Historical Fiction bestsellers

Circe

By: Madeline Miller
Narrated by: Perdita Weeks
Length: 12 hours 8 minutes

“I'm always a little wary of books with unbridled social media-fueled popularity. But here's one that lived up to the hype! Madeline Miller refused to shy away from the horrors of her tale, but her exceptional research and balanced, sympathetic, feminist interpretations of the ancient myths was a bridge and balm for the modern audience. Also, the... Read more

James

A Novel

By: Percival Everett
Narrated by: Dominic Hoffman
Length: 7 hours 48 minutes

“It is rare to find a book that is a retelling of a known story and wholly original, but Percival Everett is able to do that with James. By shifting the narrator from Huckleberry Finn to James (known previously only as "Jim"), Everett doesn't only refocus the point of view of the events, but he is able to refocus the reader's attention away from... Read more

The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store

A Novel

By: James McBride
Narrated by: Dominic Hoffman
Length: 12 hours 21 minutes

“Brilliant! A skeleton found in 1972 sets the stage for a story 40 years earlier among the immigrant Eastern European Jews and African Americans in the Chicken Hill neighborhood of Potsdam, PA, who all lived on the fringes of society and were discriminated against. There are many truths about race and prejudice, but also much humor and hope in... Read more

Weyward

A Novel

By: Emilia Hart
Narrated by: Aysha Kala, Helen Keeley & Nell Barlow
Length: 10 hours 51 minutes

“Three women with a deep connection to nature maneuver their way in a world where men try to corral and control them. In 1619, Altha knows what it means to be a Weyward woman, taught healing skills by her mother and understanding her connection to nature and its power. Not surprisingly, she is accused of witchcraft. Violet, in 1942, and Kate, in... Read more

The Familiar

A Novel

By: Leigh Bardugo
Narrated by: Lauren Fortgang
Length: 12 hours 57 minutes

“Luzia and Santángel, a duo for the ages! A scullion and an immortal familiar team up to win the king’s competition in the Spanish Golden Age as the Inquisition looms. The Familiar will lead you down new paths you won’t ever forget. Read more

The Frozen River

A Novel

By: Ariel Lawhon
Narrated by: Jane Oppenheimer & Ariel Lawhon
Length: 15 hours 5 minutes

“Based on the life of Martha Ballard, an 18th-century midwife in Maine, The Frozen River is mesmerizing. Martha is brilliant and strong in a period when women were lucky to read. Throw in a murder mystery with vivid characters? Heaven. Read more

The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi

A Novel

By: Shannon Chakraborty
Narrated by: Lameece Issaq & Amin El Gamal
Length: 16 hours 59 minutes

“Women have to do everything around here, don't they? But that's alright because in this case everything is to go on a pirate adventure with a rag tag crew that's basically a found family of quirky outcasts, all the while narrated with some pretty snarky commentary. Man, this is SUCH A FUN BOOK. There's a little bit of everything, it's pretty... Read more

North Woods

A Novel

By: Daniel Mason
Narrated by: Mark Bramhall, Michael Crouch, Jason Culp, Mark Deakins, Jayne Entwistle, Billie Fulford-Brown, Arthur Morey, George Newbern, Kirsten Potter & Simon Vance
Length: 11 hours 5 minutes

“'If these walls could talk' springs to life in this story of a house that becomes a home to many throughout history. It's also the story of our home and the less than stellar care we've provided over the centuries. In memorable prose North Woods shows our connection with nature and how we live on when we depart this mortal coil. Read more

The Postcard

By: Anne Berest
Narrated by: Barrie Kealoha
Length: 13 hours 5 minutes

“A powerful personal account of a family’s history over multiple generations with a stunning ending that resolves the mystery of the postcard’s sender! The author launches her family research and investigation of who could have written the anonymous, unsigned postcard a decade earlier when her daughter experiences an anti-semitic incident at... Read more

The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen

The Doomsday Books: Book #1

By: KJ Charles
Narrated by: Martyn Swain
Length: 11 hours 16 minutes

Abandoned by his father, Gareth Inglis grew up lonely, prickly, and used to disappointment. Still, he longs for a connection. When he meets a charming stranger, he falls head over heels?until everything goes wrong and he's left alone again. Then Gareth's father dies, turning the shabby London clerk into Sir Gareth, with a grand house on the... Read more

Babel

Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of The Oxford Translators' Revolution

By: R. F. Kuang
Narrated by: Chris Lew Kum Hoi & Billie Fulford-Brown
Length: 21 hours 45 minutes

“Finishing a book like this is equal parts pleasure and pain: pleasure in that reading something as striking and beautiful as this is everything a reader hopes to feel in a book juxtaposed by the pain of something beautiful ending and leaving these characters behind in the pages. There are few books that have brought tears to my eyes (I can still... Read more

A Botanist's Guide to Parties and Poisons

By: Kate Khavari
Narrated by: Jodie Harris
Length: 8 hours 11 minutes

London, 1923. Newly minted research assistant Saffron Everleigh is the first woman to hold the position at University College of London. When she attends a dinner party for the school, she expects to engage in conversations about the university's large expedition to the Amazon. What she doesn’t expect is for Mrs. Henry, one of the professors’... Read more

Mexican Gothic

By: Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Narrated by: Frankie Corzo
Length: 10 hours 39 minutes

“Set in Mexico in the 50's, this book follows a young woman, Noemi, to a moldy old Gothic manor in the countryside where she is hoping to find out why her newly married cousin is sending letters home detailing strange visions and a real fear of her new family. Moreno-Garcia's writing was fantastic, I felt immersed in the creepy mansion, imagining... Read more

Trust (Pulitzer Prize Winner)

By: Hernan Diaz
Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini, Jonathan Davis, Mozhan Marnò & Orlagh Cassidy
Length: 10 hours 20 minutes

“Who can you trust in the end? This 'brilliant literary puzzle' tells the story of the legendary Wall Street Tycoon Andrew Bevel and his enigmatic wife Mildred. Told in four interlocking parts, Trust is a novel within a novel, the fragmented notes for a ghostwritten memoir that Andrew hopes will set the record straight, the ghostwriter's own... Read more

The Librarian of Burned Books

A Novel

By: Brianna Labuskes
Narrated by: Caroline Hewitt, Eleanor Caudill & Karissa Vacker
Length: 10 hours 49 minutes

“Once I started listening to the three intertwined storylines of Brianna Labuskes' latest historical novel, it was hard to stop. As a retired AP history teacher, I was impressed not only with the depth of research that went into this novel but also by the introduction of Armed Services Editions of books sent to World War II soldiers and the... Read more

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

By: V. E. Schwab
Narrated by: Julia Whelan
Length: 17 hours 9 minutes

“Unlike anything I have ever read. Stunning, masterful, epic, dark and rich! Even my friends who usually scoff at sci-fi/fantasy books, loved this one. No short synopsis will properly prepare you, just dive in. Read more

Don't Want You Like a Best Friend

A Novel

The Mischief & Matchmaking Series: Book #1

By: Emma R. Alban
Narrated by: Mary Jane Wells & Morag Sims
Length: 10 hours 47 minutes

“What a vibrant beginning to a new historical romance series! Full of intrigue, stolen kisses, and London drama, this sweet queer love story follows two women who dare to hope in a world not built for them. Read more

A Fate Inked in Blood

Book One of the Saga of the Unfated

Saga of the Unfated: Book #1

By: Danielle L. Jensen
Narrated by: Nina Yndis
Length: 15 hours 15 minutes

“This was absolutely EPIC on audio. If the Thor movies and The Vikings TV show had a book baby this would be it - an absolute nonstop action ride. I am chomping at the bit for the next book. Read more

Cloud Cuckoo Land

A Novel

By: Anthony Doerr
Narrated by: Marin Ireland & Simon Jones
Length: 14 hours 51 minutes

“I loved this book so much. The intersection of the various stories surrounding a profound awareness of the importance of books was perfect. I also appreciated the weaving of the classic tale intertwined all throughout the book. Each character's story could have been a book all by themselves, but having them all together was brilliant. This is a... Read more

The Diamond Eye

A Novel

By: Kate Quinn
Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld
Length: 12 hours 51 minutes

“Ukrainian-born sharpshooter Mila Pavlichenko, or 'Lady Death' was credited with over three hundred confirmed kills during WW2. She is sent to America on a goodwill tour where she becomes a lifelong friend of Eleanor Roosevelt. A student, a mother, a soldier, and a hero, she is a force to be reckoned with. Based on a true story. Read more

West with Giraffes

A Novel

By: Lynda Rutledge
Narrated by: Danny Campbell
Length: 10 hours 28 minutes

An emotional, rousing novel inspired by the incredible true story of two giraffes who made headlines and won the hearts of Depression-era America.“Few true friends have I known and two were giraffes…”Woodrow Wilson Nickel, age 105, feels his life ebbing away. But when he learns giraffes are going extinct, he finds himself recalling the... Read more

The Alice Network

A Novel

By: Kate Quinn
Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld
Length: 15 hours 6 minutes

In an enthralling new historical novel from national bestselling author Kate Quinn, two women—a female spy recruited to the real-life Alice Network in France during World War I and an unconventional American socialite searching for her cousin in 1947—are brought together in a mesmerizing story of courage and redemption. 1947. In the chaotic... Read more

The Fox Wife

A Novel

By: Yangsze Choo
Narrated by: Yangsze Choo
Length: 14 hours 36 minutes

“The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo is a lovely story brilliantly uses the folk legend of fox who can present as human and live long lives, if they avoid misadventure. Snow is hunting the killer of her child, a photographer of low character who coveted a snow-white fox kit and left it piteously injured to die. Snow will follow him from 1908 Manchuria... Read more

We Could Be So Good

A Novel

By: Cat Sebastian
Narrated by: Joel Leslie
Length: 11 hours 45 minutes

“Everything Cat Sebastian writes is pure joy, and her latest queer historical romance is no exception. Nick and Andy - reporters and best friends in 1950s New York - find a way to navigate their complicated pasts to a future together. This is a book I wanted to speed through and savor at the same time - a perfect respite from the world. Read more

The Sicilian Inheritance

A Novel

By: Jo Piazza
Narrated by: Rachel F. Hirsch & Carlotta Brentan
Length: 11 hours 53 minutes

NATIONAL BESTSELLER

From bestselling author and award-winning journalist Jo Piazza, comes a transporting novel rooted in the author’s own family history about a long-awaited trip to Sicily, a disputed inheritance, and a family secret that some will kill to protect . . .

Sara Marsala barely knows who she is anymore after the failure of her business... Read more

The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek

A Novel

By: Kim Michele Richardson
Narrated by: Katie Schorr
Length: 9 hours 25 minutes

“I had the extreme pleasure of listening to this one on audio and I absolutely recommend it! Katie Schorr is a perfect choice for narrator. This is my first read by Richardson but I am already adding her backlist to my must-reads. This book left me bawling like a baby and I adored it! Read more

The Song of Achilles

A Novel

By: Madeline Miller
Narrated by: Frazer Douglas
Length: 11 hours 14 minutes

“It is unbelievably easy to get lost in the long-forgotten world Miller recreates. Easier still with such incredible narration from Douglas. At once rich mythology and modern love story, The Song of Achilles dazzles like Ichor. Beautifully written, with characters you love to hate and love all at once. Though I’ve heard The Iliad many times, this... Read more

The Starless Sea

A Novel

By: Erin Morgenstern
Narrated by: Dominic Hoffman & Various
Length: 18 hours 36 minutes

“What an amazing written and performed tale of love, mystery, and magic. This homage to books and storytelling is like nothing I’ve read... ever. Morgenstern has achieved a wondrous feat that defies measure. Read more

Black Sun

Between Earth and Sky: Book #1

By: Rebecca Roanhorse
Narrated by: Cara Gee, Nicole Lewis, Kaipo Schwab & Shaun Taylor-Corbett
Length: 12 hours 46 minutes

“AHHHH!! READ THIS BOOK!! This is wonderfully written and epic with world building. From a swashbuckling sea woman to a harbinger of death (and crows) and a glorified sun priestess—this book has it all! I want to get lost in this book. More importantly, I want Serapio and Xiala to have a happy ending... Where is book two?? Read more

The Four Winds

A Novel

By: Kristin Hannah
Narrated by: Julia Whelan
Length: 15 hours 20 minutes

“This is one of the best books I’ve listened to in a long time. The historical time period is the backdrop to an outstanding story about the evolution of a woman. The character development is incredibly heartfelt and the words that flow through each narration are beautifully expressed. This book, and the main character Elsa, has stayed with me... Read more

A Gentleman in Moscow

A Novel

By: Amor Towles
Narrated by: Nicholas Guy Smith
Length: 17 hours 51 minutes

“Through Count Alexander Ilyich Rostov's ordinary encounters and activities within the bounds of the four walls of post-revolutionary Moscow's Metropol Hotel, where he is under house arrest, Towles deftly guides readers across a century of Russian history, from the Bolshevik uprising to the dawn of the nuclear age under Krushchev. Grandiloquent... Read more

The Paris Novel

By: Ruth Reichl
Narrated by: Kiiri Sandy
Length: 9 hours 25 minutes

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A “mouthwatering” (The New York Times) adventure through the food, art, and fashion scenes of 1980s Paris—from the bestselling author of Save Me the Plums and Delicious!

“An enchanting and irresistible feast . . . As with a perfect meal in the world’s most magical city, I never wanted this sublime novel to... Read more

The Fraud

A Novel

By: Zadie Smith
Narrated by: Zadie Smith
Length: 12 hours 24 minutes

“I am in awe of Smith's talent. This book will make you laugh, shock you, get your ire up, and inform you. Mrs. Touchet, whose voice is unique and unforgettable, is merely one of the complex characters Smith brings to life in this book. Zadie Smith is also incredible at narration! This audio book is the whole package. Read more

The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea

By: Axie Oh
Narrated by: Rosa Escoda
Length: 8 hours 50 minutes

“I absolutely loved this book! It is enchanting, complex, and rich with magic, myths, and the cozy vibes and world of the spirit realm. Korean mythology meets Spirited Away - what more could you want! The story and characters captured my heart. The audiobook is awesome - give it a listen to on Libro.fm! Read more

The Personal Librarian

A GMA Book Club Pick (A Novel)

By: Marie Benedict & Victoria Christopher Murray
Narrated by: Robin Miles
Length: 12 hours 22 minutes

“I dearly loved this historical fiction based on the life of J.P. Morgan's personal librarian. My favorite combination of entertaining and educational! Read more

A Letter to the Luminous Deep

By: Sylvie Cathrall
Narrated by: Claire Morgan, Kit Griffiths, Justin Avoth & Joshua Riley
Length: 12 hours 30 minutes

A charming fantasy set in an underwater world with magical academia and a heartwarming penpal romance, perfect for fans of A Marvellous Light, Emily Wilde's Encylopaedia of Faeries and The House in the Cerulean Sea.
 
“An underwater treasure-chest to be slowly unpacked, full of things I adore: nosy and loving families, epistolary romance,... Read more

A Love Song for Ricki Wilde

By: Tia Williams
Narrated by: Mela Lee & Preston Butler
Length: 11 hours 42 minutes

In this enchanting love story from the New York Times bestselling author of Seven Days in June, a free-spirited florist and an enigmatic musician are irreversibly linked through the history, art, and magic of Harlem.

“The book’s calculus of love and loss is brutal, and grounds the dazzling prose and light magical element.” –– The New York Times
... Read more

The Poppy War

A Novel

The Poppy War

By: R. F. Kuang
Narrated by: Emily Woo Zeller
Length: 19 hours 27 minutes

“The first in a brilliant trilogy, The Poppy War is easily one of the best books I have ever read. Kuang illuminates the brutal realities of war via a fantasy world which resembles China during the twentieth century. Her characters are morally gray with a host of complex motivations and world views -- and that makes them all the more compelling.... Read more

The Lincoln Highway

A Read with Jenna Pick (A Novel)

By: Amor Towles
Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini, Marin Ireland & Dion Graham
Length: 16 hours 38 minutes

“Loved, loved, LOVED listening to the new Amor Towles book. The story was wonderful, but the readers made it especially enjoyable. Read more

The Nightingale

A Novel

By: Kristin Hannah
Narrated by: Polly Stone
Length: 17 hours 37 minutes

A REESE'S BOOK CLUB PICK

A #1 New York Times bestseller, Wall Street Journal Best Book of the Year, and soon to be a major motion picture, this unforgettable novel of love and strength in the face of war has enthralled a generation.

With courage, grace, and powerful insight, bestselling author Kristin Hannah captures the epic panorama of World War... Read more

The Once and Future Witches

By: Alix E. Harrow
Narrated by: Gabra Zackman
Length: 16 hours 3 minutes

“Alix Harrow’s The Ten Thousand Doors of January was my favorite book last year, so I had incredibly high expectations when I picked up The Once and Future Witches. This book is very different, but I adore it just as much! Set in the late 1800s in a world with a slightly alternate history from ours, women are fighting for the vote and losing.... Read more

The Ten Thousand Doors of January

By: Alix E. Harrow
Narrated by: January LaVoy
Length: 12 hours 20 minutes

“This is the type of book that you can totally immerse yourself in, and when you reemerge, the world will feel like it has more magic and possibility than it did before. It is best read on a wet and dreary day, with lots of blankets around and a kettle full of tea. When you are finished, you will remember it like an old friend, as if you took an... Read more

Jade City

The Green Bone Saga: Book #1

By: Fonda Lee
Narrated by: Andrew Kishino
Length: 19 hours 6 minutes

“A slow burn with frequent bursts of action. For fans of mafia dramas and martial arts action. The Green Bone culture & mythology are unique & captivating. This book and its characters got better and better as the story progressed. Lee writes like a watchmaker, and this book ticks away like a finely-tuned machine. Read more

Gods of Jade and Shadow

By: Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Narrated by: Yetta Gottesman
Length: 11 hours 3 minutes

“When she accidentally frees the Mayan god of death from imprisonment, Casiopea Tun, armed only with her wits and her dreams of the future, is forced to leave her tiny village in southern Mexico and join an otherworldly battle of life and death alongside treacherous gods, hungry ghosts, and quick-talking demons. Journeying from the southern... Read more

Hamnet

By: Maggie O'Farrell
Narrated by: Ell Potter
Length: 12 hours 42 minutes

“We all know about Shakespeare's work but how much do we know about his life? I, for one, knew very little which is the best way to go into this book. I found it fascinating and so beautifully written, sad but utterly captivating. This is a real gem! Read more

Brooklyn

A Novel

By: Colm Toibin
Narrated by: Kirsten Potter
Length: 7 hours 38 minutes

Colm Tóibín’s New York Times bestselling novel—also an acclaimed film starring Saoirse Ronan and Jim Broadbent nominated for four Academy Awards including Best Picture—is “a moving, deeply satisfying read” (Entertainment Weekly) about a young Irish immigrant in Brooklyn in the early 1950s.

“One of the most unforgettable characters in contemporary... Read more

The Windsor Knot

A Novel

Her Majesty the Queen Investigates: Book #1

By: SJ Bennett
Narrated by: Jane Copland
Length: 8 hours 4 minutes

“I love the idea of Queen Elizabeth sleuthing behind the scenes! As charmingly and convincingly portrayed by SJ Bennett, the Queen is an astute observer whose decades of experience serve her well in this role. When a Russian pianist is found dead at Windsor Castle, the new head of MI5 muddles the case and makes the mistake of treating the Queen... Read more

Romancing Mister Bridgerton

Bridgertons: Book #4

By: Julia Quinn
Narrated by: Rosalyn Landor
Length: 13 hours 17 minutes

Everyone knows that Colin Bridgerton is the most charming man in London. Penelope Featherington has secretly adored her best friend's brother for . . . well, it feels like forever. After half a lifetime of watching Colin Bridgerton from afar, she thinks she knows everything about him, until she stumbles across his deepest secret . . . and fears... Read more

Still Life

A GMA Book Club Pick (A Novel)

By: Sarah Winman
Narrated by: Sarah Winman
Length: 14 hours 54 minutes

“Still Life by Sarah Winman is historical literary fiction at its best. A group of English expatriates in Italy from the 1940s to 1980s, with flashbacks to the early 1900s, get on with life in post WWII Europe. This is one of my Top 3 books of 2021. Read more

The City of Brass

A Novel

By: S. A. Chakraborty
Narrated by: Soneela Nankani
Length: 20 hours 1 minute

“S.A. Chakraborty introduces a fantasy set in the Middle East that thrusts us into the magical world of Daevabad. The City of Brass follows, in parallel, Nahri, a con artist and naturally gifted healer, and Ali, prince of Daevabad and fiercely trained soldier. Nahri and Ali find themselves learning new lessons on how to survive changing... Read more