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The best audiobooks on Audible in 2023
Want to up your reading game? What you need is a good audiobook. Enter Audible, the easiest way to listen to a whole library of bestsellers, and ideal if you don't have 30 minutes to sit and read a few chapters uninterrupted. It's fair to say that Mumsnet users are big fans of Audible – read on for their top audiobook recommendations.
By Mumsnet HQ | Last updated Apr 17, 2024
How does Audible work?
Audible is a monthly subscription service that allows you to listen to audiobooks, original podcasts and dramas on your smartphone, tablet or Alexa-enabled device. There are over 200,000 titles to choose from, including new releases and old classics aplenty, so you're sure to find something that takes your fancy.
Getting started with Audible is simple: choose your audiobook on site, download the app, and you're ready to listen.
Audible subscriptions begin with a 30-day free trial and then, after the trial period, you pay £7.99 per month and receive one book credit that you can exchange for any book on Audible. There's no long-term obligation and you can cancel your subscription at any time. There are also alternative subscription plans if one book credit per month just isn't enough for you, or if you would rather pay for the full year upfront.
If you can't wait until the next month, you can buy additional books on top of your monthly credit or purchase audiobooks on a one-off basis without a subscription – but you could save up to 70% if you have a membership.
Once you redeem a credit or buy an audiobook, it's yours to keep forever – even if you cancel your subscription. After the book is downloaded to your device, you can listen anytime, anywhere without needing an internet connection. Audible will also sync your progress across devices so you never have to worry about losing your place.
Related: Find out what Mumsnet users' favourite headphones are and get the best listening experience.
Mumsnet's favourite audiobooks
So, without further ado, let's dive into Mumsnet users' favourite page-turners.
1. Stoner by John Williams
Total time: 8 hours and 55 mins
Narrated by: Alfred Molina
What's the plot?
Packed with 'truthfulness, compassion and intense power', Stoner captures the life of William Stoner in all of its quiet, poignant glory.
Why you should listen:
“I just finished Stoner and the narration was amazing – probably one of the best I've ever listened to.”
2. Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Total time: 17 hours and 28 mins
Narrated by: Anjoa Andoh
What's the plot?
A teenage couple is divided by denied visas and border control – far from the Nigeria they fled from for America and London. 13 years later, they're given the chance to meet again – but will they take it?
Why you should listen:
“Anjoa Andoh is the most amazing narrator – I really missed hearing her voice when I finished it!”
“Here's yet another recommendation for Americanah. It's exactly the kind of book I would have forgotten quickly had I read it myself, but listening to it was like getting wrapped up in other people's lives. I really enjoyed the narration.”
Related: The best audiobooks for children
3. The Various Haunts of Men by Susan Hill
Total time: 14 hours and 43 mins
Series: Simon Serrallier, Book 1/8
Narrated by: Steven Pacey
What's the plot?
In a quiet cathedral town, various vanishings in the fog up on 'the Hill' alert the police. The young, inquisitive Freya Graffham is assigned to the case, along with the enigmatic Chief Inspector Simon Serrailler. Listen along as they unravel the chilling sequence of events.
Why you should listen:
“Just to say – I've now started Susan Hill's Simon Serrailler books and LOVE them. I'd absolutely recommend them to anyone who enjoys a good crime story.”
“If you like light, undemanding, traditional detective stories, I'd recommend Susan Hill's Simon Serrallier series. Well-written and entertaining.”
4. Apple Tree Yard by Louise Doughty
Total time: 14 hours and 1 min
Narrated by: Juliet Stevenson
What's the plot?
Yvonne Carmichael has it all – a high-flying career, a beautiful home, a seemingly-solid marriage, but all of that is thrown into question when she begins a passionate affair. Suddenly, she can't seem to keep the strands of her life together.
The basis for a four-part psychological BBC thriller, it was also shortlisted for the CWA Steel Dagger for Best Thriller.
Why you should listen:
“I'd really recommend Apple Tree Yard if anyone's after a gripping, well-narrated, psychological read.”
5. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
Total time: 10 hours and 26 mins
Narrated by: Joanna David
What's the plot?
Quite frankly, you've been living under a rock if you haven't heard of this title. Set in a dystopian future, women's rights are a thing of the past. Offred exists only to walk to the food market and to pray that her Captain gets her pregnant. Because in this age, viable ovaries determine a woman's value.
Why you should listen:
If Margaret Atwood's classic dystopian novel has been lingering a while on your reading list, now's the time to listen to it. The enormously successful TV adaptation is still making waves across Mumsnet and it's been on the Audible bestsellers chart for weeks.
“This is one of my all-time favourite books ever ever ever. It's fabulous and terrifying and eloquent.”
6. 84 Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff
Total time: 2 hours and 11 mins
Narrated by: Juliet Stevenson and John Nettles
What's the plot?
A beautiful love story told through the letters of a New York writer and a London bookshop owner, spanning 20 years.
Why you should listen:
This is the perfect audiobook if you're listening to a book for the first time. It's only a couple of hours long, and it's read by Mumsnet users' all-time favourite narrator, Juliet Stevenson. What more could you want?
“Re-reading this for the millionth time. I still love it. It still moves me. I still choke up.”
Related: Still not convinced? Check out this list of the best proper paperbacks Mumsnetters have been enjoying this summer.
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