If you love getting lost in a good book but don’t have time to sit down and read, audiobooks are a great way to take your stories with you. Most books have an audiobook option and they provide people a convenient way to fit reading into their busy schedules.
Whether you’re on your daily commute to work, cleaning up the house, or if you simply prefer to listen in peace, audiobooks allow you to make progress on your reading list.
Quick Look: The Best Audiobooks
Best New Release Audiobooks of 2019
- The Right Side of History: How Reason and Moral Purpose Made the West Great by Ben Shapiro - Get it now
- Girl, Stop Apologizing by Rachel Hollis - Get it now
- The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides - Get it now
- Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol S. Dweck - Get it now
- The Threat: How the FBI Protects America in the Age of Terror and Trump by Andrew McCabe - Get it now
Best Audiobooks of All Time
- The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins - Get it now
- Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins - Get it now
- Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins - Get it now
- Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn - Get it now
- Divergent by Veronica Roth - Get it now
- Insurgent by Veronica Roth - Get it now
- The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah - Get it now
- The Fault in Our Stars by John Green - Get it now
- The Martian by Andy Weir - Get it now
- 11-22-63: A Novel by Stephen King - Get it now
- Mr. Mercedes: A Novel by Stephen King - Get it now
- Inferno: A Novel by Dan Brown - Get it now
What Makes a Great Audiobook
Not all of your favorite texts may make great audiobooks. If you want the true listening experience, there are a few things to consider when making your next selection. We’ve outlined what to keep an eye out for below.
Popularity
Trending audiobooks may top the list for different reasons than trending books. Look into the top choices to see if the genres and selections provide a more comprehensive listening experience. You may find a book you wouldn’t have considered otherwise.
Author Reputation
Whether you’re searching for a paperback novel or an audiobook, the reputation of the author is important. For educational texts, make sure the author is an expert in their field. For creative pieces, see how the author’s other works have performed. You want to find someone who will deliver quality content.
Narrator
The individual physically reading the story, or the narrator is one of the most important qualities to look out for. This makes all the difference when listening to an audiobook. This person will be reading to you for hours, so you’ll want to find a voice that’s pleasant and has excellent diction. The best narrators recreate the emotion of the characters they’re reading for as well.
Best New Release Audiobooks of 2019
As you make your way through your reading list, we’ve compiled a few of our top choices for the best audiobooks of this year. Check out our picks for some additional texts to add to your list.
1. The Right Side of History: How Reason and Moral Purpose Made the West Great by Ben Shapiro
- Who’s it for? anyone who wants to read about America’s crisis of ideas and purpose
Ben Shapiro delivers a social commentary on the state of America’s morals. Using the Bible as a guiding force throughout the audiobook, Shapiro argues that the West is not as special as Americans believe.
He also argues that America has lost it’s moral path, and needs to begin working towards the betterment of the greater good.
Get in on Amazon
2. Girl, Stop Apologizing by Rachel Hollis
- Who’s it for? self-help and spiritual guidance for women
Author Rachel Hollis seeks to lead women on a journey to accept themselves for who they are. Her novel covers women both in and out of the workforce and teaches them how to stop apologizing for their goals.
This book provides women with the basic steps they can take to claim ownership over their life aspirations. This audiobook also includes a guided meditation as a bonus track to help you on your journey.
Get it on Amazon
3. The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
- Who’s it for? anyone interested in psychological thriller fiction
The Silent Patient tells the story of a woman who commits a violent act against her husband. The therapist she had been seeing then becomes obsessed about her motivation. This novel is the long-awaited release by best-selling author and screenwriter Alex Michaelides.
Follow the twists and turns of the female protagonist’s criminal actions, her therapist becomes consumed with finding the truth behind the crime.
Get it on Amazon
4. Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol S. Dweck
- Who’s it for? Anyone interested in the theory of growth mindset
Is your mindset holding you back for attaining what you want in life? Renowned Stanford psychologist Carol S. Dweck delivers her complete and unabridged take on the growth mindset.
Narrated by Bernadette Dunne, this updated edition of Mindset walks you through Dweck’s studies and advice for healthy thinking.
Get it on Amazon
5. The Threat: How the FBI Protects America in the Age of Terror and Trump by Andrew McCabe
- Who’s it for? Modern historians, anyone interested in the Trump presidency
Hear it directly from the source. In this book by former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, he recounts his time at the agency leading up to the November 2016 election.
He also details his time as Director until his famous. This tell-all audiobook will keep you entangled in McCabe’s story, learning the behind-the-scenes only select individuals know about.
Get it on Amazon
The Best Audiobooks of All-Time
Audiobooks come in all different genres. Whether you’re in the mood for fiction or a compelling memoir, you have your pick out of thousands of books. If you’d like some suggestions to add to your must-reads, take a look at some of the best audiobooks of all-time:
1. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
- Who’s it for? Anyone interested in young adult, dystopian, and social commentary fiction
This book by Suzanne Collins is the one that started the extremely popular series and inspired the movie franchise by the same name.
Follow Katniss Everdeen as she volunteers for the annual Hunger Games and starts her journey to liberate the districts. Carolyn McCormick is the narrator for all 3 audiobooks in the trilogy.
Get it on Amazon
2. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
- Who’s it for? Anyone who read the first Hunger Games book
Catching Fire starts right where The Hunger Games left off. After winning the Hunger Games in the first book, Katniss is still trying to protect her loved ones and herself from the machinations of the Capitol.
As she tries to navigate life after the Games and return back to normalcy, she’s launched into revolting against the games themselves.
Get it on Amazon
3. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
- Who’s it for? Anyone who read the first 2 books in the trilogy
In the last book of The Hunger Games trilogy, Katniss and the districts fight for control against President Snow.
With her home, District 12, destroyed, she has nothing to lose and she revolts against the oppression that has pitted the districts against each other for decades.
Get it on Amazon
4. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
- Who’s it for? Anyone who’s interested in thrillers
Best-selling author Gillian Flynn is back with this dark tale about a marriage gone horribly wrong. The writing is fast-paced with psychological insight that you’ve come to expect from the author.
The audiobook version of Gone Girl brings a unique flair to the tail, as the characters come to life, as you feel emersed in the story.
Get it on Amazon
5. Divergent by Veronica Roth
- Who’s it for? Anyone who enjoys young adult fiction and dystopian societies
Follow 16-year old Beatrice Prior as she attempts to navigate her way around dystopian Chicago. Author Veronica Roth weaves a coming of age thriller with hard choices and stunning consequences. This is the first book in the Divergent trilogy that inspired the popular movie franchise by the same name.
Get it on Amazon
6. Insurgent by Veronica Roth
- Who’s it for? Anyone who read Divergent
Veronica Roth delivers the second book in the Divergent trilogy. Beatrice, now called Tris, has to live with the consequences of her choices and save the loved ones that are caught in the crossfire.
She also fights against her own limitations as she strives to break the molds put on her by the body governing of the Erudites.
Get it on Amazon
7. The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
- Who’s it for? Fans of WWII historical fiction, women’s fiction
This novel by Kristin Hannah won the Audie Award for Fiction in 2016. The Nightingale focuses on sisters living in France during World War II.
Listen along as you experience the war through the eyes of the young girls caught in German-occupied France who hide Jewish children against the invading Nazis.
Get it on Amazon
8. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
- Who’s it for? Fans of emotional teen fiction
John Green is known for his emotional and powerful coverage of everyday life occurrences. The Fault in Our Stars delivers this same emotional coverage that’s both raw and insightful.
A young girl who has terminal cancer chooses to live life to it’s fullest with the time she has left. She not only battles with her illness, but with romantic relationships and the concept that she may not have enough time to spend with the ones she loves.
Get it on Amazon
9. The Martian by Andy Weir
- Who’s it for? Fans of science fiction, psychological fiction
This award-winning thriller by Andy Weir was adapted into a major motion picture starring Matt Damon.
In the book, you follow astronaut Mark Watney and his psychological journey as he tries to survive on the inhospitable planet. Narrator R. C. Bray won an Audie Award for his work on this novel.
Get it on Amazon
10. 11-22-63: A Novel by Stephen King
- Who’s it for? Fans of Stephen King and the Kennedys
What if you could prevent Kennedy’s assassination? When the protagonist of this novel discovers that his friend has access to a portal to the past, he goes back in an attempt to stop the assassination.
Follow along as he attempts to navigate another life, and time period, and an attempt to change the course of history forever.
Get it on Amazon
11. Mr. Mercedes: A Novel by Stephen King
- Who’s it for? Fans of horror and thrillers
Three unlikely heroes, a retired police detective, a neurotic woman, and a teenage boy work together to stop the killer, Mr. Mercedes, in this suspenseful novel.
Follow Stephen King’s characters as they try to get inside the killer’s mind, hunt him down in his ultimate game of cat and mouse, and stop him from detonating a bomb at a concert.
Get it on Amazon
12. Inferno: A Novel by Dan Brown
- Who’s it for? Fans of mystery and suspense fiction
International best-selling author Dan Brown weaves a tale liberally sprinkled with references to classical Italian art, literature, and history. Follow Brown’s reoccurring hero Robert Langdon as he tries to stop a mad scientist from releasing a plague on humanity.
Get it on Amazon
Start on Your Audiobook Journey Today
Whether you’re looking for a fiction piece to get lost in, or educational materials on the stock market, or finance and business, audiobooks provide an amazing and easily accessible resource. Dive into another world with any of the audiobooks provided on our list.