The Best Audiobooks I’ve Listened To

Now that more and more people are getting vaccinated, the world is getting closer to normal. And that means returning to working outside the house, as well as going on vacation. A great way to spend your time if you’re commuting or traveling is listening to audiobooks. I’m a big fan of them, so in this post I’m sharing the best audiobooks I’ve listened to (hence the title!), as well as the best free audiobooks apps.  

All Books Posts

This post contains affiliate links. Thank you for supporting Kate the (Almost) Great! 

The Best Audiobooks Apps 

Libby – Libby is the absolute best! It’s such a good app. I super recommend it. It’s a free app, and you listen to free audiobooks.

The app itself says, “Libby is a free app where you can borrow ebooks and digital audiobooks from your public library. You can stream books with Wi-Fi or mobile data, or download them for offline use and read anytime, anywhere. All you need to get started is a library card” (x). 

Libby is a great way to enjoy and support your local library. If your library uses OverDrive, then you can probably find them on Libby. All you need is a library card!

If you have an iPhone or an Android, then you can use Libby. You can also use the app on some computers, including Macbooks and Chromebooks. 

I have a library card from the Boston Public Library, and I use Libby with that. 

Not sure if your library uses Libby? Go to the homepage and search for it. 

Audible – Audible is the absolute leader of audiobooks. With a traditional membership of $14.95 per month, you get 1 book credit per month. This is awesome because often audiobooks are WAY more expensive than hard copies. 

While I don’t have an Audible membership any more, I did for years, and I super recommend it if you’re interested in owning your audiobooks. 

Audible works on an app on your phone and also if you have an Alexa. This is because Audible is owned by Amazon. 

You don’t have to use a membership to use Audible, but, again, audiobooks can be super expensive. Which makes sense because long books can be 20-40 hours long, but $14.95 for a book that costs over $40 is incredible. 

Audiobooks.com – This is a site that I haven’t used before, but I wanted to include it here because it looks cool (and it’s not owned by Amazon). 

Their website says, “We’re all about combining our love of books with our passion for technology and innovation to create a service unlike any other, with features like cloudmark sync (patent pending) and intelligent restart (patent pending)” (x). Super cool!

Like Audible, your membership gets you 1 book credit a month. (Learn more here)

Just like Audible, a membership is $14.95 per month. Again, very similar to Audible, but not owned by Amazon.

The Best Audiobooks I’ve Listened To 

World Without End – “World Without End takes place in the same town of Kingsbridge, two centuries after the townspeople finished building the exquisite Gothic cathedral that was at the heart of The Pillars of the Earth. The cathedral and the priory are again at the center of a web of love and hate, greed and pride, ambition and revenge, but this sequel stands on its own. This time the men and women of an extraordinary cast of characters find themselves at a crossroads of new ideas—about medicine, commerce, architecture, and justice. In a world where proponents of the old ways fiercely battle those with progressive minds, the intrigue and tension quickly reach a boiling point against the devastating backdrop of the greatest natural disaster ever to strike the human race—the Black Death” (x).

I’m a huge fan of the Kingsbridge series! This is my favorite one in the series (so far – I have the prequel on my phone to listen to next) and I recently reread/relistened to it. I really recommend listening to it versus reading the hard copy. 

I read The Pillars of the Earth (the first in the series) in paperback but had a hard time getting through all the talk about building cathedrals, among other things. I listened to World Without End at 1.2x speed, also, although that might be because I’ve listened to it several times. 

The Lady Sherlock Series – I love love love this series! I listened to the first 4 in 2 months? Maybe? It might have been less than that, honestly.

It’s basically exactly what it sounds like – a series as if Sherlock Holmes was a woman. Charlotte Holmes acts as the eyes and ears for “her invalid brother Sherlock” … who of course doesn’t exist. I just listened to the 5th book, and I can’t wait for the 6th to come out this November.

The first book is A Study in Scarlet Women. 

“With her inquisitive mind, Charlotte Holmes has never felt comfortable with the demureness expected of the fairer sex in upper-class society. But even she never thought that she would become a social pariah, an outcast fending for herself on the mean streets of London. When the city is struck by a trio of unexpected deaths and suspicion falls on her sister and her father, Charlotte is desperate to find the true culprits and clear the family name. She’ll have help from friends new and old, but in the end, it will be up to Charlotte, under the assumed name Sherlock Holmes, to challenge society’s expectations and match wits against an unseen mastermind” (x).

Little Women – I had a hard time getting into this book when I was a kid and even when I was a teenager, but I listened to it last fall and definitely get the hype. I don’t feel the same way about the novel as many women do, but maybe if I could actually get into it when I was younger I would feel differently. 

“This great American novel demonstrates Alcott’s extraordinary talent at portraying the joys and struggles of family life in an unforgettable way. Generations of people – young and old, male and female – have fallen in love with the March sisters. This classic of young adult fiction transcends genre, gender, and class with its examination of personal quests, societal restrictions, family ties, and the end of innocence” (x).

What I really liked about the audiobook was I felt like I could really get into the story in a way that I couldn’t really when I tried reading the paper copy. Maybe it’s because it’s easier to hear the difference in how the sisters talk when they’re children and when they’re adults when someone is reading out loud (and, in this case, there are multiple people reading it). I don’t know. But if you had a similarly hard time getting into the novel when you were younger, I recommend the audiobook. 

Anna Karenina – I got into Anna Karenina because, last fall, I was working on a project at work that was very repetitive but was still important. I started listening to Anna Karenina when I was working on that project, and it definitely made the time go by faster. 

One reason why I enjoyed the audiobook was, honestly, the pronunciation of the Russian names, places, and terms. I truly don’t think I would have been able to get so into it if I was holding the paper copy! I mean, Anna’s son’s name is spelled Seryozha. I would have no idea how to pronounce it if I wasn’t listening to the narrator read it. 

“Leo Tolstoy’s classic story of doomed love is one of the most admired novels in world literature. Generations of readers have been enthralled by his magnificent heroine, the unhappily married Anna Karenina, and her tragic affair with dashing Count Vronsky […] Anna Karenina is a masterpiece not only because of the unforgettable woman at its core and the stark drama of her fate but also because it explores and illuminates the deepest questions about how to live a fulfilled life” (x).

Stay Sexy & Don’t Get Murdered: The Definitive How-To Guide – I feel like this book is very different from the ones I’ve described so far! If you’re not familiar with the podcast My Favorite Murder, this book is a joint memoir by the hosts of that podcast, Georgia Hardstark and Karen Kilgariff, and it’s named after one of the show’s catchphrases. 

This book gets a lot more into the personal histories of Georgia and Karen than they do on their podcast … which is saying something because they’re very open! They dig more into their individual histories of addiction, family trouble, and how they got more into true crime.

A reason why I suggest this book in audiobook form instead of hard copy is that Georgia and Karen both read it. It gives you an even greater connection to what they discuss. Although you’re definitely going to want tissues for the times when Karen talks about her mom’s experience with Alzheimer’s, especially if someone in your life has/had a form of dementia. (Speaking from experience here!)

“Sharing never-before-heard stories ranging from their struggles with depression, eating disorders, and addiction, Karen and Georgia irreverently recount their biggest mistakes and deepest fears, reflecting on the formative life events that shaped them into two of the most followed voices in the nation. In Stay Sexy & Don’t Get Murdered, Karen and Georgia focus on the importance of self-advocating and valuing personal safety over being ‘nice’ or ‘helpful.’ They delve into their own pasts, true crime stories, and beyond to discuss meaningful cultural and societal issues with fierce empathy and unapologetic frankness” (x).

Advice Books To Read (That Aren’t Cheesy!)

Code Name Verity – This is a book that I got through and Audible sale and wow do I recommend it. There are 2 halves, each narrated by 1 of 2 best friends who work for the British during WWII. 

Verity, a Scottish spy who goes into Germany, narrates the first half as she has been captured by the Nazis. 

Maddie, an English pilot who is stuck hiding in France after the accident that caused Verity to be captured, struggles to get her friend back and to get them both back to England. 

It’s so good. I was shocked by how good! 

“Code Name Verity is a compelling, emotionally rich story with universal themes of friendship and loyalty, heroism and bravery. Two young women from totally different backgrounds are thrown together during World War II: one a working-class girl from Manchester, the other a Scottish aristocrat, one a pilot, the other a wireless operator. Yet whenever their paths cross, they complement each other perfectly and before long become devoted friends. But then a vital mission goes wrong, and one of the friends has to bail out of a faulty plane over France. She is captured by the Gestapo and becomes a prisoner of war. The story begins in Verity’s own words, as she writes her account for her captors” (x).

Untamed – Last week, I was talking to my mom about Brené Brown (one of her books is featured in this post!) about how while Brené Brown is intimidating because of how intense she can be, Glennon Doyle is intimidating because of how real she can be. I was introduced to that realness through Untamed. 

“There is a voice of longing inside each woman. We strive so mightily to be good: good partners, daughters, mothers, employees, and friends. We hope all this striving will make us feel alive. Instead, it leaves us feeling weary, stuck, overwhelmed, and underwhelmed. We look at our lives and wonder: Wasn’t it all supposed to be more beautiful than this? We quickly silence that question, telling ourselves to be grateful, hiding our discontent – even from ourselves. For many years, Glennon Doyle denied her own discontent. Then, while speaking at a conference, she looked at a woman across the room and fell instantly in love. Three words flooded her mind: There She Is. At first, Glennon assumed these words came to her from on high. But she soon realized they had come to her from within. This was her own voice – the one she had buried beneath decades of numbing addictions, cultural conditioning, and institutional allegiances. This was the voice of the girl she had been before the world told her who to be. Glennon decided to quit abandoning herself and to instead abandon the world’s expectations of her. She quit being good so she could be free. She quit pleasing and started living” (x).

Like SSDGM, Untamed is narrated by its author. I feel like this is a book that you will get the most out of by listening to it, and it’s for that reason. To not only read Glennon’s words but to hear her read them? It gave me chills sometimes. 

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man – I listened to this book towards the beginning of the pandemic. I was in Boston and could only leave the house to walk the dogs. I listened to Colin Farrell read this classic Irish book and it was so comforting. 

The Irish lilt to Joyce’s classic autobiographical novel was just so lovely and exactly what I needed. I really suggest listening to this over reading the hard copy because Joyce is hard enough to understand to begin with but listening to Farrell read it makes it so much better.

“The quintessential coming-of-age story follows Stephen Dedalus as he matures in an era marked by budding Irish nationalism and intensely conservative Catholicism. From infancy to adulthood, Stephen struggles to find his place, flitting between periods of guilt-ridden fanatical religious obsession and hedonistic exploration. But even as he is pulled in every direction by family, flesh, faith, and nation, Stephen longs for something seemingly forbidden–the life of an artist. Joyce’s first work to experiment with stream of consciousness style—a technique that he and his contemporaries developed—A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man evokes both the pains and complexities of growing up and the furious optimism that accompanies youth. Pulling from events from his own past, Joyce weaves a semi-autobiographical recount of life in nineteenth century Ireland, crafting a narrative that is at once tender and sharply satirical” (x).

Circe – I will fully admit that Circe is a novel more for the nerds out there than the general public. While The Song of Achilles has a more traditional novel structure (beginning, middle, end with a defined story), Circe doesn’t have the same structure. 

We hear about the events of Greek mythology and stories mentioned in The Iliad and The Odyssey, for sure. But it’s more about hearing about them from Circe’s point of view than it is about having a beginning, middle, and ending itself. 

Personally, I loved it, but it is well established that I’m a nerd. (I first read The Odyssey in 5th grade. I’m a certified nerd.) Like with Portrait of the Artist and Little Women, the narration of Circe is a huge factor in this book. I think I would suggest the audiobook version over the paper version. 

“In the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. But Circe is a strange child – not powerful, like her father, nor viciously alluring, like her mother. Turning to the world of mortals for companionship, she discovers that she does possess power – the power of witchcraft, which can transform rivals into monsters and menace the gods themselves. Threatened, Zeus banishes her to a deserted island, where she hones her occult craft, tames wild beasts and crosses paths with many of the most famous figures in all of mythology […] But there is danger, too, for a woman who stands alone, and Circe unwittingly draws the wrath of both men and gods, ultimately finding herself pitted against one of the most terrifying and vengeful of the Olympians. To protect what she loves most, Circe must summon all her strength and choose, once and for all, whether she belongs with the gods she is born from or the mortals she has come to love” (x). 

The Secrets We Kept – This is a very fun one if you’re into history and spies. The writing isn’t always the best, I will fully admit that. But it takes a unique look at Doctor Zhivago and the real (and fictional) world-wide spycraft involved with it. 

“At the height of the Cold War, two secretaries are pulled out of the typing pool at the CIA and given the assignment of a lifetime. Their mission: to smuggle Doctor Zhivago out of the USSR, where no one dares publish it, and help Pasternak’s magnum opus make its way into print around the world. […] The Secrets We Kept combines a legendary literary love story – the decades-long affair between Pasternak and his mistress and muse, Olga Ivinskaya, who was sent to the Gulag and inspired Zhivago’s heroine, Lara – with a narrative about two women empowered to lead lives of extraordinary intrigue and risk. From Pasternak’s country estate outside Moscow to the brutalities of the Gulag, from Washington, DC to Paris and Milan, The Secrets We Kept captures a watershed moment in the history of literature” (x).

One thing I really like about this audiobook is that the novel is told from multiple points of view and the audiobook is read by multiple people for this very reason. 

This book comes with a STRONG content warning for depiction of sexual assault, period-accurate homophobia, and life in a Russian gulag. 

His Dark Materials Trilogy – Wow wow wow had I forgotten how good these books were! This series is out of this world, and while the intended audience is definitely young adults, it’s just as good to read when you’re a full adult. 

“His Dark Materials is an epic trilogy of fantasy novels consisting of Northern Lights (1995, published as The Golden Compass in North America), The Subtle Knife (1997), and The Amber Spyglass (2000). It follows the coming of age of two children, Lyra Belacqua and Will Parry, as they wander through a series of parallel universe” (x).

The books in the original trilogy are: The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass. There are also several in-universe books, such as The Book of Dust and Lyra’s Oxford. 

These books are narrated by several different people, but it’s one where there is 1 for each character. It took me a bit to get used to that, but in the end I think it works better than 1 narrator trying to do every character. 

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo – This is another book that has multiple points of view (not many, but there are some) and multiple people reading it, according to the POV. 

There isn’t much I can say about this book that hasn’t been said by others, but it is SO good. I will say, though, that I loved reading the audiobook so much that I’m hesitant about reading some of the author’s other books, like Daisy Jones and the Six, because I want to listen to them and I don’t know if they will translate as well to audiobooks. 

“Aging and reclusive Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life. But when she chooses unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant for the job, no one in the journalism community is more astounded than Monique herself. Why her? Why now? […] Summoned to Evelyn’s Upper East Side apartment, Monique listens as Evelyn unfurls her story: from making her way to Los Angeles in the 1950s to her decision to leave show business in the late ’80s and, of course, the seven husbands along the way. As Evelyn’s life unfolds – revealing a ruthless ambition, an unexpected friendship, and a great forbidden love – Monique begins to feel a [very real] connection to the actress. But as Evelyn’s story catches up with the present, it becomes clear that her life intersects with Monique’s own in tragic and irreversible ways” (x).

Where the Crawdads Sing – This book isn’t perfect (no books are), and there are some very valid criticisms of it out there, but I really enjoyed it. 

“For years, rumors of the ‘Marsh Girl’ have haunted Barkley Cove, a quiet town on the North Carolina coast. So in late 1969, when handsome Chase Andrews is found dead, the locals immediately suspect Kya Clark, the so-called Marsh Girl. But Kya is not what they say. Sensitive and intelligent, she has survived for years alone in the marsh that she calls home, finding friends in the gulls and lessons in the sand. Then the time comes when she yearns to be touched and loved. When two young men from town become intrigued by her wild beauty, Kya opens herself to a new life – until the unthinkable happens” (x).

I suggest listening to this book instead of reading the paper version because apparently this is one of those books where accents are written in. I didn’t realize this until I was reading a review of it and saw it mentioned. (The Amazon preview on page 7 has one line that says: “‘But Ma’s carryin’ that blue case like she’s goin’ somewheres big.’”)

Bluebird, Bluebird – This is one of those books that I don’t know if I would have picked up a paper copy, but I’m so glad I used one of my Audible credits to get it. 

“When it comes to law and order, East Texas plays by its own rules – a fact that Darren Mathews, a black Texas Ranger, knows all too well. Deeply ambivalent about growing up black in the lone star state, he was the first in his family to get as far away from Texas as he could. Until duty called him home. When his allegiance to his roots puts his job in jeopardy, he travels up Highway 59 to the small town of Lark, where two murders – a black lawyer from Chicago and a local white woman – have stirred up a hornet’s nest of resentment. Darren must solve the crimes – and save himself in the process – before Lark’s long-simmering racial fault lines erupt” (x).

The author wrote for the TV show Empire, and I think that the experience of writing for an audience that watches to consume is clear when listening. I was hooked on this book!

Most Popular Books of the 21st Century

American Gods – We have definitely established in this post that I am a nerd. One of the components of my nerdiness, visible above when talking about Circe, is mythology. If you are also a mythology nerd, then you should read American Gods. 

“Locked behind bars for three years, Shadow did his time, quietly waiting for the day when he could return to Eagle Point, Indiana. A man no longer scared of what tomorrow might bring, all he wanted was to be with Laura, the wife he deeply loved, and start a new life. But just days before his release, Laura and Shadow’s best friend are killed in an accident. With his life in pieces and nothing to keep him tethered, Shadow accepts a job from a beguiling stranger he meets on the way home, an enigmatic man who calls himself Mr. Wednesday. A trickster and a rogue, Wednesday seems to know more about Shadow than Shadow does himself. Life as Wednesday’s bodyguard, driver, and errand boy is far more interesting and dangerous than Shadow ever imagined. Soon Shadow learns that the past never dies . . . and that beneath the placid surface of everyday life a storm is brewing—an epic war for the very soul of America—and that he is standing squarely in its path” (x).

Interestingly, I had a hard time getting into the TV show, but I couldn’t get enough of the audiobook. It’s super interesting and nuanced, and I think listening to it is just the right level of immersion. Reading the paper copy isn’t enough, watching the TV show is too much, listening to the audiobook is just right. 

Braving the Wilderness – As I mentioned above, Brené Brown is intense, but she’s incredible. 

When I was in grad school, I listened to Braving the Wilderness during my commute. It’s a relatively short audiobook (approximately 4 hours compared to the 45 that is Written in My Own Heart’s Blood), but it’s so meaningful. 

“‘True belonging doesn’t require us to change who we are. It requires us to be who we are.’ Social scientist Brené Brown, PhD, LMSW, has sparked a global conversation about the experiences that bring meaning to our lives—experiences of courage, vulnerability, love, belonging, shame, and empathy. In Braving the Wilderness, Brown redefines what it means to truly belong in an age of increased polarization. With her trademark mix of research, storytelling, and honesty, Brown will again change the cultural conversation while mapping a clear path to true belonging” (x).

If you only read one Brené Brown book, let it be Braving the Wilderness. (Although you really should read more than that!)

Written in My Own Heart’s Blood – This is the 8th Outlander book, and it’s also the only one that I really struggled to read the paper version of. 

“It is 1778: France declares war on Great Britain, the British army leaves Philadelphia, and George Washington’s troops leave Valley Forge in pursuit. At this moment, Jamie Fraser returns from a presumed watery grave to discover that his best friend has married his wife; his illegitimate son has discovered (to his horror) who his father really is; and his beloved nephew, Ian, wants to marry a Quaker. Meanwhile, Jamie’s wife, Claire, and his sister, Jenny, are busy picking up the pieces. The Frasers can only be thankful that their daughter Brianna and her family are safe in 20th-century Scotland. Or not. In fact, Brianna is searching for her own son, who was kidnapped by a man determined to learn her family’s secrets. Her husband, Roger, has ventured into the past in search of the missing boy – never suspecting that the object of his quest has not left the present. Now, with Roger out of the way, the kidnapper can focus on his true target: Brianna herself” (x).

It’s no secret that I love Outlander, even if the TV show became so disappointing that I don’t watch it any more. But for some reason, I had a really hard time reading the paper version of WIMOHB. I truly don’t know why, but I’m glad that I listened to the audiobook.

I wouldn’t say that WIMOHB is my favorite Outlander book, but it’s a really good book that flips between Claire and Jamie in the Revolutionary War and Brianna and Roger in the 1970s.

Exit West – This is a book that I never would have read if it wasn’t for the Modern Mrs. Darcy 2017 Reading Challenge, and I’m so glad that challenge introduced me to it. 

“In a country teetering on the brink of civil war, two young people meet – sensual, fiercely independent Nadia and gentle, restrained Saeed. They embark on a furtive love affair and are soon cloistered in a premature intimacy by the unrest roiling their city. When it explodes, turning familiar streets into a patchwork of checkpoints and bomb blasts, they begin to hear whispers about doors – doors that can whisk people far away, if perilously and for a price. As the violence escalates, Nadia and Saeed decide that they no longer have a choice. Leaving their homeland and their old lives behind, they find a door and step through …” (x).

This is another short audiobook, so if you’re looking for something as a palate cleanser or just for a short-ish road trip, I would recommend it. It’s really good, but definitely different than I’m used to.

What are your favorite audiobooks?

Like this post? Share this post! Then check out: 

19 Retellings of Classic Fiction You Need To Read, 17 Modern Classic Novels, The Books I Couldn’t Finish, 20+ Dystopian, Science Fiction, and Fantasy Books To Escape With