Best audiobooks of all time
“What's the best audiobook you've ever listened to?”
30 answers from 26 people · Updated Oct 12, 2026
This is hands-down the best audiobook I’ve ever listened to. The narrator is 10/10.
3
This is the best audiobook I’ve ever listened to. My best friend Sienna put me on. It’s funny, heartbreaking, riveting, so beautifully written and fun to listen to. And the narration is perfection. Everyone who I’ve told to listen is also obsessed.
4
Midnight Library with Carey Mulligan
Carey Mulligan’s performance made this book feel very alive! One of the best audiobooks I’ve listened to and definitely felt like a treat. I’d recommend Alchemised audio book but you said you want to sleep later…
31
the stories, the accent, its absolutely incredible. almost 10 years old now and its still the first audiobook that comes to mind—and i read (listen) to a loooooot of audiobooks.
53
Should have listened to the hype on this long ago… Michelle Williams is a revelation… best audiobook I’ve listened to in awhile
Lincoln in the Bardo with Nick Offerman, David Sedaris, et al
This book has a large, talented cast, many of whom are comedians. The readers bring all sorts of performance decisions to the jokes (and the terror, and the sorrow, and the rest of it) and it feels like another dimension is added to the work. Saunders is often so dark, and this book is dark, but the voices help the listener understand light shining through it.
141
David Pittu’s reading of The Goldfinch
I read Donna Tartt’s The Goldfinch when it came out over a decade ago, but on the recommendation of my audiophile friend Genevieve I’m now listening to the audiobook, and it is truly outstanding. David Pittu is masterful and yet somehow understated in his various voices; I forgot how it unfolds like a thriller. Perfect long-haul audiobook experience pour moi.
101
Andy Serkis reading the Lord of the Rings
I have tried and failed to read LotR so many times but this is a fully pleasurable experience. Obviously Andy Serkis does an amazing job. And there is so much singing!
2
i’ve been listening to this series throughout work. genuinely amazing voice acting — brings a new element of storytelling into the medium.
3
The Murderbot Diaries are excellent reads no matter what, but I need to give a special shoutout to the audiobooks. Kevin R. Free is iconic as Murderbot and has so much depth and dry humor in his performance. If you’re planning on reading these, please do yourself a favor and listen to the audiobooks.
1
Nothing to See Here (Kevin Wilson)
This book is so good, and Marin Ireland is so talented and funny. I am jealous of everyone who gets to listen to this for the first time.
4
Don’t read these books. Listen to them.
12 recs
I am a bookstore owner. My income depends on selling physical books to people. And yet there are some books that I demand people listen to instead of physically read. Why? Some stories are better as poems, some as plays, some as films, some as novels, some as dance. And some books are better when someone is reading them to you, when the narrative voice in your head isn’t your own. And yes, to settle the argument: audiobooks count as reading. If you think otherwise, you’ve never loved a reader who has ADHD.
10 recs
I used to be a voice actor. Now I’m just a snob about it. This is a collection of audiobook performances that blew me away.
3 recs
This audiobook is a commitment and graduate level listening material. Tackling the brogue alone will make the plaque fall away from your brain. But you’ll stay for the riveting story. Great for a long drive.
8
Heartburn, narrated by Meryl Streep
Two for the price of one: Heartburn narrated by Meryl Streep, and I Feel Bad About My Neck narrated by Nora Ephron herself. The standard to which all audiobook experiences should be held! Transcendent. Inhaled both, pure delight, prepare to absolutely cackle.
This is perfectly narrated by Tom Hanks. Some friends and I picked this book for a little lockdown zoom book club, and it was wild how the group was split right down the middle—those who read the printed book thought it was too bleak, those who listened to the audiobook thought it was perfect.
1
Anna Karenina, narrated by Maggie Gyllenhaal (2016)
CO-SIGN THIS IS SUCH A GOOD LISTENING EXPERIENCE AND MADE A DAUNTINGLY LONG BOOK GENUINELY SO CRUSHABLE!
103
Rebecca (read by Alexandra O’Karma)
They didn’t have the Audie Awards yet in 1988, or Alexandra O’Karma would have swept for this. Her vintage Transatlantic accent is perfect for this elegant novel, and her innate gravity and mesmerizing cadence make her wonderfully suited to gothic suspense. She employs subtle micro-accents to modulate between characters with theatrical precision, skillfully building unnerving tension to a fever pitch.
the murder at the vicarage read by richard e. grant
i mean, did you know that agatha christie was funny?? add one of the best comedic actors of all time (is that controversial?) and you’ve really got a FUN audiobook on your hands.
This version performed by a full cast! Got me from SF to Seattle and back
A Swim in a Pond in the Rain audiobook
George's writing is a joy in any format, and he always gets great actors for his audiobooks. But this one is something special: Rainn Wilson reading Gogol's "The Nose," Glenn Close reading Chekhov's "The Darling," and then George himself coming in to talk about why each story works. It felt like sitting in on the best class I never took.
12
For this wonderfully lyrical medieval novel — think sapphic Ken Follett — Bridgerton’s Adjoa Andoh takes on a voice actor’s greatest challenge: bringing each member of a huge cast of similar characters to unique, individual life. In this case, they are nuns — a whole convent of them — and their story spans a lifetime. Andoh masterfully maintains a distinct, memorable voice for each woman, even as they audibly age from teenage novices to ancient sisters. In the fiercely independent prioress Marie, we hear echoes of Lady Danbury — sharp-witted and sensual beneath her impeccable propriety. Audie nominee and winner of the AudioFile Earphones Award.
4
Peter Riegert Reads “The Yiddish Policeman’s Union”
The perfect voice for a beautiful noir novel. Chabon’s language takes a lot of inspiration from Chandler’s “slumming angel” style in this book, and Reigert brings a knowing fatigue that feels perfect for Detective Landsman (and would be perfect for Marlowe, too)
51
David Mitchell heads unite!!! This is one of my favorite audiobooks to put on when I need to putter. He narrates it, throws in little history jokes, and it’s just so enjoyable. It’s also a massive book that I don’t think I could get through on my own.
213
Broken Horses (Brandi Carlile)
The audiobook version is interspersed with her song recordings- her own and her covers of Leonard, Dolly Parton and more.
