Whenever the Audible editors have the pleasure of interacting with writers, narrators, and other creators, we inevitably ask, "What are you listening to right now?" It's one of the singular joys of our job—getting to gush about great stories with the creators of some of our own favorites, and growing our listening lists in the process. Here is a selection of their top picks from 2023.
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Plus: discover more creator picks from beyond 2023 here.
"I am partial to my own Audible Original A Dangerously High Threshold for Pain, because I see it as a gift to people living with chronic illnesses. I also love Elizabeth Acevedo's Family Lore, which I both listened to and read in book form. That story of a family of Dominican women is so rich with language that it is a special gift to listen to it."
—Imani Perry, author of Sing a Black Girl's Song and A Dangerously High Threshold for Pain
“If you want to listen to something that absolutely sums up the concept of tragic comedy: From the Oasthouse is the best that Alan Partridge’s character has ever been. The day [each new season] comes out, I get it, I listen to the whole thing, probably that day or the next day, and then I savor it and go back and listen again and again.”
—Naomi Alderman, author of The Future
“So many authors are truly at the top of their game at the moment, so it’s tough to pick a favorite. But a few standouts are Emily Henry’s Happy Place, Lindsey Kelk’s Love Me Do, Kennedy Ryan’s Coming Home, and Abby Jimenez’s Yours Truly.”
—Leeanne Slade, author of The Rebound
"King: A Life by Jonathan Eig is full of revelations about the civil rights icon, and it’s a powerful reminder that even our greatest heroes are human."
—Adam Grant, author of Hidden Potential
"Avery Trufelman’s Articles of Interest. Trufelman’s seven-episode 'American Ivy' series (2022), on the origins and persistence of preppy style, is a tour de force of investigative reporting on the 'vanilla ice cream' of clothing standards: oxford button downs and chinos, blazers and loafers. Trufelman takes listeners to Meiji-era Japan, the campus of Princeton University, and Civil Rights-era protests, demonstrating that this supposedly exclusive, country club style may actually be one of the more accessible ways to look put-together. Single episodes of Articles of Interest in 2023 continue to explore fascinating questions about what we wear and why, including the cultural significance of Cher’s digital closet from the movie Clueless (why don’t we have them now?) to prison uniforms (why aren’t they actually uniform?) to making a better pointe shoe design (if sneakers and ski boots have benefitted from technology that cushions and protects our feet, why do ballet shoes still employ cardboard and glue?).”
—Hannah Carlson, author of Pockets
"My favorite self-soothing activity is rhinestoning pasties while listening to a podcast, and this year my top choice has been Articles of Interest, a fashion and society podcast. They did an excellent series on the history of American Ivy and preppy fashion, as well as an amazing episode on the Black Fashion Museum in Washington, DC. It's endlessly inhalable to me as someone who is particularly interested in what a subculture reveals about society at large."
—Fancy Feast, author of Naked: On Sex, Work, and Other Burlesques
"My two favorite books this year were The Creative Act and Yellowface. I always listen to audiobooks while driving to see patients and switch between nonfiction and fiction depending on what mood I’m in.
Yellowface completely captured me from the start and didn’t let me go until the last. You’ll find yourself cringing at June Hayward’s internal narrative while simultaneously rooting for the ghost of Athena Liu. I pressed play every free moment I had and flew through this book in a day and a half.
On the nonfiction side, The Creative Act is what I find myself coming back to again and again. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to get more in touch with their creative side—not just artists. Everyone can benefit from Rubin’s short, yet profound, life lessons. The Creative Act is perfect to play when you need a few minutes of motivation. I re-listen to it while getting ready in the morning and gain a deeper understanding of his words every time."
—Hadley Vlahos, author of The In-Between
"Listening to Rick Rubin's audiobook centered me in ways I wasn’t expecting. His words made me feel so seen as an artist searching to express myself truthfully and authentically. The book helped me feel less alone in my journey of creative self-discovery, which can often be frustrating and rife with challenges. It validated my sensitivities to the world around me and reminded me to be gentler to myself."
—Hayley Kiyoko, author of Girls Like Girls
"My favorite listens of 2023 were Thicker than Water by Kerry Washington and The 272 by Rachel Swarns.
This was also a year of long car rides for me where I was in the passenger seat. I loved listening to several titles picked by other people, and one additional favorite listen from 2021 that I didn't get to until this year was Stanley Tucci’s little gem of a book, Taste. He doesn’t just read the book. He performs every sentence with gusto, flair, and deep-seated emotion. This is a man who so clearly loves food and family. The only problem with listening to this delicious little volume is that if you happen to be driving while taking this all in, you may never get to your intended destination. You may find yourself instead heading to an Italian restaurant or a good cook’s home so you can dive head first into a delicious meal with freshly grated parmesan, lots of garlic, and hints of rosemary and basil. Va Bene!"
—Michele Norris, creator and host of Your Mama's Kitchen
“My favorite audiobook was Wandering Souls by Cecile Pin, narrated by Aoife Hinds, Ioanna Kimbook and Ainsleigh Barber. This is a story about family and identity, belonging, resilience, and love. A fictional narrative that springs from the author’s mother’s experience as a Vietnamese boat person, it’s impossible to describe without diminishing it. So I’ll only say, the book manages to be both intimate and epic, personal and political, and I’m in awe of it.”
"My favorite podcast this year was The Shift with Sam Baker. Journalist, author, and broadcaster Sam Baker is blazing the trail in rewriting everything we think we know about what it is to be a woman post-40. She’s smashing taboos all over the place. Her wide-ranging interviews with incredible, interesting women—from Isabel Allende to Minnie Driver, Ruby Wax to Ruth Ozeki—are thoughtful, smart, honest, and full of insight, humor, and wisdom."
—Fran Littlewood, author of Amazing Grace Adams
"The audiobook I enjoyed the most this year was Doppelganger by Naomi Klein. The book is such a unicorn—part memoir, part exploration of our modern cultural decline—that it kept me listening long after I should have turned off the car. Klein’s vantage point, as the other Naomi, into the mirror world, where formerly clear-thinking people evolve into conspiratorial approval seekers, was impossible to put down. But what made the book truly great was the self Klein’s doppelgänger forced her to confront. Had Klein’s own books like The Shock Doctrine contributed to the distrust of institutions that have consumed our society? Was she in some ways responsible for the rabbit hole Naomi Wolf had fallen down? To hear Klein wrestle with this history and the questions it brought up was both troubling and fascinating."
—Noah Hawley, author of Anthem
"After reading an early draft of my memoir, Thicker Than Water, a dear friend shared with me that she was reading another book that she thought might really resonate with me. To say that she was right would be an enormous understatement. The Origins of You by Vienna Pharaon not only resonated with me—it rocked me to my core and gave me a roadmap to more deeply understand and contextualize so much of what I had poured into the pages of my memoir. This book is an absolute game changer for anyone who is dealing with complicated family relationships, navigating past traumas, looking to break unhealthy patterns, or wanting to establish healthy boundaries. And somehow Vienna writes all of this with a voice that is both wise and direct while also being loving and tender. Vienna takes each of us on a journey to recognize the traits that no longer serve us and gives us the tools we need to work toward living our truest and most authentic selves."
—Kerry Washington, author of Thicker Than Water
"Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang's up-to-the-moment, irresistible podcast combining deep interviews with people of true cultural relevance and their often-in-perfect-sync-with-each-other-but-then-again-sometimes-polar-opposite shared musings about everything pop cultural, is a must listen. Always entertaining and always with their finger(s) on the pulse of What's Hot and What's Not, their long-term, intimate friendship provides a foundation of great chemistry and synchronicity. Listening regularly to them as they share their fundamental desire to climb face-first into the weeds of our bizarre, ever-changing culture is the only way to be sure you know what's up. I also loved being one of the narrators of Hanya Yanagihara's To Paradise. Her writing is real world class literature. My personal experience reading it was a complete gut punch that I was not prepared for and still stays with me.
—B. D. Wong, narrator of Laozi's Dao De Jing
"Three audiobooks I’ve enjoyed recently are Tom Lake by Ann Patchett, narrated by Meryl Streep; How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix, narrated by Jay Aaseng and Mikhaila Aaseng; and White Cat, Black Dog by Kelly Link, narrated by an ensemble cast of Rebecca Lowman, Dan Stevens, Dominic Hoffman, Kristen Sieh, Ish Klein, Tanya Cubric, and Patton Oswalt. It's amazing what the right readers bring to a story."
—Cassandra Clare, author of Sword Catcher
"I really enjoyed Hell Bent by Leigh Bardugo, a juicy sequel in the Ninth House series that falls under the fantastical dark academia genre. What can I say? I’m a sucker for demons in libraries."
—Aparna Nancherla, author of The Introvert's Survival Guide
"Eddie [Ndopu] stands as an extraordinary individual, consistently defying odds and illustrating time and again that his disability does not define him. He underscores the importance of not underestimating people with disabilities."
—Jonathan Conyers, author of I Wasn't Supposed to Be Here
"I’ve been listening to Emily Oster’s Cribsheet because my wife and I are about to have our first baby. But in the interest of recommending something new—though kind of related, now that I think about it—I would highlight Donor 9623, a podcast hosted by Dov Fox and produced by my Audible colleague Heather Won Tesoriero. The show, which details the spectacular fallout from a man’s decision to repeatedly donate sperm under false pretenses, just came out with its second season, in which the donor at the center of the story comes face to face with some of the parents and children—his children!—whose lives he changed, and complicated, forever. Talk about getting to access a slice of human experience one would otherwise never have access to! There is just so much extraordinary emotion in this series, and the questions it raises—about the limits of self-awareness, redemption, and good intentions—will stick with me for a long time."
—Leon Neyfakh, writer of Fiasco: Vigilante
"When I was asked to be a Mystery Guest on Smartless, I was thrilled. Their humor is contagious, and their fearlessness when baiting each other just cracks me up. And they get great guests.
The Acoustic Guitar Podcast is a professional deep dive into the art and techniques of playing an acoustic guitar, it will captivate any guitar player and provide an even greater appreciation for your own six string."
—Jeff Daniels, creator of Alive and Well Enough
"I love audiobooks so much and have listened to so many amazing titles this year. I think my favorite from 2023 (besides Cassandra Campbell's brilliant read of Nestlings, of course) has been Tell Me I’m Worthless, by Alison Rumfitt and read by Nicky Endres. It's so angry, so terrifying, so beautifully written and narrated. You'll never forget it, but be warned: it's brutal and bleak and deeply upsetting—in all the best ways."
—Nat Cassidy, author of Nestlings
"I don’t think much could make me happier than a new book from Stephen King, unless it’s a new book featuring Holly Gibney. This story is creepy, compelling, and brilliantly narrated. Emily and Rodney Harris (two college professors in their seventies) make for unlikely villains, but in the hands of King, they are horrifying. All the more so because their actions, in this crazy world, seem perfectly plausible. Holly is a detective novel with a brilliant central character, some light horror tone, and ... bonus ... gorgeous meditations on writing and creativity that made me seriously contemplate, for the first time in my life, getting a tattoo. Talent is a dead engine, people. If you know, you know.
Two more picks: Small Game, a debut novel about a small group of strangers recruited for a survivalist reality TV show with a dodgy producer, a creaking budget, and ethically questionable methodology. The survival elements are delivered with authority (Braverman is a dog-sledder who has studied survival) and the narration (by Kristen Sieh) was exceptional. And The Deceit, a novella that's long enough, at five hours, to be completely satisfying. This story has everything I love about Sara Foster—it’s absolutely classic psychological suspense, packed from start to finish with secrets and twists that you won’t see coming."
—Dervla McTiernan, author of The Fireground
"We look at the releases in the three tranches that fuel our creative process. We're content junkies, we love deep and diverse storytelling and we love innovation.
First, Surely You Can't Be Serious, The True Story of Airplane. As cinephiles, we are inspired and informed when creators take the time to bring the audience behind the scenes. The making of this iconic comedy gives listeners a real look at what it took to build a team, run a production, and punch out a piece of art that will be a part of cinematic history till the end of time.
The Retrievals is our second pick. We love to be seduced by strong stories, especially if they are true. And in a world where nothing seems to be surprising anymore, this one is a shocker. At the human level, how can someone be so diabolical and to those impacted, the empathy it evokes keeps the minutes flying by as you listen.
Finally, Excessive. We look for storytelling that pushes the envelope in both format and sonically. When Excessive was released, we found the structure to be unique for the audio space, and that this narrative fiction, dark comedy took a risk with its formatting, which worked well, thanks to the sound design.
—PB&J Productions, creators of Can You Dig It?
"Debut who??? Regina Black's fantastic storytelling in The Art of Scandal is giving master, not beginner. I was captivated by this messy, angsty audiobook that was alternately funny and poignant, thrilling and salacious. This older woman/younger man story reveals two lost artists who find each other and rediscover themselves. Rachel is so much more than the politician's docile wife. She is fierce and intelligent. Ruthless and forgiving as needed. Black does an amazing job peeling back the layers of Rachel's character and of Nathan, the hero. And when they are together the chemistry burns a hole through the page ... or in your ears! I became a fan of Mela Lee when she narrated Seven Days in June. As soon as her sweet-smoky voice opened the first chapter, I knew it would be an incredible listen. She brought Rachel and Nathan's story to glorious life. Make sure this gem is on your TBL list."
—Kennedy Ryan, author of Coming Home
"I started doing this during the pandemic where I would get a print copy and the audiobook of the same book and kind of go back and forth. I would go on a bike ride and listen to it. And then I'd—right before bed—pick up where I left off when I was reading. I really love doing that, and I just finished doing that with The Covenant of Water. Abraham Verghese narrates it himself, and he is extraordinary at it. I could not believe how good he was at narrating a book. I was really jealous. He's a great performer as someone who, as far as I know, has no training in that. I thought his performance was really spectacular."
—Nathan Hill, author of Wellness
"A lot of my listening this year has been prep to listen to Britney Spears’s memoir (it’s an event!) and keeping up with all the great romances out here. All the Right Notes by Dominic Lim is a fantastic second chance romance with a reunion between two men who originally met as kids in their high school choir. (There’s singing in the audiobook; Aaron J. Albano did an fabulous job as the narrator.) I also loved Practice Makes Perfect by Sarah Adams (a small town florist and a celebrity bodyguard) and The Reunion by Kayla Olson which includes a cast reunion and a lot of delicious drama."
—Abby Jimenez, author of Yours Truly
"Sea Stories by Admiral William McRaven is a wonderful, well-written account of his storied career in U.S. Special Operations, not least as the architect of the raid in which Osama bin Laden was killed.
And Conflict by General David Petraeus and Lord Andrew Roberts is a thorough and insightful investigation of key conflicts since World War II and the lessons they have for the future of warfare, including in Gaza today."
—Peter Bergen, creator of In the Room with Peter Bergen
"Can I have two, please? There are more great listens on Audible than I can keep up with. The only reason I have a prayer of narrowing my answer is because I’m restricted to titles published this year and not titles I’ve listened to this year.
I loved The Color of Family by Jerry McGill. In very little space, he builds a cast of rich and complex characters, and just when you think you know where he’s taking the story, he throws in a twist. Definitely one of the great listens of 2023.
Night Will Find You by Julia Heaberlin blew me away. It’s intelligent and fast-paced with a fascinating cast of characters. It’s one of those books where I rushed to get to the end and then felt sad when it was over. Absorbing and compelling, I can’t recommend it enough."
—C. J. Washington, author of Imperfect Lives
