The Best Audiobooks of All Time

Audio books are a great way to keep your mind and body active, especially during a busy and stressful world. They're a way of keeping your mind active as well as your body. The list includes classics, nonfiction, classics and nonfiction from all genres. We're looking at the best nonfiction books and have compiled a list of the best of the available in the world. For more information, go to the list on [link] and go to iReport.com.

Whether you’re doing the dishes, running errands, or going for a long walk, audiobooks are a fantastic way to keep your mind active as well as your body. Especially in today’s busy and stressful world where there’s not necessarily time to sit down and read a physical book, audiobooks have become more in demand than ever.

If you’ve never gotten into audiobooks before, you may be wondering where to start. Well, you could start by listening to some free audio books to see if you enjoy the audio experience — or you could let us do the hard work of choosing for you! Below, we’ve gathered 60 of the best audiobooks out there, from classics and old standbys to new books every book club will be talking about. Whether you're interested in fiction or nonfiction, you'll find something for you. So make sure your earbuds are charged, because once you start listening, you’re not going to want to stop!

South african childhood

This book is so many different things along with being a celebrity memoir that I feel comfortable recommending it to just about anyone. It's funny and heartfelt and just a joy. — Jessica Woodbury Born A Crime: Stories From A South African Childhood by Trevor Noah, Read By The Author Noah's narrative voice is crisp, clear, and there is very little in the way of mumbling or whispering. You may yet turn out to be a menace to society what with the bursts of laughter and tears, but once you pick the volume, you never have to change it again. Plus

Nick Offerman reimagine this childhood classic. It's a win-win. 19 of 25 For the Late Night Fans Born a Crime, Written and Read by Trevor Noah amazon.com $24.95 $21.99 (12% off) BUY NOW Any fans of comedian Trevor Noah will get a kick out of his self-narrated audiobook. Subtitled "Stories From a South African Childhood," his accounts are equal parts hilarious and tragic. 20 of 25 For the Philosopher A Short History of Nearly Everything, Written by Bill Bryson and Read by Richard Matthews amazon.com $38.95 $32.95 (15% off) BUY NOW There's no better time to brush up on world history than on a long drive. And should

He lives in a graveyard and is being raised by ghosts and ghouls, for a story that will send chills crawling up your spine. A whole band of actors, including Fleabag 's Andrew Scott and Gladiator 's Derek Jacobi, bring the story to life in a wonderfully robust way. 'Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood' by Trevor Noah Audible amazon.com $24.95 $21.99 (12% off) LISTEN NOW The Daily Show host and comedian Trevor Noah grew up in South Africa under apartheid, and his stories from that time vacillate between hilarious and poignant. Noah's masterful switching between English, Xhosa, and Zulu in voicing

Best audiobooks in fiction

1) The Dutch House by Ann Patchett, narrated by Tom Hanks

Perfectly narrated by the iconic voice of Tom Hanks, The Dutch House traces the life of Danny Conroy. After a series of tragic events, siblings Danny and Maeve are kicked out of the glamorous house their father had bought several years earlier, the titular Dutch House. This series of losses shakes them so much that, no matter how much happiness and stability they manage to create for themselves in the decades to come, the two of them keep returning to sit together across the street from the Dutch House every time they see each other. What follows is a sweeping family story about loss, growing up, and finding your place in the world.

2) Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid, narrated by Nicole Lewis

This thoroughly modern novel revolves around Emira, a 25-year-old Black woman desperately trying to make ends meet, and Alix, her peer by age but not by social status. Alix — white, married, successful in a private blogging enterprise — hires Emira to be a regular babysitter of her two kids. One night, in an effort to keep Alix’s daughter out of the house during a family emergency, Emira takes young Briar to the grocery store, where they’re confronted by a security guard wanting to know what this Black woman is doing with a white child.

Thus begins a plot that could only happen in the present day, as Emira struggles to navigate racial issues and potential social media scandals, all while trying to hold together a job, a social life, and some semblance of sanity. Narrated in Nicole Lewis' confident (and confidential) tone, Such a Fun Age is one of those best audiobooks that feels like listening to a friend confess the latest details of their own life.

3) Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng, narrated by Jennifer Lim

Whether you’ve already binged the compelling Hulu adaptation of Little Fires Everywhere, or are just looking for an incredibly engaging story of family drama, Celeste Ng has got you covered. This story is about the Richardsons — a picture-perfect family from the picture-perfect suburban community of Shaker Heights, Ohio, whose lives are turned upside down when Mia Warren and her daughter, Pearl, move into the Richardsons’ rental property. These free spirits set off a chain reaction of events that will forever change how the Richardsons think about life, and the assumptions we make about what it means to do the right thing.

4) Outlander by Diana Gabaldon, narrated by Davina Porter

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Time travel, the romance of the Scottish Highlands, and dashing men in kilts? It’s no wonder Outlander has been a bestseller since its introduction in the 1990s — and now gone on to become a hit TV series!

If you'd like to go back to the series roots, the Outlander books aren’t one to be missed — and that includes this audiobook. Starting when Claire Randall is thrown back in time to 18th-century Scotland, these books are equal parts sweeping romance and gripping time-travel fantasy. Spicy, sweet, and more than a little twisty-turny, these books will wrap you up in their world to the point where you’ll be sorely reluctant to leave.

5) Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders, narrated by Nick Offerman et al.

You may well have heard people sing the praises of Lincoln in the Bardo before, and rightly so. This 2017 release swept across the stage with its fascinating exploration of the death of Abraham Lincoln’s son, Willie. Imaginative, supernatural, and a deeply compelling look at the loss of a child, this novel hit countless “best of” lists and took home the coveted Man Booker Prize.

However, if you’ve never experienced the audiobook version of it, it’s safe to say that you still have plenty more to discover about this book. Packed with an absolutely stunning array of 166 narrators (including such blockbuster names as Julianne Moore, Nick Offerman, Don Cheadle, and Susan Sarandon), this audiobook changes what it means to use a full cast. Breathtaking in its scope and brilliantly executed, Lincoln in the Bardo will stand as a pinnacle of audiobook performances for decades to come.

6) The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt, narrated by David Pittu

In this coming-of-age novel by literary powerhouse Donna Tartt, we’re introduced to Theo, a 13-year-old boy who’s suffered a tragic loss. In the wake of this, he becomes fixated with a painting — an obsession that will ultimately lead him toward a whole new trajectory in life. The Goldfinch follows Theo into adulthood, and the seedy underbellies of the art world. Note that the audio version is a hefty time commitment, clocking in at over 32 hours — but the intricate character details, spellbinding language choices, and deeply personal suspense will make it feel much shorter.

7) Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens, narrated by Cassandra Campbell

Written by a real-life zoologist, Where the Crawdads Sing tells the story of Kya Clark, a girl who raised herself in a North Carolina marsh after her father abandoned her. Kya has lived in isolation for years, surrounded by and learning from nothing but the wilderness around her. But her life is upended by different men, and what follows is a riveting mystery of new lessons, heartbreak, and even suspected murder. Filled with rich environmental details, this novel will immediately transport you to the untamed world of the marshlands, surrounding you with all the suspense and wonder they possess.

8) The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett, narrated by Shayna Small

In The Vanishing Half, the Vignes twins split apart at age 16, each of their lives going in a very different way: one runs away and sets up a life far away from the small town she grew up in, passing herself and her daughter off as white; the other marries the darkest man she can find, and, years later, is still in the same town where she spend her childhood years. The story of what happens when these two sides of the family finally come together again is intense and compelling, ultimately deeply interrogating race relations in the second half of the twentieth century. All that would be reason enough to read this already! But this audiobook version is the cherry on top, especially thanks to Shayna Small’s rich, no-nonsense voice, which carries this multi-generational family saga forward with grace and pizzazz.

9) Milkman by Anna Burns, narrated by Bríd Brennan

As we all know, the best audiobooks are the ones with a unique voice — both from the author and the narrator. Milkman has both of these in spades.

The story itself is pretty straightforward: a coming-of-age tale, it's centered around an unnamed young woman living in Northern Ireland during “The Troubles.” But her character is unforgettable, as she tells us about her world through the lens of someone who manages the fine line of being distinct enough to remain compelling but relatable enough to feel like her experiences could belong to anyone. Tack on the biting insight and the beautifully authentic accent in which it's narrated, and you have an audiobook that's the sort you’ll want to lavish in, doling it out over multiple days so that your experience isn’t over too soon.

10) Sabrina & Corina: Stories by Kali Fajardo-Anstine, narrated by Almarie Guerra et al.

This emotional collection of short stories brings to the forefront voices that are often overlooked — specifically, those belonging to indigenous Latinas living in the American West. Centered in Denver, Colorado, author Kali Fajardo-Anstine brings to life eleven women, each with their own unique challenges and strengths. Yet through her words, she manages to capture a universality as the women in her collection struggle with abandonment, family, and their attempts to belong. With each story read by a different narrator, Sabrina & Corina is sure to captivate audiences, letting them see a piece of themselves even in difference.