Listening Is Reading
When the narrator(s) makes the book even better. For new listeners and audiobook elites, here is a range of different genres and narrators that excel at audio perfection.
created by notbillnye
last updated November, 2025
Comments
I HIGHLY recommend Tress of the Emerald Sea! I've heard the graphic audio is good but I listened to the original and it raised the bar for my audiobook experiences. The narrator had that perfect storyteller voice, his cadence and energy matched the vibe of the story perfectly and it made the entire experience feel like being snuggled up by a crackling fire or in a warm bed listening to your dad/grandpa tell a fantastic story, complete with silly voices.
oh i didn't know this!! i've only read one other Brandon Sanderson book, but i've been told to try this one đ i'll definitely add this, the narrator sounds delightful!! (edit) i also love when you can just tell some narrators, their voices, are meant for audiobooks đ»
I think the same narrator does the other âsecret projectsâ â I started Yumi and the Nightmare Painter and recognized him immediately â so if you end up liking this one you might want to try the others as audiobooks too!
lowkey love when an author/narrator do this (as long as they are good lol). it adds like a level of comfort with the narrator, like you know you are in trusted hands đ i'll add that one too!
I think Project Hail Mary, The Invisible Life of Addie Larue, and Remarkably Bright Creatures
YES YES thank you!!
Iâm not a big audiobook reader (which is weird because I use TTS lol) but I LOVEDDDD Remarkably Bright Creatures on audio â„ïž đ
I can only listen to so much so please share recommendations, specifically highlighting the narrator and the story! đ«¶đ»
This is a great list! How about: a. These Summer Storms (Sarah MacLean) narrated by Julia Whelan
Yes, the queen of narration!! I feel like I could add all of her discography, she's that good đ€Ł
Agreed 100x!!!
I believe Julia also goes by Sophie Eastlake.
This is such a cool list, thank you for making it
Of course! I know some people struggle with getting into audiobooks so I'm hoping this list is a nice start!
Great list! I'd highly recommend the poppy war Trilogy by R F Kuang and the radiant emperor duology by Shelley Parker-Chan - both incredible fantasy stories with awesome narration! And also Howl's Moving Castle and the sequels, they're so cozy and funny and the narration is also great ^^
oh thank you!! I'll add these; I listened to the Radiant Emperor duology, and totally agree đThe narrator, Natalie Naudus, is one of my top 5 fav!
Yes! Oh and I just thought of more: Lord of the Rings narrated by Andy Serkis is soo incredible! And Monstrous Regiment (T Pratchett) narrated by Katherine Parkinson was a delight!
HOW DID I FORGET ABOUT LOTR OMG THANK YOU
lovely, thank you for more!! i love the variety in this list, these are great!
Love this list! I'll have to revisit it when my next audiobook credit comes in through LibroFM đ
Here are some additional suggestions that I adored in audio format: The Golden Boy's Guide to Bipolar by Sonora Reyes, The Bandit Queens by Parini Shroff, We Deserve Monuments by Jas Hammonds, All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir, and Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo
Oh yes!! Excited to see which book you pick and your thoughts on the audiobook :)
These are great suggestions, thank you!! I'll add them! I listened to All My Rage as well and I think I cried harder bc of it â€ïžâđ©č
I recommend The Whitewash by Siang Lu. It's written like an oral history with a 14 narrator cast. Incredibly well done.
Oh heck yeah! A big cast is rare, but it's typically so well done. Thanks for the suggestion!
YES! The Whitewash is SO GOOD!
LOVE to see audiobooks getting their flowers! I have a lot of favourites but Iâd be a fool not to mention the locked tomb audiobooks (or anything by Moria Quirk - I see blood over bright haven there) make the experience of the book so much better! Whilst I originally read the series with my eyes, whenever I do a re-read itâs always audiobooks these days. The choices that woman makes are unparalleled. I also recently loved the narration of The river has roots, songs and sound effects are worked into the story, itâs SO immersive
Tbh I thought about adding Gideon the Ninth too, I personally was like "there could never be too much of Moira Quirk" but I second guessed myself, so YES ABSOLUTELY ADDED.
Haven't read The River Has Roots, but I will add it as well! I love when the audiobook adds effects that create that atmosphere
Was going to mention Gideon! Moira is an absolutely incredible narrator!
Oh I love Moira Quirk. I want her to give my eulogy.
Just mozied over to check Daisy Jones and the Six was listed here. â Off to shout at my friends to start listening to it immediately.
oh absolutely!! one of my fav audiobooks! i think it was written for that format đ
The Favourites (written by Layne Fargo) - lots of different narrators, including figure skater Johnny Weir!
oh that's super cool! I'll add it forsure!
Thank you for making this list. I would like to propose All Systems Red and in general the whole Murderbot series by Martha Wells, narrated by Kevin R. Free. I found him excellent in narrating Murderbot's point of view and inner monologue. Also I found Daniel Philpott did a great job with narrating The Janissary Tree by Jason Goodwin and The Dead of Winter by S.J. Parris. Damian Lynch also did an excellent job on the Faithful and the Fallen series by John Gwynne, as did Keval Shah on the hilarious Dreadful by Caitlin Rozakis.
Iâll definitely add them! Iâm still getting into sci-fi so Iâm happy to take recommendations for audiobooks there! Thank you!!
Another great sci-fi narration is Tim Gerard Reynolds' for the Red Rising series by Pierce Brown. Thank you for being so interested and active :-)
Oh perfect! I havenât yet the series yet, but Iâve heard good things. Awesome to know itâs good for audiobook too! đ
HIGHLY recommend the audiobook version of What My Bones Know. She includes real audio recordings of her therapy sessions - it was really well done.
Thatâs amazing!! I had no idea, Iâll need to up it on my plan đ Iâll add it, thanks for the suggestion!
I was gonna fight you if you didnât add the tomato book
best believe it was the first one on the list
Omg thank you!!! Iâve been searching for a list like this for so long. Every Reddit post contains the same 4 or 5 books being recommended over and over again.
Oh yay!! I find the same issue, but with help from other users, I think there are a lot of different options for different interests âșïž
Iâd love to recommend The Amulet of Samarkand (Jonathan Stroud) and a nonfiction read, Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake. Top-notch narration imo â„ïž
Oh very cool recommendations!! I'll add both :)
Highest praise đ„°đ„°đ„°
I just started Amina al-Sirafi as an audiobook based off of the recommendation on this list and itâs truly excellent! Thank you so much for putting this together! đ«¶đœ Lifesaver for an audiobook-newbie like me
yeah this made my eyes wet, thank you for this comment đ very very glad to hear this!
LOVE LOVE LOVE this list!!! Idk if youâre listening to Chain Gang All Stars on audio but the cast for that one is AMAZING!! it was one of the first fiction audiobooks I listened to and I didnât realize that Iâd struck gold at the time haha And I know Toni Morrison narrates most/all of her books, which I absolutely love, so Iâd recommend those for sure!
yes I'm listening IT'S GOOD thank you for reminding me to put it here!!! highly HIGHLY recommend it on audiobook
thank you for letting me know that! I'll definitely include her :)
Whoo! Will check these out - thanks!!
Bookmarking this list!! Thank you for making it. A recommendation: I enjoyed The Thursday Murder Club audiobooks. So wonderfully narrated. Books 1 and 2 are read by Lesley Manville and Books 3 and 4 are read by Fiona Shaw. Their readings are delightful.
Oh awesome! Thanks for recommending, Iâll add them!
The Witches of Eileanan by Kate Forsyth has an amazing reader.
So does The Bear and The Nightingale by Katherine Arden.
Great to know! I read The Bear and The Nightingale but I need to listen to it then đ I'll add them, thank you!
Angele Masters does an excellent job with Deanna Raybourn's Veronica Speedwell series!
Good to know, thanks for the suggestion! Iâll add it!
Yay! I'm so excited to see this list. I'm still getting into audiobooks. Right now, they've all been mostly non-fiction. I was a bit underwhelmed by a lot of the narrators Dx, it made me so sad how monotone a lot of them were, and I kept comparing them to the narrators I used to listen to when I was younger.
Yay, well hopefully this list will help you find some new ones! While I mostly via audiobook, almost all of the NF I read is audiobook so I feel you on the monotone. I added a few NF that I liked, but if you have suggestions please let me know!
The two I can think of off the top of my head is Saving Five: A Memoir of Hope and "All the Real Indians Died Off" and 20 Other Myths About Native Americans
Oh wonderful, I will totally add them :)
I haven't finished it yet (almost there), but I have another NF rec. The Message by Ta-Nehisi Coates đ«Ł I thought of this list in the middle of listening to it lol
oh yes!! what a wonderful book and Ta-Nehisi Coates is a fabulous narrator. I believe he narrates all of his NF books! Iâll add it đ
I loooooove audiobooks! Thanks for making this! Margot Has Money Problems was good on audio, read by Elle Fanning and she is going to play the main character in the upcoming adaption so it's like a sneak peek!!
Oooh very cool!! I havenât heard of it, but Elle Fanning is a star! Iâll add it, thanks for the suggestion :)
I love this list and have a recommendation! Carmen Maria Machado narrates her memoir In The Dream House and I thought she did an amazing job and made me appreciate the book so much more
Oh nice! I love when authors narrates their memoirs, it typically makes it that more special. I'll add it!
I'd add The Atlas Six, Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi, and The Night Swim by Megan Goldin!
Ooh I listened to the Atlas Six, totally agree! Thanks for the suggestions, Iâll add the other two!
I am an audiobook girlie and I love this list!! Julia Whelan has done some of my favorites. Yerba Buena by Nina LaCour is a fantastic audio.
Sheâs fabulous!
Oh yay!! Julia Whelan truly is a godsend! I didn't know that was her!! I'll def add it :)
Iâm going to recommend one more narrator: Charlie Thurston in Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver. Not everyone likes him but I think heâs perfect in this book. He doesnât have an Appalachian accent IRL, but seems to have captured it in his narration here.
Oh nice! I've heard the book is amazing, but I haven't heard anything about the audiobook. I'll add it! đ
Omg thank you so much for this list! Especially since mutliple books here are on my TBR. And i soooo agree with Lights Out, I listened to the audiobook and had the time of my life, it was so much more funny like that. Absolutely loved it!
The audiobook was fantastic!! I think some books are almost written for audiobook format. Hopefully some others on this list are enjoyable! âșïž
Also basically any Graphic Audio book!! It really is like a movie in your head, with all the different voices and sound effects. Not recommended when you want to listen before going to sleep though đ
Be careful about Graphic Audioâmany of their books are abridged
I wish more graphic audiobooks were more readily available! âčïž
Do you have a recommendation of one??
I am biased towards anything Brandson Sanderson đ The Mistborn trilogy was good, Stormlight archive. But supposedly the Red Rising series is really good from them as well. Same! Iâm in the Netherlands so I have a subscription to Storytel. They have a couple in their catalogue but not enough. And while I enjoy them⊠They are too expensive for me to justify buying separately.
Oh! And for regular audio books⊠Currently reading and listening to The Raven Scholar, and the narration adds so much extra! Especially with the confusing POVs going on đ
Oh oh! BS is so hard for some to commit to, so knowing that the Mistborn is a great start, Iâll add that! Also great to know about The Raven Scholar, I thoroughly enjoyed the physical book but I know some have struggled so maybe the audiobook is a nice solution đ
BS is especially hard (for me) on audio because thereâs just so much world building itâs hard to focus. That being said, I found Mistborn to be more accessible in this way!
That makes complete sense. I've only read Mistborn (book 1), so I'm glad that one is just as accessible via audiobook!
It has a much more narrow focus than, say, Way of Kings, so itâs easier for me to follow!!! Fewer moving parts and all that, which I think lends itself to audio.
I just saw they are doing a tress of the emerald sea graphic audio (it may already be out)!
I just checked and it is out! Idk where youâre from and if itâs available there but Storytel has them included in their subscription! Including the rest of his secret projects in GA form
My library has in on hoopla
I am lucky to have a really good library for digital content
A Dowry of Blood is so well narrated! I'm only halfway done with it but damn I wish Abby Craden could narrate my internal monologue! đźâđš
oh fabulous and what an honor it would be đââïž I shall add!
Thank you for the list! Bookmarking for future reference! Iâm gonna go through this like it was a quest
That's actually the best news ever!!!
in whisper Can you magick in a quest thatâs audiobook related?
đđđ€đ€đ€·đ»ââïžđ€·đ»ââïžđââïžđââïž
I once again have to add my two cents, but this is how you lose the time war qualifies for me. if anyone couldn't get into it; it is narrated by two people and i think it makes it sm better.
Oh!! I'll def add itâI haven't read it yet, but I might try it for audiobook then!
THANK YOU for this list! I love a good handheld book but I drive sooo much so I always need a good audiobook rec!
Oh me too! I commute for work, so audiobooks are my go-to for reading! Glad you like the list đ
Am low key saying this should be a quest đ
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo was perfect on audio đ€ and the narrator of Ninth House also did a fantastic job
Thank you, I'll add both!! I completely agree with Ninth House, I listened to it and enjoyed it way better than reading it đ
if anyone is into lit rpg/sci-fi, Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman has PHENOMENAL narration done by Jeff Hayes. i'm not even an audiobook person but it's truly just chef's kiss
yes i've heard the book is great on audio! it's on the list + unfortunately does have the barrier of being an Audible exclusive BUT i've heard it's worth it!
the standard Audible audiobooks are great, but there's also a graphic audio of book 1 on Soundbooth (aka the "immersive tunnel version") with sound effects, music, and other fun stuff :)
What an incredible list! Thank you for putting it together! I would love to recommend The Children of Ash and Elm, Figuring and the Raven Tower. (Adjoa Andoh is an amazing narrator).
thank you!! and I will happily add to the list, thank you for the suggestions :) (i just checked out Adjoa Andoh's catalog, i will 100% be listening to some of these thank you!!)
Thank you so much for this list!! Iâm new to audiobooks so this is super helpful! đ€
this is the best news!! đ» i was not an audiobook reader until a few years ago (and now it's mainly how i read) so i fully understand + glad this list can be helpful + please feel free to share what books worked/which didn't + i hope you find another enjoyable way to read! đ
The City We Became by NK Jeminsen has an incredible audiobook narrated by Robin Miles.
oh nice! Iâve only read her Broken Earth trilogy but I would love to try listening to other books by her! Iâll add it :)
Youâve sparked a rabid fever here. đ Iâll weigh in on my choice: Robert Petkoff is fabulous in Kresley Coleâs Immortals After Dark series. Twenty-one books written over 20 years.
Ooh wonderful!! Iâll add it! And yeah, I found audiobook nerds donât play around with their fav narrators đ
Yah, Iâve recently started keeping a list of those I donât hear as often. Wish Iâd started sooner.
Oh this is perfect! My partner is big into audiobooks and I just shared this with them! I'll also be taking a peek at a few of these for myself đ
Tossing in the Dungeon Crawler Carl series as a recommendation, as someone who isn't big on audiobooks myself these books kept my attention really well and made the books so much fun.
Oh that's fabulous!! Would love to see/hear which ones you pick and how it goes đ
I've heard amazing things about that series! I will def add the first book! I'm bummed that they are exclusively on Audible though đ
Oh I didn't know they were exclusive, that does kinda suck. I've been trying to get away from being so reliant on amazon, just got a Kobo a few months ago and have been loving it!
Typical Amazon, stealing the good stuff đ and congrats on your Kobo đ„ł
Jeff when I catch youđ€
This is such a good list! I love audiobooks, so I'm definitely bookmarking this! đ€
Oh yay, thank you!! I mainly read via audiobooks, so Iâm biased đ đ€Ł but I know some readers struggle with audiobooks so I hope this helps provide some good starts
Yeah, it might help some people overcome their bias regarding audiobooks. đ§ I mostly read via audiobooks too đŹ
Yes!! Here to encourage bc I think audiobooks are one of the best ways to read, and high respect for narrators!
Yes. They can make or break an audiobook, for sure!
Might I suggest Year of the Reaper?
Oooh yes, I saw you left a review! High fantasy can be challenging for some audiobooks, so I'll happily add it!
The narrator was absolutely impressive.
I just looked him up (Jonathan Myles) and he doesn't have many narrated books, so I'm very interested đ I plan to read it eventually (for you and for my wife)
Some of my absolute favourite Audiobooks have been
Finding Me by Viola Davis (narrated by her, too) The Third Gilmore Girl by Kelly Bishop (narrated by her aswell) And Butcher and Blackbird by Brynne Weaver is also a really well-done Audiobook
oh what a range!! will totally add these :)
Hi, love this list! Also, I recommend adding To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf read by Juliet Stevenson. She really does a phenomenal job bringing this book to life.
oh wonderful!! I'll add it, thanks for the recommendation :)
I adore audiobooks. There are so many talented narrators!
Yes!! They can really make a story even better!
I'd recommend basically anything narrated by: January Lavoy, Bahni Turpin, Kevin R Free, Avi Roque, Vico Ortiz, Julia Whelan, Kirsten Potter, Steven West, Michael Crouch...
Two Ann Patchett recs: Tom Lake (Meryl Streep) and The Dutch House (Tom Hanks). Both are family dramas that are very easy on the ears
WHAT that sounds amazing. An easy add, thank you!!
I would super recommend Lincoln in the Bardo! It's a 100+ person cast and so well done. Nick Offerman is the main narrator!
oh wow đ€Ż i just looked it up, that's amazing!! i will definitely add it, thank you!!
Piranesi by Susanna Clarke was narrated by Chiwetel Ejiofor and it was exceptional!
đ very exciting (I'm planning to read it soon) I'll definitely add and try out the audiobook :) thank you!!
I hope you enjoy it! Itâs one of my favorite books Iâve read this year! đ„°
The Tainted Cup and its sequel A Drop of Corruption have an excellent narrator!
Thank you for the recommendations!! I'll add it! đ
Oooh, what about Dune? Itâs like a full audio drama with a cast of 12 readers and music/sound effects
great to know!! I'm sure some readers might feel daunted by the size of Dune, so hopefully the audiobook can encourage as well! I'll add it, thanks for the suggestion!
I recommend the Amelia Peabody series by Elizabeth Peters and narrated by Barbara Rosenblat. That series has ruined me for most audiobooks because Rosenblat is THAT GOOD.
oh fabulous!! finding a narrator that's good for a whole series, especially a lengthy one like Amelia Peabody is not easy to find! thanks for the recommendation, I'll add it đ
The Witcher books have great audiobooks because Peter Kenny does a ton of different voices and accents for each character. The audiobook for Empire of the Vampire is also delightful
oh thank you!! I've been wanting to try The Witcher series, so glad to know the audiobook is great! Totally agreed on the audiobook for EOTV! I'll add both :)
Oh one more, Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell is really great as an audiobook because it's so funny and dry British humor
oh!! I just looked it up, didn't know that was the same author for Piranesi! It's also 1004 pages đ± I'll add it, thanks!!
The first three books in Rick Riordanâs Heroes of Olympus series are narrated by Joshua Swanson, who does the most entertaining voices for all of the characters, I highly recommend listening!
You know, I've never read a Rick Riordan book (i know đ) so this is great đThe Lost Hero is book 1 correct?? I'll add it :)
Yes!
FUN list!! Iâm pretty picky about the audiobooks I listen to, just because the narrator can so greatly affect your experience. I didnât see it so sorry if I missed it somehow in my read, but I would nominate Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher - the narrator really added to the feeling that I was listening to a modern fairytale.
I don't think a T. Kingfisher book has been nominated yet, so this is perfect! I'll happily add it (it's also on my TBR which is great), thanks đ
excited to read your thoughts when you get to it! it was my first by kingfisher and it was a delight.
I am not an audiobook goosie, but with the amount of times I go looking for this list when someone requests good audiobook recs, I think this is my most visited list đ€Ł Thank you for putting this together, you're a treasure đ«¶
đ„č this means so much, thank you!! from never reading via audiobooks to now 75-80% listening as reading, i'm just glad the list is being used/seen! that's what matters đ„°
Might I suggest Psalm for the Wildbuilt?
absolutely, i'll add it!! i still haven't gotten around to reading it but i've heard amazing things! glad to know it's great for audio too đ
I have the audiobook on LibroFM and I fall asleep to it sometimes. Iâve listened to it so many times, itâs a lovely bedtime story
đ„°đ thank you!
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