I love a good audiobook, and yet sometimes it’s so hard to choose what to listen to next! I can’t be the only reader in this position, and with that in mind, today I’m once again sharing a plethora of recent books that I read in the audiobook format.
I noticed that the vast majority of my recent reads fell into two categories: literary fiction and love stories. I thought it might be fun to focus my round-up on these two loose genres for easy browsing.
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.
Speaking of audiobook credits: I listen to my borrowed audiobooks on Libby and most of my purchased ones through Libro.fm, who’s running a great sale for this weekend’s Independent Bookstore Day. When you sign up for a new monthly membership with the code SWITCH, you get two bonus audiobooks. That means you’ll have three audiobook credits to redeem from the start. Use this link to get started.
Libro.fm has a ton of great audiobooks on sale for IBD week, and you don’t have to be a member to get the deal. To highlight a few of my favorites on sale for $5 or less right now (plus one of Will’s favorites, can you tell which is which?):
- The Postcard by Anne Berest
- Circe by Madeline Miller
- Before I Let Go by Kennedy Ryan
- All the Sinners Bleed by S.A. Cosby
- The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters
- Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward
- Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
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: recent literary fiction reads
Metropolitan Stories
The Nix
Trust
The Light Pirate
Olga Dies Dreaming
The Berry Pickers
We All Want Impossible Things: A Novel
Death Valley
Absolution
The Fox Wife
Audiobook roundup: recent love stories
Spoiler Alert
Love, Lists, and Fancy Ships
Before I Let Go
When in Rome
You, with a View
What have you been listening to lately? Please share your favorite titles that are particularly good in the audio format in the comments section!
28 comments
Thank you for your wonderful list of audiobooks! I have been listening to The Fraud read by the author Zadie Smith and it’s brilliant! Smith is able to bring her characters to life with a Scottish accent, London brogue and Jamaican lilt. I found it especially interesting because I’d listened to her interview with Madeleine Thien before purchasing the audiobook.
That sounds wonderful on audio!
I just finished the very long but good audiobook of John Irving’s novel “Last Night in Twisted River” and have started Isabel Allende’s “In the Midst of Winter.”
I loved James by Percival Everett on audio. Since it had been some years, like 50, since I’d read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, I listened to it beforehand to have it fresh in my mind. I think this made James even more enjoyable.
Salt & Broom by Sharon Lynn Fisher is also great on audio. A retelling of Jane Eyre with some fantasy mixed in, dare I say that I liked this version of Jane better? Berry Pickers was wonderful, and my next listen is #9 in the Veronica Speedwell mysteries, A Grave Robbery, by Deanna Raybourn!
I loved The Wind Blows in Sleeping Grass by Katie Powner on audio. Pets play a big part of the story, friendship across the generations, re-found family, a small town setting in Montana — all kept me ready to put my bone conducting head phones back on and walk some more.
I’m just finishing Heather Webber’s “Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe” narrated by Stephanie Willis, Bethany Lind, and Nicholas Techosky. I have really enjoyed it!
I enjoyed that in print—glad to hear the audio worked for you!
Love, Lists and Fancy Ships…Open door or not?
Chaste!
My favorite narrator is Julia Whelan. She narrates all of Emily Henry’s fun romances. I can’t tell which is more endearing— Emily’s novel or Julia’s narration. The combo is a delightful listen. My spring walks begin with the latest Emily Henry novel. I started Funny Story yesterday. Do I know the ending before I begin? Of course, but the journey is the pleasure.
I enjoyed The Things We Didn’t Know by Elba Iris Pérez about a Puerto Rican family move to Massachussets in the 50’s.
I read Death Valley in print after seeing Melissa Broder on a panel with Steven Rowley (The Celebrants, The Guncle, The Editor, Lily and the Octopus) at the Tucson Festival of Books in March. I really enjoyed it in print; it is weird but you really root for the protagonist. Now I might have to listen to it!
BTW: only 26 days until The Guncle Abroad drops on May 21!
I just finished Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll on a road trip. The narration by Sutton Foster and Imani Jade Powers is really great. This is inspired by the real-life case of the “All-American Sex Killer”, and I found the blurb to be true, “this is a novel that flips the script on the oft-perpetuated glorification of a sadistic but ultimately average man and instead turns the spotlight on the exceptional women he targeted.” To be listening to women’s voices reading the book enhanced its power for me. It is not an easy listen but I was glad I did.
I’ve been listening to The Thursday Murder Club series by Richard Osman, and they are an absolute delight! I just finished his third, The Bullet That Missed and am starting the fourth, The Last Devil to Die. I find myself chuckling out loud as I do the dishes and fold the laundry. And it is such an endearing cast of characters! The mystery is complex and twisty. The narrator does a fantastic job of bringing the characters and story to life.
I love these as well! I’m so excited to see they are coming to the big screen.
All of Nghi Vo’s Singing Hill Cycle are captivating and enjoyable. I think I could listen to narrator Cindy Kay read a dictionary.
I listened to The Women by Kristen Hannah which is the first Kristen Hannah book that I have read. It was a fantastic, realistic portrayal of life for nurses during and post Vietnam. It will definitely be a top five favorite for me this year. I also listened to The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden. A great read with some magical realism. Loved it.
This time of year is great for audiobooks, so thank you for this timely list! I’m currently listening to The Book Woman’s Daughter by Kim Michele Richardson on audio, and have really enjoyed it. The narrator’s voice really fits the character well and the story is good too. Happy Reading!
Absolutely LOVED The Body: A Guide for Occupants by Bill Bryson. Phenomenal book and he narrates himself.
The Covenant of Water narrated by the author, Abraham Verghese.
Listening to this was just gorgeous.
I always appreciate you sharing your audiobook picks. I have a long work commute and enjoy listening to audiobooks. I just finished listening to/reading “The Covenant of Water” by Abraham Verghese. The author narrates it himself. Great voice. I highly recommend. Long, but worth it. And I loved “The Nix”. Great choice. Keep the audio recommendations coming!
I often find that a book that has dialects I enjoy more on audio.i.e. The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store and James. The narration of The Vaster Wilds blew me away. I recommend this to all one of most gifted current authors and a most talented narrator.
I loved these audio books: The Marlow Murder Club books by Robert Thorogood and Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto.
I love a cozy mystery and found Carlene O’Connor’s Irish Village series. I enjoy the Irish accent of the narrator, Caroline Lennon and the phrases used by the characters. It is so easy to listen to that I have blown through all all then books. Before this, I listened to The Mystery Writer by Sulari Gentill and loved it! I am waiting on my library holds of Absolution and A Grave Robbery, but also found Funny Story on Spotify so that might be next up.
Two (long!) audio books that would be excellent companion reads are The Bee Sting by Paul Murray and Caledonian Road By Andrew O’Hagan. The Bee Sting looks at the state of modern Ireland through the lens of one family, and the narration really captures the crazy acceleration of the book’s ending (which I loved, but which divides readers). Caledonian Road looks at the state of modern England, but through a cast of about 60 (!) characters. The narrator is a classically-trained actor (I assume, looking at his bio) who astoundingly manages all the voices and accents and never lost me once, despite the intricate plot and sprawling cast. Amazing!
I love a good audiobook list given that audiobooks can be hit or miss! But when a Thanks for the suggestions in the comments section, too!
A couple I’ve enjoyed this year are If I Were You by Lynn Austin (WW2 historical fiction) and Dark Corners by Megan Goldin (podcast thriller).
This post is so timely! I typically only listen to memoirs and nonfiction on audio and want to branch into fiction. I’ve added so many of these suggestions. Mysteries might be my new audio jam — I’m excited. I just started A Council of Dolls by Mona Susan Power, and it’s incredible. I’ve had the physical book on my TBR for a while, but I’m so glad I decided to listen instead.