The 30 Best Audiobooks of All Time
The 30 Best Audiobooks of All Time
An audio renaissance is upon us. Yesteryear's teleplays and radio shows have morphed into podcasts and audiobooks. Maybe it’s our always on-the-go lifestyle, or maybe it’s our never-ending desire to consume that leads us back to the medium. Whatever the reason, there’s never been a better time to delve into audiobooks.
Not only are audiobooks a convenient way to check off your reading list on-the-go, but a great audiobook can offer a new experience for your favorite texts. For instance, a talented narrator can breathe new life into your beloved characters. Or, a riveting plot can make for an ideal storytelling experience. The best audiobooks can totally immerse us while still leaving some room for imagination.
Whether you’re looking for an audiobook experience that feels like a soothing bedtime story, or you want to feel like you’re witnessing the greatest campfire story ever told, there are plenty of great audiobooks out there for consumption. From retellings of old classics, to all-new narratives, here are the 30 greatest audiobooks of all time.
1) I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
audible.com
$28.00
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is considered by many to be an American classic. And there are few better ways to encounter the work than through a narration by Maya Angelou herself. This poetic autobiography follows Angelou's life from the moment she and her brother were sent to Arkansas during her childhood, to Angelou becoming a mother.
2) Slouching Towards Bethlehem
Diane Keaton
audible.com
$17.95
One of Joan Didion’s most acclaimed works narrated by none other than Diane Keaton. That sentence alone should be enough said. Published in 1968, this collection of various essays from Didion offers an intimate lens into 1960s America, California, and the inimitable voice of Didion.
3) Born a Crime
audible.com
$16.95
Narrated by Trevor Noah, this autobiography tells the story of Noah’s upbringing in South Africa during apartheid – and the path that led him to his current status as one of America’s most well-known and impactful comedians. If you’re the type to watch the Daily Show every night, then you’re no stranger to Noah’s natural gift for storytelling–which make this audiobook an especially profound listen.
4) Night
audible.com
$47.00
The autobiography of Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel, a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize and Congressional Medal of Honor, Night is an important opus to this day. Following Wiesel’s experiences as a young boy in Nazi Germany, the work sheds light on the atrocities of Auschwitz, Buchenwald, and the Holocaust.
5) The Kite Runner
audible.com
$17833.00
Narrated by author Khaled Hosseini, The Kite Runner is arguably one of the most memorable bestsellers of the 2000s. Set in Afghanistan during the pivotal era of the late 20th-century, The Kite Runner tells an unforgettable story of friendship and devotion – as it follows the complex relationship of two young boys as their disparate classes and life trajectories put their love to the test.
6) To Kill a Mockingbird
audible.com
$16.95
To Kill a Mockingbird is likely either a book you were assigned in high school and ultimately forgot most of, or is the book you’ve been told to read for all of your life but never got around to. Either way, the audiobook of Harper Lee’s magnum opus is a must-listen. With Sissy Spacek serving as your gateway to such iconic literature figures as Scout and Atticus Finch, you’re sure to find yourself immersed into this powerful tale of justice, hatred, and America.
7) Bossypants
bossypants
audible.com
$58738.00
The comedian autobiography has gotten a bit of a bad rap over the years. It seems that the “New Arrivals” shelf at every bookstore seems to have a healthy supply of quippy-titled memoirs from TV actors and stand-ups. But, amidst an ever-saturated genre, Tina Fey’s Bossypants maintains its status as one of the best. Narrated by Fey herself, Bossypants offers a whip-smart and hilarious reflection on coming up in the boys’ club of comedy.
8) The Handmaid's Tale: Special Edition
Margaret Atwood
audible.com
$29.95
There’s something captivating about an audiobook narrated by a full cast. And that’s especially true when it comes to Margaret Atwood’s beloved novel The Handmaid’s Tale. Perhaps it’s not exactly a story world you’d like to get immersed in, but this retelling by Claire Danes among others offers a gripping experience of the dystopian classic.
9) Becoming
audible.com
$174156.00
Narrated by former first lady Michelle Obama herself, Becoming offers unprecedented access to Obama and her path to the White House. From Obama’s upbringing in the South Side of Chicago to leading public health campaigns and raising her own children as America’s first family, Becoming is a strikingly personal listen.
10) Normal People
audible.com
$16.95
As Sally Rooney continues to solidify her reputation as one of today’s most celebrated new novelists–and, with another Hulu adaptation of Rooney’s work on the horizon–there’s never been a better time to give Normal People a listen. And achingly accurate portrait of love in the modern age, Rooney’s Normal People masterfully toes the line between intimacy and distance as it follows the unique love story of two Irish teens. The lovely Irish brogue of narrator Aoife McMahon makes the listening experience all the better.
11) Crying in H Mart
audible.com
$28.00
Narrated by author Michelle Zauner, also known as the frontwoman of the acclaimed indie band Japanese Breakfast, Crying in H Mart’s audiobook offers an intimate perspective of Zauner’s deeply personal autobiographical work. Based on the New Yorker essay of the same name, Crying in H Mart sees Zauner reflect on how her mother’s terminal cancer diagnosis caused her to rethink everything about her relationship with her mother–and with herself.
12) The Bell Jar
audible.com
$14.95
If you’ve read The Bell Jar before, or just know of its content matter, then you know that it’s a pretty heavy text. But, few could do Sylvia Plath’s acclaimed novel justice quite like Maggie Gyllenhaal. Following the psychological downfall of a young woman by the name of Esther–and believed to parallel the experiences of Plath herself, The Bell Jar feels all the more accessible and brilliant in the caring hands of Gyllenhaal.
13) Beloved
audible.com
$16.95
One of the most essential works of one of the most influential authors of American literature, Toni Morrison’s Beloved is especially impactful as an audiobook, as it is narrated by Morrison herself. The book follows Sethe, a formerly enslaved woman in 19th-century Ohio, as she is haunted by a woman she believes to be the ghost of her eldest daughter—whom Sethe killed in an attempt to save her family from being returned to slavery.
14) The Fire Next Time
audible.com
$10.47
Author and activist James Baldwin’s life work has had a profound impact not just upon American literature, but American culture as a whole. And this is especially true about The First Next Time. Narrated by Jesse L. Martin, the book is a collection of two essays from Baldwin, both offering Baldwin’s personal accounts as a lens into race relations in America.
15) The Stand
audible.com
$66378.00
If you count its unabridged version, then The Stand is Stephen King’s longest work in his entire oeuvre. And, it’s also considered by many to be one of his best. So, if you’ve been hesitant to take the plunge into a physical copy, consuming this heavy-hitter in audiobook form could be the perfect entry point. Set in the aftermath of a weaponized pandemic, The Stand is an epic post-apocalypse novel centered upon the remaining survivors of humanity.
16) The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
audible.com
$14.95
Only an actor with peak theater kid energy could truly step up to the plate and do justice to The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. And Anne Hathaway rose to the occasion. With adaptations and spin-offs like the 1939 film and Wicked often dominating our brain’s associations to this fantastical work, there’s something special about returning to L. Frank Baum’s original venture into the Emerald City.
17) Kitchen Confidential
audible.com
$16.95
A no-holds-barred account of what happens in the kitchen by the king of no-holds-barred living. Written and narrated by Anthony Bourdain himself, Kitchen Confidential offers a profound capsule of Bourdain’s life, as he humorously and meaningfully reflects upon his many (very disparate) experiences in kitchens across the world.
18) Between the World and Me
audible.com
$29670.00
Written by acclaimed author Ta-Nehisi Coates as a letter to his son, Between the World and Me has been described by Toni Morrison herself as “required reading.” The audiobook is narrated by Coates, who navigates American history – and his own life’s history – as a means of explaining what it means to be Black in a country built upon white supremacy.
19) Just Kids
audible.com
$30.79
A portrait of two great artists of the 20th-century before their names or their legacies were known by the world. Written and narrated by Patti Smith, Just Kids sees Smith reflect on her sprawling relationship with acclaimed photographer Robert Mapplethorpe–beginning as two twentysomethings in New York City as they ascended the ladder of fame and success.
20) Macbeth: Fully Dramatized Audio Edition
audible.com
$13.95
As any middle school teacher will agree, the works of William Shakespeare are best read aloud. If you’re not up for a trip to the theater, a dramatized reading of Shakespeare is the next best thing. Macbeth particularly lends itself to this form, as its memorable three witches even pose as narrators for the tragedy.
21) Anna Karenina
audible.com
$11088.00
Anna Karenina is one of the most well-known and dense works of literature. But Maggie Gyllenhaal’s reading of this classic from Leo Tolstoy makes the beauty of this work all the more accessible. Following its protagonist Anna as she embarks on an affair, the novel poses a timeless dilemma of escaping a life unfulfilled.
![22) Dracula [Audible Edition]](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/DvRS.j0hzOB0WiASLPLuHQ--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTk2MA--/https://media.zenfs.com/en/esquire_269/4d08115e4f5769ffe4cbe608501f2de9)
22) Dracula [Audible Edition]
dracula
audible.com
$28778.00
Many of us are plenty familiar with Bram Stoker’s Dracula – if not from reading the original work, then from Dracula’s immortal cultural relevance that couldn’t even be eliminated by wooden stake. But, if you’re looking to revisit Dracula, or encounter the book itself for the first time, then this full-cast reading of the novel – including actors like Alan Cummings – is sure to offer a unique experience.
23) Their Eyes Were Watching God
audible.com
$14.95
Zora Neale Hurston’s 1937 Their Eyes Were Watching God is considered a classic work of American literature and the Harlem Renaissance era. And Ruby Dee’s narration perfectly captures this profound coming-of-age, following protagonist Janie Crawford as she grows up in the early 20th-century Florida.
24) The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
audible.com
$48834.00
What better way to power through a road trip than listening to the ultimate road trip/sci-fi crossover? With Stephen Fry as your guide, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy audiobook feels like the perfect way to immerse yourself into this classic intergalactic adventure.
25) The Dutch House
audible.com
$48105.00
There’s just something about Tom Hanks that makes him seem like the ideal narrator. And his reading of The Dutch House highlights the rich narrative of two siblings as they face the grip that their past has on their lives.
26) The Underground Railroad
audible.com
$16.95
In this acclaimed novel by Colson Whitehead, Whitehead reimagines the Underground Railroad as a physical train system–following a young woman’s journey to freedom from enslavement. Bahni Turpin narrates this striking narrative, which has since become an Amazon Prime series under the helm of Moonlight director Barry Jenkins.
27) The Goldfinch
audible.com
$39584.00
Donna Tartt’s The Goldfinch is the perfect odyssey to embark on via audiobook, and it follows a young man’s life trajectory after losing his mother in a tragic bombing. Lost without a true family or sense of home, he becomes guided by the one memento he held onto from that fateful day.
28) Bad Feminist
audible.com
$16.95
Bad Feminist is the perfect entry point into the work of renowned writer and cultural commentator Roxane Gay. Narrated once again by actress Bahni Turpin, Bad Feminist highlights a selection of Gay’s essays spanning topics of politics, criticism, personal anecdotes and more – each packed with Gay’s signature wit and wsidom.
29) Educated
educated
audible.com
$116637.00
Arguably one of the most striking memoirs of recent years, Educated tells the story of Tara Westover and her journey through the U.S. educational system. First entering a classroom at 17 years old after living in an Idaho survivalist family, Westover pushes against odds to earn a PhD from Cambridge University.
30) Atlas of the Heart
audible.com
$14.95
Researcher, public speaker, and vulnerability aficionado is back with another soul-bearing study in her latest Atlas of the Heart. Brené Brown offers her signature balance of the academic and personal narrative, and she strives to provide a "framework for meaningful connection." If you've been a fan of any of Brown's TED Talks or her podcast, you're sure to love this deep dive narrated by Brown herself.
From classical literature to current narratives, here are some of the 30 best audiobooks of all-time.