The Audible Essentials
The Audible Essentials is our list of 100 absolute must-listens. Hours were spent deliberating which books should (and shouldn't) make the cut. Ultimately, the final list was chosen to represent a wide range of genres, compelling stories, and can't-miss performances. These are the books that stand the test of time: vetted by our listeners and hand-picked by our editors as examples of excellence.
Product List
  • Her Royal Spyness Audiobook By Rhys Bowen cover art

    • Her Royal Spyness

    • By: Rhys Bowen
    • Narrated by: Katherine Kellgren
    • Series: Royal Spyness, Book 1
    • Length: 8 hrs and 4 mins
    • Release date: 08-03-10
    • Language: English
    • 4 out of 5 stars 13,886 ratings
    • Why We Think It's Essential
    • In this lighthearted gem of a cozy mystery, Rhys Bowen delivers a charming combination of intrigue and romance blended with a touch of humor. She has created an interesting cast of characters and those personalities (a down-on-her-luck royal, a lovable cockney grandfather, a devilishly lovable Irish gent) come alive through Katherine Kellgren's narration—which, if I didn’t know better, I’d think was multi-cast. Fair warning: once you start this series, you won’t be able to stop. —Jess, Audible Editor

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  • Matilda Audiobook By Roald Dahl cover art

    • Matilda

    • By: Roald Dahl
    • Narrated by: Kate Winslet
    • Length: 4 hrs and 18 mins
    • Release date: 06-13-13
    • Language: English
    • 5 out of 5 stars 7,346 ratings
    • Why We Think It's Essential
    • As a book-loving parent, I instinctively gravitate to anarchic five-year-old Matilda—a girl who prefers Steinbeck to screens and is as mischievous as she is precociously in love with the written word. Roughly a billion words have been written on how to raise a happy child, but so few on how to raise a spunky bibliophile—and even fewer delivered via the inimitable, shape-shifting voice of Kate Winslet, who fully embodies the villains and heroes in this Roald Dahl classic. —Courtney, Audible Editor

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  • Code Name Verity Audiobook By Elizabeth Wein cover art

    • Code Name Verity

    • By: Elizabeth Wein
    • Narrated by: Morven Christie, Lucy Gaskell
    • Series: Code Name Verity, Book 3
    • Length: 10 hrs and 3 mins
    • Release date: 06-01-12
    • Language: English
    • 4.5 out of 5 stars 10,583 ratings
    • Why We Think It's Essential
    • Code Name Verity is my guilt book. No, not my guilty pleasure—it’s the book I will make anyone who hasn’t listened to it yet feel guilty about. The stunning dual narration tells two sides of a heart-wrenching story of heroism and friendship during World War II. Surprises and revelations abound in this unmissable listen that turned me into a weeping puddle while folding laundry, but trust me it was well worth it. —Emily, Audible Editor

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  • I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings Audiobook By Maya Angelou cover art

    • I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

    • By: Maya Angelou
    • Narrated by: Maya Angelou
    • Length: 10 hrs and 11 mins
    • Release date: 01-04-11
    • Language: English
    • 4.5 out of 5 stars 9,347 ratings
    • Why We Think It's Essential
    • I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, written and performed by Maya Angelou, is the reason why I love when authors narrate their own work. No one else could make this eye-opening and devastating modern classic have such a profound impact. —Laura, Audible Editor

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  • A Prayer for Owen Meany Audiobook By John Irving cover art

    • A Prayer for Owen Meany

    • By: John Irving
    • Narrated by: Joe Barrett
    • Length: 27 hrs and 19 mins
    • Release date: 08-11-09
    • Language: English
    • 4.5 out of 5 stars 10,651 ratings
    • Why We Think It's Essential
    • From what I understand, Irving was initially reluctant to bring his book into audio, believing his ambitious novel could not be adequately produced in the format. Then, as fate would have it, he met Joe Barrett and hand-picked the narrator to read. The result is extraordinary. To hear Barrett shift from his deep, sandpaper voice as the book’s primary narrator to Meaney’s shrill, yet, delicate timbre, is truly mesmerizing. —Doug, Audible Editor

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  • Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs Audiobook By Molly Harper cover art

    • Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs

    • Half-Moon Hollow, Book 1
    • By: Molly Harper
    • Narrated by: Amanda Ronconi
    • Series: Half-Moon Hollow, Book 1
    • Length: 8 hrs and 48 mins
    • Release date: 02-19-10
    • Language: English
    • 4.5 out of 5 stars 11,840 ratings
    • Why We Think It's Essential
    • The Molly Harper/Amanda Ronconi pairing has become the stuff of Audible legend, and it all started with this book. In fact, Ronconi has become so essential to the lifeblood (pun intended) of this vampire romance series, that it was no surprise when Harper dedicated one of her recent books to her narrator. The kick-off to the delightfully quirky Nice Girls series, as well as an equally popular spin-off series, this book has been a non-stop hit with our listeners for nearly a decade, with no signs of waning. —Jess, Audible Editor

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  • The River of Doubt Audiobook By Candice Millard cover art

    • The River of Doubt

    • Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey
    • By: Candice Millard
    • Narrated by: Paul Michael
    • Length: 12 hrs and 17 mins
    • Release date: 10-21-05
    • Language: English
    • 4.5 out of 5 stars 8,643 ratings
    • Why We Think It's Essential
    • This audiobook makes me shake my head and ask, “Who knew?!” (I’ve listened to it three times—never gets old.) Candice Millard maps a little-known time in Roosevelt’s life (after the defeat of 1912), and Paul Michael’s immersive performance makes the period come alive as an adventure story, a work of history, and an armchair exploration of the Amazon’s flora and fauna. Bully for him! —Christina, Audible Editor

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  • Beloved Audiobook By Toni Morrison cover art

    • Beloved

    • By: Toni Morrison
    • Narrated by: Toni Morrison
    • Length: 12 hrs and 3 mins
    • Release date: 05-22-06
    • Language: English
    • 4.5 out of 5 stars 4,997 ratings
    • Why We Think It's Essential
    • My hard copy of Beloved is bursting at the seams with sticky notes, so when I first heard Toni Morrison through my earbuds, I nearly gasped. All of the lines sound like a first line: they hook you in and haunt you for some time after. Embedded in Morrison’s lyricism are powerful truths about the horrors of American slavery. Morrison explores how humanity in the face of oppression could turn an unspeakable act into a defiant display of autonomy. The character of Baby Suggs seeks to prove that there are fates worse than death. —Rachael, Audible Editor

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  • Just Kids Audiobook By Patti Smith cover art

    • Just Kids

    • By: Patti Smith
    • Narrated by: Patti Smith
    • Length: 9 hrs and 50 mins
    • Release date: 07-26-11
    • Language: English
    • 4.5 out of 5 stars 5,010 ratings
    • Why We Think It's Essential
    • If you’ve ever heard me talk about how much I love audiobook memoirs, there’s a good chance you’ve also heard me talk about Just Kids. It was the first time an audiobook gave me that spine-tingly feeling of hanging out with someone famous while they chatted me up about their life story. Even though I’m not a huge Patti Smith fan, I still fell in love with her story, which is the mark of a truly great memoir. There’s a good reason this won so many awards the year it came out. —Rachel, Audible Editor

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  • In Harm's Way Audiobook By Doug Stanton cover art

    • In Harm's Way

    • The Sinking of the U.S.S. Indianapolis and the Extraordinary Story of Its Survivors
    • By: Doug Stanton
    • Narrated by: Mark Boyett
    • Length: 8 hrs and 12 mins
    • Release date: 09-27-16
    • Language: English
    • 5 out of 5 stars 6,111 ratings
    • Why We Think It's Essential
    • Maybe you learned about the U.S.S. Indianapolis from Quint’s monologue in the movie Jaws. The real story has a richer World War II historical context (sorry, Jaws!). Mark Boyett’s Audie Award-winning performance is inexorably suspenseful, from the Indianapolis’s mission to deliver the atomic bomb, throughout the ship’s sinking (and no one in the Navy knew! Or was trying to rescue the sailors!), and even during Captain McVey’s court-martial back on land. A must-listen for history buffs! —Christina, Audible Editor

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  • Love in the Time of Cholera Audiobook By Gabriel García Márquez cover art

    • Love in the Time of Cholera

    • By: Gabriel García Márquez
    • Narrated by: Armando Durán
    • Length: 15 hrs and 41 mins
    • Release date: 08-27-13
    • Language: English
    • 4 out of 5 stars 3,491 ratings
    • Why We Think It's Essential
    • Gabriel García Márquez is a master of magical realism, and Love in the Time of Cholera is a fever dream of unrivaled prose. As you fall into the grips of Márquez’s delightfully disorienting plot structures and rich, deeply enamoring characters, you experience the same infatuation Márquez has with the world of human fault and desire. To hear this book as it is offered so intimately by narrator Armando Durán is to fall victim to an ailment you won’t want cured. —Michael, Audible Editor

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  • Heartburn Audiobook By Nora Ephron cover art

    • Heartburn

    • By: Nora Ephron
    • Narrated by: Meryl Streep
    • Length: 5 hrs and 30 mins
    • Release date: 07-09-13
    • Language: English
    • 4 out of 5 stars 4,848 ratings
    • Why We Think It's Essential
    • Heartburn is such a perfect audiobook that it nearly ruined all other audiobooks for me. Take one of the best screenwriters of all time (Nora Ephron), add one of Hollywood’s most Oscar-decorated actresses (Meryl Streep), and you get a combo that can’t be beat. It doesn’t hurt that Heartburn is somehow both viciously funny and heartwarmingly vulnerable. My life’s mission is for everyone to know about this truly essential audiobook. —Rachel, Audible Editor

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  • You Don't Have to Say You Love Me Audiobook By Sherman Alexie cover art

    • You Don't Have to Say You Love Me

    • A Memoir
    • By: Sherman Alexie
    • Narrated by: Sherman Alexie
    • Length: 12 hrs and 9 mins
    • Release date: 06-13-17
    • Language: English
    • 4.5 out of 5 stars 1,805 ratings
    • Why We Think It's Essential
    • Sherman Alexie’s beautifully painful account of his childhood and life on his reservation will have you alternately laughing and crying at the humanity of it all. This book was Audible Editors’ favorite memoir of 2017, so the more recent news of sexual-misconduct allegations against Alexie hit us hard. Still, this intimate, complicated book remains a meaningful listen—albeit one we now approach with our ears tuned to a slightly different frequency.—Abby and Kat, Audible Editors

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  • Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe Audiobook By Benjamin Alire Saenz cover art

    • Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

    • By: Benjamin Alire Saenz
    • Narrated by: Lin-Manuel Miranda
    • Series: Aristotle and Dante, Book 1
    • Length: 7 hrs and 29 mins
    • Release date: 04-09-13
    • Language: English
    • 4.5 out of 5 stars 9,812 ratings
    • Why We Think It's Essential
    • High school student Ari likes to keep to himself—until he meets Dante, the bubbly new teen in town. Dante slowly wins Ari over with his infectious charm, but after one of them is gravely injured, their friendship grows more complicated. Lin-Manuel Miranda performs the audio, which is incredible, and I won’t rest until everyone on the planet has listened to it. P.S. Get ready for Lin-Manuel Miranda to make you ugly cry. —Rachel, Audible Editor

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  • The Namesake Audiobook By Jhumpa Lahiri cover art

    • The Namesake

    • By: Jhumpa Lahiri
    • Narrated by: Sarita Choudhury
    • Length: 10 hrs and 10 mins
    • Release date: 09-26-03
    • Language: English
    • 4.5 out of 5 stars 2,908 ratings
    • Why We Think It's Essential
    • When I recommend my all-time favorite novel to anyone who’ll listen to me gush, I always warn them that “not a lot happens” in the book. But it doesn’t matter—Jhumpa Lahiri is that good. She can make the everyday actions of a young man finding his way in the world captivating with her simply gorgeous prose. This is a novel about real life—about love and family, culture and assimilation—and is just a beautiful story well-told by Lahiri and narrator Sarita Choudhury, who offers the perfect blend of Indian and American accents in her performance. —Diana, Audible Editor

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  • The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao Audiobook By Junot Díaz cover art

    • The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

    • By: Junot Díaz
    • Narrated by: Lin-Manuel Miranda, Karen Olivo
    • Length: 9 hrs and 53 mins
    • Release date: 12-20-16
    • Language: English
    • 4.5 out of 5 stars 1,757 ratings
    • Why We Think It's Essential
    • We were saddened to hear allegations of sexual misconduct by Junot Díaz in 2018, particularly as the author has been a vocal advocate for inclusion in publishing. The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao brought Dominican-American stories to a wide audience, ultimately winning the Pulitzer Prize. Yet hearing it performed by the talented Lin-Manuel Miranda (Hamilton, Moana) will convince you the work is best experienced in audio. Narrating in the first person as Oscar’s friend, Yunior, Miranda brings to life the colorful language, teen angst, and identity crisis–fueled awkwardness to produce undeniably human characters. —Rachael and Kat, Audible Editors

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  • Little Princes Audiobook By Conor Grennan cover art

    • Little Princes

    • One Man's Promise to Bring Home the Lost Children of Nepal
    • By: Conor Grennan
    • Narrated by: Conor Grennan
    • Length: 9 hrs and 37 mins
    • Release date: 01-25-11
    • Language: English
    • 4.5 out of 5 stars 2,342 ratings
    • Why We Think It's Essential
    • Conor Grennan stopped over in Nepal to volunteer for a few months as part of a round-the-world trip, but he never expected to be stopped in his tracks so completely. After learning that the “orphans” he worked with were not orphans at all but trafficked children, he sets about re-uniting them with their families, and discovers his own life’s path along the way. This is one of the most remarkable stories you will ever hear, and Grennan—self-deprecating and totally charming—is the only person who could narrate his amazing journey. —Emily, Audible Editor

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  • Yes, Chef Audiobook By Marcus Samuelsson cover art

    • Yes, Chef

    • A Memoir
    • By: Marcus Samuelsson
    • Narrated by: Marcus Samuelsson
    • Length: 11 hrs and 47 mins
    • Release date: 06-26-12
    • Language: English
    • 4.5 out of 5 stars 1,950 ratings
    • Why We Think It's Essential
    • While the descriptions of food and all of its pleasures in this memoir are just lovely, Marcus Samuelsson's storytelling abilities and his brutal honesty are even more impressive. Samuelsson's background and story are unique, and his passion and determination refreshing. But by far, the best part of this memoir is the fact that Samuelsson himself narrates it, speaking in the many different languages he's learned from all the kitchens he's been in. —Diana, Audible Editor

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  • The Blood of Flowers Audiobook By Anita Amirrezvani cover art

    • The Blood of Flowers

    • By: Anita Amirrezvani
    • Narrated by: Shohreh Aghdashloo
    • Length: 13 hrs and 18 mins
    • Release date: 06-05-07
    • Language: English
    • 4.5 out of 5 stars 2,856 ratings
    • Why We Think It's Essential
    • I knew Iranian actress Shohreh Aghdashloo from her Oscar-nominated performance in The House of Sand and Fog, and hoped for another star turn in her narration of Anita Amirrezvani's debut novel—I wasn't disappointed. Aghdashloo's deep, raspy voice is absolutely haunting, whether describing the (surprisingly) fascinating intricacies of rug-making or re-telling the Iranian folktales that are woven into the story. A colorful, lush tale that remains on my all-time favorite list. —Diana, Audible Editor

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