Top 20 Bookseller-Recommended Audiobooks of All Time

“To say that I wish books like this had been part of the curriculum when I was in school would be an understatement. History classes reduce(d) racism to something of the past, something that existed only among small groups of hateful people. But that simply isn't the case. And that is why books like Stamped should be required reading, for young readers and adults alike. Jason Reynolds makes an incredibly complex issue (that should be simple but isn't) accessible. His words, and narration, are powerful. And important. ”

“Magic school like you have never seen or imagine it before. A seemingly unlikeable yet much appreciated heroine and oh, that last line of the book....I LOVED it! The audiobook was engaging, the narrator a pleasure, and I am still thinking about it. ”

“Did Lillian know her life would be changed forever when she met her boarding school roommate Madison? Probably not. Madison isn't like the other rich girls at school, and the fact that Lillian is a scholarship kid doesn't phase her. Things take a turn when Madison gets caught with coke. Flash forward roughly 10 years: even though the friends have kept up with each other with letters, Lillian is surprised when Madison has an unexpected job offer for her involving her stepchildren. This book is funny and strange, totally absurd and entertaining.”

“Mexican Gothic is a fairytale turned nightmare, perhaps with a nod to Jordan Peele’s Get Out. In 1950’s Mexico, glamorous debutante Noemí receives a mysterious letter from her newlywed cousin Catalina. In frantic prose, she pleads for Noemí to visit her at High Place, the family residence of her husband, an English expat whom she has grown to distrust. Upon her arrival, Noemí finds a dilapidated, mold-ridden mansion on the grounds of a former silver mine with a sickly past, upheld by a eugenicist patriarch whose suffocating surveillance would drive anyone away, if only they could leave. Woven together like a mycelial network, Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s latest features feminist heroism and commentary on colonialism, with language and culture as secret weapons. It’s absolutely delectable.”

“This gorgeous book is written in verse following the stories of Camina and Yahaira after a plane traveling between NYC and DR crashes, killing their fathers. ⁣The poetry gives melodic voice to the emotions each girl feels, and the tensions each experience as their respective worlds break open. I was struck by the nuance, the prescience, and the candor with which Acevedo writes. Elizabeth Acevedo & Melania-Luisa Marte narrate beautifully.”

“San Antonio author Jenny Lawson's newest collection was worth the wait! We have giggled over her previous book, FURIOUSLY HAPPY, many times here at the store. Now, we have BROKEN (IN THE BEST POSSIBLE WAY). Her hilarious, meandering life stories had me laughing in every chapter. Not only does she make comedy out of her (#relatable) social missteps and quirky passions, she also freely shares her mental health journey, adding poignant thoughts along the way on identity, love, and family. Listen to the author herself read the audiobook, which has a bonus chapter reflecting on the pandemic.”

“Any novel by Ann Patchett is going to include little sparks of description that catch in the imagination, moments of dialogue so good that you forget later you weren't there, and stories that capture your heart as well as a zeitgeist. In The Dutch House, Patchett creates a narrator standing at the intersection of poverty, dream, privilege, and family, confused by the gap between his sister's memory of hardship and his own experience of wealth - and loss. Tom Hanks narrates this audiobook fully in character, his pacing capturing the main character's moments of realization: the cook had a husband? The strangely designed, luxurious Dutch House had shaped his relationship with his sister far more after they couldn't go back! His mother and his sister shared taste in books? How? His children are curious about things he'd never thought important! ...It's a novel beautifully suited to our cultural moment - a time of economic loss and uncertainty about basically everything except the bonds of love we want to protect - and an audio performance perfect for the novel. Five stars and two thumbs up!”

“This was a blast to read. Kate and Dan Holland have an opportunity to move into an eco-friendly community called Greenloops in the shadow of Mt. Rainier. Kate’s therapist asks her to keep a journal, and this is how their story is preserved. Because after Mt. Rainier erupts, horrible things happen at Greenloops. Really horrible things…”

“Written in interviews given by various members of the band Daisy Jones & The Six and those they encountered, the novel is an engrossing look at a fictional band in 1970s Los Angeles. It reads like a rock memoir, so much so that you often forget they were not a real band. I highly recommend listening to this one on audio from Libro.fm: it's read by a full cast that really brings the whole things to life. ”

“With A Thousand Ships, Natalie Haynes has secured herself a seat at the table with Madeline Miller as a great contemporary-classical novelist. I'm so glad that I listened to this one on audio, as Haynes is able to lend her literal voice to these characters and do them a great service. On a related note, I'll wait in line for stand-alone works following Penthesilea and Penelope! Homer experts and novices alike will devour this novel. ”

“Tara Westover is barely 30; could she really write a necessary and timely memoir already? Absolutely. Raised largely 'off the grid' in rural Idaho - without school, doctor visits, a birth certificate, or even a family consensus on the date of her birth - Tara nevertheless decides she wants to go to college. This is a story in two parts: First, Tara's childhood working in a dangerous scrapyard alongside her six siblings, her survivalist father, and her mother, a conflicted but talented midwife and healer, while fearing Y2K and the influence of the secular world; then, her departure from her mountain home to receive an education. Both halves of her story are equally fascinating. Educated is a testament to Tara's brilliance and tenacity, a bittersweet rendering of how family relationships can be cruel or life-saving, and a truly great read from the first page to the last.”

“One Two Three is the story of a town destroyed by the pollution of the town’s river by a chemical plant. A plant that still has not admitted or taken responsibility for the deaths, cancers and birth defects that are higher in Bourne than anywhere else in the country. One would think this would be a very depressing read but Laurie Frankel has written a story that is funny, quirky, totally original and extremely compelling. The main characters are Nora, whose husband worked at the plant and died of cancer, and her now 16-year-old triplets Mab, Monday and Mirabel. Frankel’s portrayal of these characters is what made this book one of the best books I have read. I was amazed at how she was able to turn what should be a total downer into a sweet, funny and charming story about sisters and family and determination. The voices of the triplets, which were absolutely perfect, and their story will stay with me for a long, long time.”

“This is a beautifully written, stunning, and scandalous story about two identical black twin girls, one who runs away from home at age 16. And then their lives completely shift, as one continues living her life as a Black woman, and the other that tries to pass herself off as white. This novel came at just the right time, in the middle of the Black Lives Matter protests and racial unrest in the United States. Brit Bennett has done a brilliant job with her novel! It is compelling and the audiobook on Libro.fm is exceptional!”

“An incredibly unique story, Luster inserts the reader into the head of the novel's protagonist, a young Black woman having an affair with an older white man in an open marriage. Things get complicated when she sneaks into her lover's house and is caught by the wife who then invites her to stay for their anniversary party. Luster is a brilliant mash-up (kind of) of Such a Fun Age and The Roxy Letters, but with added layers. Raven Leilani's writing is going to stick with me for a long time!”

“Beautifully composed and deeply compelling, Circe is hands-down one of the best novels of 2018. As she did in Song of Achilles, Miller recreates the ancient and enchanting world of Greek mythology, this time focusing on ocean nymph Circe. Cast out of her home and exiled to the island of Aiaia, Circe turns not only to her enchantments, but also to the world of Mortals, becoming close with legendary figures like Daedalus, Odysseus, and Penelope. Miller’s delicate, yet stunning prose swept me off my feet — I wanted to savor every moment with Circe in her immortal world. Introspective, soft, at times simply breathtaking, but always beautiful. So, so beautiful.”

“Brilliant and brave, Carmen Maria Machado's memoir does not shy away from pain, but examines it with a scientist's precision and a poet's imagination. Machado examines how relationships can become toxic from personal understanding. This book reads like a collection of cohesive essays where each chapter is a new lens. This book will change your understanding of memoir. Read by the author, which is especially special and important for this book.”

“I can’t help but laugh as I recollect this novel. Darkly funny and richly suspenseful, it follows a white family and a Black couple in a remote New York house as a series of unfathomable events occur around them. Alam comments on our modern obsession with information, as we compulsively scroll our feeds and pat our pockets in panic to ensure our phones’ presence. Without information, are humans really capable of anything? This book is a study of privileged people, what they do when they must prove their capabilities, what they do when they are frightened. Leave the World Behind is superb—its unanswered questions perfect for book discussions.”

“Take a Hint, Dani Brown is a heartwarming romance that shines a light in dark times. Talia Hibbert normalizes quirks, coping mechanisms, and other human conditions that can get glossed over in a happily ever after. She makes it clear that verbalizing needs, sharing them with a loved one, and having them accepted is the true meaning of love. The depth of the characters and their struggles to come together are wonderfully balanced with charm, humor, and a large dollop of sarcasm. Take a Hint, Dani Brown is a delight.”

“How did she manage to create this gorgeous family saga in less than 200 pages? Told through a chorus of five different voices, family members fill in the puzzle of their lives piece by piece and generation by generation. Told out of sequence, we learn how these lives intersected, arrived in Brooklyn, and navigated their way through the racial complexities of the 20th and 21st centuries. We experience how they face timeless issues of family, love, identity, race, and class. The poetic language along with full audio cast makes for a moving and spell-binding listen.”

“I listened to this audiobook almost entirely it one sitting. It was utterly enthralling.”