As far as I know, the British don’t have a term like the Danish hygge to describe the concept of coziness, but there’s something about dreary London Town or the English countryside that makes me feel extra warm and content in cold weather. Think of afternoon tea in front of the fireplace, or sipping brandy after a dinner party. Think of the hand-knit scarves and overcoats, the jumpers! (Why is jumper such a delightful alternative to sweater?)
Now that the temperature has dropped here in Louisville (cool enough for me to pull out my jumper), I’m enjoying longer walks with Daisy, which means extra audiobook listening. British-narrated audiobooks immerse me in the setting, and some of my absolute favorite narrators have delightful accents.
I know I’m not the only one who loves an audiobook narrator with an accent. Today I’m sharing 14 titles featuring amazing British narrators and immersive English settings. There’s a little something for every reader on this list, whether you like gritty mysteries, romantic classics, or witty British humor.
Readers, I know you have some favorite British books to share. I’d love to hear them, whether they’re great on audio or on the page. Leave a comment below and add to our list of cozy British stories.
Winnie the Pooh
Jane Eyre
Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows
First Impressions: A Novel of Old Books, Unexpected Love, and Jane Austen
The Thursday Murder Club (The Thursday Murder Club Book 1)
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie
Flavia de Luce is a precocious 11 year-old chemist and amateur sleuth. In the summer of 1950, she finds a dead bird on the doorstep of her family's crumbling manor house, a stamp affixed to its beak. Later that day, she comes across a dead man in the garden. For Flavia, these mysterious events are both frightening and exciting. She says, "I wish I could say I was afraid, but I wasn't. Quite the contrary. This was by far the most interesting thing that had ever happened to me in my entire life." Thus follows her investigation, a delightful coming-of-age mystery starring one of the most charming heroines ever written. This series is FABULOUS on audio; narrated by Jayne Entwistle.
More info →Wolf Hall
And Then There Were None
A Quiet Life in the Country
Magpie Murders
The Remains of the Day
Quick Service
Persuasion
The Complete Sherlock Holmes
Are you an Anglophile in your reading life? What excellent British audiobooks would you add to this list?
P.S. 15 terrific audiobooks you can listen to in 6(ish) hours (or much less), and 7 ways to discover your audiobook style. Click here to check out the full audiobook archives.
184 comments
And Then There Were None- one of the best books ever! Period.
Agreed! Timeless classic.
May I add “The Beekeeper’s Apprentice” by Laurie R. King. It’s Book One of a series featuring a newly- retired Sherlock Holmes. So evocative of English sites and seasons!
A Quiet Life in the Country- TE Kinsey
I was so happy to see Lady Hardcastle on your list! These books are the best cosy mysteries & the audio is spot on!!! Highly recommend!
Totally agree. On the third one now. These have been giving me so much joy. There are funny and relaxing. So good on the commute and I also listen as I set up my classroom and labs.
I loved Wolf Hall, but I’m not sure it’s one I could listen to. I think I’d need to be able to focus on the page. Glad Flavia and Christie and Wodehouse made the list!
Agree on Wolf Hall. I abandoned the audio version because it was so difficult to understand which characters were speaking or being referenced. The story was completely lost to me!
Me too. These comments make me feel better!
Agreed. I enjoyed Wolf Hall but depended on the geneology charts and looking up things online to keep all the characters and events straight.
I was lost with the paper copy!! 🙂
I listened to Wolf Hall and enjoyed it very much. I think, though, that my background knowledge of English history came in handy. It is a complex story!
I feel the same. Loved the book, not sure I could do it on audio. Also, I remember some rather gruesome parts. I can take that in a book, not quite in an audio version.
It was so gruesome! I still think about the graphic content. It was wells done though.
For me, listening to it was what made it “doable.” All those Thomas figures got confusing but the narrator did such a fantastic job that I had no trouble keeping track and was totally immersed.
I found it to be a fascinating listen. I ended up listening to the entire series. Now that my commuting days are over, I listen to shorter books – on my hourly walk.
I like the recording of Winnie the Pooh you suggested, but it pales in comparison to the one read by Alan Bennett. It’s brilliant!
Alan Bennett reading his book The Uncommon Reader. It’s beautifully read and you can’t get more British than that!
Also, if you have not read the Winnie the Pooh stories as an adult, they are a must read. So many funny details and nuances that you do not pick up on as a child.
agree with you Cady; loved Bennett’s reading of The Uncommon Reader
I love this list! Can’t wait to check some out! I would add The End of the Affair by Graham Greene and narrated by Colin Firth. Sooooooo good. He won an award for the narration!
Lisa Jewells books on Audible are a favorite!
Yes! I was just introduced to Lisa Jewell last year & quickly inhaled several of hers back to back. I’ve wondered why her books aren’t mentioned on WSIRN?
What would you call her genre, cozy mystery? I don’t see her on book lists without entering her name, perhaps just marketing?
I’ve listened to them all on audio & loved every one of them.
If you’re a Patreon supporter, you can listen to the bonus One Great Book episode featuring Lisa Jewell that published a few weeks ago.
Not a book I’d ever thought I’d pick up but the local library had an audiobook of David Tennant reading Ian Fleming’s On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. James Bond, but not as we know him … It’s completely different to the films, and David Tennant could read the phone book and keep me interested.
So agree with listening to David Tennant! I’ll have to check this audiobook out.
My son (and I) loved listening to David Tennant read Cressida Crowell’s How to Train Your Dragon series and her more recent new one The Wizard of Once.
I can’t wait until my kids are a little older so we can listen to these together.
Have you heard him read the How to Train your Dragon books? Really delightful-Scottish accent.
Yes, we were completely spellbound by this audiobook, I loved it so much I think they’d be great listening even for people who don’t have children to keep entertained. A treat. Agree with the earlier comment, too, about David Tennant and the phone book. So true.
I recommend Tracy Chevalier’s new A Single Thread.
Yes, it’s Fenella Woolgar’s narration is pitch perfect.
It’s non fiction, but Bill Bryson’s books set in England are wonderful on audio. I particularly loved The Road to Little Dribbling.
Agree!
Second! they’re a delight
And Notes from a Small Island!!
I would add Middlemarch and Maisie Dobbs.
For Sure!!
Yes, MIDDLEMARCH by George Eliot is A MUST READ. It was a summer tome (as it’s long: about 837 pages) for our Book Group and each one of us loved it! I could reread it every couple of years, as the writing and characters are splendid.
Is there a particular reader of Middlemarch you recommend?
Juliet Stevenson’s reading of Middlemarch is excellent!!
It is excellent!! She is one of my favorite readers.
That’s the one I listened to. 🙂
Just need to put in a plug for the audio version of The Remains of the Day. So beautiful it will make you want to cry. Plus, one of the best books ever!
84 Charing Cross is fabulous as an audiobook and I love the British characters and their “keep calm and carry on” attitude of getting on with things even in the midst of hardships after the war.
Bill Bryson is an American but sort of an honorary Brit after living there for decades and writing some of my absolute favorite books about the UK. Notes from a Small Island is a phenomenal audiobook and laugh out loud funny!
I’ve listened and read 84 Charing Cross Rd numerous times. Just my kind of book!
I enjoyed the movie too.
84 Charing Cross Road is one of the best books I’ve read this year.
I love mysteries and Sherlock Holmes. This fall I’ve been really enjoying the Bewitched by Chocolate cozy mystery series by HY Hanna. They’re set in a tiny Cotswold Village and with magic and chocolate are perfect for fall, I think. I also just finished the Agatha Christie book, “The Pale Horse” which I really enjoyed.
Have you read the Agatha Raisin series by MC Beaton? Those are really fun and set in the Cotswolds as well. She also did the Hamish MacBeth series set in Scotland. I’m going to check out HY Hanna, thanks!
Yes! My 90 year old grandfather and I read Hamish together and both look forward to every new release. They’re great on audio!
The Bewitched by Chocolate books are currently available on Kindle Unlimited…
The Stephen Fry reading of Sherlock Holmes is a favorite. I’ve listened to it several times. Also love the audio version of the Veronica Speedwell series.
My family and other animals by Gerald Durrell, stories from his childhood spent in corfu when his family were escaping the english autumn.
Travels with my aunt by Graham Greene. A newly retired bank clerk is reluctantly whisked away from his quiet dull existence by his mysterious, eccentric aunt. Read it first in my teens and i Just loved the character of the aunt.
I also loved Elinor Oliphant is completely fine by Gail Honeyman
None of these are mysteries but they Will make you feel good
Durrell is an absolute favorite! And Eleanor Oliphant. I’ll have to look for the Greene.
The Guersney Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society!! Even more delightful on audio!
Yes – agreed!!
The best!!
And don’t forget, The Truth According to Us by Annie Barrows – one of the authors of The Guersney Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society – Wonderful readers. I listen to it once a year.
Wolf Hall is fantastic on audio! One of my favorite experiences ever. You’ll want to jump on Bring Up the Bodies (book 2)next.
The Bess Crawford mysteries by Charles Todd are great!
I love Rhys Bowen’s English cosy mystery series, Her Royal Spyness on audio. Bowen is a Brit living in the U.S. This series is about the royal family. The accents are delightful!
I loved these and her Molly Murphy series too!
Anything read by Richard Armitage (Thorin in The Hobbit)…. That voice.
YES. I especially loved David Copperfield.
Yes!! So swoony. I will listen to anything he reads.
That said, his narration of Georgette Heyer’s Sylvester is my favorite.
Yes! I loved Her Royal Spyness!
Yes, Her Royal Spyness series is one of my favorite fun listens. Lighthearted and good between more difficult reads.
Such a fun list! I echo the praise for Juliet Stevenson and Thandie Newton as narrators. I listened to Newton’s Jane Eyre last year, and it was so good! Wodehouse and Christie are always good choices. Harry Potter narrated by Jim Dale is a different feel than the books on this list, but if your kids are anxious for some British fun, he’s an amazing narrator! He’s also narrated Around the World in 80 Days.
We love Jim Dale, but we also really liked Stephen Fry’s reading of the Harry Potter books.
I’m listening to North and South narrated by Stevenson and it is excellent. Her Middlemarch was great too.
Small island andrea levy
White teeth zadie smith
When I think of the UK these books come to mind that share what is was like for our diverse population.
Not to be missed.
I just finished listening to the audiobook of The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan, and I LOVED it. I usually prefer to read fiction with a hard copy, but listening to this book has made me want to try more fiction on audio.
Yes, I just finished audio version of Bookshop on the Corner and LOVED it!
Agreed! All of Colgans books are so delightfully read and lovely, truly feel good books 🙂
I have to disagree on the Winnie-the-Pooh audio you have suggested. Blackstone Audio’s version with Peter Dennis is hands down the best way to listen – he nails it. It is a classic in our family and something I can put on (again and again) in the car that will make us all happy, from age 4 and up.
I love Dennis’ reading too!
The Peter Dennis version is awfully good; I’m glad you mentioned it here!
The Veronica Speedwell mysteries by Deanna Raybourn, narrated by Angele Masters, are delightful on audio!
Also, on a more serious note, Anne Perry’s World War I series, beginning with No Graves As Yet, narrated by Michael Page, are wonderful.
We just call it cosy 😀
I don’t listen to audio books but love the TE Kinsey books. Any of the vintage crime fiction in the suite of British Library Crime Classics. Dorothy L Sayers and the Jill Paton Walsh follow ons. Also Ashley Weaver, Carola Dunn (Daisy and Cornish series),the Miss Seeton books and Catriona McPherson (these last ones have dark story lines so not for the faint hearted)
Thank you for these! There are some new to me authors to check out—I’m a bit of an Anglophile and was disappointed to see I had read most of the books in the original post.
The Cafe By The Sea – Jenny Colgan
Love her books!
The Wind in the Willows read by Shelly Frasier.
Silence for the Dead by Simone St. James, read by Mary Jane Wells in a gripping accent is set in June, but seemed perfect for dreary weather. I couldn’t wait to see how it resolved.
Josephine Tey, Dorothy Cannell, and Barbara Pym are great British listening experiences. Anne, thanks for the list – as an HSP audiobook lover, I have to take into account those added sensibilities so that I can sleep at night!
Don’t forget Gil McNeil, The only boy for me and Stand by your man…Hilarious!
I just finished The Complete Sherlock Holmes narrated by Stephen Fry and it was brilliant. 62 hours but worth it! My daughter and I are listening to The War I Finally Won which takes place in England during WW2 and it is also good.
The War That Saved My Life and The War I Finally Won are both terrific reads and I’m now going to go find the audio versions!
For romance fans, I cannot recommend enough Stella
Riley’s “Rockcliffe” series, which begins with “The Parfait Knight”. (“Parfait” is “perfect.”). The entire series is narrated by the brilliant and wonderful Alex Wyndham. His voice is magical.
Along the same lines, Laura Kinsale’s books are all narrated by Nicholas Boulton who sounds a bit to me like Cary Grant and shares
his comedic timing.
No mention of English romance books is complete without mentioning Georgette Heyer, and many of her books benefit from brilliant narration, including Phyllida Nash and Richard Armitage.
When I think of English atmosphere and audio, I also can’t help but think of “Harry Potter” with Jim Dale narrating.
YES! Richard Armitage’s narration is why I started listening to audiobooks, and how I fell in love with Georgette Heyer and romance novels in general.
Same exact thing happened to me, too! Richard Armitage narrating Georgette Heyer was my romance gateway! 😂❤️
I was going to recommend the books Sylvester and Venetia, written by Georgette Heyer and narrated by Richard Armitage, but you beat me to it. And I have to agree as well with your assessment of the Parfit Knight by Stella Riley. I stumbled across it earlier this year and loved it. You’ve got great taste, Donna! 🙂
So do you Stephany! 😉
I see my autocorrect was trolling me again…it is “The Parfit Knight.”
I love listening to any of Jenny Colgan’s books on audio. She’s got perfectly British charming heroines and sweet romances. Plus there’s usually food or books involved in some way!
I absolutely love this list! I’m going to read or listen to every one. If you like cozy mysteries, where in book or audio form, I highly recommend the Her Royal Spyness series by Rhys Bowen.
*whether
I’ll second the Maisie Dobbs recommendation.
I also want to add Laurie R. King’s Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes series. They are narrated by Jenny Sterlin who does an excellent job!
Love Mary Russell and Jenny Sterlin, have listened to all the books in the series and hoping for more!
Transcription by Kate Atkinson. I could listen to Fenella Woolgar every day of my life and never get tired of her!
Also, The War that Saved My Life was wonderful on audio.
I am close to finishing the Inspector Lynley series by Elizabeth George. Donada Peters is the narrator and she hits the accents perfectly. This is a must-read series for Inspector Gamache fans with great character development and lots of twists to the plot.
One Day is December is SO good on Audio-best narrators I’ve ever heard. Not sure I would have liked it in print but their accents and performance made it one of my favorite books ever. I’ve listened to it several times.
This list couldn’t have come at a better time. Yesterday I was searching your website for new mysteries series after finishing all of Maisie Dobbs and Victoria Speedwell. I found your list of recommended mysteries with female protagonists but when I went to listen to them I wasn’t a fan of the readers. I realized I really just wanted a list of narrators with British accents and here it is. Thank you!
Re: narrators with lovely British accents — I just finished listening to Amor Towles’s wonderful _A Gentleman In Moscow_. It isn’t set in England, of course, but I think Downton Abbey’s Mr. Carson would have been right at home in Count Rostov’s Hotel Metropol. More to the point, the characters are great company, and the narration is a delight.
I loved Watership Down narrated by Peter Capaldi. Who would have thought a story about rabbits could be so exciting!
Also agree Juliet Stevenson is one of my faves!
Jane Eyre is a wonderful intro to the somewhat challenging, but oh-so-rewarding Brit lit on audio; and as long as we’re mentioning glorious, cozy 19th Century English provincial stories, I heartily recommend The Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy, narrated by Alan Rickman. Opens with townsfolk and farm workers reveling around ancient bonfires on the heath – a broody, wild, autumn heath. Also Middlemarch by George Eliot, narrated by Juliet Stevenson. Epic, sweeping, nails human nature like no other book, and breaks your heart with yearning and hope in the beauty of an ordinary life. Grab some tea, a blanket, and immerse yourself whilst doing needlecraft on a rainy fall day.
Juliet Stevenson is also a wonderful narrator for Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf (more of a summer read). Jim Dale reading Harry Potter is always worth a revisit, and he also reads the Peter and the Starcatchers series.
Yes! Thomas Hardy’s books are beautifully written. But Elizabeth Gaskell’s “North and South” is a lovely story.
So right – I hadn’t even thought to mention Elizabeth Gaskell so I’m glad you did. North and South is wonderful!
I really liked After You by Jojo Moyes (or anything else by Jojo Moyes) on audio. I felt like I was in London…
Major Pettegrow’s Last Stand by Helen Simonson on audio!
Can’t believe you haven’t read Wolf Hall! Do it! And follow it with Bring Up the Bodies. These books are a bit more work than the average novel, but soooo good.
Gaaahhhh! Do you realize my tbr list is getting longer than my shelves? How am I ever going to catch up? Although, this time at least, I find I have already read at least a few (maybe three) of the books listed above. I need fact the complete Sherlock I had to buy twice. (It’s now on the tbrr (to be re-read list) A puppy chewed up its spine once! Oh well, who needs to sleep. I’ll struggle thru!
This is exactly the post I needed. I just added FIVE of these books to my wish-list. Thanks!!
Ooohhh…by far my favorite!! Love your list!! And…The Royal Spyness Mysteries by Rhys Bowen. The Gown by Jennifer Robson. The Irish Country Books by Patrick Taylor. Sherlock Holmes read by Stephen Fry….long but wonderfully done! The Cormoran Strike novels read by Robert Glenister…had to look him up, his voice was SO nice 😉! And anything Jane Austen!!! I have hundreds of books on audio (almost all with an accent 😍) but have added so many more from your list and the comments!!! Well done!!
I second the Stephen Fry reading of Sherlock Holmes (though I’ve not tried the one Anne recommended – but how can you bead Stephen Fry?)
I recently realized how much I love listening to books set in England that have old houses, family secrets and a great narrator. I love listening to any Kate Morton books, but especially The Distant Hours. Also The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield is perfect for this time of year! And anything Rosamunde Pilcher, but especially September for fall.
Me too!! I got hooked years ago with the Diary of Nella Last. Audible had it with Carole Boyd reading it – great!! I think there is a DVD called Housewife 49 but it didn’t interpret her writing the way I did, so I didn’t watch very much. So many great readers from England and Ireland. I could go on and on. I won’t! (For a bit of history and other misc. wonders, try The Hare with the Golden Eyes, read by Michael Mahoney – true story)
Totally agree with your Diary of Nella Last recommendation. One of my absolute favorite books and Carole Boyd is an incredible narrator. It is the true diary of a British housewife during WW II as part of the Mass Communication Project where citizens were encouraged to keep a diary of what they felt and how they managed during the build up to and for the duration of the war. Nella Last continued to keep her diary into the fifties! An amazing account. It was from Audible but doesn’t seem to be available anywhere now! So sad! What a loss!
It’s not quintessential, more stereotypical but I adore the Britishness of The Chronicles of St Mary’s series by Jodi Taylor. They are narrated by Zara Ramm and I think she captures it brilliantly!
Is Kate Atkinson on your radar? Her Jackson Brodie series does not disappoint!
She’s a great one for this list!
Gail Carriger’s Finishing School series is FANTASTIC on audiobook! I also loved listening to the Lady Sherlock series by Sherry Thomas so much that I refuse to read it in print. I’m just waiting weeks to get the next audiobook from my library!
These all sound fantastic but the one that intrigues me most is the one that doesn’t even exist…a mystery involving Doyle, Barrie, Stevenson and Wilde. That mental image of the four sitting together over port or brandy parsing out their latest literary work and solving mysteries. Fantastic!
I absolutely LOVE the Peter Grant series (Rivers of London) by Ben Aaronovitch. They are urban fantasy – like Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files, if you’ve read those. Grant is a London copper who is assigned to the Special Crimes Division – meaning those dealing with magical events. The series is narrated by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith who is absolutely FANTASTIC. A little steamy in parts and sometimes a good bit violent in places, it’s still a series worth listening to.
Terry, I just read through the comments HOPING someone would mention the Peter Grant series. I’ve been bingeing on Kobna Holdbrook-Smith’s audio versions. I listen to audiobooks regularly, and I’ve never heard a better reader. He’s AMAZING. I find myself having to go back because I’ve gotten so caught up in how he’s said something that I’ve forgotten to pay attention to what he actually said. His accents are great, his pauses and inflections are perfect, and his British snark is spot-on.
So, I’ve never been able to listen to audiobooks while driving because I always doze off, but is it weird that this list has me excited that my potential internship site for next semester might involve a commuter train ride so I could listen to these gems?
My (unsolicited) recommendation is to slightly increase the speed. Many readers find that the faster speed forces them to pay attention—in a good way.
Everything Neil Gaiman reads aloud (and writes) is mesmerizing. Currently listening to The Heart of the Matter by Graham Greene, which may be more in line with some of the other suggestions here. I’m really enjoying it. The reader is Joseph Porter. At first I found him to be a little underwhelming after listening to Gaiman, but he’s actually really good at adapting his voice to express different characters.
I second this! Some of Neil Gaiman isn’t even completely my usual style but his reading is too perfect to pass up.
The Flavia de Luce books are wonderful on audio. I couldn’t connect with Flavia in print for some reason, but was so glad I tried the audiobooks.
Dear Mrs. Bird by A J Pearce had a wonderful British narrator and so did My Not So Perfect Life by sophie Kinsella
The Pied Piper by Nevil Shute (set during WW2) and 84 Charing Cross Road – two of my favorites!
I loved 84 Charing Cross Road also!
Also despite the stellar narration, I immensely disliked “Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows.” To each her own, I suppose.
Differing opinions keep book discussions interesting. 🙂
Mary Stewart, who is probably most well-known for her Arthurian saga (The Crystal Cave, The Hollow Hills, etc.), also wrote several books with more modern settings. I recently listened to Nine Coaches Waiting, narrated by Ellie Heydon, and really enjoyed it. It contains a mystery, some danger and a bit of romance. I thought it was well-paced and well-written and is perfect audiobook for fall listening.
I’m loving Ruth Ware’s books on audio – all with great narration by Imogen Church and filled with “British-isms”
Such a great and varied list!! A few I’ve read and loved (Jane Eyre, Sherlock Holmes), and a few from my TBR (Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows, And Then There Were None). I wouldn’t call myself an Anglophile, but there’s definitely a lot of interesting contemporary literature coming out of the UK that I’m loving at the moment. Great round-up, Anne!
I thoroughly recommend the Mapp and Lucia series, author E F Benson. Best reader if Prunella Scales, closely followed by Geraldine McEwan. Pre war social niceties, deliciously malicious characterisation, linguistic felicities abounding, these just slip down like a box of the most exclusive chocolates.
Ooo a new one! Just reserved Queen Lucia at the library – can’t wait!
I’m a big fan of the read/listen combo, especially for big fat British novels in long series.
Two very different suggestions but both highly recommended-
Anthony Trollope especially for those who have read Austen and want more cozy Victorian comedy of manners(I prefer the Barchester series to the Pallisers) I like Timothy West as a reader but Simon Vance is also good. The thing I love about Trollope is that he writes really recognizable women even though as a man of his time, he doesn’t seem to understand the behavior of his creations.
Dorothy Dunnett’s Lymond Chronicles have just been re-released with a new reader by Audible (I believe they are going to be a TV series in the nearish future). Think Wolf Hall with a more swashbuckling and romantic hero and a sweeping story that ranges across Europe and Central Asia. David Monteath, the new reader for these has this great warm Scottish burr.
Yes to Barchester series by Trollope! Such great characters, and I like what you said about his female characters – so true.
Gwen Watford reading Miss Read’s books! Such a lovely voice for gentle stories.
Yes, yes, yes!!! I SO wish more of the titles were available in audio. I listen to these when I may not be able to fully concentrate the whole time — one’s mind can switch to something else (Where SHALL I move this perennial division?) and still keep up with the easy-going plot.
Love Miss Read!!
Glass by Alex Christofi and narrated by Julia Franklin and the fabulous Lee Maxwell Simpson is a hidden gem. Never expected to love a book about a stroopwafel obsessed window cleaner so much.
Just finished “Once Upon A River” by Diane Setterfield, read by Juliet Stevenson. Great narration, fantastic story.
I didn’t know Stevenson narrated that one! I love her voice.
David Copperfield by Charles Dickens, narrated by Simon Vance. He does such a great job of bringing the distinct and lively characters to life.
I wanted to say Jenny Colgan, but I suppose it would be more accurate to say they’re quintessential UK! Either way, I’ve enjoyed a good majority of her books on audio, particularly her releases since The Bookshop on the Corner.
The Lovely War by Julie Berry is absolutely brilliant.
Jane Eyre , my top favorite book of all time
The Welsh countryside is just as fabulous as the green stuff over the border in England (thought I’d be a little patriotic today).
Anything narrated by Juliet Stevenson is a hit for me. If you come across a narration by Martyn Jarvis don’t hesitate – he is superb
Martyn Jarvis is new to me but I adore Juliet Stevenson! Thanks for the new narrator rec.
Many of Catherine Aird’s mysteries with Inspector Sloan are available. Robin Bailey narrates the novels brilliantly. They are full of very dry British humor.
You’re right, we don’t really have a term for cosy like Hygge, but the Welsh amongst us use the term Cwtch (pronounced kutch, rhymes with butch) which is like a hug or a cuddle. It fills people with warmth. I have Wolf Hall on my TBR list!
So yes, I will at some point have a cwtch on the sofa, in my jumper, with the fire roaring and a good book! My next English read is Jamaica Inn, Daphne Du Maurier.
Hello dear kindred spirits! Here is a list of 50 Britishy audiobooks that are cozy for fall & winter (broken down by genre)! If you get a library card and a libby or overdrive app you can listen to most of them for free:)
Fantasy (with a dash of historical fiction, or vice versa:)
1. Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell (Susanna Clarke)
2. The Ladies of Grace Adieu (Susanna Clark)
3. The Binding (Bridget Collins)
4. Lamplighter Series (D.M. Cornish)
5. The Vega Jane Series (David Baldacci)
6. The Old Kingdom Trilogy (Garth Nix)
7. The Folk Keeper (Franny Bilingsley)
8. A Curse as Dark as Gold (Elizabeth Bunce)
9. The Lamplighter Series
10. Spindle Fire (Lexa Hillyer)
11. Winter Glass (Lexa Hillyer)
12. My Plain Jane (Cynthia Hand)
13. Kingdom On Fire Series (Jessica Cluess)
14. Seraphina Series (Rachel Hartman)
15. The Mapmakers Trilogy (S.E. Grove)
16. The Flame in the Mist (Kit Grindstaff)
17. Bitter Greens (Kate Forsyth)
18. The Extraordinary Adventures of the Athena Club (Theodora Goss)
19. I, Coriander (Sally Gardner)
20. The Shades of Magic series (V.E. Schwab)
For kids at heart (but seriously enjoyable as an adult;):
21. The Dark is Rising Sequence (Susan Cooper)
22. The Wundersmith Series (Jessica Townsend)
23. The Peculiar series (Stefan Bachmann)
24. The Thickety series ( J.A. White)
25. Riverkeep (Martin Stewart)
26. Jacky Faber series (L.A. Meyer)
27. Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy (Karen Foxlee)
28. The Enchanted Castle (E. Nesbitt)
29. Treasure of Green Knowe series (L.M. Boston)
30. Young Sherlock Series (Andrew Lane)
31. The Charmed Children of Rookskill Castle
32. The Wolves of Willoughby Chase (Joan Aiken)
33. The Christmas Doll (Elvira Woodruff)
34. The Disreputable Children of Ashton Place series (Maryrose Wood)
35. Tameraire series (Naomi Novak)
36. The Boggart (Susan Cooper)
Cozy Mysteries:
37. Hamish Macbeth Series (M.C. Beaton)
38. Agatha Raisen Series (M.C. Beaton)
39. The Charles Lennox mysteries series (Charles Finch)
40. Christmas mysteries (Anne Perry)
41. Max Tudor Mysteries (G.m. Malliet)
42. A Week in Winter (Maeve Binchy)
43. Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes series (Laurie R. King)
44. Sally Lockhart Myeteries (Phillip Pullman)
Darker Mysteries/ Horror:
45. The House of silk (Anthony Horowitz)
46. The Little Stranger (Sarah Waters)
47. The Haunting of Maddy Clare (Simone St. James)
48. Mistress of Death series (Ariana Franklin)
49. The Anatomists Apprentice series (Tessa Harris)
50. The Gower Street Detective series (M.R.C. Kasasian)
Glad to see The Mistress of Death series mentioned. So good!
Jamaica Inn by Du Maurier, read by Tony Britton. Gothic and creepy on the cliffs of Cornwall – perfect for the season!
Quick Service was the most delightful thing I’ve listened to in a long time. The book is hilarious, and Simon Vance is a masterful narrator. Thanks for the recommendation!
I’m happy to hear you enjoyed it!
I’ve been catching up with my thrillers lately and just read two that would fit in this category perfectly.
THE TURN OF THE KEY Ruth ware (Scottish Highlands)
INTO THE WATER Paula Hawkins ( North England?)
TTOTK was my book of 2019
ITW most people have loved this but I struggled.
I’m always astonished when there are listings of favourite audiobooks that list the title and author and yet fail to announce just as importantly, the name of the recording artist responsible for the work. Isn’t that voice the key to that audio?Odd…
I would add all twenty of novels in Patrick O’Brian’s Aubrey-Maturin series. David Mamet described them as “a masterpiece” (New York Times). They have been described as “addictively readable” (Patrick T. Reardon, Chicago Tribune), and “the best historical novels ever written” (Richard Snow, New York Times Book Review), which “should have been on those lists of the greatest novels of the 20th century” (George Will).
I’d like to add the Heathcliff Lennox series, beginning with Murder at Melrose Court, by Karen Menuhin, the daughter-in-law of violinist Yehudi Menuhin. They’re delightful and often make me laugh out loud!
Oops, in my previous post, I forgot to credit narrator Sam Dewhurst-Phillips as the mesmerizing reader of the “Heathcliff Lennox” mystery series, beginning with “Murder at Melrose Court” by author Karen Menuhin, daughter-in-law of violinist Yehudi Menuhin. Sam Dewhurst-Phillips is outstanding!
The Chilbury Ladies Choir by Jennifer Ryan is a wonderful audible book. The added musical interludes were perfectly placed, the reader was excellent, the story was delightful!
I’d add the Maisie Donna mystery series, by Jacqueline Winspear. So good, and several books in the series. The first one is entitled “Maisie Dobbs”.
I loved Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell and narrated by Ell Potter!
Don’t forget Rosamund Pilcher books. The Shellseekers read by Helen Johns, and Coming Home (40+ hours!) also read by Helen Johns…both of these are wonderful. with Coming Home especially magnificent. I found these for sale on the Chirp app at a ridiculously low price during a special sale. Several of her other books are available on Libby and elsewhere, some read by Jilly Bond.
I love this list and agree with so many suggestions. Love the comments and generous sharing of favorites!! Grateful for so many audio books to add to my list!!
As an English person, may I say that I do not have an “accent ” 🙂 Bernard Cornwell’s “Harlequin” is an excellent experience of being an archer in battle against the French during the hundred years war.
I think the Agatha Raisin series fits here perfectly! So charming and funny.
Also the Hamish Mc Beth (?) series!
I loved Quick Service so much, I made my family listed to it on a road trip last year. It was wonderful! I just finished listening to A Quiet Place in the Country. My favorite description in the whole book: he was “possessed of slightly less charm than a blocked drain. “
Recently I discovered the writing of Barbara Pym – stories set in post-WW2 England (think the first few seasons of “Call the Midwife”). “Excellent Women,” and “A Glass of Blessings,” are the two I’ve listened to so far, both beautifully (and unusually) narrated by Mary Sarah. Not much “happens” in these books – they are definitely character-driven. Reading – and reflecting afterwards – I got serious Jane Austen and Jan Karon (Mitford series) vibes.
Can’t believe the whole Harry Potter series isn’t written as a recommendation!! Jim Dale is incredible and every novel is fantastic, for all ages.
The Lady Sherlock series read by Kate Reading is amazing.
Any of Ian McEwan’s books. My favorite is Saturday.
Most of the Shopaholic audios are laugh ou loud funny and the British narrator is wonderful!
I’m concerned Magpie Murders will be confusing on audio with the book inside a book aspect. Any thoughts?
I think you’ll be okay!
Oh, one of my favorites and I did it on audio.
Crazy. I looked for T.E. Kinsey’s Lady Hardcastle in my library and they only have it in German?? Then I looked on Libro and it was nearly $50. What?? Any insights from anyone, was it an incredibly popular or very rare book?
Currently in the middle of Terry Pratchett’s Tiffany Aching series (part of Discworld), and I love the books and the narrator, Stephen Briggs, so much! He does the Nac Mac Feegles’ Scottish-inspired accents with such flair I feel like I am going to melt into a puddle of love and laughter. Definitely a cozy British series!
These are my first Terry Pratchett books and seem like as good an introduction to Discworld as any. I am smitten! Just look up “Tiffany Aching series” to make sure you get the series order correct.