Here is 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.
We also have a list of audiobooks with great actors reading great books and the best audiobooks for kids.
If you’re interested in trying out an Audible free trial or giving one as a gift, you can do so via these links:
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Lady in Waiting: My Extraordinary Life in the Shadow of the Crown
by Anne Glenconner
Anne Glenconner, former lady-in-waiting to Princess Margaret, tells the story of her life. The audiobook, narrated by the author (now in her 90s), is particularly enchanting.
The Odyssey
by Homer and translated by Emily Wilson
The audiobook of Emily Wilson’s new translation of the Odyssey is performed by the American actress Claire Danes (listening time: 13.5 hours).
“This book is an achievement in several ways: as a bringing together of a number of world philosophies, as an illustration of why philosophy matters for global understanding, and as a bridge between Western and Asian thought.” Read more...
Agent Running in the Field: A Novel
by John le Carré
Agent Running in the Field is the latest spy novel from the number one New York Times bestselling author John le Carré.
In it, MI6 veteran Nat takes over the management of a London intelligence substation – the Haven, “a dumping ground for resettled defectors of nil value and fifth-rate informants on the skids.” He also befriends a solitary young MI5 agent who is both dead set against the United Kingdom’s departure from the European Union and convinced that the United States is locked into a descent into fascism, led by Donald Trump.
Set in Brexit-era Britain, Agent Running in the Field serves both as espionage thriller and biting take on the politics of the day; le Carré is not afraid to express his own anger over the leadership of his country, describing the UK government as ruled by “a minority Tory cabinet of 10th-raters”, and portrays Boris Johnson as then “a pig-ignorant foreign secretary”. An extract from the book has been published over on The Guardian website.
Le Carré’s editor at Viking, Mary Mount, described Agent Running in the Field as “incredibly prescient, and a very emotional book in terms of how connected he feels to the history of Britain and Europe. There’s no looking away, he addresses the very current political crisis.”
Le Carré is a very widely recommended author on Five Books, whose work turns up again and again on discussions of both literary thrillers and espionage more generally. His most recommended titles include The Spy Who Came in From the Cold and Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy.
Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men
by Caroline Criado Perez
Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Perez is also available as an audiobook, narrated by the author.
“Matt Parker makes mathematics interesting by making it funny. In this book, he pokes fun at people who’ve made silly mathematical mistakes but, at the same time, he also looks at some issues that are quite serious: bridges collapsing and killing people, for example. It’s a great book. As far as I know, it’s the first math book that’s ever been a number one bestseller.” Read more...
The Math of Life and Death
by Kit Yates
The Math of Life and Death, by Kit Yates, a senior lecturer in mathematical biology at the University of Bath, is an excellent popular maths book, demonstrating the many times math plays a critical role in our daily lives—often without us even knowing it.
We spoke to the author to find out more:
Lethal White
by Robert Galbraith
In the fourth book in the Robert Galbraith/Cormoran Strike series, Lethal White, J.K. Rowling does what she did so successfully in the Harry Potter series, which is that she makes it better than the book before. Rather than getting tired of the formula, you feel that she is taking things forward, and you become interested in where it’s all going to end up. The murder plot is good and the settings (which include the Houses of Parliament) memorable. At this point in the series you’re really rooting for the lead characters and how their lives will turn out.
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.
The Eagle of the Ninth
by Rosemary Sutcliff
Rosemary Sutcliff is a legend of Roman historical fiction. In The Eagle of the Ninth, young Marcus goes on a quest to find out what happened to a Roman legion, led by his father, which disappeared in the north of Roman England. A brilliant story – no wonder it features on so many schools’ recommended reading lists.
The Explorer
by Katherine Rundell
A fantastic and engaging read – so it’s no surprise that The Explorer received a plethora of awards. An adventure story set in the Amazon, it’s the perfect book to keep young explorers entertained.
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
by Junot Díaz
The audiobook version of The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao is narrated by the legendary Lin-Manuel Miranda and Karen Olivo, who also won a Tony for her role in West Side Story.
(In the US, the audiobook does not seem to be listed on Amazon, but can be found on Audible.com)
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
by J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, published in 1997, is the first book in the Harry Potter series and introduces the character of Harry Potter. It’s no secret that this is the book that got a whole generation of children reading, and the book doesn’t disappoint. We learn about Harry’s miserable life living in a cupboard under the stairs in the house of his ghastly aunt and uncle followed by the liberating news that he is a famous wizard and will not remain the downtrodden orphan forever. Leaving the direness of suburbia behind, he goes off to boarding school at Hogwarts.
Stories of English children going to boarding school have been popular fare for generations, and the combination of clever wizarding/magical touches with the boarding school format are a fun backdrop to the various adventures that take place. Unlike later books in the series, it’s not an overly long book, and the audiobook—read by the excellent British actor Stephen Fry—comes in at just under 9 hours and is highly enjoyable, even for the adult listening along.
Note: In the US, the book was published as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, which isn’t as good a title. At the time, J.K. Rowling was an unknown writer, and probably not in a position to point out it didn’t make sense.
The Remains of The Day
by Kazuo Ishiguro
If you’ve never read The Remains of the Day, the audiobook version is highly recommended. British actor and director Dominic West gives a pitch-perfect performance as the narrator of Ishiguro’s hauntingly beautiful, Booker Prize-winning novel; his Mr Stevens, an ageing butler looking back upon his life in service with mounting regret, a carefully-constructed shell of English restraint, within which tempests rage.
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.
Istanbul: A Tale of Three Cities
by Bettany Hughes
A historic journey through one of the the world’s most pivotal cities. We caught up with award-winning historian Bettany Hughes when she was chair of the 2019 Man Booker international Prize to talk about the best fiction in translation.
“Andrew Yang’s book is a take on the forces fraying America’s middle class. He draws our attention to eye-popping data points about where our economy is heading.” Read more...
The Woman in the Window
by A. J. Finn
You have to have just a little patience with The Woman in the Window, which starts off somewhat irritating because it reads like a combination of Rear Window and The Girl on the Train. Hang in there and you’ll find it’s really an excellent thriller with exciting plot twists.
“People want to know about the private lives of public people; Michelle Obama obliges us by providing an insider view of life in the White House. We learn about her first kiss, about the fact that she failed the bar exam the first time she took it, about her going to couples counseling with her husband. This is not a biography that withholds the tidbits one craves when reading about a famous person.” Read more...
“This is a novel set in a part of modern life unfamiliar to most of us: a women’s prison. This novel is the one that made me feel I should go out and do something—that I should vote for prison reform.” Read more...
Kwame Anthony Appiah, Philosopher
“H is for Hawk feels like the definitive statement on hawks for the modern times, and I think its success has a lot to do with how well Macdonald tied her inquiry into the life of a hawk with her own personal experience and journey.” Read more...
Nick Pyenson, Science Writer
“We’ve been told that if our body isn’t a certain way, then we don’t have value. That’s an idea Roxane Gay—more eloquently than anyone—challenges with humour and vulnerability.” Read more...
The Best Books for Surviving Your Twenties
Dana Schwartz, Memoirist
“I have studied all these texts in the original Old Norse, but Gaiman has done something superb with them: he was woven them into compelling narratives for a Marvel-book comic-loving generation, who can find fun, drama and excitement in these thousand year old stories.” Read more...
The Best Viking History Books for Kids
Janina Ramirez, Children's Author
The Guggenheim Mystery
by Robin Stevens & Siobhan Dowd
The Guggenheim Mystery is the perfect audiobook for a tween-aged child. The characters are charming, the plot excellent, and at the end of it, even though it’s not part of the book per se, your child will be googling “Cezanne” and “stolen painting.” In short, it’s a book that’s not only gripping, but you’ll learn a lot from—not least about the Guggenheim Museum in New York City.
The book was based on the characters invented by Siobhan Dowd but written by Robin Stevens, as she explained in her interview with us on the best kid detective books.
“Katherine Rundell has talked about the image that inspired her to write this book, the image of a young girl riding a wolf into Red Square.” Read more...
Kiran Millwood Hargrave, Children's Author
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.
I Know a Secret
by Tess Gerritsen
I Know a Secret is the 12th book in Tess Gerritsen’s series featuring Jane Rizzoli and Maura Isles. As always with Gerritsen, the plot is strong and makes an impression. Apart from a short part at the beginning, there is no real need to take on the rest of the series, I Know a Secret works well as a standalone thriller.
Gone Girl
by Gillian Flynn
Gone Girl, the bestselling thriller by Gillian Flynn, is a lot of fun to listen to as an audiobook. The plot does degenerate somewhere along the line, but by then you’ve had so many hours of suspenseful listening already, it’s hard to be too exasperated with the author for not holding it together.
The Girl on the Train
by Paula Hawkins
The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins has sold millions of copies, been translated into umpteen language and made into a movie. There’s a reason for that: it is a really good thriller. It was Hawkins’s first novel, and has that semi-autobiographical feel to it that comes out in many first time novels.
If you haven’t read it yet, it does also make a good audiobook, with multiple narrators.
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.
His Dark Materials
by Philip Pullman
Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials is the name of a fantasy trilogy comprising three books: Northern Lights, The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass.
The audiobook of the His Dark Materials trilogy has Philip Pullman himself as the narrator, with actors saying the words of the characters.
“This trilogy is the gold standard in terms of fantasy writing.” Read more...
Philip Reeve recommends the best Science Fiction and Fantasy
Philip Reeve, Children's Author
“What I found so moving about this book is that it links the crucial elements of friendship and art to survival.” Read more...
The best books on The Lives of Artists
Maria Loh, Art Historians, Critics & Curator
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.
Prime Suspect
by Lynda La Plante
Prime Suspect started as a TV series, starring Helen Mirren as DCI Jane Tennison. It was so successful that screenwriter Lynda La Plante has, ever since, made a career as a bestselling novelist as well. These are gripping books and we’ve included them just in case you didn’t know about them.
The Bell Jar
by Sylvia Plath
We highly recommend listening to The Bell Jar as an audiobook. Performed by American actress and producer Maggie Gyllenhaal, she captures Esther Greenwood’s intense struggle with mental illness in Sylvia Plath’s devastating semibiographical novel.
Heartburn
by Nora Ephron
The audiobook of Nora Ephron’s Heartburn is narrated by the American actress Meryl Streep. (Listening time: less than 6 hours)
A Portrait of the Artist As a Young Man
by James Joyce
If you’re new to James Joyce, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man might be the best place to start.
We highly recommend the audiobook. What better way to experience James Joyce’s first novel than hearing Colin Farrell, of In Bruges, dive into Joyce’s streams of consciousness with all the natural musicality of his Irish accent?
To the Lighthouse
by Virginia Woolf
Virginia Woolf’s To the Lighthouse is widely regarded as one of the greatest artistic achievements of the twentieth century.
(The audiobook of To the Lighthouse has been performed separately by two great actors: Australian actress Nicole Kidman and British actress Juliet Stevenson. Listening time: 7-8 hours).
The Moonstone
by Wilkie Collins
Viewed by TS Eliot as the inventor of the modern English detective novel, Wilkie Collins’s books remain some of the best mysteries ever written. Opinions vary whether The Moonstone or The Woman in White is better, one thing is for sure: if you like one, you’ll want to read the other. The audiobook of The Moonstone is really nicely performed by the English character actor Peter Jeffrey (1929-1999).
Cast, in Order of Disappearance
by Simon Brett
Published in 1975, Cast, In Order of Disappearance is the first book in the series featuring one of the funniest anti-heroes in crime fiction, the seedy, alcoholic, out-of-work (mostly) actor Charles Paris. Simon Brett (who’s been on Five Books recommending his favourite whodunnits) continues to write the occasional book in the series just because they remain so popular. The audiobook is actually a BBC dramatisation starring Bill Nighy, an excellent choice for the louche actor he portrays.
Note: if you take your thrillers very seriously, this is not the book for you.
“We have not begun to address what needs to be addressed in every social sphere to eliminate the kinds of violence that we see in African-American ghettos.” Read more...
The best books on Race and American Policing
Joe Domanick, Journalist
Carrying the Fire
by Michael Collins
With the celebrations of the 50th anniversary of the Moon landing this year, 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.
Frankenstein
by Mary Shelley
Frankenstein is fabulous to listen to as an audiobook, performed by the British actor Dan Stevens. Listening time: 8.5 hours.
Mary Shelley started writing the Frankenstein story when she was 18, and it was published in London two years later. Her chilling tale of how Victor Frankenstein put together a creature by sewing together human parts is said to be the first true science fiction story. If you’ve never read it, or read it a long time ago, it’s definitely worth picking up again, as the subtleties of the original book, entitled Frankenstein: the Modern Prometheus, may have been displaced in your mind by the various cartoons and monster-movies connected to the original only by the name ‘Frankenstein’ (and some people, who haven’t read the book, think Frankenstein is the name of the monster, rather than the name of the scientist who put the creature together).
Read below why it’s one of the books most frequently recommended by the experts we’ve interviewed—on subjects as diverse as fear of death, women and society, and transhumanism.
Atticus the Storyteller's 100 Greek Myths
by Lucy Coats
As a way to introduce children to Greek myths, this book is the best we’ve come across. It’s told as a journey—Atticus is travelling with his donkey, Melissa—so there are little breaks between the stories as he arrives in places, which makes the myths more manageable. Children really, really like this book and will reread it many times. If they are learning classics in school, they will wow the teacher with their knowledge of the myths, which come up a lot in western language and literature.
Collected Ghost Stories
by MR James
MR James’s Ghost Stories are also available as an audiobook, read by the legendary British actor Sir Derek Jacobi.
To Kill a Mockingbird
by Harper Lee
To Kill an Mockingbird was Harper Lee’s only published novel and it won the Pulitzer Prize in 1961. This celebrated novel depicts the issues of racism that she observed as a child in her hometown in Alabama. To Kill an Mockingbird was first published in November 1960. Subsequently an early 1957 version was published in 2015 under the title Go Set A Watchman.
We also highly recommend the audiobook of To Kill a Mockingbird, read by Academy Award-winning actress Sissy Spacek. Performed in her southern accent (Spacek is from Texas), she gives a warm and emotionally nuanced reading of this poignant American classic.
The Looming Tower
by Lawrence Wright
The Looming Tower by Lawrence Wright is a detailed narrative history of the events leading to 9/11, based on five years of research and hundreds of interviews. Find out below why it is one of Five Books’ most recommended books.
