The best audiobooks you can listen to now

There are few things better than relaxing with a good book, but sometimes that’s easier said than done. Between a long commute, cooking dinner, or just getting some fresh air outside, there are times when a traditional book (or even an e-reader) just won’t do. For all of those moments, there’s nothing better than audiobooks.

But not all audiobooks are created equal. Some have a narrator you just can’t stand, a cast that’s a little too energetic, or a plot and structure that’s far too confusing to follow just by listening. All of these options make choosing your next audiobook a chore, but don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.

Whether you’re a seasoned audiobook listener looking for a hidden treasure or a busy traveler looking to catch up on some modern classics, we’ve rounded up some of Polygon’s most popular audiobooks for your enjoyment.

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Spoken by: MacLeod Andrews, Michael Crouch, Ramón de Ocampo, Emily Ellet, Sisi Aisha Johnson, Adam Verner

The Animorphs science fiction young adult book series comprises 62 books, a surprisingly dark series about a group of children who gain the ability to transform into animals and must use their powers to fight an ongoing alien invasion. And since 2020, every single book in the series has been released as an audiobook, up to the 54th book in the series, entitled The beginning. While I’m not sure when the entire series will be picked up, it’s absolutely worth the trip – and the wait for the final books to be finished. Each book in the series is read by different actors, as each book is narrated by a different child from the group of super-powered friends; the same actors play the same children throughout the season so far, and their performances are all fantastic. —Maddy Myers

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Spoken by: Quentin Tarantino and Edoardo Ballerini

Quentin Tarantino’s collection of essays – loosely focused on 1970s genre cinema – oscillates between film criticism, criticism of film criticism and self-criticism. One moment Tarantino is talking in detail about his childhood trips to cheap cinemas with his mother’s boyfriend, the next he is tracing the careers of the LA film critic scene and then, with his characteristic, frenzied pace, conjuring up a five-course meal from a largely forgotten neo-noir.

While it’s nice to learn more about Tarantino, he can’t shake his career-long habit of self-mythologizing. The book’s most memorable sections allow the director to praise (or tear apart) the films that provided him with tools for his cinematic repertoire. Tarantino himself narrates part of the book. While it would have been nice to have the author/director/writer narrate the entire collection of essays, his voice actor is one of my favorite voices from audiobooks: Edoardo Ballerini, two-time Audie Award winner. (Yes, audiobooks have won awards too!) —Chris Plante

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Spoken by: Jennifer Ikeda and Stina Nielsen

Listening to fairy trash like this made me run because I would rather run another 100 meters than stop in the middle of a chapter. The dramatized audiobooks for A courtyard of thorns and roses are probably the most popular option – they are cast with different voice actors for each character, and the audio sounds help you imagine the scenes as they happen. Personally, I like the regular versions with a single narrator, especially A Court of Silver Flamesnarrated by Stina Nielsen – her hoarse voice fits Nesta’s point of view perfectly. –Zoe Hannah

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dune by Frank Herbert

Spoken by: Scott Brick, Orlagh Cassidy, Euan Morton, Simon Vance, Ilyana Kadushin, Byron Jennings, David R. Gordon, Jason Culp, Kent Broadhurst, Oliver Wyman, Patricia Kilgarriff, Scott Sowers

After reading dune in hardback as a teenager, I wanted a different experience when I joined a book club in 2013 and agreed to re-read Frank Herbert’s wacky work of science fiction. I chose an unabridged audiobook version, which features not one, not two, but 12 narrators who alternate between all of the story’s main characters, adding beautiful vocal color to the story’s complexity with each of their appearances. It’s a fantastic way to experience a book that features many different people and perspectives. —MM

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Spoken by: Simon Templeman, Anthony Heald, Stefan Rudnicki

There are three narrators in Mary Shelley’s Frankensteinand therefore three readers for this audiobook, each with the perfect voice for the scary story. I listened to Victor Frankenstein’s shaky, nervous tremors while shoveling out my car during a snowstorm, and I will always remember that utterly solitary and unsettling audiobook experience. It’s a delicious listening experience, even if you don’t have the right environment, of course. —MM

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Spoken by: Cindy Kay, Justis Bolding, Laura Knight Keating, Susan Bennett, Jasmin Walker

If you like reality TV like The Bachelor and you also like horror movies — which, like The Bachelorcan also end with one last girl — Patricia wants to cuddle is the book for you, ideally as an audiobook with different voice actors for each of the female contestants on a fictional reality dating show that goes horribly wrong. Since this book was written by a good friend of mine, I expected to hear her voice narrating the story, but instead I’m happy to recommend the list of voice actors who bring their characters to life. —MM

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Spoken by: Liya Summers

I had already read The Priory of the Orange Tree once when I picked up the audiobook, but listening to the thrilling fantasy epic read by Liyah Summers was a completely new experience. (And I don’t just mean the correct pronunciation of names that were different from My pronunciations of these names.) The book is such a convoluted story that it can be read aloud, making Summers’ narration seem like a bedtime story. If you have already read this book, I recommend the audiobook as a standalone prequel, A day of fallen nightwhich is narrated by the author himself and several other voice actors to represent different points of view. —ZH

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Spoken by: George Saunders, Phylicia Rashad, Nick Offerman, Glenn Close, Keith David, Rainn Wilson, BD Wong and Renee Elise Goldsberry

George Saunders is the teacher who breaks open the universe and lets you see its millions of interconnected gears. He doesn’t explain how the universe works (he wouldn’t say that’s possible), but points to the most beautiful, mysterious and illuminating places and asks warmly: “How do you feel about that? And Why?”

I have to speak generally about the power of Saunders’ work because I fear you will hear, “This is a collection of classic short stories by Russian authors, accompanied by accompanying lectures,” and respond, “My life is limited, and I have no plans to get a PhD in computer science.” And yes, the book – based on Saunders’ university courses – would form the basis of any aspiring novelist or academic’s career. But it is much more fun and – at the risk of destroying my metaphor – universal.

Saunders uses beautiful texts about the meaning of life to teach us how to write, read and appreciate beautiful texts and how to live our lives as meaningfully as possible. He also invited a number of brilliant actors to read the short stories, including Phylicia Rashad, Nick Offerman, BD Wong, Keith David and Rainn Wilson. Have I sold you yet? – CP

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Spoken by: Jennifer Kim, Julian Cihi

With only two readers Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrowThe cast of isn’t as strong as some of the other audiobooks I’ve recommended for this list, but Jennifer Kim’s gentle voice (and much more occasional chapters with Julian Cihi) is a big part of what made me love this novel about a group of friends who develop a video game together and fall in love and become friends again in the process. Kim and Cihi have an extraordinary talent for conveying the emotional depth required for this tender story. —MM

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Trust by Hernan Diaz

Spoken by: Edoardo Ballerini, Jonathan Davis, Mozhan Marnò and Orlagh Cassidy

I hesitate to recommend it TrustCo-winner of the 2023 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, on this special list. The problem is not the quality or even the entertainment. The book is a literary masterpiece And a surprisingly entertaining beach read. But the structure seems – at least initially – ideal for the page, not for the audio book.

Trust is about the nature of extreme wealth on a macro level. And on a micro level, about the lone guardian of a fortune, its inescapable gravity, and the individuals trapped in orbit. Author Hernan Diaz has divided the book into four fictional texts: a novel, an autobiography, an autobiography, and a day. Some are complete and fleshed out, others are still a work in progress. All are written from different points of view. Think of it as The Great Gatsby through Rashomon.

Diaz uses formatting to convey a certain feeling in each text, and that’s theoretically reason enough to get a print copy. But! (Of course there is a “but.”) The audiobook performs its version of this magic trick by casting four different narrators with four different styles. Delivered by exceptional actors, listening to people make a case for the truth feels like you’ve orchestrated a highly eloquent interrogation.

Look, if you don’t trust me, trust Dua Lipa! —CP