Here are our selection of the best audiobooks. Normally, at Five Books we recommend . . . well, books. But if you spend a lot of time on your feet—commuting, or exercising—finding a good audiobook can be an even bigger boon than discovering your latest paperback.
Choosing the best audiobooks is a tough task. The underlying book has to be good, obviously, but the audio performance has to be good, too. Perhaps some books which aren’t so good can be improved into something stunning by a great audio performance, or a book that’s wonderful can be ruined by an audio performer who isn’t great at dialogue (say). Below are some of our favourites: books recommended by experts on Five Books, but whose audiobook quality we can also personally vouch for.
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The Spy and the Traitor
by Ben Macintyre
The Spy and the Traitor by British journalist Ben MacIntyre is a true story which reads like a thriller. It’s the story of Oleg Gordievsky, a Soviet KGB officer who became a double agent and worked for Britain’s CIA equivalent, MI6. He’s also the only double agent Britain ever managed to get out of the Soviet Union alive. John le Carré called The Spy and the Traitor the “best true spy story” he had ever read, and it was shortlisted for the prestigious Baillie Gifford Prize as one of the best nonfiction books of 2018. If that’s not enough of a reason to start listening, Five Books CEO Juliet Frost says it’s the best audiobook she’s listened to all year.
Carrying the Fire
by Michael Collins
With the 50th anniversary of the Moon landing approaching, it’s a great time to start reading or listening to books about it. Carrying the Fire by Michael Collins is “widely regarded as the best of the memoirs written by astronauts”, according to science writer and space expert Andrew Chaikin. Of the three astronauts on the Apollo 11 mission, Michael Collins was the one who did not walk on the Moon, but circled it and waited for the others to return. As well as the actual Moon landing, his memoir takes you through every step of the training and preparation. It’s also quite funny: Michael Collins likes to joke.
Becoming
by Michelle Obama
At one point or another during Barack Obama’s presidency, most of us probably wished for the chance to sit down with First Lady Michelle Obama and have her talk to us as warmly and intimately, as if we were an old friend. Alas, for most of us that dream was never thought likely to become a reality: though adored, Michelle Obama has largely remained a mystery aside from her public persona—that is, until now.
In a relative rarity for a book with such star power, Michelle Obama narrates the audiobook of her memoir, Becoming, herself. Wherever you go—whether in the car, the subway, in the kitchen chopping carrots or even walking down the street—the wise, comforting voice of one of America’s most beloved public figures goes with you.
In that sense, it’s no surprise that Becoming, Michelle Obama’s debut memoir, has been a record-setting bestseller. The book has been lauded by reviewers and readers alike for its candid tone and intimate look into the life and making of a great career. How did Michelle Obama go from a childhood growing up in Chicago to a leader of public health initiatives, a champion in the league of powerful First Ladies, the partner of one of the most respected presidents in American history, and a mother to two girls?
Becoming tells the fascinating life story—through Michelle Obama’s words, straight into your ear.
Mythos: A Retelling of the Myths of Ancient Greece
by Stephen Fry
Mythos by Stephen Fry is a humorous retelling of the Greek myths—if that seems possible given all the atrocities constantly being committed by the the gods, goddesses, and titans. It’s a really great book for getting on top of not only the Greek myths, but also the way the names of the gods/goddesses etc. and Ancient Greek words are intertwined into the modern English language. We highly recommend the audiobook in particular, narrated by Stephen Fry himself, who is a talented and funny actor.
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind
by Yuval Noah Harari
Some academic historians have been quite critical of Sapiens by the Israeli historian Yuval Noah Harari, pointing out that some of the nuances of debates are lost in a popular history book. But that’s also why it makes a good read and an effective audiobook. It not only gives Harari more scope to address the big questions, but also gives many people their first detailed introduction to the origins of human beings. There’s a lot to think about after reading this book.
My Family and Other Animals
by Gerald Durrell
My Family and Other Animals is a memoir written by the naturalist Gerald Durrell, about his life in Corfu in the 1930s. It’s laugh-out-loud funny, and his passion for the natural world is contagious. We also highly recommend the audiobook, which is great for family trips as it’s amusing and entertaining for children and adults alike.
Milkman
by Anna Burns
Winner of the 2018 Booker Prize, Milkman is a disquieting tale of sexual harassment set in Belfast during The Troubles—or at least, that’s what the reader must surmise. As with many aspects of this unusual novel, its setting is never made explicit. The narrator is a young, bookish woman feeling her way through life in a society soaked in fear and paranoia; when she finds herself the focus of unwanted advances from a shadowy dissident figure known only as ‘the milkman,’ local gossips go into overdrive. Must she accept her new, unasked-for status as a paramilitary hanger-on?
Milkman also won the National Book Critics Circle Award for fiction in 2019, and was shortlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction in the same year.
Framed
by Frank Cottrell Boyce
Art crime is always a fun topic, because the prospect of making off with just one item which is not only beautiful but also worth $25 million is so tempting. This is a children’s book about some entirely opportunistic and haphazard plans to steal van Gogh’s “Sunflowers” but utterly charming for adults too. It was recommended by historian Janina Ramirez and is really, really funny. The narrator is a boy living in Snowdonia, and one of the benefits of listening to it as an audiobook is that everyone around him speaks in authentic Welsh accents.
War and Peace
by Leo Tolstoy
Which translation of the book War and Peace is best? What kind of reviews did Leo Tolstoy’s masterpiece get when it was published? Why has the book War and Peace been chosen by philosophers, historians and novelists as one of the most important ever written? Find out more about one of our most recommended books by reading the expert commentary about War and Peace below. The audiobook is also highly recommended, narrated by the RADA-trained actor, the late Neville Jason.
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
by Mark Haddon
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is a charming, prize-winning novel by Mark Haddon. Written as a mystery, the story is told through the eyes of a teenage boy who is great at maths but finds many other aspects of life difficult. The narrator’s naïveté makes the audiobook particularly perfect, because especially when you’re listening to a book, long, convoluted sentences are annoying. It’s perfect for family trips as the book appeals to adults and kids alike.
The Complete Sherlock Holmes
by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
It turns out that the brilliant British actor, Stephen Fry, is a Sherlock Holmes books fan, which means that The Complete Sherlock Holmes is also available as an audiobook. Listening to Fry’s introduction and then Conan Doyle’s stories is a wonderful experience. Our favourite story remains the incredibly scary and mysterious The Hound of the Baskervilles but apparently, according to Washington Post book critic Michael Dirda, it’s important to start with The Study in Scarlet.
