Essays bestsellers

The Message

By: Ta-Nehisi Coates
Narrated by: Ta-Nehisi Coates
Length: 5 hours 20 minutes

“Ta-Nehisi Coates originally set out to write a book about writing, in the tradition of Orwell’s classic Politics and the English Language, but found himself grappling with deeper questions about how our stories - our reporting and imaginative narratives and myth making - expose and distort our realities. And he does this in such a great,... Read more

The Anthropocene Reviewed

Essays on a Human-Centered Planet

By: John Green
Narrated by: John Green
Length: 10 hours 42 minutes

“The sort of book that's a cure for misanthropy; that inspires you to write and so speak to what sorts of things matter to you, whether that's scratch 'n sniff stickers or Auld Lang Syne. Green will remind you of the capacity for love and wonder in the world around you. I give "The Anthropocene Reviewed" five stars. Read more

Crying in H Mart

A Memoir

By: Michelle Zauner
Narrated by: Michelle Zauner
Length: 7 hours 22 minutes

“I was struck by just how much I loved this book for how it walks through grief not as a way to leave it behind, but as a way to remember its exact shape. I’m grateful for its funny, self-deprecating, and wise observations, and for its difficult beauty. Read more

On Tyranny

Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century

By: Timothy Snyder
Narrated by: Timothy Snyder
Length: 1 hour 47 minutes

“On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century by Timothy Snyder is a concise yet powerful exploration of the lessons history teaches us about the nature of tyranny and the fragility of democracy. Drawing from historical examples, particularly from Europe during the 20th century, Snyder outlines twenty practical lessons aimed at helping... Read more

Quietly Hostile

Essays

By: Samantha Irby
Narrated by: Samantha Irby
Length: 9 hours 31 minutes

“I'm obsessed with Samantha Irby (in a cute way, not a dangerous way). Her books are hilarious, endearing, and a little gross. Walking around the neighborhood listening to this audiobook got me a lot of weird looks as I gasped, gagged, talked back to her (she narrates all of her audiobooks!), and laughed with wild abandon. Read more

Strong Female Character

By: Fern Brady
Narrated by: Fern Brady
Length: 6 hours 43 minutes

INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER • “Witty, dry, and gimlet-eyed, this is a necessary corrective in a world where Autistic women are all either written off as quiet and docile, or erased entirely.” —Devon Price, Ph.D., author of Unmasking Autism

Scottish comedian Fern Brady was told she couldn't be autistic because she'd had loads of boyfriends and is... Read more

The Harder I Fight the More I Love You

A Memoir

By: Neko Case
Narrated by: Neko Case
Length: 7 hours 1 minute

“Electric, angry, joyful, scrappy, and full of life. The Harder I Fight the More I Love You is a powerful work that is moving even if you are not familiar with Neko’s music. A celebration of the power of art and being our true selves in the world. Read more

I'll Have What She's Having

By: Chelsea Handler
Narrated by: Chelsea Handler
Length: 6 hours 12 minutes

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • In hilarious and tender essays, Chelsea Handler shares her unforgettable story of becoming the woman she always wanted to be.

“A raw and raucous exploration of Handler’s ongoing search for self . . . [She’s] disarming us with humor to get at our softest selves and meeting us with her own.”—Oprah Daily

There’s a... Read more

On Animals

By: Susan Orlean
Narrated by: Susan Orlean
Length: 10 hours

“Loved the Libro.fm version of this book! Read by the author, it is engaging and entertaining. It is not deep or heavy, but whether you are an animal enthusiast or not, this book works! Read more

Hijab Butch Blues

A Memoir

By: Lamya H
Narrated by: Ashraf Shirazi
Length: 7 hours 32 minutes

“Lamya H details their life from early childhood through adulthood in juxtaposition to stories in the Quran. In doing so, they deliver a profound and masterfully crafted memoir with nuances about their immigrant and queer identity. Hijab Butch Blues is such a beautiful memoir that from the opening chapter felt like a story demanding to be heard... Read more

You'll Never Believe What Happened to Lacey

Crazy Stories about Racism

By: Amber Ruffin & Lacey Lamar
Narrated by: Amber Ruffin & Lacey Lamar
Length: 5 hours 21 minutes

“In this eye-opening, horrifying, and hilarious book, Amber Ruffin and her sister, Lacey Lamar, share stories from Lacey's life where she has encountered racism in Nebraska. From racist donuts to being mistaken for Whoopi Goldberg, they share everything from the everyday examples of racism to the downright scary, while making you laugh out loud... Read more

Leslie F*cking Jones

By: Leslie Jones
Narrated by: Leslie Jones & Chris Rock
Length: 16 hours 32 minutes

“The best thing about the book Leslie F*cking Jones is that it is read by...Leslie F*cking Jones. Her bluntness, humor, and authenticity shine through in this moving memoir that is both witty and poignant. Existing fans and new followers will be carried away by Jones' informal and raucous style, telling stories both heartfelt and hilarious that... Read more

Disability Visibility: First-Person Stories from the Twenty-First Century

Unabridged Selections

By: Alice Wong
Narrated by: Alejandra Ospina & Alice Wong
Length: 8 hours 1 minute

“Containing dozens of personal stories, this is an absolute must-read for anyone looking to learn about the breadth, diversity, and history of disabled experience(s) from disabled folks themselves. Read more

Gathering Moss

A Natural and Cultural History of Mosses

By: Robin Wall Kimmerer
Narrated by: Robin Wall Kimmerer
Length: 7 hours 46 minutes

“Very helpful for the construction of my moss habitat! Read more

Broken (in the best possible way)

By: Jenny Lawson
Narrated by: Jenny Lawson
Length: 8 hours 18 minutes

“I accidentally didn't heed my friends adamant recommendations to read Jenny Lawson. I generally just prefer fiction. But let me tell you something! I'm a true convert now. I busted out in belly laughs. I held my breath in sorrow. I nodded "YES!" in unity. I'm now a proud, full fledged, card carrying member of the 'Jenny Lawson is My Imaginary... Read more

Kitchen Confidential

Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly

By: Anthony Bourdain
Narrated by: Anthony Bourdain
Length: 8 hours 18 minutes

“Bourdain begrudgingly offers, among other things, a cracked and battered pair of rose-colored glasses through which to view the world. Read more

Good Soil

The Education of an Accidental Farmhand

By: Jeff Chu
Narrated by: Jeff Chu
Length: 9 hours 11 minutes

A profound meditation on nature, heritage, and belonging, from an accomplished journalist who left New York City for life on a working farm

“I needed this book. I think you need it, too.”—Maggie Smith, New York Times bestselling author of You Could Make This Place Beautiful

In his late thirties, Jeff Chu left his job as a magazine writer and found... Read more

Surviving Autocracy

By: Masha Gessen
Narrated by: Masha Gessen
Length: 5 hours 45 minutes

“When Gessen speaks about autocracy, you listen.” —The New York Times

“A reckoning with what has been lost in the past few years and a map forward with our beliefs intact.” —Interview

As seen on MSNBC’s Morning Joe and heard on NPR’s All Things Considered: the bestselling, National Book Award–winning journalist offers an essential guide to... Read more

The Disordered Cosmos

A Journey into Dark Matter, Spacetime, and Dreams Deferred

By: Chanda Prescod-Weinstein
Narrated by: Joniece Abbott-Pratt
Length: 10 hours 55 minutes

“If this was the science I learned growing up, I would have been way more invested. This is an intersectional look at physics, detailing the dazzling wonder and the stifling social conditions of physics. Read more

Wow, No Thank You.

Essays (Lambda Literary Award)

By: Samantha Irby
Narrated by: Samantha Irby
Length: 10 hours 3 minutes

A new rip-roaring essay collection from the smart, edgy, hilarious, unabashedly raunchy, and bestselling Samantha Irby.

Irby is forty, and increasingly uncomfortable in her own skin despite what Inspirational Instagram Infographics have promised her. She has left her job as a receptionist at a veterinary clinic, has published successful books and... Read more

Happy-Go-Lucky

By: David Sedaris
Narrated by: David Sedaris
Length: 7 hours 30 minutes

“Happy-Go-Lucky is another bang up group of essays of Sedaris' hilarious life, including family and partner stories deliciously presented. His Oberlin Commencement Speech, alone, is worth the book price! An upper for anyone down or ailing! Read more

How Far the Light Reaches

A Life in Ten Sea Creatures

By: Sabrina Imbler
Narrated by: Sabrina Imbler
Length: 5 hours 40 minutes

“How Far the Light Reaches by Sabrina Imbler is badass. I never thought I'd walk away from a collection of essays about weird sea creatures with a more crystal-clear understanding of my own gender identity than I have had in years—but curious readers live to be surprised! In winding personal essay with science writing, Imbler gifts the reader... Read more

Yearbook

By: Seth Rogen
Narrated by: Seth Rogen & Full Cast
Length: 6 hours 13 minutes

“So funny. I couldn’t stop listening until I had heard all of his anecdotes. Loved it. Read more

The Best of Me

By: David Sedaris
Narrated by: David Sedaris
Length: 13 hours 8 minutes

“As if there is anything greater than a new David Sedaris, it's listening to David Sedaris read the new David Sedaris. This self-edited collection of essays from his prolific 25-year career is exactly what we need to boost the morale of 2020 and remind ourselves what a crazy world we've always lived in when viewed through Sedaris's keen... Read more

How To Tell When We Will Die

On Pain, Disability, and Doom

By: Johanna Hedva
Narrated by: Johanna Hedva
Length: 15 hours 2 minutes

The long-awaited essay collection from one of the most influential voices in disability activism that detonates a bomb in our collective understanding of care and illness, showing us that sickness is a fact of life.   In the wake of the 2014 Ferguson riots, and sick with a chronic condition that rendered them housebound, Johanna Hedva turned to... Read more

The Book of Delights

By: Ross Gay
Narrated by: Ross Gay
Length: 5 hours

“This is one of my favorite books to recommend, especially for someone looking for a gift. Poet and avid gardener Ross Gay, who also is the fantastic narrator, reflects on what delights him over the course of a year. Lyrical, humorous, philosophical and sometimes heartbreaking, these essays may be bite-sized but they will fill you up. A great way... Read more

The Book of (More) Delights

Essays

By: Ross Gay
Narrated by: Ross Gay
Length: 6 hours 48 minutes

“Oh, to have delights again! No one writes about the dearness of our human frailty with the generosity and good humor of Ross Gay. I can’t wait to wear these delights out to the same degree as the first, and become more present in doing so. Read more

A Very Punchable Face

A Memoir

By: Colin Jost
Narrated by: Colin Jost
Length: 7 hours 40 minutes

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • In these hilarious essays, the Saturday Night Live head writer and Weekend Update co-anchor learns how to take a beating.

“I always wanted to punch his face before I read this book. Now I just want to kick him in the balls.”—Larry David

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY Cosmopolitan • Vulture • Parade

If there’s... Read more

Calypso

By: David Sedaris
Narrated by: David Sedaris
Length: 6 hours 38 minutes

“If there is a "King of Audiobooks", it has to be David Sedaris. The absolute best way to enjoy the writing of Sedaris is to hear him perform it. Not only is his voice rather odd, immediately putting you in a mood to giggle, but he is such an effortless performer it's impossible not to get caught up in his world. And what a world! In his latest,... Read more

Little Weirds

By: Jenny Slate
Narrated by: Jenny Slate
Length: 4 hours 19 minutes

“Magical, delightful and amusing book of daydreams with a cupful of nonsense. Read more

World Travel

An Irreverent Guide

By: Anthony Bourdain & Laurie Woolever
Narrated by: Laurie Woolever, Shep Gordon, Christopher Bourdain, Jen Agg, Matt Walsh, Bill Buford, Claude Tayag, Nari Kye, Vidya Balachander & Steve Albini
Length: 12 hours 11 minutes

“There are not words for how much I miss the voice of Anthony Bourdain. A new collection of his writings put together with Laurie Woolever (his assistant for 10 years) details his favorite places on earth and with notes on how to visit them. As we prepare to travel as safely as possible again, it's comforting to have Bourdain as my companion if... Read more

Loving Corrections

Emergent Strategy Series: Book #12

By: adrienne maree brown
Narrated by: adrienne maree brown
Length: 6 hours 41 minutes

New York Times–bestselling author adrienne maree brown knows we need each other more than ever and offers a practice for holding collective power, righting wrongs, and generating true belonging. Ethical, pondering, and wondrous, adrienne maree brown’s Loving Corrections is a collection of love-based adjustments and reframes to grow our movements... Read more

Ten Steps to Nanette

A Memoir Situation

By: Hannah Gadsby
Narrated by: Hannah Gadsby
Length: 13 hours 47 minutes

“I loved Hannah Gadsby in Please Like Me and was blown away by her Netflix special, Nanette, so it’s no surprise that I appreciated her memoir, too. I learned not only more about her life but also about the history of homophobic laws and politics in Australia, as well as quite a bit about autism, trauma and ADHD, all of which Gadsby lives with.... Read more

Something in the Woods Loves You

By: Jarod K. Anderson
Narrated by: Jarod K. Anderson
Length: 11 hours 30 minutes

An inspiring blend of nature writing and memoir that explores nature’s crucial role in our emotional and mental health

Bats can hear shapes, plants can eat light, and bees can dance maps. When his life took him to a painfully dark place, the poet behind The CryptoNaturalist, Jarod K. Anderson, found comfort and redemption in these facts and the... Read more

I Shouldn't Be Telling You This

(But I'm Going to Anyway)

By: Chelsea Devantez
Narrated by: Chelsea Devantez
Length: 8 hours 54 minutes

“I laughed, I cried, I googled things she told me not to. Chelsea Devantez is a hilarious gift to us all. Read more

Shit, Actually

The Definitive, 100% Objective Guide to Modern Cinema

By: Lindy West
Narrated by: Lindy West
Length: 7 hours 16 minutes

“It might be that Lindy West talks during movies, but you wouldn't shush her. She's better than the movie. This audiobook is read by the author and she is hilarious. Smart, funny, irreverent and feminist. I'll take that with a bowl of popcorn. PS. I really, really want West's Hermione-lead HP remake. Read more

The Myth of Sisyphus And Other Essays

By: Albert Camus
Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini
Length: 5 hours 39 minutes

One of the most influential works of this century, The Myth of Sisyphus and Other Essays is a crucial exposition of existentialist thought. Influenced by works such as Don Juan and the novels of Kafka, these essays begin with a meditation on suicide; the question of living or not living in a universe devoid of order or meaning. With lyric... Read more

Everything I Know About Love

A Memoir

By: Dolly Alderton
Narrated by: Dolly Alderton
Length: 8 hours 34 minutes

“The most uplifting memoir for the most confusing time of a person’s life. Reading this as someone in their early 20s, I never felt more reassured about life and its ever-changing moments. I found myself sending pictures to my friends of particularly heartbreaking realizations to which they’d respond, 'I need this book.' This memoir questions... Read more

Yes Please

By: Amy Poehler
Narrated by: Amy Poehler, Carol Burnett, Mike Schur & Kathleen Turner
Length: 7 hours 30 minutes

“If you need a book that will make you think more deeply about self-growth, inspire you to engage more fully with your passions, and make you laugh so hard that you startle people around you, then this is the book for you. If you’ve never heard of this remarkable woman, then this book will make you fall in love with her—and if you have, get ready... Read more

These Precious Days

Essays

By: Ann Patchett
Narrated by: Ann Patchett
Length: 11 hours 13 minutes

“I loved absolutely everything about this book and did not want it to end. Ann Patchett's narration is magical and I believe is best way to experience her writing. Though these are essays, they are expertly arranged and together feel like a memoir. Patchett talks about everything from life and death to bookstores and book covers and you... Read more

Big Dumb Eyes

Stories from a Simpler Mind

By: Nate Bargatze
Narrated by: Nate Bargatze
Length: TBA

From one of the hottest stand-up comedians, Nate Bargatze brings his everyman comedy to the page in this hilarious collection of personal stories, opinions, and confessions.  Nate Bargatze used to be a genius. That is, until the summer after seventh grade when he slipped, fell off a cliff, hit his head on a rock, and “my skull got, like, dented... Read more

The Memory Palace

True Short Stories of the Past

By: Nate DiMeo
Narrated by: Nate DiMeo, Jad Abumrad, Daniel Alarcón, Betsy Brandt, Carrie Coon, Hrishikesh Hirway, Dominic Hoffman, Rebecca Lowman, Roman Mars, Robin Miles, Ryan Reynolds, Kai Ryssdal, Lili Taylor & Full Cast
Length: 8 hours 41 minutes

“Podcaster and writer Nate DiMeo has a special talent for finding the most alive and human vein in any historical moment and bringing it to the front in his retellings. This collection of essays is broad in variety and narrow in focus—ranging from unknown farmers to presidents—and so delicately makes moments from the past feel vital and... Read more

Meditations of Marcus Aurelius

By: Marcus Aurelius
Narrated by: Ron Welch
Length: 5 hours 29 minutes

Meditations is a series of personal writings by Marcus Aurelius, Roman Emperor from 161 to 180 AD, recording his private notes to himself and ideas on Stoic philosophy.
Marcus Aurelius wrote the 12 books of the Meditations in Greek as a source for his own guidance and self-improvement. It is unlikely that Marcus Aurelius ever intended the... Read more

The Witches Are Coming

By: Lindy West
Narrated by: Lindy West
Length: 6 hours 27 minutes

“Author of Shrill and Shit, Actually, Lindy West, is back with a cultural critique that will have you rolling on the floor laughing and groaning from just how true to life (and frustrating) her observations are. Whip smart as always, West's feminist takes always hit me like a freight train of genius. From #MeToo to the making of her TV show... Read more

Raw Dog

The Naked Truth About Hot Dogs

By: Jamie Loftus
Narrated by: Jamie Loftus
Length: 9 hours 38 minutes

“Have you ever wondered how hotdogs are made? Or how the meatpacking industry was one of the largest breeding grounds for COVID-19? How about hotdogs as a tool of capitalism? You will learn about all of this and more in Raw Dog, delivered with Jamie Loftus’ signature humor. I laughed so hard I cried multiple times! I would recommend this book to... Read more

The Collected Schizophrenias

Essays

By: Esmé Weijun Wang
Narrated by: Esmé Weijun Wang
Length: 7 hours 51 minutes

“The Collected Schizophrenias is a heartbreaking and honest collection about chronic mental illness and its effects on Wang. Through personal narrative and scientific research, Wang has created a collection of essays that are challenging in the sense that they confront you with the reality of a misunderstood condition. Her mission is not to... Read more

Slouching Towards Bethlehem

Essays

Picador Modern Classics

By: Joan Didion
Narrated by: Maya Hawke
Length: 6 hours 23 minutes

“In this snapshot of mid-century American culture, Didion, deliberate and unabashed, takes the reader on journeys across the United States - from Newport, to Sacramento, to Hollywood, to Hawaii, and back to San Francisco - digesting political unrest, youthful buoyancy, and fundamental questions of morality and human responsibility. Her essays... Read more

Meditations

Penguin Classics

By: Marcus Aurelius
Narrated by: Richard Armitage
Length: 6 hours 18 minutes

Brought to you by Penguin.

This Penguin Classic is performed by Richard Armitage, star of Peter Jackson'sThe Hobbit trilogy and also known for his roles in Ocean's 8 and Spooks. This definitive recording includes an Introduction by Diskin Clay.

Originally written only for his personal consumption, Marcus Aurelius's Meditations has become a key... Read more

Lifeform

By: Jenny Slate
Narrated by: Jenny Slate, George Saunders, Vanessa Bayer & Will Forte
Length: 4 hours 57 minutes

“Perhaps not surprisingly from the author of Little Weirds and creator of Marcel the Shell with Shoes On, Jenny Slate’s Lifeform is wild, funny, and just a little weird. In these pages you’ll find fantasies of revenge and power, the beloved dead, true love, pregnancy and birth, and drunken nights, witches, the weirdness of bodies, imposter... Read more

It Came from the Closet

Queer Reflections on Horror

By: Joe Vallese & various authors
Narrated by: various narrators, Graham Halstead, Aven Shore, Aida Reluzco, Mark Sanderlin, Tori Barron, Krystal Hammond, Daniel Henning, Ron Butler, Hope Newhouse, Lindsey Dorcus, André Santana, Joel Froomkin, Mike Cooper, Em Grosland & Vikas Adam
Length: 10 hours 58 minutes

Through the lens of horror—from Halloween to Hereditary—queer and trans writers consider the films that deepened, amplified, and illuminated their own experiences.Horror movies hold a complicated space in the hearts of the queer community: historically misogynist, and often homo- and transphobic, the genre has also been inadvertently feminist... Read more