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100 of the Best Bios & Memoirs AudioBooks

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The Best Audiobook Biographies

The best biographies are often more engaging than fiction. Whether they're autobios or told from an outside perspective, a good biography or memoir is like listening to someone interesting tell you their life story. The best biography audiobooks make it easier to listen to interesting lives while you go about yours at work, or just doing tasks around the house.

Some of the best biographies have inspired movies, such as Wild , American Sniper and Eat, Pray, Love . Great biography audiobooks also range from the life stories of the very famous, such as Steve Jobs , to people who lived fascinating lives without achieving fame, like the historical biography Maude . There are even versions of biographies read by the author, such as The Glass Castle , written and read by Jeannette Walls; What Happened, written and read by Hilary Rodham Clinton; and Becoming , written and read by Michelle Obama.

Which of these biographies will you download? Try Audible and get two free audiobooks - which makes it even easier to start listening to life stories. Vote for the biography audiobooks you would recommend and add any must-listen books we might have missed.

Lucky: A Memoir

Born a crime.

Educated: A Memoir

American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History

Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail

Steve Jobs: The Exclusive Biography

Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10

Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis

The Glass Castle

Finding Me: A Decade of Darkness, a Life Reclaimed

The Yorkshire Shepherdess

High school: a memoir tegan quin , sara quin.

Shakespeare: The World as Stage

No Easy Day: The Firsthand Account of the Mission That Killed Osama Bin Laden

Orange Is the New Black: My Year in a Women's Prison

The Magnolia Story

When Breath Becomes Air

What Happened

Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India, and Indonesia

A River in Darkness: One Man's Escape from North Korea

Inside out demi moore.

Sophia: Princess, Suffragette, Revolutionary

Ranking the best novels and non-fiction books of every genre.

The Best Biographies To Listen To On Audible

Behind The Mask by Tyson Fury

Even if you don’t like boxing, you can’t deny the pull of Tyson Fury. A Manchester lad from Irish Traveller stock, born three months premature and weighing just a pound at birth, Tyson grew up to become one of the most unlikely heavyweight champions in history. This ‘dream come true’ soon turned to nightmare, however, as alcohol and cocaine abuse took hold and Tyson was stripped of his titles. What followed was the darkest moment of his life – detailed in this book for the first time – in which he came within seconds of ending everything. Like all the greatest stories, though, there is redemption. Speaking candidly about his struggles with mental health, this is the boxer as you have never heard him before – an unflinching autobiography from one of the greatest athletes of our time and a man who has demonstrated strength of a very different kind by conquering his demons.

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Gotta Get Theroux This by Louis Theroux

In 1994, fledgling journalist Louis Theroux was given a one-off gig on Michael Moore’s TV Nation, presenting a segment on apocalyptic religious sects. Gawky, socially awkward and totally unqualified, his first reaction to this exciting opportunity was panic. But he’d always been drawn to offbeat characters, so maybe his enthusiasm would carry the day. In his book, Louis takes the listener on a joyous journey through his life and unexpectedly successful career. Nervously accepting the BBC’s offer of his own series, he went on to create an award-winning documentary style that has seen him immersed in worlds as diverse as racist US militias and secretive pro wrestlers, the violent gangs of Johannesburg and extreme drinkers in London. Filled with wry observation, larger-than-life characters, and self-deprecating humour, this is Louis at his insightful and honest best.

Lady in Waiting: My Extraordinary Life in the Shadow of the Crown by Anne Glenconner

This is the remarkable life of Princess Margaret’s lady in waiting – who’s rumoured to be a major character in The Crown this autumn. Glenconner has been close to the royal family since childhood. The eldest child of the 5th Earl of Leicester, she was, as a daughter, described as 'the greatest disappointment' by her family as she was unable to inherit. She married the charismatic but highly volatile Colin Tennant, Lord Glenconner, who became the owner of Mustique. Together they turned the island into a paradise for the rich and famous, including Mick Jagger and David Bowie. But beneath the glitz and glamour there has also lurked tragedy. In this book, Glenconner writes with extraordinary wit and courage, and she exposes what life was like in her gilded cage, revealing the role of her great friendship with Princess Margaret and the freedom she can now finally enjoy in later life.

A Bit Of A Stretch by Chris Atkins

Like most people, documentary-maker Chris Atkins didn't spend much time thinking about prisons. But after becoming embroiled in a dodgy scheme to fund his latest film, he was sent down for five years. His new home would be HMP Wandsworth, one of the oldest, largest and most dysfunctional prisons in Europe. Horrifying, moving and darkly funny, this is the unvarnished depiction of what he found. With a cast of characters ranging from wily drug dealers to corrupt screws to senior officials bent on endless (and fruitless) reform, this is the reality behind the locked gates. Full of incredible and hilarious stories, A Bit of a Stretch reveals the true scale of our prison crisis.

Educated by Tara Westover

Born to survivalists in the mountains of Idaho, Tara Westover was 17 the first time she set foot in a classroom. Her family was so isolated from mainstream society that there was no one to ensure the children received an education, and no one to intervene when one of Tara’s older brothers became violent. When another brother got himself into college, Tara decided to try a new kind of life. Her quest for knowledge transformed her, taking her over oceans and across continents, to Harvard and then to Cambridge University. Only then would she wonder if she’d travelled too far, if there was still a way home.

Me by Elton John

We all know his songs, but what do we know about the star behind the piano? Christened Reginald Dwight, the man who would become 70s rock icon Elton John was a shy boy with Buddy Holly glasses who grew up in the suburbs of London. From quiet beginnings, he burst onto the music scene with huge aplomb – sequins, silver hot pants, crazy glasses and all. Me is his first and only official autobiography. It’s a joyous, moving account that reveals candid details about his life – including his friendships with the likes of Freddie Mercury, Georgie Michael and John Lennon, and his drug addiction. He writes honestly about getting clean, finding love and becoming a father. It’s a touching book and the messages inside will stay with you.

The Trauma Cleaner by Sarah Krasnostein

Sandra Pankhurst founded her trauma-cleaning business to help people whose emotional scars are written on their houses. From the forgotten flat of a drug addict to the infested home of a hoarder, Sandra enters properties and lives at the same time. But few of the people she looks after know anything of the complexity of Sandra's own life. Raised in an uncaring home, Sandra's gift for warmth and humour in the face of unspeakable personal tragedy mark her out as a one-off and make this biography unmissable. Author Sarah Krasnostein gives listeners a window into a life in a way only unforgettable pieces of writing can: in Sandra Pankhurst, she discovered a woman capable of taking a lifetime of hostility and transphobic abuse and using it to care for some of society's most in-need people.

Perfect Sound Whatever by James Acaster

Perfect Sound Whatever is a love letter to the healing power of music and how one man's obsessive quest saw him defeat the bullsh*t of one year with the beauty of another. In 2016, comedian and podcaster James woke up heartbroken and alone in New York, his relationship over, a day of disastrous meetings leading him to wonder if comedy is what he wants to be doing anymore. A constant comfort in James' life has been music, but he's not listened to anything new for a very long time. Idly browsing 'best of the year' lists, it dawns on him that 2016 may have been a grim year for a lot of reasons, but it seemed to be an iconic year for music. Looking back on this yearlong obsession, parallels begin to grow between the music and James' own life: his relationship history, the highs and lows of human connection, residual Christian guilt, and mental health issues that have been bubbling under the surface for years. 

Open by Frankie Bridge

In Open , Frankie Bridge opens up about her ongoing journey from breakdown to breakthroughs and through self-loathing, self-acceptance and self-love. Part narrative exploration, part practical guide, this book will help you to understand the importance of talking and helping each other in an imperfect world. It also features practical guidance and advice from the psychologist and psychiatrist who pulled her back from the brink along with their notes and conversations throughout her recovery. By sharing her battles, Frankie wants to help a generation of people to be more open about their mental health. It's a very simple four-letter word, but one of the hardest words to put into practice, this book is about how to be open.

My Friend Anna: The True Story of the Fake Heiress Who Conned Me and Half of New York City by Rachel DeLoache Williams

This is the true story of Anna Delvey, the fake heiress whose dizzying deceit and elaborate con-artistry deceived the Soho hipster scene before her ruse was finally and dramatically exposed. After meeting through mutual friends, the 'Russian heiress' Anna Delvey and Rachel DeLoache Williams soon became inseparable. Theirs was an intoxicating world of endless excess: fine dining, personal trainer sessions, luxury holidays... and Anna footed almost every bill. But after Anna's debit card was declined in a Moroccan medina while on holiday in a five-star luxury resort, Rachel began to suspect that her increasingly mysterious friend was not all she seemed. This is the incredible story of how Anna Sorokin conned the high-rollers of the NYC social scene and convinced her close friend of an entirely concocted fantasy, the product of falsified bank documents, bad cheques and carefully edited online photos. 

Broken Greek by Pete Paphides

When respected music journo – and Caitlin Moran’s husband – Pete Paphides' parents moved from Cyprus to Birmingham in the 60s, they had no money and only a slight grasp on the English language. Shy and introverted, Pete stopped speaking from age four to seven and found refuge instead in the embrace of pop songs, thanks to Top of the Pops and Dial-A-Disc. From Abba to The Police, music provided the safety net he needed to protect him from the tensions of his home life. But with every passing year, his guilty secret became more horrifying to him: his parents were Greek, but all the things that excited him were British. And the engine of that realisation? 'Don't Go Breaking My Heart', 'Tragedy', 'Come On Eileen', and every other chart hit blaring out of his parents’ chip shop radio. A must for music fans.

How To Fail by Elizabeth Day

Inspired by her hugely popular podcast, How To Fail is Elizabeth Day’s brilliantly funny, painfully honest and insightful celebration of things going wrong. Part memoir, part manifesto, and including chapters on dating, work, sport, babies, families, anger and friendship, it is based on the simple premise that understanding why we fail ultimately makes us stronger. It's an audiobook about learning from our mistakes and about not being afraid. Uplifting, inspiring and rich in stories from Elizabeth’s own life, How To Fail reveals that failure is not what defines us; rather it is how we respond to it that shapes us as individuals. Because learning how to fail is actually learning how to succeed better.

Reasons To Stay Alive by Matt Haig

Whether you suffer from depression yourself or hope to gain a better understanding of someone who does, R easons To Stay Alive is an unfailingly honest account of life at its bleakest, but one that simultaneously manages to deliver a powerfully positive message. What does it mean to feel truly alive? Aged 24, author Matt Haig's world caved in. He could see no way to go on living. This is the true story of how he came through crisis, triumphed over an illness that almost destroyed him and learned to live again. A moving, funny and joyous exploration of how to live better, love better and feel more alive, Reasons To Stay Alive is more than a memoir. It is a book about making the most of your time on earth.

Things I Learned From Falling by Claire Nelson

In 2018, Claire Nelson made international headlines. She was in her 30s and was beginning to burn out. And although she was surrounded by people all the time, she felt increasingly lonely. When the anxiety she felt brought her to breaking point, Claire decided to take some time off and travelled to Joshua Tree Park in California to hike and clear her head. But during the hike, Claire fell 25ft, gravely injuring herself while alone in the desert – mistakenly miles off any trail, without phone signal and fighting for her life. She lay exposed to the elements for four days until she was miraculously found. In T hings I Learned From Falling Claire tells her incredible story and what it taught her about loneliness, anxiety and transformation and how to survive it all.

The Salt Path by Raynor Winn

Just days after Raynor learns that Moth, her husband of 32 years, is terminally ill, the couple lose their home and their livelihood. With nothing left and little time, they make the impulsive decision to walk the 630 miles of the sea-swept South West Coast Path, from Somerset to Dorset via Devon and Cornwall. They have almost no money for food or shelter and must carry only the essentials for survival on their backs as they live wild in the ancient, weathered landscape of cliffs, sea and sky. Yet through every step, every encounter, and every test along the way, their walk becomes a remarkable journey. The Salt Path is an unflinchingly honest, inspiring and life-affirming true story of coming to terms with grief and the healing power of the natural world.

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The 50 Best Biographies of All Time

Think you know the full and complete story about George Washington, Steve Jobs, or Joan of Arc? Think again.

Every product was carefully curated by an Esquire editor. We may earn a commission from these links.

Biographies have always been controversial. On his deathbed, the novelist Henry James told his nephew that his “sole wish” was to “frustrate as utterly as possible the postmortem exploiter” by destroying his personal letters and journals. And one of our greatest living writers, Hermione Lee, once compared biographies to autopsies that add “a new terror to death”—the potential muddying of someone’s legacy when their life is held up to the scrutiny of investigation.

Why do we read so many books about the lives and deaths of strangers, as told by second-hand and third-hand sources? Is it merely our love for gossip, or are we trying to understand ourselves through the triumphs and failures of others?

To keep this list from blossoming into hundreds of titles, we only included books currently in print and translated into English. We also limited it to one book per author, and one book per subject. In ranked order, here are the best biographies of all time.

Crown The Black Count: Glory, Revolution, Betrayal, and the Real Count of Monte Cristo, by Tom Reiss

You’re probably familiar with The Count of Monte Cristo , the 1844 revenge novel by Alexandre Dumas. But did you know it was based on the life of Dumas’s father, the mixed-race General Thomas-Alexandre Dumas, son of a French nobleman and a Haitian slave? Thanks to Reiss’s masterful pacing and plotting, this rip-roaring biography of Thomas-Alexandre reads more like an adventure novel than a work of nonfiction. The Black Count won the Pulitzer Prize for Biography in 2013, and it’s only a matter of time before a filmmaker turns it into a big-screen blockbuster.

Farrar, Straus and Giroux Ninety-Nine Glimpses of Princess Margaret, by Craig Brown

Few biographies are as genuinely fun to read as this barnburner from the irreverent English critic Craig Brown. Princess Margaret may have been everyone’s favorite character from Netflix’s The Crown , but Brown’s eye for ostentatious details and revelatory insights will help you see why everyone in the 1950s—from Pablo Picasso and Gore Vidal to Peter Sellers and Andy Warhol—was obsessed with her. When book critic Parul Sehgal says that she “ripped through the book with the avidity of Margaret attacking her morning vodka and orange juice,” you know you’re in for a treat.

Inventor of the Future: The Visionary Life of Buckminster Fuller, by Alec Nevala-Lee

If you want to feel optimistic about the future again, look no further than this brilliant biography of Buckminster Fuller, the “modern Leonardo da Vinci” of the 1960s and 1970s who came up with the idea of a “Spaceship Earth” and inspired Silicon Valley’s belief that technology could be a global force for good (while earning plenty of critics who found his ideas impractical). Alec Nevala-Lee’s writing is as serene and precise as one of Fuller’s geodesic domes, and his research into never-before-seen documents makes this a genuinely groundbreaking book full of surprises.

Free Press Thelonious Monk: The Life and Times of an American Original, by Robin D.G. Kelley

The late American jazz composer and pianist Thelonious Monk has been so heavily mythologized that it can be hard to separate fact from fiction. But Robin D. G. Kelley’s biography is an essential book for jazz fans looking to understand the man behind the myths. Monk’s family provided Kelley with full access to their archives, resulting in chapter after chapter of fascinating details, from his birth in small-town North Carolina to his death across the Hudson from Manhattan.

University of Chicago Press Frank Lloyd Wright: A Biography, by Meryle Secrest

There are dozens of books about America’s most celebrated architect, but Secrest’s 1998 biography is still the most fun to read. For one, she doesn’t shy away from the fact that Wright could be an absolute monster, even to his own friends and family. Secondly, her research into more than 100,000 letters, as well as interviews with nearly every surviving person who knew Wright, makes this book a one-of-a-kind look at how Wright’s personal life influenced his architecture.

Ralph Ellison: A Biography, by Arnold Rampersad

Ralph Ellison’s landmark novel, Invisible Man , is about a Black man who faced systemic racism in the Deep South during his youth, then migrated to New York, only to find oppression of a slightly different kind. What makes Arnold Rampersand’s honest and insightful biography of Ellison so compelling is how he connects the dots between Invisible Man and Ellison’s own journey from small-town Oklahoma to New York’s literary scene during the Harlem Renaissance.

Oscar Wilde: A Life, by Matthew Sturgis

Now remembered for his 1891 novel The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde was one of the most fascinating men of the fin-de-siècle thanks to his poems, plays, and some of the earliest reported “celebrity trials.” Sturgis’s scintillating biography is the most encyclopedic chronicle of Wilde’s life to date, thanks to new research into his personal notebooks and a full transcript of his libel trial.

Beacon Press A Surprised Queenhood in the New Black Sun: The Life & Legacy of Gwendolyn Brooks, by Angela Jackson

The poet Gwendolyn Brooks was the first African American to win a Pulitzer Prize in 1950, but because she spent most of her life in Chicago instead of New York, she hasn’t been studied or celebrated as often as her peers in the Harlem Renaissance. Luckily, Angela Jackson’s biography is full of new details about Brooks’s personal life, and how it influenced her poetry across five decades.

Atria Books Camera Man: Buster Keaton, the Dawn of Cinema, and the Invention of the Twentieth Century, by Dana Stevens

Was Buster Keaton the most influential filmmaker of the first half of the twentieth century? Dana Stevens makes a compelling case in this dazzling mix of biography, essays, and cultural history. Much like Keaton’s filmography, Stevens playfully jumps from genre to genre in an endlessly entertaining way, while illuminating how Keaton’s influence on film and television continues to this day.

Algonquin Books Empire of Deception: The Incredible Story of a Master Swindler Who Seduced a City and Captivated the Nation, by Dean Jobb

Dean Jobb is a master of narrative nonfiction on par with Erik Larsen, author of The Devil in the White City . Jobb’s biography of Leo Koretz, the Bernie Madoff of the Jazz Age, is among the few great biographies that read like a thriller. Set in Chicago during the 1880s through the 1920s, it’s also filled with sumptuous period details, from lakeside mansions to streets choked with Model Ts.

Vintage Penelope Fitzgerald: A Life, by Hermione Lee

Hermione Lee’s biographies of Virginia Woolf and Edith Wharton could easily have made this list. But her book about a less famous person—Penelope Fitzgerald, the English novelist who wrote The Bookshop, The Blue Flower , and The Beginning of Spring —might be her best yet. At just over 500 pages, it’s considerably shorter than those other biographies, partially because Fitzgerald’s life wasn’t nearly as well documented. But Lee’s conciseness is exactly what makes this book a more enjoyable read, along with the thrilling feeling that she’s uncovering a new story literary historians haven’t already explored.

Red Comet: The Short Life and Blazing Art of Sylvia Plath, by Heather Clark

Many biographers have written about Sylvia Plath, often drawing parallels between her poetry and her death by suicide at the age of thirty. But in this startling book, Plath isn’t wholly defined by her tragedy, and Heather Clark’s craftsmanship as a writer makes it a joy to read. It’s also the most comprehensive account of Plath’s final year yet put to paper, with new information that will change the way you think of her life, poetry, and death.

Pontius Pilate, by Ann Wroe

Compared to most biography subjects, there isn’t much surviving documentation about the life of Pontius Pilate, the Judaean governor who ordered the execution of the historical Jesus in the first century AD. But Ann Wroe leans into all that uncertainty in her groundbreaking book, making for a fascinating mix of research and informed speculation that often feels like reading a really good historical novel.

Brand: History Book Club Bolívar: American Liberator, by Marie Arana

In the early nineteenth century, Simón Bolívar led six modern countries—Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, Peru, and Venezuela—to independence from the Spanish Empire. In this rousing work of biography and geopolitical history, Marie Arana deftly chronicles his epic life with propulsive prose, including a killer first sentence: “They heard him before they saw him: the sound of hooves striking the earth, steady as a heartbeat, urgent as a revolution.”

Charlie Chan: The Untold Story of the Honorable Detective and His Rendezvous with American History, by Yunte Huang

Ever read a biography of a fictional character? In the 1930s and 1940s, Charlie Chan came to popularity as a Chinese American police detective in Earl Derr Biggers’s mystery novels and their big-screen adaptations. In writing this book, Yunte Huang became something of a detective himself to track down the real-life inspiration for the character, a Hawaiian cop named Chang Apana born shortly after the Civil War. The result is an astute blend between biography and cultural criticism as Huang analyzes how Chan served as a crucial counterpoint to stereotypical Chinese villains in early Hollywood.

Random House Savage Beauty: The Life of Edna St. Vincent Millay, by Nancy Milford

Edna St. Vincent Millay was one of the most fascinating women of the twentieth century—an openly bisexual poet, playwright, and feminist icon who helped make Greenwich Village a cultural bohemia in the 1920s. With a knack for torrid details and creative insights, Nancy Milford successfully captures what made Millay so irresistible—right down to her voice, “an instrument of seduction” that captivated men and women alike.

Simon & Schuster Steve Jobs, by Walter Isaacson

Few people have the luxury of choosing their own biographers, but that’s exactly what the late co-founder of Apple did when he tapped Walter Isaacson, the Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer of Albert Einstein and Benjamin Franklin. Adapted for the big screen by Aaron Sorkin in 2015, Steve Jobs is full of plot twists and suspense thanks to a mind-blowing amount of research on the part of Isaacson, who interviewed Jobs more than forty times and spoke with just about everyone who’d ever come into contact with him.

Brand: Random House Véra (Mrs. Vladimir Nabokov), by Stacy Schiff

The Russian-American novelist Vladimir Nabokov once said, “Without my wife, I wouldn’t have written a single novel.” And while Stacy Schiff’s biography of Cleopatra could also easily make this list, her telling of Véra Nabokova’s life in Russia, Europe, and the United States is revolutionary for finally bringing Véra out of her husband’s shadow. It’s also one of the most romantic biographies you’ll ever read, with some truly unforgettable images, like Vera’s habit of carrying a handgun to protect Vladimir on butterfly-hunting excursions.

Greenblatt, Stephen Will in the World: How Shakespeare Became Shakespeare, by Stephen Greenblatt

We know what you’re thinking. Who needs another book about Shakespeare?! But Greenblatt’s masterful biography is like traveling back in time to see firsthand how a small-town Englishman became the greatest writer of all time. Like Wroe’s biography of Pontius Pilate, there’s plenty of speculation here, as there are very few surviving records of Shakespeare’s daily life, but Greenblatt’s best trick is the way he pulls details from Shakespeare’s plays and sonnets to construct a compelling narrative.

Crown Begin Again: James Baldwin's America and Its Urgent Lessons for Our Own, by Eddie S. Glaude Jr.

When Kiese Laymon calls a book a “literary miracle,” you pay attention. James Baldwin’s legacy has enjoyed something of a revival over the last few years thanks to films like I Am Not Your Negro and If Beale Street Could Talk , as well as books like Glaude’s new biography. It’s genuinely a bit of a miracle how he manages to combine the story of Baldwin’s life with interpretations of Baldwin’s work—as well as Glaude’s own story of discovering, resisting, and rediscovering Baldwin’s books throughout his life.

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The Best Biographies & Memoirs of 2022

I'm Glad My Mom Died

• By: Jennette McCurdy
• Narrated by: Jennette McCurdy
• Length: 6 hrs and 26 mins
• Overall 5 out of 5 stars 12,542
• Performance 5 out of 5 stars 11,013
• Story 5 out of 5 stars 10,986

A heartbreaking and hilarious memoir by iCarly and Sam & Cat star Jennette McCurdy about her struggles as a former child actor—including eating disorders, addiction, and a complicated relationship with her overbearing mother—and how she retook control of her life....

• 5 out of 5 stars

Heartwrenching

• By Ellie Moore on 11-08-22
• Release date: 09-08-22
• Language: English
• 5 out of 5 stars 12,542 ratings

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• By: Viola Davis
• Narrated by: Viola Davis
• Length: 9 hrs and 15 mins
• Overall 5 out of 5 stars 2,515
• Performance 5 out of 5 stars 2,289
• Story 5 out of 5 stars 2,283

In my book, you will meet a little girl named Viola who ran from her past until she made a life-changing decision to stop running forever....

Outstanding

• By Alison on 12-02-23
• Release date: 26-04-22
• 5 out of 5 stars 2,515 ratings

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Be Careful What You Wish For

• By: Simon Jordan
• Narrated by: Simon Jordan
• Length: 9 hrs and 53 mins
• Overall 5 out of 5 stars 1,555
• Performance 5 out of 5 stars 1,403
• Story 5 out of 5 stars 1,396

Simon Jordan made his fortune building a mobile phone company from scratch. When he sold it for £75 million, he bought Crystal Palace FC, the club he'd supported as a boy, and led them into the Premier League....

The only Entrepreneur that really fascinates all spectrums of Audience

• By Ben Talbot on 15-06-22
• Release date: 02-06-22
• 5 out of 5 stars 1,555 ratings

I Don't Take Requests

• By: Tony Marnoch, Michael Hennegan
• Narrated by: Tony Marnoch
• Length: 6 hrs and 53 mins
• Overall 5 out of 5 stars 1,239
• Performance 5 out of 5 stars 1,115
• Story 5 out of 5 stars 1,106

The outrageously candid memoir from club culture's most beloved—and notorious—DJ, Fat Tony: Here he tells the most extraordinary stories of depravity and hedonism, of week-long benders and extreme self-destruction—and of recovery, redemption, friendship and the joy of a good tune....

This was the book I was meant to listen to now

• By Saundejo on 01-06-22
• By: Tony Marnoch , Michael Hennegan
• Release date: 26-05-22
• 5 out of 5 stars 1,239 ratings

I'd Like to Play Alone, Please

• By: Tom Segura
• Narrated by: Tom Segura
• Length: 6 hrs and 4 mins
• Overall 5 out of 5 stars 752
• Performance 5 out of 5 stars 660
• Story 5 out of 5 stars 658

From a massively successful stand-up comedian and co-host of chart-topping podcasts “2 Bears 1 Cave” and “Your Mom’s House,” hilarious real-life stories of parenting, celebrity encounters, youthful mistakes, misanthropy, and so much more....

Definitely not stingey.

• By Tom Geddes on 15-06-22
• Release date: 14-06-22
• 5 out of 5 stars 752 ratings

• By: Danielle Marin
• Narrated by: Nikki Patel
• Length: 10 hrs and 17 mins
• Overall 4.5 out of 5 stars 1,029
• Performance 4.5 out of 5 stars 908
• Story 4.5 out of 5 stars 905

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• 3 out of 5 stars

A girl called Danielle.

• By Sigrin on 16-08-22
• Release date: 03-03-22
• 4.5 out of 5 stars 1,029 ratings

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Managing Expectations

• By: Minnie Driver
• Narrated by: Minnie Driver
• Length: 6 hrs and 51 mins
• Overall 5 out of 5 stars 870
• Performance 5 out of 5 stars 768
• Story 5 out of 5 stars 760

In this dazzling 'tell-most' memoir, actor Minnie Driver shares a collection of stories about how things not working out—worked out in the end....

Beautifully written

• By KK on 10-05-22
• Release date: 03-05-22
• 5 out of 5 stars 870 ratings

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Beyond the Wand

• The Magic and Mayhem of Growing Up a Wizard
• By: Tom Felton
• Narrated by: Tom Felton
• Length: 6 hrs and 57 mins
• Overall 5 out of 5 stars 2,904
• Performance 5 out of 5 stars 2,649
• Story 5 out of 5 stars 2,642

From Borrower to wizard, Tom Felton's adolescence was anything but ordinary. His early rise to fame saw him catapulted into the limelight aged just twelve when he landed the iconic role of Draco Malfoy in the Harry Potter films....

Wonderful surprise

• By Bethany Key on 22-11-22
• Release date: 20-10-22
• 5 out of 5 stars 2,904 ratings

Mack the Life

• By: Lee Mack
• Narrated by: Lee Mack
• Length: 8 hrs and 11 mins
• Overall 4.5 out of 5 stars 989
• Performance 4.5 out of 5 stars 884
• Story 4.5 out of 5 stars 879

Where do comedians come from? Why is it that one person is a funny bloke down the pub while another actually makes a living by standing up in front of an audience telling jokes? And where does all that material come from....

Mack the life

• By Dean on 16-07-22
• Release date: 14-07-22
• 4.5 out of 5 stars 989 ratings

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Good Pop, Bad Pop

• By: Jarvis Cocker
• Narrated by: Jarvis Cocker
• Length: 6 hrs and 39 mins
• Overall 5 out of 5 stars 809
• Performance 5 out of 5 stars 723
• Story 4.5 out of 5 stars 719

We all have a random collection of the things that made us—photos, tickets, clothes, souvenirs, stuffed in a box, packed in a suitcase, crammed into a drawer....

I could have listened to this forever.

• By Rebecca Morgan on 11-06-22
• 5 out of 5 stars 809 ratings

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The Escape Artist

• The Man Who Broke Out of Auschwitz to Warn the World
• By: Jonathan Freedland
• Narrated by: Jonathan Freedland
• Length: 11 hrs and 47 mins
• Overall 5 out of 5 stars 943
• Performance 5 out of 5 stars 845
• Story 5 out of 5 stars 845

A thrilling history with enormous historical implications, The Escape Artist is the astonishing, forgotten story of the hero who escaped from Auschwitz to reveal the truth of the Holocaust....

Astonishing achievement

• By Seagull on 25-08-22
• Release date: 09-06-22
• 5 out of 5 stars 943 ratings

Happy-Go-Lucky

• By: David Sedaris
• Narrated by: David Sedaris
• Length: 7 hrs and 30 mins
• Overall 5 out of 5 stars 595
• Performance 5 out of 5 stars 532
• Story 4.5 out of 5 stars 529

David Sedaris once again captures what is most unexpected, hilarious, and poignant about these recent upheavals, personal and public, and expresses in precise language both the misanthropy and desire for connection that drive us all....

latest and possibly last excellent work by maestro

• By Julian Konczak on 19-06-22
• 5 out of 5 stars 595 ratings

A Heart That Works

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• Narrated by: Rob Delaney
• Length: 3 hrs and 25 mins
• Overall 5 out of 5 stars 1,446
• Performance 5 out of 5 stars 1,317
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In this devastating, beautiful and deeply moving memoir of the loss of his son, Rob Delaney explores what life really means, and why it matters....

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Ten Steps to Nanette

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• Length: 13 hrs and 47 mins
• Overall 5 out of 5 stars 504
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Multi-award-winning Hannah Gadsby broke comedy with their show Nanette . Now they take us through the defining moments in their life and their powerful decision to tell the truth—no matter the cost.

Astounding memoir from a phenomenal person

• By Els on 13-04-22
• Release date: 29-03-22
• 5 out of 5 stars 504 ratings

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This Is Not a Pity Memoir

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Honoured to share this story.

• By POINT OF VIEW on 22-05-22
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• 5 out of 5 stars 536 ratings

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For the first time ever, Melanie C, aka Sporty Spice, tells her amazing life story in her own words and gives a full and honest account of what life was really like in The Spice Girls....

Absolutely phenomenal!

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Behind the Seams

• The perfect gift for fans of The Great British Sewing Bee
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Interesting Life

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Boy in a China Shop

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The star presenter and judge of Channel 4's The Great Pottery Throw Down looks back on his life and career - and the passion for ceramics that started it all....

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When the Dust Settles

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Sad and brilliant.

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Blog – Posted on Monday, Jan 21

The 30 best biographies of all time.

Biographer Richard Holmes once wrote that his work was “a kind of pursuit… writing about the pursuit of that fleeting figure, in such a way as to bring them alive in the present.”

At the risk of sounding cliché, the best biographies do exactly this: bring their subjects to life. A great biography isn’t just a laundry list of events that happened to someone. Rather, it should weave a narrative and tell a story in almost the same way a novel does. In this way, biography differs from the rest of nonfiction .

All the biographies on this list are just as captivating as excellent novels , if not more so. With that, please enjoy the 30 best biographies of all time — some historical, some recent, but all remarkable, life-giving tributes to their subjects.

If you're feeling overwhelmed by the number of great biographies out there, you can also take our 30-second quiz below to narrow it down quickly and get a personalized biography recommendation  😉

Which biography should you read next?

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1. A Beautiful Mind by Sylvia Nasar

This biography of esteemed mathematician John Nash was both a finalist for the 1998 Pulitzer Prize and the basis for the award-winning film of the same name. Nasar thoroughly explores Nash’s prestigious career, from his beginnings at MIT to his work at the RAND Corporation — as well the internal battle he waged against schizophrenia, a disorder that nearly derailed his life.

2. Alan Turing: The Enigma: The Book That Inspired the Film The Imitation Game - Updated Edition by Andrew Hodges

Hodges’ 1983 biography of Alan Turing sheds light on the inner workings of this brilliant mathematician, cryptologist, and computer pioneer. Indeed, despite the title ( a nod to his work during WWII ), a great deal of the “enigmatic” Turing is laid out in this book. It covers his heroic code-breaking efforts during the war, his computer designs and contributions to mathematical biology in the years following, and of course, the vicious persecution that befell him in the 1950s — when homosexual acts were still a crime punishable by English law.

3. Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow

Ron Chernow’s Alexander Hamilton is not only the inspiration for a hit Broadway musical, but also a work of creative genius itself. This massive undertaking of over 800 pages details every knowable moment of the youngest Founding Father’s life: from his role in the Revolutionary War and early American government to his sordid (and ultimately career-destroying) affair with Maria Reynolds. He may never have been president, but he was a fascinating and unique figure in American history — plus it’s fun to get the truth behind the songs.

Prefer to read about fascinating First Ladies rather than almost-presidents? Check out this awesome list of books about First Ladies over on The Archive.

4. Barracoon: The Story of the Last "Black Cargo" by Zora Neale Hurston

A prolific essayist, short story writer, and novelist, Hurston turned her hand to biographical writing in 1927 with this incredible work, kept under lock and key until it was published 2018. It’s based on Hurston’s interviews with the last remaining survivor of the Middle Passage slave trade, a man named Cudjo Lewis. Rendered in searing detail and Lewis’ highly affecting African-American vernacular, this biography of the “last black cargo” will transport you back in time to an era that, chillingly, is not nearly as far away from us as it feels.

5. Churchill: A Life by Martin Gilbert

Though many a biography of him has been attempted, Gilbert’s is the final authority on Winston Churchill — considered by many to be Britain’s greatest prime minister ever. A dexterous balance of in-depth research and intimately drawn details makes this biography a perfect tribute to the mercurial man who led Britain through World War II.

Just what those circumstances are occupies much of Bodanis's book, which pays homage to Einstein and, just as important, to predecessors such as Maxwell, Faraday, and Lavoisier, who are not as well known as Einstein today. Balancing writerly energy and scholarly weight, Bodanis offers a primer in modern physics and cosmology, explaining that the universe today is an expression of mass that will, in some vastly distant future, one day slide back to the energy side of the equation, replacing the \'dominion of matter\' with \'a great stillness\'--a vision that is at once lovely and profoundly frightening.

Without sliding into easy psychobiography, Bodanis explores other circumstances as well; namely, Einstein's background and character, which combined with a sterling intelligence to afford him an idiosyncratic view of the way things work--a view that would change the world. --Gregory McNamee

6. E=mc²: A Biography of the World's Most Famous Equation by David Bodanis

This “biography of the world’s most famous equation” is a one-of-a-kind take on the genre: rather than being the story of Einstein, it really does follow the history of the equation itself. From the origins and development of its individual elements (energy, mass, and light) to their ramifications in the twentieth century, Bodanis turns what could be an extremely dry subject into engaging fare for readers of all stripes.

7. Enrique's Journey by Sonia Nazario

When Enrique was only five years old, his mother left Honduras for the United States, promising a quick return. Eleven years later, Enrique finally decided to take matters into his own hands in order to see her again: he would traverse Central and South America via railway, risking his life atop the “train of death” and at the hands of the immigration authorities, to reunite with his mother. This tale of Enrique’s perilous journey is not for the faint of heart, but it is an account of incredible devotion and sharp commentary on the pain of separation among immigrant families.

8. Frida: A Biography of Frida Kahlo by Hayden Herrera

Herrera’s 1983 biography of renowned painter Frida Kahlo, one of the most recognizable names in modern art, has since become the definitive account on her life. And while Kahlo no doubt endured a great deal of suffering (a horrific accident when she was eighteen, a husband who had constant affairs), the focal point of the book is not her pain. Instead, it’s her artistic brilliance and immense resolve to leave her mark on the world — a mark that will not soon be forgotten, in part thanks to Herrera’s dedicated work.

9. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

Perhaps the most impressive biographical feat of the twenty-first century, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is about a woman whose cells completely changed the trajectory of modern medicine. Rebecca Skloot skillfully commemorates the previously unknown life of a poor black woman whose cancer cells were taken, without her knowledge, for medical testing — and without whom we wouldn’t have many of the critical cures we depend upon today.

10. Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer

Christopher McCandless, aka Alexander Supertramp, hitchhiked to Alaska and disappeared into the Denali wilderness in April 1992. Five months later, McCandless was found emaciated and deceased in his shelter — but of what cause? Krakauer’s biography of McCandless retraces his steps back to the beginning of the trek, attempting to suss out what the young man was looking for on his journey, and whether he fully understood what dangers lay before him.

11. Let Us Now Praise Famous Men: Three Tenant Families by James Agee

"Let us now praise famous men, and our fathers that begat us.” From this line derives the central issue of Agee and Evans’ work: who truly deserves our praise and recognition? According to this 1941 biography, it’s the barely-surviving sharecropper families who were severely impacted by the American “Dust Bowl” — hundreds of people entrenched in poverty, whose humanity Evans and Agee desperately implore their audience to see in their book.

12. The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon by David Grann

Another mysterious explorer takes center stage in this gripping 2009 biography. Grann tells the story of Percy Fawcett, the archaeologist who vanished in the Amazon along with his son in 1925, supposedly in search of an ancient lost city. Parallel to this narrative, Grann describes his own travels in the Amazon 80 years later: discovering firsthand what threats Fawcett may have encountered, and coming to realize what the “Lost City of Z” really was.

13. Mao: The Unknown Story by Jung Chang

Though many of us will be familiar with the name Mao Zedong, this prodigious biography sheds unprecedented light upon the power-hungry “Red Emperor.” Chang and Halliday begin with the shocking statistic that Mao was responsible for 70 million deaths during peacetime — more than any other twentieth-century world leader. From there, they unravel Mao’s complex ideologies, motivations, and missions, breaking down his long-propagated “hero” persona and thrusting forth a new, grislier image of one of China’s biggest revolutionaries.

14. Mad Girl's Love Song: Sylvia Plath and Life Before Ted by Andrew Wilson by Andrew Wilson

Titled after one of her most evocative poems, this shimmering bio of Sylvia Plath takes an unusual approach. Instead of focusing on her years of depression and tempestuous marriage to poet Ted Hughes, it chronicles her life before she ever came to Cambridge. Wilson closely examines her early family and relationships, feelings and experiences, with information taken from her meticulous diaries — setting a strong precedent for other Plath biographers to follow.

15. The Minds of Billy Milligan by Daniel Keyes

What if you had twenty-four different people living inside you, and you never knew which one was going to come out? Such was the life of Billy Milligan, the subject of this haunting biography by the author of Flowers for Algernon . Keyes recounts, in a refreshingly straightforward style, the events of Billy’s life and how his psyche came to be “split”... as well as how, with Keyes’ help, he attempted to put the fragments of himself back together.

16. Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a Man Who Would Cure the World by Tracy Kidder

This gorgeously constructed biography follows Paul Farmer, a doctor who’s worked for decades to eradicate infectious diseases around the globe, particularly in underprivileged areas. Though Farmer’s humanitarian accomplishments are extraordinary in and of themselves, the true charm of this book comes from Kidder’s personal relationship with him — and the sense of fulfillment the reader sustains from reading about someone genuinely heroic, written by someone else who truly understands and admires what they do.

17. Napoleon: A Life by Andrew Roberts

Here’s another bio that will reshape your views of a famed historical tyrant, though this time in a surprisingly favorable light. Decorated scholar Andrew Roberts delves into the life of Napoleon Bonaparte, from his near-flawless military instincts to his complex and confusing relationship with his wife. But Roberts’ attitude toward his subject is what really makes this work shine: rather than ridiculing him ( as it would undoubtedly be easy to do ), he approaches the “petty tyrant” with a healthy amount of deference.

18. The Passage of Power: The Years of Lyndon Johnson IV by Robert A. Caro

Lyndon Johnson might not seem as intriguing or scandalous as figures like Kennedy, Nixon, or W. Bush. But in this expertly woven biography, Robert Caro lays out the long, winding road of his political career, and it’s full of twists you wouldn’t expect. Johnson himself was a surprisingly cunning figure, gradually maneuvering his way closer and closer to power. Finally, in 1963, he got his greatest wish — but at what cost? Fans of Adam McKay’s Vice , this is the book for you.

19. Prairie Fires: The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder by Caroline Fraser

Anyone who grew up reading Little House on the Prairie will surely be fascinated by this tell-all biography of Laura Ingalls Wilder. Caroline Fraser draws upon never-before-published historical resources to create a lush study of the author’s life — not in the gently narrated manner of the Little House series, but in raw and startling truths about her upbringing, marriage, and volatile relationship with her daughter (and alleged ghostwriter) Rose Wilder Lane.

20. Prince: A Private View by Afshin Shahidi

Compiled just after the superstar’s untimely death in 2016, this intimate snapshot of Prince’s life is actually a largely visual work — Shahidi served as his private photographer from the early 2000s until his passing. And whatever they say about pictures being worth a thousand words, Shahidi’s are worth more still: Prince’s incredible vibrance, contagious excitement, and altogether singular personality come through in every shot.

21. Radioactive: Marie & Pierre Curie: A Tale of Love and Fallout by Lauren Redniss

Could there be a more fitting title for a book about the husband-wife team who discovered radioactivity? What you may not know is that these nuclear pioneers also had a fascinating personal history. Marie Sklodowska met Pierre Curie when she came to work in his lab in 1891, and just a few years later they were married. Their passion for each other bled into their passion for their work, and vice-versa — and in almost no time at all, they were on their way to their first of their Nobel Prizes.

22. Rosemary: The Hidden Kennedy Daughter by Kate Clifford Larson

She may not have been assassinated or killed in a mysterious plane crash, but Rosemary Kennedy’s fate is in many ways the worst of “the Kennedy Curse.” As if a botched lobotomy that left her almost completely incapacitated weren’t enough, her parents then hid her away from society, almost never to be seen again. Yet in this new biography, penned by devoted Kennedy scholar Kate Larson, the full truth of Rosemary’s post-lobotomy life is at last revealed.

23. Savage Beauty: The Life of Edna St. Vincent Millay by Nancy Milford

This appropriately lyrical biography of brilliant Jazz Age poet and renowned feminist, Edna St. Vincent Millay, is indeed a perfect balance of savage and beautiful. While Millay’s poetic work was delicate and subtle, the woman herself was feisty and unpredictable, harboring unusual and occasionally destructive habits that Milford fervently explores.

24. Shelley: The Pursuit by Richard Holmes

Holmes’ famous philosophy of “biography as pursuit” is thoroughly proven here in his first full-length biographical work. Shelley: The Pursuit details an almost feverish tracking of Percy Shelley as a dark and cutting figure in the Romantic period — reforming many previous historical conceptions about him through Holmes’ compelling and resolute writing.

25. Shirley Jackson: A Rather Haunted Life by Ruth Franklin

Another Gothic figure has been made newly known through this work, detailing the life of prolific horror and mystery writer Shirley Jackson. Author Ruth Franklin digs deep into the existence of the reclusive and mysterious Jackson, drawing penetrating comparisons between the true events of her life and the dark nature of her fiction.

26. The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit by Michael Finkel

Fans of Into the Wild and The Lost City of Z will find their next adventure fix in this 2017 book about Christopher Knight, a man who lived by himself in the Maine woods for almost thirty years. The tale of this so-called “last true hermit” will captivate readers who have always fantasized about escaping society, with vivid descriptions of Knight’s rural setup, his carefully calculated moves and how he managed to survive the deadly cold of the Maine winters.

27. Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson

The man, the myth, the legend: Steve Jobs, co-founder and CEO of Apple, is properly immortalized in Isaacson’s masterful biography. It divulges the details of Jobs’ little-known childhood and tracks his fateful path from garage engineer to leader of one of the largest tech companies in the world — not to mention his formative role in other legendary companies like Pixar, and indeed within the Silicon Valley ecosystem as a whole.

28. Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand

Olympic runner Louis Zamperini was just twenty-six when his US Army bomber crashed and burned in the Pacific, leaving him and two other men afloat on a raft for forty-seven days — only to be captured by the Japanese Navy and tortured as a POW for the next two and a half years. In this gripping biography, Laura Hillenbrand tracks Zamperini’s story from beginning to end… including how he embraced Christian evangelism as a means of recovery, and even came to forgive his tormentors in his later years.

29. Vera (Mrs. Vladimir Nabokov) by Stacy Schiff

Everyone knows of Vladimir Nabokov — but what about his wife, Vera, whom he called “the best-humored woman I have ever known”? According to Schiff, she was a genius in her own right, supporting Vladimir not only as his partner, but also as his all-around editor and translator. And she kept up that trademark humor throughout it all, inspiring her husband’s work and injecting some of her own creative flair into it along the way.

30. Will in the World: How Shakespeare Became Shakespeare by Stephen Greenblatt

William Shakespeare is a notoriously slippery historical figure — no one really knows when he was born, what he looked like, or how many plays he wrote. But that didn’t stop Stephen Greenblatt, who in 2004 turned out this magnificently detailed biography of the Bard: a series of imaginative reenactments of his writing process, and insights on how the social and political ideals of the time would have influenced him. Indeed, no one exists in a vacuum, not even Shakespeare — hence the conscious depiction of him in this book as a “will in the world,” rather than an isolated writer shut up in his own musty study.

If you're looking for more inspiring nonfiction, check out this list of 30 engaging self-help books , or this list of the last century's best memoirs !

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21 of the Best Memoir Audiobooks (Read by the Author)

Not all authors have the skill to read their own material. But those who do can add a lot of value to their memoir audiobooks if they can deliver a great performance. It doesn’t even have to be a celebrity audiobook (although there are plenty on this list). Any author can really deliver the goods if they can nail a performance with subtle intonation, character voices, just the right pauses for humor, and audio-only flourishes.

If that sounds like what you want, then you’ve come to the right place. Because we have a line-up of 21 of the best autobiographies and memoirs that are read by the author.

Best Memoir Audiobooks (by Authors, Bloggers & Regular Folks)

Furiously Happy : A Funny Book About Horrible Things, by Jenny Lawson

Who knew that a memoir audiobook about crippling anxiety and depression could also be endearing and surprisingly funny. Some folks have found her light hearted look at such a serious subject to be off-putting. But its Lawson’s life to live and she can share it with us however she wishes. She chooses to (over)share with a strong dose of humor and she doesn’t shy away from telling stories from her bizarre childhood, which bytheway was full of taxidermied animals.

Her delivery is great. She got a very clear voice and dead pans the funniest parts of the book.

Anything by David Sedaris

Always listen to Sedaris, never “read” him.

David Sedaris honed his audio skills as a storyteller on NPR’s This American Life. As his books became popular, he further refined his skills at book readings. I daresay, he now makes as much money doing paid speaking events as he does on his books. His unique, (and frankly weird) voice, is the perfect vehicle for his delivering his own words.

If you’ve never listened to a Sedaris audiobook memoir, then you could start with the most recent Carnival of Snackery or The Best of Me . However, these books re-surface previously published works. If you want fresher content, then check out his Calypso , which was published in 2018. It covers his family gatherings at a new beach home which he and his partner Hugh have purchased on the Carolina coast. Sedaris reflects on his family’s history, relationships and regrets.

Wow, No Thank You , by Samantha Irby

This series of life essays have a very conversational tone. They cover Irby’s foibles with the Hollywood industrial complex, her discomfort with social engagement, and her inept approach to suburban life. She also has some poo issues and no cartilage in her knees. Because we needed to know that.

She delivers all of this in a really funny audio performance. She nails the right mix of outrage and dry humor with just a tinge of the long-suffering sigh. Great for a laugh out loud while out on a walk.

Irby also has a newer memoir out called Quietly Hostile . They are both worth it for a listen.

Shrill , By Lindy West

If you are looking some audio memoirs by comedians, then check out  Shrill  by Lindy West. West is fat. And in the bro-tastic world of comedy, a funny, fat, feminist who takes no sh**t and gives no f**ks wears a target on her back.

West discusses her relationship with her body, how she came to be in comedy, why some white men in politics are so very very dumb, and how she dealt with her Twitter trolls. Her story has also been turned into a very touching show on Hulu .

Her audio delivery is very funny and you can hear every eye roll. If you like it, then you should also give a listen to her newer book The Witches are Coming . It’s a searingly funny feminist screed.

High Achiever : The Incredible True Story of One Addict’s Double Life, by Tiffany Jenkins

Jenkins considered herself a master manipulator, getting what she wanted from others and keeping up a good front while also an opioid addict. It worked for her, until it didn’t. The memoir covers her life, her shocking behavior while addicted, her prison sentence and her road to recovery.

Her performance offers a raw and open access to her story.

Where I Come From : Stories from the Deep South, by Rick Bragg

“Tupperware is the Wedgewood of the South.” This quote should tell you everything you need to know about Bragg’s series of essays. They’ve been assembled from years of writing about his life in the Deep South. He covers the eccentricities of the south with a strong emphasis on food, fishing, dogs and pick-ups. He offers a nostalgic tone, but he doesn’t shy away from the South’s darker side. The book’s essays also acknowledge how racism stains Southern culture.

Pour yourself a tall glass of iced tea (sweet, of course) and listen to Bragg slowly drawl his way through his own stories. This is a good listen for sitting on the porch on a hot summer day.

Between the World and Me , by Ta-Nehisi Coates

How can we have an honest reckoning with our nation’s fraught, racist history? And how do we free ourselves from this burden?

These are the questions that Coates poses in this open letter to his son. He’s not hopeful, that’s for sure. But he’s earnest, raw and heartfelt. And he wants to give his son (and you the reader) an honest assessment of his life’s experience as a Black man in America.

If you want the full gut-punch, listen to the whole three hour audio in one go.

If you choose to read this for book club, check out our discussion guide for Between the World and Me .

Solito , Javier Zamora

When Zamora’s parents fled El Salvador, they worked for years in the US before finally sending for him. As a nine-year-old, he made the perilous journey to the US through El Salvador, Mexico and the Sonoran desert. It would be perilous enough for an adult, but to tackle this journey as a child is remarkable. His prose is descriptive and heart-breaking and it provides a very sympathetic take on the immigrant experience.

His audio performance will make you feel like you are there with him. Read this one for book club and use our Solito book club questions to discuss it.

Best Memoir Audiobooks (by Celebrities & Musicians)

I’m Glad My Mom Died , Jennette McCurdy

Jennette McCurdy’s memoir offers up a very tough take on her upbringing and her stardom on the iCarly Nickelodeon show. Forced to follow her mother’s dreams, McCurdy ends up in a profession that she doesn’t love, held hostage by her mother’s impossible expectations and abusive demands. 

Her trauma included physical and emotional abuse, a severe eating disorder, and abuse of power. It’s tough content. But McCurdy’s audio delivery brings just enough snark and humor to soften some of the horror. And her journey to a more healthy place as an adult is very satisfying.

Read it for book club and use our I’m Glad My Mom Died discussion guide .

Crying in H Mart , by Michelle Zauner

Crying in H Mart is far more than a simple food memoir. In the book, Zauner explores her life growing up as a Korean American, an awkward adolescence, her Mom’s high expectations and lots and lots of eating in her Grandmother’s apartment. It’s also a painful foray in to the pain of grief. It’s a searing, devastating and often funny look at Zauner’s life (so far).

Zauner is a singer and guitarist, so she certainly knows how to deliver a performance. But what makes this memoir so good on audiobook is that you can really hear her emotions coming through.

Read it for book club and use our H Mart discussion guide .

Never Broken : Songs are Only Half the Story, by Jewel

Jewel had an unconventional upbringing — homesteading in Alaska, learning to yodel and building an independent life for herself (which she kinda didn’t want to do, but her family circumstance forced the issue). There’s a lot to her story as a homeless-to-riches musician. She doesn’t shrink away from sharing some painful childhood stories, an unfiltered look at her career and her own imperfections.

The audio is great because she also sings some of her songs, which adds a lot of value to the narrative.

Broken Horses , by Brandi Carlisle

Like Jewel, Brandi Carlisle grew up with a lot of instability in her childhood. There were a lot of moves, childhood illness and the risks associated with coming out gay as a teenager. Carlisle also covers her journey as a musician and a mother and how she created a great found family for herself.

This audiobook memoir also has the delightful value-add of songs, so it’s like getting both a book and an album.

Born a Crime : Stories from a South African Childhood, by Trevor Noah

Born a Crime  is a remarkable memoir. Many celebrity memoirs simply offer a voyeur’s view into the life of someone whose work that we admire. And  Born a Crime  has that, but it’s also an education on how the warped Apartheid policies impacted day-to-day life for Black and Colored South Africans. And Noah’s mixed race heritage made that even more complicated. Noah offers up insight (with a strong dose of humor) into the complexities of class and race, which are disturbingly applicable elsewhere in English-speaking world.

This is a fantastic audiobook because Noah offers distinct voices for all of his friends and family members. His Mom’s voice is priceless.

This book makes a good book club read, which you can supplement with our Born a Crime reading guide .

Greenlights , by Matthew McConaughey

Matthew McConaughey has the gift of gab and he deploys it with a full throttle in his memoir, Gr eenlights . The book covers his childhood, his first acting gigs and dealing with stardom. Greenlight’s themes include strong family bonds, a willingness to pivot, a spirit of adventure and being honest with yourself.

The format for Greenlights is an interesting mix of standard memoir, self-help advice, poems and pithy bumper stickers.

McConaughey delivers all of this with an enthusiastic audio performance– and even a few Alright Alright Alrights.

If you are listening to McConaughey for your book club, use our Greenlights book club questions to guide your discussion.

Becoming , by Michelle Obama

I have political opinions, and I always vote, but I’ve never been a fan of political non-fiction or presidential memoirs. Too much wonk. But Michelle Obama’s memoir is another matter entirely. In it, she covers her childhood, her growth as a professional woman, the sacrifices that she had to make when her husband decided to go for it, and the major adjustments she had to make as a political wife and First Lady.

Her audio delivery is smooth and warm.

If you do indeed like presidential memoirs, then Barack Obama’s A Promised Land makes for a good companion listen.

Read Becoming for book club and use our discussion guide to get the conversation started.

Not My Father’s Son , by Alan Cumming

Cumming had a very rough childhood at the hand of his cruel and violent father. He gets invited to participate in a genealogy TV show and through that process, he becomes reconnected with his estranged father and learns about his long lost grandfather. The memoir covers Cummings process of coming to terms with his personal history. He’s willing to share some long buried family secrets with his readers.

His audio is deeply personal and honest. Plus, that Scottish accent doesn’t hurt.

If you are keen on the setting, we’ve also got a whole list of books set in Scotland .

Finding Me , Viola Davis

The official publisher synopsis for Finding Me is the only one I’ve ever seen written in the first person. That alone tells you that you are in for something special. When Davis decided to stop running and own her voice, she really decided to own it.

The book covers her childhood up to her present career. She unapologetically tells her ugly truth, covering childhood trauma, misogyny, racism, and colorism, all delivered in her unique and powerful voice.

Year of Yes , by Shonda Rhimes

Since Shonda Rhimes helped Viola Davis nail one of the juiciest roles of her career, we think it’s also worth taking a look at Rhimes’ own memoir.

Rhimes is the creative genius behind hit TV shows like Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal and How to Get Away with Murder. It’s easy to say “no” when you are running hit TV shows and have kids at home. But when her sister told her that she never says yes to anything, Rhimes was shaken out of her complacency. This memoir follows her as she busts out of her introverted comfort zone and says yes to far more than she ever thought she would.

Rhimes overcomes her introverted nature by doing her own entertaining audio performance.

Walking with Ghosts , by Gabriel Byrne

The Irish are masterful storytellers and Byrne is right up there with the best of them. In this audio autobiography, he shares his childhood and his creative life with a keen eye for observation, quiet humor and poignancy.

“I begin to apply my makeup. My mask. Our tragedy, O’Neill said, is that we are haunted not just by the masks others wear but by the masks we wear ourselves. We all act all the time. Life makes us necessary deceivers. Except maybe when we are alone.”

Byrne’s writing style is very poetic and he delivers the audio with every inch of his acting talent.

A Very Punchable Face , by Colin Jost

Jost is a host of Weekend Update and lead writer for SNL. In this memoir, he talks about his childhood on Staten Island, his career and how he occasionally gets punched in the face. He shares his goofy antics and dancing rats on the ferry as well as some very heart felt stories, like his mom’s contribution to saving lives during 9/11. You also get some insider baseball on SNL.

If that doesn’t convince you, just ask Larry David, who blurbed the book with ““I always wanted to punch his face before I read his book. Now I just want to kick him in the balls.”

For a guy who didn’t even speak until he was four years old, Jost is able to delivery a very charming celebrity audiobook performance.

The Princess Diarist , by Carrie Fisher

Fisher crafted this delightful memoir using the notebooks that she kept while working on Star Wars as a teenager. The book covers her affair with Harrison Ford (what?!?), her efforts to get work after the filming of the movie and the weird aftermath of being in a cult culture classic. She delivers all of it with her trademark crisp wit.

From her notebooks- “If anyone reads this when I have passed to the big bad beyond, I shall be posthumorously embarrassed. I shall spend my entire afterlife blushing.”

RIP Princess Leia.

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"Where the Crawdads Sing" by Delia Owens

"atomic habits: an easy & proven way to build good habits & break bad ones" by james clear, “the summer i turned pretty” by jenny han, “dreadgod: cradle, book 11” by will wight, “scars and stripes: an unapologetically american story of fighting the taliban, ufc warriors, and myself” by tim kennedy, nick palmisciano, “it’s not summer without you: summer i turned pretty, book 2” by jenny han, “the hotel nantucket” by elin hilderbrand, “i'd like to play alone, please” by tom segura, “verity” by colleen hoover, “sparring partners” by john grisham, "atlas of the heart: mapping meaningful connection and the language of human experience" by brené brown, “the seven husbands of evelyn hugo” by taylor jenkins reid, “greenlights” by matthew mcconaughey, “finding me: a memoir” by viola davis, “the end of the world is just the beginning: mapping the collapse of globalization” by peter zeihan, “finna: book 1” by nino cipri, “the golden couple” by greer hendricks, sarah pekkanen, “it ends with us” by colleen hoover, "can't hurt me: master your mind and defy the odds" by david goggins, “we’ll always have summer: summer i turned pretty, book 3” by jenny han, “happy-go-lucky” by david sedaris, “harry potter and the sorcerer's stone, book 1” by j.k. rowling, “match game: expeditionary force, book 14” by craig alanson, “the terminal list” by jack carr, "project hail mary" by andy weir, "12 rules for life" by jordan b. peterson, “run, rose, run” by james patterson, dolly parton, "the subtle art of not giving a f*ck" by mark manson, “the paris apartment” by lucy foley, “come with me” by ronald malfi, audible faq, the 30 bestselling audiobooks on audible in 2022, from celebrity memoirs to the most gripping thrillers.

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• Audible has thousands of books and podcasts. You can start a free 30-day Audible trial here .
• Below, we compiled its 30 bestselling audiobooks among Audible users right now.
• Books run the gamut from popular novels to self-help hits .

If you're spending more time outside these days and have already cycled through your weekly podcasts, we'd recommend the slow burn of a great (and highly mobile) audiobook . 

If you're looking for a new title, we suggest starting with the books currently gaining buzz. Below are the top 30 bestselling audiobooks on Audible right now . The site has hundreds of thousands of titles to choose between, as well as a catalog of podcasts . 

If you're new to Audible or audiobook services in general, be sure to check out the FAQ section at the bottom of this article to get started. You can access Audible for free as part of a 30-day trial.

The 30 bestselling audiobooks on Audible right now:

Descriptions are provided by Amazon (lightly edited and condensed).

Free on Audible with 30-day trial

Available on Amazon for $12.39

For years, rumors of the "Marsh Girl" have haunted Barkley Cove, a quiet town on the North Carolina coast. So in late 1969, when handsome Chase Andrews is found dead, the locals immediately suspect Kya Clark, the so-called Marsh Girl. But Kya is not what they say.

Sensitive and intelligent, she has survived for years alone in the marsh that she calls home, finding friends in the gulls and lessons in the sand. Then the time comes when she yearns to be touched and loved. When two young men from town become intrigued by her wild beauty, Kya opens herself to a new life — until the unthinkable happens.

Available on Amazon for $11.98

No matter your goals, "Atomic Habits" offers a proven framework for improving every day. James Clear, one of the world's leading experts on habit formation, reveals practical strategies that will teach you exactly how to form good habits, break bad ones, and master the tiny behaviors that lead to remarkable results.

Available on Amazon for $9.25

Some summers are just destined to be pretty.

Belly measures her life in summers. Everything good, everything magical happens between June and August. Winters are simply a time to count the weeks until the following summer, a place away from the beach house, away from Susannah, and most importantly, away from Jeremiah and Conrad. They are the boys Belly has known since her very first summer — they have been her brother figures, her crushes, and everything in between. But one summer, one wonderful and terrible summer, the more everything changes, the more it all ends up just the way it should have been all along.

Pre-order: Free with 30-day trial

The battle in the heavens has left a target on Lindon's back.

His most reliable ally is gone, the Monarchs see him as a threat, and he has inherited one of the most valuable facilities in the world. At any moment, his enemies could band together to kill him.

If it weren't for the Dreadgods. All four are empowered and unleashed, rampaging through Cradle, and grudges old and new must be set aside. The Monarchs need every capable fighter to help them defend their territory.

And Lindon needs time. While he fights, he sends his friends off to train. They'll need to advance impossibly fast if they want to join him in battle against the kings and queens of Cradle. Together, they will need enough power to rival a Dreadgod.

Available on Amazon for $18.37

From decorated Green Beret sniper and UFC headliner Tim Kennedy comes a rollicking, inspirational memoir. It offers lessons on embracing failure and weathering storms — to unlock the strongest version of yourself.

Available on Amazon for $9.36

It used to be that Belly counted the days until summer until she was back at Cousins Beach with Conrad and Jeremiah. But not this year. Not after Susannah got sick again, and Conrad stopped caring. Everything right and good has fallen apart, leaving Belly wishing summer would never come. But when Jeremiah calls, saying Conrad has disappeared, Belly knows what she must do to make things right again. And it can only happen back at the beach house, the three of them together, the way things used to be. If this summer really and truly is the last summer, it should end the way it started — at Cousins Beach.

Available on Amazon for $17.99

Fresh off a bad breakup with a longtime boyfriend, Nantucket sweetheart Lizbet Keaton is desperately seeking a second act. When she's named the new general manager of the Hotel Nantucket, a once Gilded Age gem turned abandoned eyesore, she hopes that her local expertise and charismatic staff can win the favor of their new London billionaire owner, Xavier Darling, as well as that of Shelly Carpenter, the wildly popular Instagram tastemaker who can help put them back on the map. 

And while the Hotel Nantucket appears to be a blissful paradise, complete with a celebrity chef-run restaurant and an idyllic wellness center, there's a lot of drama behind closed doors. The staff (and guests) have complicated pasts, and the hotel can't seem to overcome the bad reputation it earned in 1922 when a tragic fire killed 19-year-old chambermaid Grace Hadley. With Grace gleefully haunting the halls, a staff harboring all kinds of secrets, and Lizbet's romantic uncertainty, is the Hotel Nantucket destined for success or doom?

Available on Amazon for $18.33

From Tom Segura, the massively successful stand-up comedian and co-host of chart-topping podcasts "2 Bears 1 Cave" and "Your Mom's House," come hilarious real-life stories of parenting, celebrity encounters, youthful mistakes, misanthropy, and so much more.

Available on Amazon for $23.99

Lowen Ashleigh is a struggling writer on the brink of financial ruin when she accepts the job offer of a lifetime. Jeremy Crawford, the husband of bestselling author Verity Crawford, has hired Lowen to complete the remaining books in a successful series his injured wife is unable to finish.

Lowen arrives at the Crawford home, ready to sort through years of Verity's notes and outlines, hoping to find enough material to get her started. What Lowen doesn't expect to uncover in the chaotic office is an unfinished autobiography Verity never intended for anyone to read. Page after page of bone-chilling admissions, including Verity's recollection of the night her family was forever altered.

Lowen decides to keep the manuscript hidden from Jeremy, knowing its contents could devastate the already grieving father. But as Lowen's feelings for Jeremy intensify, she recognizes all the ways she could benefit if he were to read his wife's words. After all, no matter how devoted Jeremy is to his injured wife, a truth this horrifying would make it impossible for him to continue loving her.

You can find more of Colleen Hoover's best books here .

Available on Amazon for $27.90

"Homecoming" takes us back to Ford County, the fictional setting of many of John Grisham's unforgettable stories. Jake Brigance is back, but he's not in the courtroom. He's called upon to help an old friend, Mack Stafford, a former lawyer in Clanton, who three years earlier became a local legend when he stole money from his clients, divorced his wife, filed for bankruptcy, and left his family in the middle of the night, never to be heard from again — until now. 

In "Strawberry Moon," we meet Cody Wallace, a young death row inmate only three hours away from execution. His lawyers can't save him, the courts slam the door, and the governor says no to a last-minute request for clemency. As the clock winds down, Cody has one final request. 

The "Sparring Partners" are the Malloy brothers, Kirk and Rusty, two successful young lawyers who inherited a once prosperous firm when its founder, their father, was sent to prison. As the firm disintegrates, the resulting fiasco falls into the lap of Diantha Bradshaw, the only person the partners trust. 

Available on Amazon for $18.34

In "Atlas of the Heart," Brown takes us on a journey through eighty-seven of the emotions and experiences that define what it means to be human. As she maps the necessary skills and an actionable framework for meaningful connection, she gives us the language and tools to access a universe of new choices and second chances — a universe where we can share and steward the stories of our bravest and most heartbreaking moments with one another in a way that builds connection.

Over the past two decades, Brown's extensive research into the experiences that make us who we are has shaped the cultural conversation and helped define what it means to be courageous with our lives. Atlas of the Heart draws on this research, as well as on Brown's singular skills as a storyteller, to show us how accurately naming an experience doesn't give the experience more power — it gives us the power of understanding, meaning, and choice.

Available on Amazon for $22.49

Aging and reclusive Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life. But when she chooses unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant for the job, no one is more astounded than Monique herself. Why her? Why now?

Monique is not exactly on top of the world. Her husband has left her, and her professional life is going nowhere. Regardless of why Evelyn has selected her to write her biography, Monique is determined to use this opportunity to jump-start her career.

Summoned to Evelyn's luxurious apartment, Monique listens in fascination as the actress tells her story. From making her way to Los Angeles in the 1950s to her decision to leave show business in the '80s, and, of course, the seven husbands along the way, Evelyn unspools a tale of ruthless ambition, unexpected friendship, and a great forbidden love. Monique begins to feel a very real connection to the legendary star, but as Evelyn's story nears its conclusion, it becomes clear that her life intersects with Monique's own in tragic and irreversible ways.

You can read a review of "The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo" here .

Available on Amazon for $15.98

From the Academy Award-winning actor, an unconventional memoir filled with raucous stories, outlaw wisdom, and lessons learned the hard way about living with greater satisfaction.

Available on Amazon for $18.53

In my book, you will meet a little girl named Viola who ran from her past until she made a life-changing decision to stop running forever.

This is my story, from a crumbling apartment in Central Falls, Rhode Island, to the stage in New York City, and beyond. This is the path I took to finding my purpose, but also my voice in a world that didn't always see me.

Available on Amazon for $31.50

For generations, everything has been getting faster, better, and cheaper. Finally, we reached the point that almost anything you could ever want could be sent to your home within days — even hours — of when you decided you wanted it.

America made that happen, but now America has lost interest in keeping it going.

Globe-spanning supply chains are only possible with the protection of the U.S. Navy. The American dollar underpins internationalized energy and financial markets. Complex, innovative industries were created to satisfy American consumers. American security policy forced warring nations to lay down their arms. Billions of people have been fed and educated as the American-led trade system spread across the globe.

All of this was artificial. All this was temporary. All this is ending.

In "The End of the World Is Just the Beginning," author and geopolitical strategist Peter Zeihan maps out the next world: a world where countries or regions will have no choice but to make their own goods, grow their own food, secure their own energy, fight their own battles, and do it all with populations that are both shrinking and aging.

The list of countries that make it all work is smaller than you think. This means everything about our interconnected world — from how we manufacture products, to how we grow food, to how we keep the lights on, to how we shuttle stuff about, to how we pay for it all — is about to change.

Available on Amazon for $14.99

When an elderly customer at a Swedish big-box furniture store ― but not that one ― slips through a portal to another dimension, it's up to two minimum-wage employees to track her across the multiverse and protect their company's bottom line. Multi-dimensional swashbuckling would be hard enough, but those two unfortunate souls broke up a week ago.

To find the missing granny, Ava and Jules will brave carnivorous furniture, swarms of identical furniture spokespeople, and the deep resentment simmering between them. Can friendship blossom from the ashes of their relationship? In infinite dimensions, all things are possible.

Available on Amazon for $17.68

Wealthy Washington suburbanites Marissa and Matthew Bishop seem to have it all ― until Marissa is unfaithful. Beneath their veneer of perfection is a relationship driven by work and a lack of intimacy. She wants to repair things for the sake of their eight-year-old son and because she loves her husband. Enter Avery Chambers.

Avery is a therapist who lost her professional license. Still, it doesn't stop her from counseling those in crisis, though they must adhere to her unorthodox methods. And the Bishops are desperate.

When they glide through Avery's door, and Marissa reveals her infidelity, all three are set on a collision course. Because the biggest secrets in the room are still hidden, and it's no longer simply a marriage that's in danger.

Available on Amazon for $10.26

Lily hasn't always had it easy, but that's never stopped her from working hard for the life she wants. She's come a long way from the small town where she grew up — she graduated from college, moved to Boston, and started her own business. And when she feels a spark with a gorgeous neurosurgeon named Ryle Kincaid, everything in Lily's life seems too good to be true.

Ryle is assertive, stubborn, and maybe even a little arrogant. He's also sensitive, brilliant, and has a soft spot for Lily. And the way he looks in scrubs certainly doesn't hurt. Lily can't get him out of her head. But Ryle's complete aversion to relationships is disturbing. Even as Lily finds herself becoming the exception to his "no dating" rule, she can't help but wonder what made him that way in the first place.

As questions about her new relationship overwhelm her, so do thoughts of Atlas Corrigan — her first love and a link to the past she left behind. He was her kindred spirit, her protector. When Atlas suddenly reappears, everything Lily has built with Ryle is threatened.

Available on Amazon for $20.10

For David Goggins, childhood was a nightmare — poverty, prejudice, and physical abuse colored his days and haunted his nights. The only man in history to complete elite training as a Navy SEAL, Army Ranger, and Air Force Tactical Air Controller, he went on to set records in numerous endurance events, inspiring Outside magazine to name him The Fittest (Real) Man in America.

In "Can't Hurt Me," he shares his astonishing life story and reveals that most of us tap into only 40% of our capabilities. Goggins calls this The 40% Rule, and his story illuminates a path that anyone can follow to push past pain, demolish fear, and reach their full potential.

Available on Amazon for $9.31

Belly has only ever been in love with two boys, both with the last name Fisher. And after being with Jeremiah for the previous two years, she's almost positive he is her soul mate. Almost. While Conrad has not gotten over the mistake of letting Belly go, Jeremiah has always known that Belly is the girl for him. So when Belly and Jeremiah decide to make things forever, Conrad realizes that it's now or never — tell Belly he loves her or loses her for good.

Belly will have to confront her feelings for Jeremiah and Conrad and face the inevitable: She will have to break one of their hearts.

Available on Amazon for $17.79

Back when restaurant menus were still printed on paper, and wearing a mask — or not — was a decision made mostly on Halloween, David Sedaris spent his time doing normal things. As "Happy-Go-Lucky" opens, he is learning to shoot guns with his sister, visiting muddy flea markets in Serbia, buying gummy worms to feed to ants, and telling his nonagenarian father wheelchair jokes.

But then the pandemic hits, and like so many others, he's stuck in lockdown, unable to tour and read for audiences — the part of his work he loves most. To cope, he walks for miles through a nearly deserted city. He vacuums his apartment twice a day, fails to hoard anything, and contemplates how sex workers and acupuncturists might be getting by during quarantine.

As the world gradually settles into a new reality, Sedaris too finds himself changed. His offer to fix a stranger's teeth rebuffed, he straightens his own, and ventures into the world with new confidence. Newly orphaned, he considers what it means, in his seventh decade, no longer to be someone's son. And back on the road, he discovers a battle-scarred America: people weary, storefronts empty or festooned with "Help Wanted" signs, walls painted with graffiti reflecting the contradictory messages of our time: Eat the Rich. Trump 2024. Black Lives Matter.

Available on Amazon for $6.98

Harry Potter has never even heard of Hogwarts when the letters start dropping on the doormat at number four, Privet Drive. Addressed in green ink on yellowish parchment with a purple seal, they are swiftly confiscated by his grisly aunt and uncle. Then, on Harry's eleventh birthday, a great beetle-eyed giant of a man called Rubeus Hagrid bursts in with some astonishing news: Harry Potter is a wizard, and he has a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Available on Amazon for $14.44

For years, the ancient alien AI known as Skippy (the Magnificent, don't forget that part) has been able to do one impossible thing after another. What is his secret? It's simple: 100 percent Grade-A Extreme Awesomeness. And also because he had never been faced with an opponent of equal power. Until now.

This time, he might need a little help from a band of filthy monkeys.

Available on Amazon for $11.99

On his last combat deployment, Lieutenant Commander James Reece's entire team was killed in a catastrophic ambush. But when those dearest to him are murdered on the day of his homecoming, Reece discovers that this was not an act of war by a foreign enemy but a conspiracy that runs to the highest levels of government.

Now, with no family and free from the military's command structure, Reece applies the lessons that he's learned in over a decade of constant warfare toward avenging the deaths of his family and teammates. With breathless pacing and relentless suspense, Reece ruthlessly targets his enemies in the upper echelons of power without regard for the laws of combat or the rule of law.

Available on Amazon for $17.32

Ryland Grace is the sole survivor on a desperate, last-chance mission — and if he fails, humanity and the earth itself will perish.

Except that right now, he doesn't know that. He can't even remember his own name, let alone the nature of his assignment or how to complete it.

All he knows is that he's been asleep for a very, very long time. And he's just been awakened to find himself millions of miles from home, with nothing but two corpses for company.

His crewmates dead, his memories fuzzily returning, Ryland realizes that an impossible task now confronts him. Hurtling through space on this tiny ship, it's up to him to puzzle out an impossible scientific mystery — and conquer an extinction-level threat to our species.

And with the clock ticking down and the nearest human being light-years away, he's got to do it all alone. Or does he?

You can read a review of "Project Hail Mary" here.

Available on Amazon for $13.55

What are the most valuable things that everyone should know?

In this book, Jordan Peterson provides twelve profound and practical principles for how to live a meaningful life, from setting your house in order before criticizing others to comparing yourself to who you were yesterday, not someone else today. Happiness is a pointless goal, he shows us. Instead, we must search for meaning, not for its own sake, but as a defense against the suffering that is intrinsic to our existence.

Drawing on vivid examples from the author's clinical practice and personal life, cutting-edge psychology and philosophy, and lessons from humanity's oldest myths and stories, "12 Rules for Life" offers a deeply rewarding antidote to the chaos in our lives: eternal truths applied to our modern problems.

Available on Amazon for $17.84

From America's most beloved superstar and its greatest storyteller — a thriller about a young singer-songwriter on the rise and on the run, determined to do whatever it takes to survive.

Nashville is where she's come to claim her destiny. It's also where the darkness she's fled might find her. And destroy her.

Available on Amazon for $12.99

In this generation-defining self-help guide, a superstar blogger cuts through the crap to show us how to stop trying to be "positive" all the time so that we can truly become better, happier people.

Jess needs a fresh start. She's broke and alone, and she's just left her job under less than ideal circumstances. Her half-brother Ben didn't sound thrilled when she asked if she could crash with him for a bit, but he didn't say no, and surely everything will look better from Paris. Only when she shows up — to find a very nice apartment, could Ben really have afforded this? — he's not there.

The longer Ben stays missing, the more Jess starts to dig into her brother's situation, and the more questions she has. Ben's neighbors are an eclectic bunch and not particularly friendly. Jess may have come to Paris to escape her past, but it's starting to look like it's Ben's future that's in question.

The socialite — the nice guy — the alcoholic — the girl on the verge — the concierge.

Everyone's a neighbor. Everyone's a suspect. And everyone knows something they're not telling.

Available on Amazon for $11.49

Aaron Decker's life changes one December morning when his wife Allison is killed. Haunted by her absence — and her ghost — Aaron goes through her belongings, where he finds a receipt for a motel room in another part of the country. Piloted by grief and an increasing sense of curiosity, Aaron embarks on a journey to discover what Allison had been doing in the weeks prior to her death.

Yet Aaron is unprepared to discover Allison's dark secrets, the death and horror that make up the tapestry of her hidden life. And with each dark secret revealed, Aaron becomes more and more consumed by his obsession to learn the terrifying truth about the woman who had been his wife, even if it puts his own life at risk.

How much is Audible?

Audible Plus is $7.95/month and Audible Premium is $14.95 per month. You can compare the Audible plans here .

Audible Plus and Audible Premium Plus have a 30-day free trial to most new members that come with one free credit to use on a title of your choice. And since Audible is an Amazon company, Prime members get two credits in their Audible trial as one of their perks .

When your trial is over, you'll be automatically charged a monthly subscription fee. You can cancel anytime. 

What's the difference between Audible Plus and Audible Premium?

Both memberships give you unlimited access to select audiobooks, Audible Originals, podcasts, and more.

But, only Audible Premium gives you a credit that's good for one title of your choice in the premium selection every month and 30% off all additional premium titles, plus access to exclusive sales. You can toggle between some of the titles in the Premium selection and Plus selection here .

Are there other good audiobook services out there?

At Insider Reviews, we also like the service Scribd , which is $11.99/month for unlimited audiobooks and books. You can start a free trial here , or find a full review of the service here . 

• Main content

The best Audible books for 2024

20 of the best Audible books to download this year

Best Audible books to download today

5 best audible books of all time.

With a library of over 200,000, finding the best Audible books can sometimes be a little bit harder than it seems thanks to the massive number of possible choices. To help you make the most of those free audiobook tokens, we've got a top list right here with some suggestions to make that decision a little easier or simply give you an idea of the best Audible books currently available.

• Browse Audible's top 100 best-selling books

Rated our best audiobook site , Audible currently has the biggest audiobook library available online with over 200,00 books, original series, podcasts and much more. You'll literally find anything in its vast repertoire of audiobooks - fiction, travel, history, politics, or even self-help. That's a lot to browse, which is why we've curated this list of 20 of the best books on Audible right now. You can listen to them online or offline, wherever you are. We'll also keep adding to this page, so pop back when you're ready for more recommendations. 

It costs  $14.95 / £7.99 / AU$16.45 per month to subscribe to Audible. You'll get a host of benefits - but you don't need a membership to listen to the best Audible books. You can also order titles through your Amazon account, or you can run a handy 30-day  free Audible trial  to see whether it's right for you. 

Try Audible for free: <a href="https://target.georiot.com/Proxy.ashx?tsid=8428&GR_URL=https%3A%2F%2Famazon.com%2Fgp%2Fproduct%2FB00NB86OYE%2Fref%3Ds9_acss_bw_cg_adblstr_1a1_w%3Ftag%3Dhawk-future-20%26ascsubtag%3Dhawk-custom-tracking-20" data-link-merchant="Amazon US""> Start a free 30-day trial of Audible now Explore the world's largest selection of audiobooks with a free 30-day Audible trial. You'll get a free audiobook of your choice - the latest best-sellers are included - plus a selection of Audible Original titles, all of which are yours to keep. Even if you cancel the trial, you'll still get to keep your free Audible ebooks.

Is Audible free with Prime?

Why you can trust TechRadar We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.

No, Audible membership is completely separate to Amazon Prime membership . However, Amazon Prime members can often enjoy certain Audible benefits, including access to some of the best Audible books for free. Prime members should look out for special limited-time offers and discounts on Audible subscriptions too, particularly on Amazon Prime Day (which is usually in July, but may be delayed this year).

1. Heads Will Roll

Specifications, reasons to buy.

If the finale of Game of Thrones left a hole in your life, fill it with epic fantasy comedy instead. Saturday Night Live star Kate McKinnon and her sister Emily Lynne have created a hilarious 10-part series that pulls in many of McKinnon's SNL pals, as well as A-listers such as Meryl Streep and GoT's very own Peter Dinklage.

• Buy from Audible now for $29.95 / £27.49 / AU$41.73
• Listen to a sample:

2. Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies, and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators

When Ronan Farrow broke the Harvey Weinstein scandal in The New Yorker, it sent shock waves around the world and kick-started the #MeToo movement. Catch and Kill reveals the long and rocky journey he took to get the truth out, and the many intimidating tactics used to try and stop him doing so.

• Buy from Audible now for $29.65 / £19.99 / AU$30.38

3. Becoming

Since it was released at the end of 2018, the enormous popularity of Michelle Obama's self-narrated memoir shows no sign of waning - which is why it's still in our list of the best Audible books. Documenting her inspirational journey from the South Side of Chicago to the White House, it's an intimate glimpse into the life of the former First Lady.

• Buy from Audible now for $35.71 / £31.99 / AU$48.62

4. The Body

Best known for his quirky, whimsical travelogues, Bill Bryson has now turned his attention inwards with a fascinating exploration of the human body. It's packed with nuggets of information, from the disgusting to the hilarious. Bryson's soft, Midwestern narration is soothing. According to some reviewers he may lull you to sleep, but this Audible book remains a best-seller across the globe.

• Buy from Audible now for $20.72 / £18.99 / AU$28.87

5. Gotta Get Theroux This

Louis Theroux's wry, self-deprecating style comes to the fore in this engaging account of the documentary-maker's unlikely rise to success. If you're a fan of Theroux's awkward yet insightful encounters with larger-than-life characters, from racist US militias to Joe Exotic and Jimmy Savile, there's plenty for you here.

• Buy from Audible now for $15.26 / £13.99 / AU$21.26

6. If It Bleeds

Horror master Stephen King needs no introduction, and this chilling collection of four novellas – Mr. Harrigan's Phone, The Life of Chuck, Rat, and the titular If It Bleeds – intrigues and terrifies in equal measure. Stand by Me and The Shawshank Redemption both started life as King novellas, so it's a format with huge potential.

• Buy from Audible now for $27.27 / £24.99 / AU$37.98

7. I Am C-3PO: The Inside Story

Star Wars fans will love this intimate portrait of life inside one of the series most enduring characters: C-3PO. Anthony Daniels endured many hours inside a claustrophobic metal suit to bring the iconic golden droid to life. In this Audible book he provides a backstage pass, shedding light on the processes and personalities involved in the blockbuster movie franchise. 

• Buy from Audible now for $28.00 / £25.99 / AU$39.50

8. Me: Elton John Official Autobiography

There's only one Elton John, and his first and only official autobiography packs 72 years of incredible stories and life-changing experiences into just under 12 hours of enthralling listening. Fittingly, it's narrated by Taron Egerton, the actor who portrayed him in the smash-hit movie Rocketman.

9. Such a Fun Age

Kiley Reid's striking debut novel Such a Fun Age tackles themes of social justice head-on in a tale of racial profiling, privilege, and identity. The story revolves around a young black babysitter, her well-intentioned employer and a surprising connection that threatens to undo them both.

• Buy from Audible now for $14.95 / £12.99 / AU$19.75

10. Talking to Strangers

Drawing on expert insights from criminologists, scientists, and military psychologists, Malcolm Gladwell provides a thought-provoking exploration of how we engage with strangers, and the role that can play in starting conflicts. After nine hours of listening, you may completely reappraise the way you see the world.

• Buy from Audible now for $34.90 / £31.99 / AU$48.62

11. Get Sh*t Done: The Ultimate Guide to Productivity, Procrastination, & Profitability

If procrastination is the bane of your life, Jeffrey Gitomer's bluntly titled Get Sh*t Done could be one of the best Audible books for you. Its simple goal: make you more productive, by providing the strategies you need to achieve your goals and be more profitable.

• Buy from Audible now for $13.99 / £12.89 / AU$19.49

12. Blowout

The 2016 presidential election put Trump in the White House, an outcome that few around the world thought possible at the start of the campaign. Throwing petrol on the fire of political debate that has raged ever since, MSNBC personality Rachel Maddow gives her take on the role that Russia played in the election, in Blowout: Corrupted Democracy, Rogue State Russia, and the Richest, Most Destructive Industry on Earth.

13. The Baddest Bitch in the Room

By telling her warts-and-all journey from underground hip-hop clubs to the top of the music industry, Sophia Chang hopes to inspire more young minds to do the same. She doesn't pull any punches in the process, and The Baddest Bitch in the Room is so packed with explicit content that Chang has also produced a second, toned-down version for younger audiences.

• Buy the explicit version from Audible now for $29.95 / £27.49 / AU$41.73
• Buy the clean version from Audible now for $29.95 / AU$41.73

14. Tales of Beedle The Bard

An ideal way to introduce a younger audience to the global Potter phenomenon, Tales of Beedle The Bard is a bite-sized listen, with a similar run-time to a kids' movie. This is easily one of the best Audible books for children of the year. 

Of course, the rest of the much-loved Harry Potter book series is on Audible too: you can pick between Stephen Fry, Jim Dale or J.K. Rowling herself as your narrator for those.

• Buy from Audible now for $14.95 / £12.00 / AU$20.20 (free for members)

The second kids' title in our best Audible book round up is the latest hilarious tale from best-selling author and comedian David Walliams. Slime introduces us to the Isle of Mulch, home to many deplorable adults who like nothing more than to make children's lives a misery. Up steps Ned: a boy whose special slime power could liberate Mulch once and for all.

• Buy from Audible now for $8.72 / £7.99 / AU$12.14

1. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

There are multiple ways to engage with Douglas Adams' seminal cult classic on Audible, from the BBC radio adaptations – complete with music, sound effects and full cast – to the full-blown audiobook experience, narrated by either Stephen Fry or Martin Freeman. We recommend Fry's version. 

• Buy from Audible now for $13.08 / £11.99 / AU$18.22

2. Sherlock Holmes: The Definitive Collection

Stephen Fry has made quite a name for himself as an audiobook narrator. This incredible 72-hour bundle of all four Sherlock Holmes novels, plus five short story collections, is sure to sate your appetite for detective fiction, as well as Fry. As a lifelong Holmes fan, he has also recorded exclusive personal introductions to each title.

• Buy from Audible now for $82.77 / £79.99 / AU$124.90

3. The Handmaid’s Tale

Following the huge success of the TV adaptation, Margaret Atwood's dystopian feminist masterpiece from 1985 has won a whole new audience. This new version is narrated by Elizabeth Moss (who plays Offred in the series), which gives it a contemporary twist.

4. The Great Gatsby

A favourite of English literature students the world over, F. Scott Fitzgerald's seminal 1925 work The Great Gatsby is given a new lease of life thanks to expert narration from A-list star Jake Gyllenhaal. Journey back to the decadence and opulence of the Roaring Twenties, and enjoy this classic cautionary tale that cuts to the heart of the American Dream.

• Buy from Audible now for $14.95 / £11.29 / AU$17.56

5. A Song of Ice and Fire

Famously still unfinished in book form, with the next instalment eagerly anticipated, George R.R. Martin's epic fantasy saga A Song of Ice and Fire has captured the imagination of millions. All five of the books so far are available on Audible – for over 200 hours of listening pleasure in total. From 33hrs 45min (A Game of Thrones) to 48hrs 53min (A Dance with Dragons)

• Buy from Audible now for $29.44 / £26.99 / AU$41.01 each
• ^ Back to the top

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Nick is a content strategist and copywriter. A former editor of graphic design title Computer Arts, he now works with design agencies as a consultant, writing copy for brands such as Virgin, Carlsberg and University College London.

He can help your design agency tell compelling stories. I’ll craft a content strategy to win you new business. My editorial skills also translate beautifully into long-form copywriting for brands. While editor of award-winning graphic design title Computer Arts, he developes an in-depth understanding of how different agencies operate. During his tenure, he has launched the Brand Impact Awards – an international prize scheme, for which he remain chair of judges – as well as the UK Studio Rankings, an annual peer reputation survey of the country's top design agencies. He plays an active role in the design industry, and am a member of D&AD, ProCopywriters and 26. As an awards judge, speaker and panel chair, he has worked with events globally including D&AD Festival, the European Design Awards and OFFSET Dublin. 

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Bios & Memoirs

Explore bios & memoirs by topic, actors & filmmakers, business & tech giants, historical leaders, scientists & engineers, sports stars, true crime profiles, musicians & artists, religious & spiritual, popular biographies & memoirs discover the distinctive profiles and intimate perspectives that listeners are loving now..

• The Ashley Madison Hack
• By: Sophie Elmhirst, Maria Luisa Tucker
• Narrated by: Sophie Nélisse
• Length: 3 hrs and 13 mins
• Original Recording
• Overall 4.5 out of 5 stars 622
• Performance 4.5 out of 5 stars 607
• Story 4.5 out of 5 stars 607

Millions of people–looking to cheat on their partners–signed up for Ashley Madison in the early 2000s, seeking a private space to share their public desires. The promise of discretion was shattered in the summer of 2015, when anonymous hackers stole the company’s cache of user information and published it worldwide. The result? One of the most shocking data breaches of the internet age. Overnight, millions of unfaithful spouses had their real names, addresses and sexual preferences published online in a searchable database that anyone could browse.

• 4 out of 5 stars

No mind change

• By Joshua on 02-13-24

Team of Rivals

• The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln
• By: Doris Kearns Goodwin
• Narrated by: Suzanne Toren
• Length: 41 hrs and 32 mins
• Overall 5 out of 5 stars 10,765
• Performance 4.5 out of 5 stars 9,524
• Story 5 out of 5 stars 9,532

On May 18, 1860, William H. Seward, Salmon P. Chase, Edward Bates, and Abraham Lincoln waited in their hometowns for the results from the Republican National Convention in Chicago. When Lincoln emerged as the victor, his rivals were dismayed and angry. Throughout the turbulent 1850s, each had energetically sought the presidency as the conflict over slavery was leading inexorably to secession and civil war.

• 5 out of 5 stars

Beautiful, Heartbreaking, and Informative

• By JJ on 09-10-12

From the Streets to the Suites

• Words + Music | Vol. 36
• By: Snoop Dogg
• Narrated by: Snoop Dogg
• Length: 1 hr and 33 mins
• Overall 5 out of 5 stars 853
• Performance 5 out of 5 stars 766
• Story 5 out of 5 stars 765

Launching during the 30th anniversary year of Doggystyle , Snoop Dogg’s installment of Words + Music reflects on his coming-of-age journey from the streets of Long Beach to around the world and his decision to pursue love and life over death and destruction.

Revisionist history

• By R. MCRACKAN on 06-16-23

Something Ain't Right

• By: Roger Stringer, Zachary Stringer
• Narrated by: Roger Stringer, Zachary Stringer
• Length: 1 hr and 53 mins
• Overall 5 out of 5 stars 1,580
• Performance 5 out of 5 stars 1,523
• Story 5 out of 5 stars 1,523

Roger Stringer grew up in rural Mississippi, hunting and eating everything from deer to rabbits. When he had two sons, Zac and Justin, he gave them guns and took them to the woods as well. Then one day when the boys were home alone, he got a call from Zac that Justin had been shot. What follows is an intimate and gripping memoir about the shooting’s aftermath. The story moves between the perspectives of Roger and Zac as they take us through their journey of betrayal, redemption, and ultimately confrontation with a company that had kept its corruption a secret for decades.

The Journey for Truth

• By samsararose on 05-19-23

A Dynamic Career in Communications

• Words + Music | Vol. 37
• By: yasiin bey
• Narrated by: yasiin bey
• Length: 1 hr and 19 mins
• Overall 4.5 out of 5 stars 158
• Performance 5 out of 5 stars 144
• Story 4.5 out of 5 stars 144

In his W+M installment, A Dynamic Career in Communications , yasiin bey treats listeners to a rich and immersive experience that goes beyond the surface. It's a captivating journey that explores his roots, beliefs, and creative process. Through his words and music, yasiin bey offers a unique and powerful perspective on life, art, and the role of communication in shaping the world we live in.

Such an interesting artist!

• By JRMurd on 07-08-23

The Last Founding Father

• James Monroe and a Nation's Call to Greatness
• By: Harlow Giles Unger
• Narrated by: Michael McConnohie
• Length: 12 hrs and 23 mins
• Overall 4 out of 5 stars 1,039
• Performance 4.5 out of 5 stars 903
• Story 4 out of 5 stars 898

In this lively and compelling biography, Harlow Giles Unger reveals the dominant political figure of a generation. A fierce fighter in four critical Revolutionary War battles and a courageous survivor of Valley Forge and a near-fatal wound at the Battle of Trenton, James Monroe (1751 - 1831) went on to become America's first full-time politician, dedicating his life to securing America's national and international durability.

• 3 out of 5 stars

Readable, but more hero worship than history

• By Elaine Martin on 12-22-10

New Releases

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Naturally tan.

By: Tan France Narrated by: Tan France

More Than Enough

By: Elaine Welteroth Narrated by: Elaine Welteroth , Adenrele Ojo

Mr Five Per Cent

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Listens in the Spotlight

All of the flavor, none of the calories.

Fashion + memoir = art

Somebody's Gotta Do It

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The wild heart of stevie nicks.

By: Rob Sheffield Narrated by: Rob Sheffield

Born a Crime

By: Trevor Noah Narrated by: Trevor Noah

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