Spotify recently announced that 15 hours a month of ad-free audiobook listening time will be included in Premium streaming packages. More than 200,000 audiobooks are available for free, with more available for purchase. With so many selections, it can be difficult to choose the best books to use your precious minutes on, so we’ve done the listening for you.
Here are ten fantastic books with excellent narration that you can currently stream on Spotify. (Although we’d encourage you to make sure you’re aware of the downsides of streaming books on the app and to check out your local library’s selection of audiobooks as well!) Memoirs, fiction, humor, and even a Pulitzer Prize winner … this list has it all. Happy listening!
We Are Never Meeting In Real Life (2017) by Samantha Irby
Samantha Irby started her career with a simple blog called bitches gotta eat. She went on to publish four books, and now she’s a writer/co-producer for TV shows like HBO’s And Just Like That, the Sex and the City reboot. We Are Never Meeting In Real Life is Irby’s second published book of essays, and it’s as bitingly hilarious as it is awkward and relatable. As always, Irby narrates the audiobook herself, and her wry delivery adds to the whole observational, absurdist vibe.
Irby’s other books, Meaty, Wow, No Thank You, and the bestselling Quietly Hostile, are also available to stream.
Lessons In Chemistry (2022) by Bonnie Garmus
In 2022, everyone and their mother was reading Lessons In Chemistry! The debut novel by real-life scientist Bonnie Garmus became a global bestseller and sold over 6 million copies. The story of Elizabeth Zott, an underappreciated female chemist in a male-dominated world, stirred new conversations about equality and inspired a hit television series on Apple TV. Miranda Raison narrates the audiobook, which comes in at a perfect 11 hours and 55-minute running time.
The Hate U Give (2017) by Angie Thomas
Here’s another juggernaut debut novel, this time from Angie Thomas. Thomas drew upon her own tumultuous upbringing in Jackson, Mississippi to write this important story about a young Black girl who witnesses police brutality firsthand. The author was further inspired by the shooting of Oscar Grant and the deaths of Trayvon Martin, Tamir Rice, and others.
The Hate U Give is a young adult novel about Starr Carter, a 16-year-old who turns to activism after cops murder her friend Khalil in front of her. The book was turned into a movie in 2018, and the audiobook won multiple awards, in large part due to excellent narration by Bahni Turpin, also known for voicing The Help (2009).
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo (2017) by Taylor Jenkins Reid
You can always count on Taylor Jenkins Reid for a juicy story that feels like it was plucked from actual gossip columns. Several of her novels are on Spotify, but if we have to choose just one it is this tale of an aging Hollywood icon who finally spills a lifetime of secrets to a young, down-on-her-luck reporter. Evelyn Hugo is part Marilyn Monroe, part Elizabeth Taylor, and the forbidden love she spent a lifetime hiding is just the tip of the iceberg.
A team of narrators tackled the audiobook, including Alma Cuervo, Robin Miles, and everybody’s favorite, Julia Whelan.
Yellowface: A Novel (2023) by R.F. Kuang
Yellowface is an engrossing and easy-to-read book about difficult subjects, which is why it was an instant bestseller and was selected as a Reese’s Book Club pick in 2023. It’s the story of friends and rivals June Hayward and Athena Liu, who are both authors, but only Athena is successful. When June witnesses her friend’s sudden and shocking death, she does the unthinkable—she steals Athena’s latest manuscript and passes it off as her own. Soon June is rebranded Juniper Song by her new publisher, and she tries to pass as Asian on social media, raising complicated questions about cultural appropriation and racism.
The Three-Body Problem (2016) by Cixin Liu
Three-Body Problem is a dystopian science fiction novel set against the backdrop of China’s Cultural Revolution. It’s the first in the Hugo Award-winning series from Cixin Liu, and it explores a world in which aliens are on their way to make contact with Earth. This groundbreaking novel is the inspiration for the hit Netflix show 3 Body Problem. Two more novels follow: The Dark Forest and Death’s End.
I’m Glad My Mom Died (2022) by Jennette McCurdy
We love a good celebrity memoir, and Nickelodeon star Jennette McCurdy did not disappoint with her 2022 contribution to the genre. McCurdy was a familiar face during the prime Nick Jr. years in the 2000s, appearing on TV shows like Sam & Cat and iCarly. Thanks to the 2024 series Quiet On Set, we now know that these Nickelodeon sets were toxic breeding grounds for predators. McCurdy hints at these allegations and dedicates a large chunk of the book to a showrunner she calls “The Creator,” who is presumably, obviously, Dan Schneider. (She even drops his first name at one point.)
Most of her ire, though, is directed at her mother, Debra McCurdy. As the title suggests, Debra’s micromanagement of her daughter’s body, mind, and career led to a lifetime of trauma for the actress, and a rift that remains un-mended even beyond death.
Shrill: Notes from a Loud Woman (2016) by Lindy West
Those of us who’ve been around the internet long enough remember when Lindy West wrote for the feminist site Jezebel. In this, her first non-fiction book, the writer takes a deep dive into what it feels like to live life as “a fat woman” in a world that loves to fat shame. West covers a lot of ground in Shrill, mingling personal aspects of her own life with larger issues like abortion, periods, and sexism. Oh, and did we mention that she somehow makes these conversations funny? Incredibly, West’s turns of phrase and cultural references make this a fun, albeit infuriating listen.
When Hulu cast a series based on the book, SNL’s Aidy Bryant stepped into the fictional version of West’s shoes, but West narrates Shrill herself.
Beloved (1984) by Toni Morrison
Many of the books on this list are just for fun, but Beloved is an important work of American fiction made even better by narration from the author herself, Toni Morrison. Beloved is the heartbreaking lyrical tale of a formerly enslaved woman named Sethe in the years following the Civil War. Although she and her family have been freed, eighteen years later they are still haunted by the ghost of her youngest daughter, whose tombstone is marked with a single word: Beloved.
Beloved won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction a year after it was published.
Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch (1990) by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett
When British novelists Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman decided to collaborate on a fantasy novel, we knew we were in for a treat! The fruit of that labor is Good Omens, a humorous book about an angel named Aziraphale and a demon named Crowley who team up to sabotage the upcoming apocalypse … for purely selfish reasons. Good Omens was turned into a series on Prime Video starring Michael Sheen as Aziraphale and David Tennant as Crowley. Both actors also lend their voices to the full cast on the audiobook.
Bonus listens!
The following books (and their sequels) are also available on Spotify, but since they’re all longer than 15-hours they will require multiple months to complete. Still, we couldn’t not mention classics like these:
- The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien
- A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
- A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
We’d also throw in a mention for Kitchen Confidential, written and narrated by the late Anthony Bourdain. Although the memoir was written more than 24 years ago in 2000, it’s one of the most thorough examinations ever written of what it’s like to work in restaurant kitchens.
(featured image: Prime Video)
