The New York Times Book Review: 10 Best Books of 2024

All Fours

A Novel

By: Miranda July
Narrated by: Miranda July
Length: 10 hours 13 minutes

“A semi-famous wife and mother embarks on a cross-country trip, but only makes it about 30 minutes from home. There she sets up camp in a motel and goes on a different type of journey. NY Times called it "the first great peri-menopausal novel" and that's dead on. Deals with issues of marriage, motherhood, sexuality, and desire. AND the audiobook... Read more

Good Material: A Read with Jenna Pick

A novel

By: Dolly Alderton
Narrated by: Arthur Darvill & Vanessa Kirby
Length: 9 hours 53 minutes

“If you're looking for a breakup story that’s sharp, funny, and full of unexpected depth, Good Material by Dolly Alderton is a must-read. The story follows Andy, a 35-year-old stand-up comic trying to navigate life after a messy breakup, and I loved how Alderton balances humor with real emotional depth. It’s a refreshing take on heartbreak,... 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

Martyr!

A novel

By: Kaveh Akbar
Narrated by: Arian Moayed
Length: 10 hours 39 minutes

“Exploration of grief, identity, and the search for meaning. The story follows Cyrus Shams, a 27-year-old Iranian-American poet grappling with the aftermath of his mother's death in the 1988 Iran Air Flight 655 tragedy and his father's subsequent decline. As Cyrus embarks on a journey toward sobriety, he becomes obsessed with the concept of... Read more

You Dreamed of Empires

A Novel

By: Álvaro Enrigue
Narrated by: Gabriel Porras
Length: 6 hours 23 minutes

“Hilarious and beautiful. The final days of the Aztec empire as if they were taking place in the boardrooms of today. A poignant satire of colonialism and the evil that lives on in its descendants. Read more

Cold Crematorium

Reporting from the Land of Auschwitz

By: József Debreczeni
Narrated by: Laurence Dobiesz
Length: 8 hours 24 minutes

"Cold Crematorium is an indispensable work of literature, and a historical document of unsurpassed importance. It should be required reading." —Jonathan Safran Foer, author of Everything Is Illuminated

The first English language edition of a lost memoir by a Holocaust survivor, offering a shocking and deeply moving perspective on life within the... Read more

Everyone Who Is Gone Is Here

The United States, Central America, and the Making of a Crisis

By: Jonathan Blitzer
Narrated by: André Santana & Jonathan Blitzer
Length: 18 hours 13 minutes

A National Bestseller • A New York Times Top 10 Book of 2024 • Named a Best Book of the Year by The New Yorker, Chicago Tribune, Newsweek, PBS NewsHour, LitHub, Kirkus Reviews, Publishers Lunch, Christian Science Monitor, and Counterpunch • One of Barack Obama's Summer Reading List Picks • Named a Notable Book by New York Times and Washington... Read more

I Heard Her Call My Name

A Memoir of Transition

By: Lucy Sante
Narrated by: Lucy Sante
Length: 5 hours 56 minutes

Named a Best Book of the Year by The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Slate

“Reading this book is a joy . . . much to say about the trans journey and will undoubtedly become a standard for those in need of guidance. ” —The Washington Post

“Sante’s bold devotion to complexity and clarity makes this an exemplary memoir. It is a clarion call... Read more

Reagan

His Life and Legend

By: Max Boot
Narrated by: Graham Winton
Length: 32 hours 6 minutes

In this “monumental and impressive” biography, Max Boot, the distinguished political columnist, illuminates the untold story of Ronald Reagan, revealing the man behind the mythology. Drawing on interviews with over one hundred of the fortieth president’s aides, friends, and family members, as well as thousands of newly available documents, Boot... Read more

The Wide Wide Sea

Imperial Ambition, First Contact and the Fateful Final Voyage of Captain James Cook

By: Hampton Sides
Narrated by: Peter Noble
Length: 15 hours 40 minutes

“It was fascinating to follow along with Captain James Cook and crews on all of their adventures. Epic. Read more