As we step into 2024, it’s the perfect moment to explore the world of audiobooks that await us. This year is shaping up to be an extraordinary one for audiobook enthusiasts, with a multitude of offerings from both new and established authors.
Our curated list features authors whose works we’ve enjoyed across a wide array of genres and topics. Whether you’re committed to listening to more books as part of your New Year’s resolutions or simply seeking to expand your auditory adventures, this list is your gateway to a year filled with captivating stories.
Grief is for People
By Sloane Crosley. Narrated by Sloane Crosley.
Crosley is one of my favorite authors, and I grab every book of essays she produces. Knowing that her upcoming book is about grief doesn’t make me shy away from it in the least. I trust Crosley with any topic, and this book is said to carry her wit and humor even as she wrestles with a loss of security and the death of a friend.
Crosley narrating this one herself should make the experience even richer. Whether you have experienced Crosley before or not, there’s no bad place to start. This is one of my most anticipated releases of 2024.
Length: 7 hours
Release date: 02-27-24
Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder
By Salman Rushdie. Narrated by Salman Rushdie.
When Rushdie was stabbed in August of 2022, I remember listening for news of his fate. Having avoided an attempt on his life decades ago and remaining a target of violence his entire career, this new attack was devastating for anyone who knew Rushdie’s work and passion.
Undeterred by harm, Rushdie now shares his experience and how he found the strength to keep going. Brave, hopeful, and detailed, Rushdie uses his words to help all of us process the good and the bad in the world.
Length: 10 hours
Release date: 04-16-24
Who’s Afraid of Gender?
By Judith Butler. Narrated by Judith Butler.
As gender and trans rights continue to be in the news, we’ve seen a rise of right-wing attacks against the real human beings impacted by the exclusionary laws being passed. Butler shines a light on how the attack on gender is an extension of attacks on equality, be it racial equality or trans and queer representation.
Butler doesn’t shy away from difficult topics, and they call for us to refuse joining forces with those who want to use gender as a scary word to support bigotry.
Length: 4 hours and 45 minutes
Release date: 03-19-24
Say Hello to My Little Friend
By Jennine Capó Crucet. Narrated by Krizia Bajos.
Capo Crucet writes expertly about Miami and the immigration experience. She brings this eye to her next novel, a dark, humorous tale of Izzy. Believing he should have power and fame, he attempts to build an identity modeled on Tony Montana.
Izzy’s journey forces him to reckon with his past as well as to question what he is pursuing and if it’s worthwhile. Capo Crucet plays with genre and expectations, and that makes this a great choice for audio.
Length: 11 hours
Release date: 03-05-24
James
By Percival Everett. Narrated Unknown
When a new Percival Everett book is about to be released, I can’t contain my excitement. He has never let me down, and his work is smart and literary while still being accessible. His newest work is a reimagining of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, told from the point of view of Jim, the enslaved man who just found out he’s about to be sold and separated from his family.
Whether or not you are a fan of the original work, Everett gives you a chance to experience the story anew. His observations and tone make the tale new and familiar, and anything Everett puts into the world is worth a listen.
Length: 10 hours
Release date: 03-19-24
Come and Get It
By Kiley Reid. Narrated by Nicole Lewis.
Kiley Reid’s Such a Fun Age was one of my favorite listens when it was released in 2019. The narration was spot on, and the story was timely with twists I didn’t expect. Reid has an eye for nuance and the ability to examine character motivation that makes her work relevant and entertaining.
Her new work focuses on Millie, a resident assistant at the University of Arkansas. She wants a life that involves homeownership and employment. Agatha Paul, a visiting professor, offers Millie a deceptively easy way to attain her desires, so she takes it. However, anything that seems too good to be true probably is. An enthralling listen about greed and corruption, Reid’s novel is one of the most anticipated of 2024.
Length: 14 hours
Release date: 01-30-24
Bear
By Julia Phillips. Narrator unknown.
Disappearing Earth was a book I sat with in the winter months, and it left me waiting for what Julia Phillips would do next. In her latest work, Sam and Elena are sisters living on an island in the Pacific Northwest barely scraping by and dreaming of escape. When a bear shows up at their home, Sam takes it as a sign that they have to find a way to leave the island, but Elena sees it differently.
Phillips is magnificent at detailing the intricacies of relationships, and her writing also allows the world where the characters live to become a main character. I can’t wait to put on my headphones and disappear into these words.
Length: 12 hours
Release date: 06-25-24
Piglet
By Lottie Hazel. Narrated by Rebekah Hinds.
Can women have it all is a question that’s been asked endlessly, even as it’s assumed men should just have it all. Lottie Hazel meets that question with a book about ambition, appetite, and the lies women have been sold about what makes a meaningful life.
Stuck with a nickname from middle school, Piglet is preparing to marry the man she loves and living a successful adult life. When things start to unravel, she finds herself hungry and ready to examine everything she thought she wanted.
Hazel examines the relationship many women have with food and the complications it brings, as well as what it means to forge a path that is ours and not what we’ve been told to want.
Length: 8 hours
Release date: 02-27-24
The Fury
By Alex Michaelides. Narrated by Alex Jennings.
Those familiar with Michaelides’ work will know to expect the unexpected. He specializes in suspense and twists, and this novel promises more.
Laura, an ex-movie star, invites her friends to stay with her on a Greek island. When the island gets cut off from civilization due to weather issues and a murder occurs, no one knows who did it. Our narrator, Elliot Chase, gives us the details that were left out of the tabloid accounts of the murder.
Length: 8 hours and 11 mins
Release date: 01-16-24
I Heard Her Call My Name
By Lucy Sante. Narrated by Lucy Sante.
Though Sante made a career as a writer and established herself in New York after moving there in the 70s, she still felt like her life was performative. Behind her success was the truth that she didn’t feel comfortable in the body she was born in, and it took her years to figure out that she was lying to herself when she tried to continue in a man’s form.
Thoughtful and full of grace, Sante shares what it was like to transition into who she really was and how she finally got to that point after years in disguise. With all of the questions and accusations about gender and identity in the news, Sante promises an empathetic look at what it means to transition and become who you always were.
Length: 7 hours
Release date: 02-13-24
Our Kindred Creatures
By Bill Wasik and Monica Murphy. Narrator unknown.
It’s hard to imagine living in a world where the welfare of animals is not a consideration. However, until the mid-nineteenth century, animal abuse was normal, and it was accepted that animals would be used in experiments and for cruel entertainment. Fortunately, concerned individuals and groups came together to change the way we view animals and their place in our world.
Told by editorial director, Wasik, and veterinarian, Murphy, this listen will take you through the historical views we’ve had of animals and how those have changed over the centuries. Full of wisdom, compassion, and a call to be good to the creatures around us, this is a fascinating listen.
Length: 14 hours
Release date: 04-23-24
A Great Country
By Shilipi Somaya Gowda. Narrated by Vikas Adam.
The comparison to Britt Bennett and Kiley Reid ignited my excitement for this tale of a family living in California. The parents immigrated to the U.S. two decades before, and they have created what appears to be the American dream for their children. However, an encounter with the police is enough to bring into question everything they thought they knew.
With a sharp eye on immigration, family struggles, and how privilege runs through every facet of life, Gowda offers a listen that will leave all of us asking questions about the world we inhabit.
Length: 8 hours
Release date: 03-26-24
The Road is Good
By Uzo Aduba. Narrator unknown.
Uzo Aduba is known as an actress, but she turns her talents to words with this memoir. Black families weren’t common in the Massachusetts neighborhood where Aduba grew up, but her mother instilled a sense of strength and identity that helped Aduba feel like she belonged wherever she went. Aduba shares how her mother did this by connecting her to her Nigerian roots.
This empowering story tells of how Aduba handled her mother’s illness and what she learned as she made her own way in the world.
Length: 10 hours
Release date: 09-17-24
Table for Two
By Amor Towles. Narrator unknown.
Six short stories taking place in New York City circa 2000 and one novella featuring the beloved Evelyn Ross await new and old fans of Amor Towles. Those of us who listened to Rules of Civility will recognize Evelyn and her journey to recreate her life in the early 20th century. We’ll also be lucky enough to see what Towles is capable of when writing about more current times.
If this is your first introduction to Towles, it’s sure to be a treat. He is a consistently wonderful writer whose stories make him a favorite of almost every type of listener.
Length: 14 hours
Release date: 04-02-24
Drunk-ish: A Memoir of Loving and Leaving Alcohol
By Stephanie Wilder-Taylor. Narrated by Stephanie Wilder-Taylor.
Drinking is a pastime that many people consider harmless, and it’s become so normalized that not drinking can actually be looked at as suspicious. That made it easier for Wilder-Taylor to continue drinking through her career and new motherhood before she started asking questions about what was too much.
With humor and wisdom, Wilder-Taylor narrates her own journey of giving up drinking for good after an experience that brought her too close to the edge. Teetotalers and drinkers alike will benefit from her story and the candid way she shares it.
Length: 7 hours and 19 minutes
Release date: 01-16-24
Housewife: Why Women Still Do It All and What to Do Instead
By Lisa Selin Davis. Narrated by Lyssa Browne.
Though the idea of a stereotypical housewife may seem archaic, many of us find ourselves entwined in some aspects of it, no matter how hard we fought for equality in our own lives. David dives into history to examine the housewife role and to help women and men find ways to fight for equality for all women.
You don’t need to be a stay-at-home mom to benefit from this listen. Davis brings her smart, critical eye to a question that still haunts us today and offers information that is relevant for anyone who wants to dismantle systems that keep women stuck with fewer choices than men.
Length: 10 hours
Release date: 03-05-24
One of Us Knows
By Alyssa Cole. Narrator unknown.
When Ken finds herself and her alters on an island taking care of a historic home, they think it’s a good opportunity. Diagnosed with dissociative identity disorder and recovering from a breakdown they had years before, Ken needs this assignment to work. However, unexpected guests, one who turns up dead, threaten Ken’s safety and their life.
As Ken and their alters try to prove they had nothing to do with the death, they get closer to a truth that puts them at risk. Cole’s words are taut and suspenseful, and this is a listen you won’t be able to turn off until the end.
Length: 12 hours
Release date: 04-16-24
The Limits
By Nell Freudenberger. Narrator unknown.
In all of her work, Freudenberger has managed to tackle big topics while offering intimate views of characters that listeners will care about desperately. Her newest work sounds like one of her most ambitious as she dives into the life of a destructive teenager stuck in COVID isolation with a stepmother she barely knows.
Taking place in both New York City and French Polynesia, Freudenberg explores the long-term effects of colonization, the complications of family, and how race and class have a profound impact on outcomes. Settle in for a beautiful, devastating story.
Length: 10 hours
Release date: 04-09-24
The Alternatives
By Caoilinn Hughes. Narrator unknown.
A story about Irish sisters who have to come together when one of them goes missing? Sign me up! This is exactly the kind of family story I devour, so I am counting the days until Hughes’ audiobook makes its way to my ears.
The Flattery sisters lost their parents when they were young, but they all received their PhDs and set out to make a difference in the world. When the eldest disappears by choice, they are drawn back together to find her. In the process, they have to face the past and the uncertain future that sits before them.
Length: 13 hrs
Release date: 04-16-24
