17 of the best audiobooks to listen to while on the go in 2023
Audiobooks are our new best friend, as it combines two of our favourite things. Reading books and listening to podcasts. Audiobooks come in handy now that we've run out of podcasts to listen to and don't have that much time to kick back with a juicy paperback book.
Whether we're driving to work, out on a long walk, running errands, or simply doing chores around the house, there's nothing better than listening to a good book, fiction or non-fiction. All you have to remember is to ensure that your earphones are charged up because once you start, you will not want to stop.
So whether you're an audiobook pro or have finally caved from your love and touch of physical copies, we've done some digging to recommend the best audiobooks. With life all about being the best version of yourself, there's a slew of self-help audiobooks you can listen to, such as The Secret by Rhonda Byrne, which people have sworn has changed their lives. Looking for something a bit more cultural? Then why not listen to the fictional account of one South Asian woman's journey to settling down with her partner in Love Marriage by Monica Ali?
A crash course on Julia Quinn's book series.
Sometimes it's nice to listen to a celebrity's story from their mouth rather than others for a change, and we can't recommend Face It by Blondie's Debbie Harry and Becoming by Michelle Obama. Two very different women, brought together by their inspirational journeys to the top.
While it's nice to step out of your comfort zones, sometimes all you want to listen to is good ol' meaty crime fiction, and you don't have to look any further than Local Gone Missing, written by Fiona Barton and narrated by Gabrielle Glaister. Trust us; you'll be a bunch of nerves right till the very end!
Keep scrolling if you want the complete list of the 17 best audiobooks to listen to.
Wow, No Thank You
Author: Samantha Irby
Narrated by: Samantha Irby
Theme: Non-fiction, comedy, biographical
Plot: Author Samantha Irby hilariously discusses how her life has changed in the form of witty, relatable essays. Before, she would work entire, eleven-hour shifts on four hours of sleep and go party into the early hours with her friends after. Now? She lives an entirely different life after settling down with step-children in rural, small-town America.
The Secret
Author: Rhonda Byrne
Narrated by: Rhonda Byrne
Theme: Non-fiction, self-help
Plot: This 2006 self-help classic is based on the belief of the pseudoscientific law of attraction, which ultimately claims that positive thoughts can change a person's life completely. The stories of people using the Secret to overcome any obstacle thrown their way are relayed in this audiobook before listeners get the chance to learn how to use the Secret in their everyday life to un tap the power within them and transform their lives.
Wild
Author: Cheryl Strayed
Narrated by: Laurel Lefkow
Theme: Non-fiction, adventure, biographical
Plot: Cheryl Strayed relays her journey of sheer determination during an 1100-mile-long solo hike of the Pacific Crest Trail from the Mojave Desert through California and Oregon to Washington State to rebuild her life after tragedy.
How to Be a Woman
Author: Caitlin Moran
Narrated by: Caitlin Moran
Theme: Non-fiction, biographical
Plot: In her hilariously unique storytelling style, author Caitlin Moran discusses her views on feminism, womanhood and gender equality while reflecting on her life between her teen years and early thirties.
The Hunting Party
Author: Lucy Foley
Narrated by: Cathleen McCarron, Laura Kirman, Clare Corbett, Ellie Heydon, Joshua Manning.
Theme: Fiction, thriller, crime
Plot: A group of old college friends are snowed in at a remote hunting lodge, where tensions quickly arise before one ends up dead. So, who exactly is the killer? The case of whodunnit is brought perfectly and menacingly together by various narrators in this audiobook.
Where the Crawdads Sing
Author: Delia Owens
Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell
Theme: Fiction, mystery
Plot: Now a major motion picture starring Daisy Edgar-Jones, this audiobook takes place on the North Caroline coast in the late sixties. When a young man is found dead, the locals immediately suspect the rumoured "Marsh Girl" named Kya Clark. As she attempts to clear her name, she finds herself pursued by two handsome men…
Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before?
Author: Dr. Julie Smith
Narrated by: Dr. Julie Smith
Theme: Non-fiction, advice, self-help
Plot: The expert, best friend and shoulder to lean on, Dr. Julie Smith is definitely the person we need! She gives us all the skills to deal with life's major ups and downs, including managing anxiety, coping with criticism, improving self-confidence and finding motivation.
Again, Rachel
Author: Marian Keyes
Narrated by: Marian Keyes, Graham Norton
Theme: Fiction, humour, romance
Plot: Nearing fifty, Rachel Walsh is working at the same rebab clinic where she was once a patient. But when an old flame resurfaces, will she return to who she was in her twenties, or can she find herself all over again?
Love Marriage
Author: Monica Ali
Narrated by: Ayesha Dharker
Theme: Fiction, love
Plot: Yasmin Ghorami, who is of South Asian descent, is loved-up with fellow doctor Joe Sangster. But when it's time for her family to meet Joe's feminist mother, long-held secrets, lies, and betrayals unravel on both sides, which inevitably leaves Yasmin asking what having a love marriage really means.
The Keeper of Stories
Author: Sally Page
Narrated by: Jessica Whittaker
Theme: Fiction, mystery
Plot: Working as a cleaner, Janice gets to know her clients very well. But when she starts cleaning for a shrewd woman in her nineties, she finally meets someone who wants to hear her own story. But Janice insists she is merely a keeper of stories and doesn't have one to tell. Or does she?
Face It
Author: Debbie Harry
Narrated by: Debbie Harry, Clem Burke, Gary Valentine, Alannah Currie, Chris Stein
Theme: Non-fiction, celebrity, biographical
Plot: Follow Blondie's journey from playing downtown in seventies New York to her multi-faceted acting career to her tireless advocacy for the environment and LGBTQIA+ rights.
Becoming
Author: Michelle Obama
Narrated by: Michelle Obama
Theme: Non-fiction, biographical
Plot: As the first African American to serve in the role of the First Lady of the United States of America, Michelle Obama reflects on the experiences that have shaped her throughout her life. From her childhood in the South Side of Chicago to her years as an executive balancing motherhood and work to her time spent living at the White House, we get a glimpse of it all.
You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty
Delilah Green Doesn’t Care
Author: Ashley Herring Blake
Narrated by: Kristen DiMercurio
Theme: Fiction, romance, LGBTQIA+
Plot: A steamy, queer romantic story, Delilah Green heads back to her hometown of Bright Falls from NYC to photograph her stepsister's wedding. It's there she runs into old acquaintance Claire Sutherland, a mother-of-one with an unreliable ex, who discovers there may be more to life than she thinks...
Local Gone Missing
Author: Fiona Barton
Narrated by: Gabrielle Glaister
Theme: Fiction, mystery, thriller
Plot: After illness throws her detective career into doubt, Elise King moves to the sleepy seaside town of Ebbing. Her newfound peaceful life is shattered when two teenagers end up in the hospital, and a local man vanishes without a trace. Elise takes it upon herself to dig through the community's secrets to get answers.
How to Win Friends and Influence People
Author: Dale Carnegie
Narrated by: Andrew Macmillan
Theme: Non-fiction, self-help
Plot: In this classic by Dale Carnegie, Andrew Macmillan takes the reigns as a narrator as he details how to make any situation work for you, whether it's getting the job you want, having the company you want and having the life you want.
