Best Audiobooks

vwinsloe: Read by author

klandring: Noah's narration - including the dialects and accents of his characters - makes the audio book so much more impactful than reading off the page (where these characters would naturally all sound like the person reading). One of Noah's major points is that it isn't what someone looks like but how they sound that creates our impressions others; and it is so much more clearly demonstrated by the audio version of this book.

erinclark: Classic coming of age.

missylc: I can't imagine anyone besides Sissy Spacek narrating this novel after listening to her reading of the book. For anyone who hasn't listened to it yet -- try and find it. It is well worth a listen, even if you've already read the novel.

norabelle414: English edition narrated by the author

tardis: Read by Kevin R. Free. This can be a placemarker for all the Murderbot series. Free does a brilliant job of catching Murderbot's sardonic tone.

MajorRakal: The R.C. Bray version

GwenH: The reader, R.C. Bray does one of the best jobs ever of voicing the characters which includes several nationalities. For the science and adventure minded and space exploration enthusiast.

erinclark: This story is super sweet and it made me happy.

kristilabrie: Narrated by: Daniel Henning

bookcookie1920: Narrated by Jayne Entwistle

gypsysmom: As fun as these books are to read, Jayne Entwistle does such a great job that I listened to many in the series.

tardis: Stephen Fry saved my kids' lives on a cross-Canada road trip. They were quiet as mice whenever the HP audiobooks were playing. The rest of the time it was all "MOM, HE'S LOOKING OUT MY WINDOW!" which drove us nuts.

amanda4242: Read by Stephen Fry

MaskedMumbler: Read by Stephen Fry

kristilabrie: Narrated by: Jim Dale

msjudy: Audio Performance by: Paul Boehmer, Susan Duerden, Rosalyn Landor, John Lee, Juliet Mills

hipdeep: Read by Lenny Henry. (2005)

klandring: I heard Neil Gaiman tell an interviewer that Lenny Henry did such a good job of realizing what was in his head when he wrote the book, he regularly recommends that readers listen to it rather than read it off the page. So I did. And I loved it.

Charon07: Lenny Henry does a terrific job with a variety accents.

msjudy: Audio performance by Meryl Streep

gilroy: James Marsters does a brilliant Harry Dresden. Better than Paul Blackthorne did for the TV series

tardis: James Marsters does Harry perfectly, and slips between other accents and voices so well.

amanda4242: Read by James Marsters

2wonderY: Marsters wasn’t available for one of the later books; so someone else stepped in. The publisher had to re-record it, on demand of the series fans.

Charon07: Read by the author. Not every author is a great reader, but Neil Gaiman is excellent.

msjudy: One hundred and sixty-six individual narrators

Charon07: 166 narrators sounds like it could be cacophony, but this is truly an amazing production.

erinclark: Delightful story and great narration.

noveltea: Read by Juliet Stevenson

cpg: John Cleese as narrator. He was born for this role.

MaskedMumbler: Read by John Cleese

Charon07: And Tom Hanks does a fantastic job!

Lauren-at-LT: Narrated by Tom Hanks

tardis: Kobna Holdbrook-Smith does a brilliant job of narrating this, catching the humour and Peter's tone just right.

erinclark: Really fun to read.

Porua: Narrated by Stephen Fry, Audible Studios (2017). Only a narrator such as the inimitable Stephen Fry can make stories I have read dozens of times feel as though they were brand new.

hipdeep: Read by Wil Wheaton. Includes good work to describe some of Munroe's stick-figure illustrations for the listener. (Honorable mention to What If? 2, also read by Wheaton.)

tardis: New version read by Andy Serkis (text), Bill Nighy (footnotes), Peter Serafinowicz (Death). This was the audiobook that hooked my hubby on Discworld.

tardis: There are several good versions but my favourite is the full cast recording with David Tennant and Martin Sheen.

ReshiBec: Especially love the Martin Jarvis version.

vwinsloe: Read by Robin Miles

erinclark: Kept me guessing till the very end.

knerd.knitter: read by Bianca Amato and Jill Tanner

janoorani24: Narrator: Peter Altschuler

bookcookie1920: Narrated by Katherine Kellgren

slimikin: Read by various people, including Mark Hamill, Alan Alda, and Rob Reiner; perhaps partly because it's abridged from the original, I loved listening to this even after I'd read the book

amanda4242: Read by Zara Ramm

missylc: Davina Porter rivals Jim Dale as one of the best narrators out there. Even if you've already read this series, I highly recommend seeking out the audiobooks too.

Bookmarque: OMG Euan Morton is the bomb with this series.

amanda4242: Read by Euan Morton

GrimFiend1977: Read by author, includes clips of his songs and really immerses you in the story of his life.

GrimFiend1977: Listening as you read really helps to make sense of this gigantic space opera. The unabridged McMillan edition is superb.

GrimFiend1977: Read by the author, this collection of very personal essays about the human condition is truly enhanced by Green's sweet and sincere tone.

Charon07: Read by the author, John Green, whose YouTube channels I also like

norabelle414: English edition narrated by Katherine Kellgren

Bookmarque: I think the narrator needs to be noted - Kathleen Wilhoite - she is brilliant with this material.

missylc: The number of times I laughed out loud listening to this earns it a spot on my list. It's also a very challenging read for a narrator, I imagine, given the formats that make up the narrative -- emails, etc.

2wonderY: This is an ensemble cast. It is genius! Go listen.

Lauren-at-LT: Narrated by Donna Tartt

janoorani24: Narrator: Pearl Mackie

erinclark: Excellent Literary Fiction. Beautifully written.

msjudy: Audio performance by: Mark Bramhall, Michael Crouch, Jason Culp, Mark Deakins, Jayne Entwistle, Billie Fulford-Brown, Arthur Morey, George Newbern, Kirsten Potter, Simon Vance

amanda4242: Read by David Tennant

Charon07: Read by the author, Sy Montgomery. I don’t know if I’d have found this as moving as I did if someone else had read it.

HeathMochaFrost: Read by Allan Corduner. The first time I listened to this book, I had one of those book hangovers, and didn't want to move on to anything else. After several days, I started listening to it again. The story's narrator is Death, and Zusak's version of Death is of a guy who is just doing his job, collecting souls as gently as he can, even as he has way too much work during WWII. Corduner inhabits the character perfectly.

dudes22: narrated by Dominic Hoffman

norabelle414: English edition narrated by Frazer Douglas

olgakm: Narrated by Richard Armitage

birder4106: Dirk Bach als Vorleser war einfach Klasse. Mit seiner Stimme vermochte er der Geschichte eine ähnliche "Dimension" hinzuzufügen, wie es ein Film gekonnt hätte. => "Kino im Kopf" eben.

slimikin: Read by Simon Prebble; I don't think I would've enjoyed this half as much if I hadn't listened to it

knerd.knitter: read by Jim Dale

dudes22: narrated by Ruby Dee

dudes22: narrated by Katie Schorr

dara85: Through NLS: June Carter

knerd.knitter: read by Ron Rifkin

janoorani24: Narrator: Leonard Nimoy

hipdeep: A really remarkable exploration of the form. Each chapter is read by a different member of the global educational technology community. The audiobook (or podcast) also introduces interstitial chapters for discussion by different practitioners and scholars.

dudes22: narrated by Katie Schorr

souloftherose: Lesley Manville narrating

hipdeep: Is the one-man show by Patrick Stewart (1991) an audiobook? Since it includes a great deal of the narration and was released on cassette and CD I choose to say it is.

lizzy50usa: Narrated by Stephanie Daniel. She has narrated the whole series until the recent books and does a great job.

Aquila: Narrated by Joel Richards. Kingfisher's books are excellent in any form, but I really enjoy listening to them and giggling uncontrollably in public.

gypsysmom: narrated by author

knerd.knitter: read by Zachary Quinto

knerd.knitter: read by January LaVoy

gypsysmom: Atwood's retelling of the Tempest is read by R. H. Thomson, one of my favourite Canadian actors.

MajorRakal: The best of Terry Pratchett's Discworld City Watch books. Narrated by Stephen Briggs.

lizzy50usa: New version narrated by Andy Serkis

Stbalbach: Adrian Praetzellis of LibriVox

Bookmarque: One of the last books Frank Muller did before he died. Absolutely great. Nails the Tourettes and I almost didn't recognize him.

knerd.knitter: read by Robertson Dean

SF_fan_mae: Read by the author, love how he has voices for every character.

BonnieJune54: Read by author Prince Harry

janoorani24: Narrator: Nadia May

aimee: Narrated by Jeff Woodman. There are five books in the series. This is a great fantasy series and Jeff is amazing! He does accents from all around the world, plus hags, ogres, giants, goblins, demons, etc. His range is incredible!

kristilabrie: Narrated by: Jenna Lamia, Catherine Taber, MacLeod Andrews, Kirby Heyborne

Kiri: Excellent Narration, great pacing, engaging narrative.

Laura.a: Good book. And I like it when audiobooks include original interviews, so I can hear both the author and the interviewee in their own voices.

vwinsloe: Read by multiple authors, including Ian Holm and Bill Nighy.

EMS_24: Read by the author. The 'Goldberg Variations' of J.S.Bach are beautifully played on piano between the chapters which are based on the structure of the music. The pieces connect, follow the content of the mood of the succesive chapters.

yoyogod: Narrated by YouTuber MrCreepyPasta

dara85: Through NLS: Madelyn Buzzard

Aquila: Narrated By Lori Prince. This was the book that got me into audiobooks, I'd already read it in another form and I have a deep love for it, it's left me fairly imprinted on Lori's narration.

Porua: Narrated by Benedict Cumberbatch, Hachette Audio (2008). I generally abhor abridged versions but Cumberbatch as a narrator brings so much to each of the character in the book! I have listened to this version multiple times at this point

JamesTateLibrary: Read by James Tate and Michael Earl Craig, edited by Dara Barrois/Dixon, Kate Lindroos, Emily Pettit. 'The poems of James Tate will keep speaking to people for a very long time into the future, because they never stop caring and never stop having fun. They are, to my ear, lovely verbal reminders that everything should be regarded as mysterious and dear.' — George Saunders, author of Liberation Day and Lincoln in the Bardo “A brilliant collection of poems from one of the most singular minds ever to have graced the page. Not only does this book exemplify Tate's unmatched imagination, but it also celebrates his intelligence, tenderness, and attention. This book is an absolute must-read for any poetry lover.” — Ada Limón, author of The Carrying and Bright Dead Things 'Quintessential poems by virtuoso of absurdity Tate are woven into a whimsical, rollicking, and utterly jarring retrospective that showcases an unparalleled mind...Tenacious, surreal, impish, and soul mending, these poems invite the reader into a transcendent world.' — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Aquila: As read by Jodie Foster. I already had a paperback copy but bought the copy on cassette tape just because, back when.

Charon07: Read by George Guidall, Barbara Caruso, Julia Gibson, and Andy Paris. George Guidall read the sections from the POV of Leo Gursky, and he was remarkable.