The Best of 2021

Lists & Collections > The Best Audiobooks of 2021

Catch up on the top audiobooks, podcasts, and more released in 2021.

The Best of the Plus Catalogue

Field Guide to Eating in Canada cover art

The Secret Diaries of Detective Murdoch cover art

Astronomical: Looking For Life Beyond Earth cover art

Deepak Chopra's Mind Body Zone: Living Outside the Box cover art

Middlespace: The Rebels Attack, And Then The Other Side Attacks As Well cover art

Literature & Fiction

The Final Revival of Opal & Nev cover art

The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois cover art

The Wrong End of the Telescope cover art

The Sweetness of Water (Oprah’s Book Club) cover art

Mysteries & Thrillers

Kings Lake Investigation Series #3, Roxanne cover art

City of Bones: Booktrack Edition cover art

Science Fiction & Fantasy

The Torch That Ignites the Stars cover art

He Who Fights with Monsters: A LitRPG Adventure cover art

Teresa: Everybody Loves Large Chests (Vol.5) cover art

God's Eye: Awakening: A Labyrinth World LitRPG Novel cover art

Mark of the Founder: A litRPG Saga cover art

Biographies & Memoirs

Broken (in the best possible way) cover art

Editors' Spotlight: Sarah's Top Picks

An essential portrait of one of modern history's most notorious families

I've been a big fan of Patrick Radden Keefe since the release of Say Nothing, his pulse-pounding, utterly fascinating account of Northern Ireland's Troubles in the latter half of the 20th century, so pressing play on this eye-opening history of the pharmaceutical Sackler dynasty was a no-brainer. Practically every person in North America knows someone affected by the devastation of the current opioid crisis, and Empire of Pain stunningly recounts the rise and fall of the rich and powerful family behind it. This is a deeply unsettling, difficult, yet necessary story that had to be told, and Keefe does an excellent job of narrating his own words.

Sarah

Audible Editor

An unflinching memoir of extreme highs and lows

The importance of mental health in the world of professional athletes has featured prominently in the news lately, and with good reason--as we continue to learn that mental recovery is just as crucial as physical. Professional runner and filmmaker Alexi Pappas achieved her Olympic dreams in Rio in 2016, then abruptly, unexpectedly experienced severe depression post-Games. Bravey is a beautiful memoir of resilience and acceptance, where Pappas details her family history--including reckoning with her mother's suicide at a very young age--and how she learned that she had to heal her brain just like she might have to heal a hamstring: with therapy, patience, and a lot of self-compassion.

Sarah

Audible Editor

A novel starring a WWII-era bookworm

The Paris Library is based on the true story of the heroic efforts to keep the American Library in Paris open during the Nazi occupation, told through the experiences of a young Parisian woman as she navigates the harsh reality of smuggling books to Jewish readers.

Protagonist Odile Souchet is a passionate reader (I'd like to think listener as well, if she lived today!), and I loved seeing myself in her, as well as other bookworm family and friends. It's a beautiful story of resistance through books, and on a more melancholy note, the guilt in finding happiness through romance while others suffer on a mass scale.

Sarah

Audible Editor

Personal Development

The Body Is Not an Apology, Second Edition cover art

Caviar Dreams, Tuna Fish Budget cover art

Everybody Has a Podcast (Except You) cover art

Nonfiction

How to Avoid a Climate Disaster cover art

Come As You Are: Revised and Updated cover art

Editors' Spotlight: Guest Picks

A psychic with a cause

Troubled soul Nate Russo has a ''gift'' for reading people—through physical touch—that has led him to a line of work assisting the FBI with tracking criminals. His promise to find a child’s missing parent tugs at the heartstrings and takes him down a trip through his own past to find the mysterious culprit. This un-pausable supernatural thriller by Andrew Pyper is elevated by the aptly foreboding narration of Joshua Jackson—his first-ever audio performance. From start to conclusion, Oracle is a highly compelling listen that’s worthy of the best of the year.

Valerie

Audible Guest Editor

Off-the-charts chemistry

If I had to describe my version of a happy day, it’s fuzzy slippers, a robe, and listening to Andi Arndt and Sebastian York bring Vi Keeland’s work to life. Having listened to this trio in the past, I knew listening to The Invitation was going to be a treat. The chemistry between Stella and Hudson was off the charts and I was left with a feel-good feeling from the start of this listen to the very end.

Melissa

Contributing Editor

Joe Goldberg is back on the market

I’ve been fascinated by Joe Goldberg as a character ever since Santino Fontana narrated the first line of You back in 2014. And my six-year fascination continues! After causing bicoastal havoc in NY & LA (and paying for it), Joe has swapped big city life for the comforts of a quaint island town in the Pacific Northwest. While he’s determined to live a quiet existence, he can never quite let go of his everlasting search for love. Enter Mary Kay, who by all accounts seems like she can be his happily ever after. Except for the fact that she has a daughter...and a husband, and two overly-involved friends. This would be enough to dissuade most people, but Joe Goldberg is (thankfully) not most people. Will Joe be able to finally live his happily ever after? Well, you’ll have to listen to find out.

Melissa

Contributing Editor

I finished listening in just two days!

The Four Winds follows Elsa Wolcott’s journey through the Dust Bowl and Great Depression, along with her personal triumphs through a tough and isolating upbringing, an unexpected pregnancy after a one-night stand, and her husband leaving her and their two children. Kristin Hannah writes a powerful story about perseverance, resilience, and love, while bringing American history to life through Elsa’s story. Hannah’s writing draws you in and keeps you wanting to know more. Narrator Julia Whelan so naturally and effortlessly captures the emotion and distinction of the characters. This is a listen you won’t regret!

Heather

Contributing Editor