Several friends recommended this crime series by Robert Galbraith/J.K. Rowling all at once last month, and I'm glad I paid attention—and that one of them urged me to try the audio versions. In this murder mystery, detective Cormoran Strike and his Girl Friday investigate a supermodel's suspicious suicide. I found the plot compellingly twisty, the characters interesting, the rapport between the two investigators my favorite part. I was leery to do this on audio because of the HSP factor, but aside from a few brief descriptions of the crime scene (and a whole lot of f-bombs) it was fine. (I wouldn't necessarily say that about books 2 and 3 of the series, which are more grisly. I read those in hardback.) Now I'm impatiently waiting for book 4 of the series... (15 hr 54 min) More info →

I was shocked to discover this final installment to the blockbuster Lunar Chronicles series clocks in at 832 pages, or 23 hours of audio. That is absurdly long for a YA novel, yet it didn't feel too long while I was reading it. In this final installment, Meyer draws all her characters back to Luna to incite a rebellion against Queen Levana. All in all, this was a satisfying conclusion to a great series, and that's all I could hope for as a reader. If you're new to the series, don't jump in here: it's important to read these books in order. A word of warning: it's been a long time since I read the previous books in the series, and during the first half hour of Winter, I was a little concerned about how many details I'd forgotten. But as I listened, it came back to me. (23 hr 30 min) More info →

Graham Greene is frequently included in "novels everyone should read" and "best of the century" lists, and I've been meaning to read him for years. But I'd never made it a priority ... until I found out that Colin Firth narrates this version. This short novel might not hold the broader appeal of the other novels on this list, but I found it enjoyable and thought-provoking, and Firth's narration is pitch perfect. If you love Brideshead Revisited, read this immediately. (6 hr 28 min) More info →