendations: they’re extremely helpful when it comes to choosing my next listen!
Audiobook roundup: great listens lately
The Bell Jar
From the publisher: "A deep penetration into the darkest and most harrowing corners of the human psyche, The Bell Jar is an extraordinary accomplishment and a haunting American classic."
More info →
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
I have long heard that out of more than eighty Agatha Christie books, this might be the best one. Years ago, Jim Mustich chose it as the top Christie in his 1,000 Books to Read Before You Die, but it was actually the many references to it in Catherine Mack's April 2024 release Every Time I Go on Vacation Someone Dies that prompted me to finally read this 1927 classic involving a cozy English village, a murder (of course), Hercule Poirot, a plot twist, and suspects galore. Of the many available editions I chose the one narrated by Hugh Fraser and was quite satisfied with the performance. 6 hrs 54 mins. More info →
Brooklyn
With this summer's publication of Tóibín's companion book Long Island, many readers are revisiting this 2009 historical fiction—or finding it for the first time. (Read the two in whatever order you'd like.) In this quiet coming-of-age story, set just after the second World War, a young girl from Ireland's County Wexford is offered the opportunity to travel to America to settle in a a Brooklyn neighborhood that's "just like Ireland," with the assurance of an education and a good job. She had no intention of leaving home, but can't say this aloud, and so she goes. A poignant novel with homesickness at its heart, reminiscent of Betty Smith's A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. This contemplative work is beautiful on audio, as narrated by Kirsten Potter. 7 hrs 50 mins. More info →
Devil Is Fine
Dion Graham is one of my favorite narrators, so I pounced on this new June release as soon as it was available on audio and was hooked from the first line. The story centers a biracial Black father grieving the recent death of his seventeen-year-old son, whose life is further unmoored when he inherits a plantation from his estranged white grandfather, and remains of both enslavers and enslaved are immediately discovered on the property. The man (whose name we never learn) is a writer and professor, and he thrills his agent by emailing her in the middle of the night with a book proposal based on these real-life events. But when morning comes he has no memory of writing the proposal his agent loves so much. He grows increasingly concerned as he begins hearing voices—and fears he's turning into a jellyfish. Vercher beautifully incorporates these elements of magical realism into his story to portray a man and father wrestling with past wrongs, and grasping at some sort of way forward. A book club could have a great time with this: there is so much to discuss. 8 hrs 36 mins. More info →
Sipsworth
This gentle and touching story captured my heart and my imagination, as it has for countless readers since its May 2024 publication. If you enjoy books with seasoned protagonists, give this one a close look. Eighty-three-year-old Helen Cartwright moves back to her English village hometown after sixty years in Australia. Her husband and adult son have both died and she doesn’t feel the need to seek out new friends. The quiet solitude is enough as she lives out the remainder of her life. When she finds and rescues an abandoned pet mouse whom she names Sipsworth, she has no idea just how much her life is about to change. A moving exploration of grief, loneliness, community, and second chances. Narrated by Christine Rendel. 5 hrs 10 mins. More info →
How to Say Babylon
This lyrical memoir, beautifully narrated by the author on audio, explores patriarchy, colonialism in Jamaica, and how she discovered her own power. Sinclair grew up in a strict Rastafarian home in Jamaica, where her father, a reggae musician, was obsessed with keeping the corruption of the Western world (that he called Babylon) at bay. Almost everything was forbidden to Safiya and her siblings: she wasn’t allowed to wear pants, make friends, or cut her hair, and any disobedience—perceived or real—was met with violence. In this moving story, she shares how she finds her voice and eventually, her escape, with the help of good books, teachers, and mentors. It took me a few chapters to get oriented in the story but once I did I couldn’t stop listening. 16 hrs 46 mins. More info →
Burn Book: A Tech Love Story
This was an interesting change of pace from my usual reading; I picked up the audiobook when our resident spreadsheet whisperer Donna mentioned she was enjoying the audio version. The author hosts a popular podcast and is a longtime tech reporter, but I wasn't familiar with her work when I dove in to her tale—part professional memoir, part recent history—of covering U.S. tech companies beginning in the 1990s. Swisher's breezy style and the breadth of material covered here made this entertaining reading for someone who doesn't pay all that much attention to what's happening in Silicon Valley, but would like to better understand the workings of an industry that affects all of us every day. Narrated by the author. 7 hrs 40 mins. More info →
State of Paradise
It was a pleasure to discuss this July 2024 release in detail with Hunter in this week's new episode of What Should I Read Next (Ep 445: Startlingly beautiful sentences and perfect last lines). Dreamy and surreal, this hybrid of autofiction and speculative fiction is set in the wake of a pandemic (but not our pandemic) and features a Florida ghostwriter grappling to make sense of the world as it is now, her troubling personal relationships, and the increasing pull a VR program called ELECTRA has on some community members and her own sister. This short novel is more than a little bit weird and had me constantly thinking of Lauren Groff's short story collection Florida for its similar mood and setting. I happened to read Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar just before picking up this book and that turned out to be fortuitous timing. Narrated by Megan Tusing, 5 hrs 33 mins. More info →
The Queen of Fourteenth Street
Barrie Kreinik has long been one of my favorite audiobook narrators—The Mother-in-Law! Code Name Hélène! We Are the Brennans!—so when I saw that the narrator and playwright wrote her own audio original produced in the style of a 1930s radio drama, it's fair to say I pounced. This is Kreinik's adapted-for-audio version of a stage play she wrote, and much like the theater, it was performed and recorded by the entire cast in a single sitting. Her subject is the real-life early twentieth century theater icon Eva Le Gallienne, who founded NYC's innovative Civic Repertory Theatre in 1926 and successfully steered it through the Depression era. Narrated by a full cast including Barrie Kreinik and Orlagh Cassidy, with original audio design for a thoroughly immersive experience. 1 hr 38 mins. More info →
The Briar Club
I just happened to listen to Quinn's 2019 historical thriller The Huntress on audio, and enjoyed Saskia Maarleveld's narration so much that ever since then I've made it a point to listen to Quinn's works, and to listen to more works narrated by Maarleveld. This new July 2024 release is set during the McCarthy era in 1950 Washington, DC, and takes place almost entirely in the Briarwood House, a women's boardinghouse run by a parsimonious landlord. The structure is interesting: we hear from each of the house's residents in turn, but just once, and learn of her dreams, disappointments, and the secrets she's keeping from her housemates. But the house has its own opinions on what unfolds within its walls: we hear from the house itself repeatedly throughout the story, beginning in the opening chapter when it tells us two people have been murdered there. Beautifully constructed and highly entertaining, I definitely folded extra laundry so I could find out what happens next. Narrated by Saskia Maarleveld; don't miss her conversation with Kate Quinn at the end. 15 hrs 3 mins. More info →
What have you been listening to lately? Please share your favorite titles that are particularly good in the audio format in the comments section!
24 comments
Thank you for such a great list!! I added three to my list. I am currently listening to “The Wedding People” by Alison Espach on audio and loving it!
Hugh Fraser is my favorite narrator for Agatha Christie! The Murder of Roger Ackroyd is one of her best, due in no small part to her deliberate disregard for The Detection Club rules. (To be fair, all the authors broke these rules – that they came up with – but this is one of the earliest to do it and one that doesn’t it the best.) I’d recommend Crooked House, Death on the Nile, and A Murder is Announced as some of her personal favorites of her work. They’re some of mine as well. She remains my favorite of the Golden Age mystery authors, but there are a LOT of good ones to try.
I’ve been all over the place trying to settle into a new audiobook. I’m currently listening to The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle (I know it’s 7 1/2 here, but I read the UK one first and the name stuck. lol) and enjoying it. It’s a reread for me, but the first time on audio. I’m also listening to One, Two, Buckle my Shoe (also by Agatha Christie) as a comfort read. I’m always reading something by her, and my favorites stay in rotation. I’m trying to decide what I want to listen to for SFF. I’m leaning towards Dune. I will give Kate Quinn’s a try as I love houses as narrators. Thistlefoot did that really well too. And so, in a weird way, does North Woods by Daniel Mason
Lately I have loved
This is Happiness by Naill Williams
a delightful story, full of heart.
Martyr by Kaveh Akbar a poignant and creative story that is beautifully read.
And Wellness by Nathan Hill, a compelling and witty look a modern relationships. I was intimidated by its 19 hour length but it flew by.
All The Glimmering Stars by Mark Sullivan is probably the best book I’ve listened to this year.
A few books I’ve listened to this year on audio that really stood out were The Heart’s Invisible Furies by John Boyne (narrated by Stephen Hogan), The Wide Wide Sea by Hampton Sides (narrated by Peter Noble), and I recently finished Travels with Charley on audio (per Ginger’s best book of summer rec), which was narrated by Gary Sinise. All of these books were fantastic in this format! My audiobook listening is way up this year and I’m not mad about it!
I’ve been reading or listening to books by Paul Doiron over the last couple of weeks. (I choose whichever format I can get at the moment) I am loving being in Maine and not the hot SW desert! I’m looking forward to several on this list. I need to let Mike Bowditch live a while longer and slow down my obsession! 😂
Thanks for this post. I just ordered a library hold on The Briar Club, as The Huntress on audio was fantastic for me, as well. I am listening to 2 books, both recommended here: Demon Copperhead, which I deferred for a while knowing it has rough content. But the narration is so good! My other is The Husbands, which drew me in really quickly, such an interesting and humorous book. It reminds me of a tweet Stephen King posted recently “Fiction writers should not use the phrase ‘for some reason.’ There are no exceptions to this rule.” I recently finished the audio of White Cat, Black Dog by Kelly Link and later googled its reviews. I landed on a site where Link was interviewed and said something similar to King about fairy tales never having to explain themselves–that is the beauty of them.
I added so many of these to my Libby Wishlist. I’m so excited that all of them were available as well except for The Queen of Fourteenth Street which I suggested they add! Thanks for this list!
I just finished Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera, and it’s so good on audio!
I actually read the eBook of Sipsworth and loved it so much I immediately ordered a physical copy to be sent to my friend.
I just finished As Bright As Heaven, by Susan Meissner. Not only was it a lovely listen with 4 different narrators, but after experiencing our most recent pandemic, the story was a good reminder that life has cycles and humanity will continue to go on and thrive.
I’m almost through Everything Beautiful in Its Time: Seasons of Love and Loss, by Jenna Bush Hager. It’s a wonderful tribute to her grandparents (all 4 of them!), and I’m a sucker for audiobook memoirs read by their authors.
Every Note Played by Lisa Genova was great – it was tough to listen to the end, but so, so good. Also, The Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn was quite engrossing. I couldn’t listen to this one fast enough.
Tom Lake read by Meryl Streep. Just amazing!
I loved The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell written and narrated by Robert Dugoni; The Rachel Incident by Caroline O’Donaghue, narrated by Tara Flynn; and All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker, narrated by Edoardo Ballerini.
I just finished Margo’s Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe. I nearly missed this great read/listen because I prejudged it based on cover and title. If you read the description of teenage mother raised by a single mother you may not recognize a book deserving of literary awards. The writing is well done and the story left me with as much new insight as demon copperhead in a third of the pages.
Just finished The London House by Katherine Reay. Loved it! I couldn’t put it down. I listened to it, the different voices made it so real, I was there with them.
Early WWll to present day.
They way a lie passed down Thur generations affects them all. You don’t know the whole story, only the lie.
Then when one goes back to track it down. The true story was something totally different and amazing, changing history.
Excellent read.
I am currently listening to Sipsworth and am loving it. It is quiet and touching. The other recent listen that I found deeply moving was Prayer in the Night by Tish Harrison Warren, read by Sarah Zimmerman. Using the Compline prayer, Warren speaks to life’s pain and challenges and God’s presence in it all.
I gave my husband the audio of A Walk in the Park. We listened to it while on vacation.
What an incredible story! The author narrates and you can hear his deep appreciation for the beauty and challenge of the park in every word.
Hugh Fraser performs the Agatha Christie books? How did I not know this? I adore him as Hastings in the TV series, such a perfectly proper British gentleman in contrast to Poirot’s eccentric Belgian. Now I will have to listen to all the books I’ve read. Roger Ackroyd is a great one, I remember gasping out loud at the end. I was a teenager, a long time ago!
I just finished a book on audio that you simply must read. It is a book in translation, Arabic to English. And the sense of place is so incredibly strong. It is just 4 hours on audio and I promise you, it will occupy your thoughts long after the last sentence. It is incredible to me how tight this book is; how much is contained in a very slim work. Minor Detail by Adania Shibli.
Thank you for the rec!
Besides driving, I listen to audiobooks when I crochet every evening, when I do jig saw puzzles and during my daily walk with my pug. I have listened to over 100 so far in 2024 and these are a few I have loved.
The Same Bright Stars, by Ethan Joella, You Are Here, by David Nicholls, Colton Gentry’s Third Act, by Jeff Zuckner and Finding Margaret Fuller, by Allison Pataki.
Whoa, that’s a lot of audiobooks! Thanks for sharing your favorites.
In a not-so-long-ago episode of WSIRN, you recommended Lovely War, which I listened to, loved & have been recommending to almost everyone I know! It’s beautiful!!
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