Listening to audiobooks is such an enjoyable experience for me. But — especially for non-fiction titles — listening to audiobooks narrated by the authors is on a whole other level! That’s actually how I got into listening to audiobooks. I think memoirs on audio are a great first step to enjoying the format. Fortunately, though, I’ve also found a handful of fiction titles narrated WELL by the authors, if you’d also like to try those with/without your kids.
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20 Wonderful Audiobooks Narrated by the Authors
Here are 20 awesome audiobooks narrated brilliantly by the authors:
For Kids and Teens
I love these children’s audiobooks narrated by the authors:
Charlotte’s Web
Published: October 24, 2003
This classic is read so warmly by the author. As you know, the book is brilliant, with great lessons about selflessness and what it means to be a good friend. Charlotte is wise, decisive, and so good with words. Definitely one of those sweet books that more people should experience. It’s also just under 4 hours long in terms of listening time, so it’s a short audiobook.
Sideways Stories from Wayside School
Published: September 16, 1998
This is the start of a wacky, funny series for kids who love funny chapter books. Accidentally built sideways and standing thirty stories high (the builder said he was very sorry for the mistake), Wayside School has some of the wackiest classes in town, especially on the thirtieth floor. That’s where you’ll meet Bebe, the fastest draw in art class; John, who only reads upside down; Myron, the best class president ever; and Sammy, the new kid—he’s a real rat.
Coraline
Published: July 1, 2002
When Coraline steps through a door to find another house strangely similar to her own (only better), things seem marvelous. But there’s another mother there, and another father, and they want her to stay and be their little girl. They want to change her and never let her go. Coraline will have to fight with all her wit and courage if she is to save herself and return to her ordinary life. Neil Gaiman’s narration is exceptional in this one!
Three Strike Summer
Published: August 30, 2022
Gloria and her family lose their farm when an unending drought leads to a lack of produce. They move to California to find work and eventually start picking peaches on a farm. At the farm, Gloria quickly discovers a baseball team (with only boys! who don’t want a girl on the team!) and is ready to do what it takes to join the team. At the same time, ripples of discontent with working wages lead to organizing that puts Gloria and her family in a precarious position. I listened to this one on audio and the author did a brilliant job with the narration! Gloria comes to life so vividly in her mannerisms and unmistakable Southern twang.
Hey Kiddo
Published: October 9, 2018
If you’re brave enough to listen to a graphic novel on audio, here’s one to try! I love that it’s full-cast audio too. It’s a graphic memoir following Jarrett Krosoczka’s childhood living with his grandparents and dealing with a mom struggling with addiction. Heartwrenching but so well done.
For Adults
Born a Crime
Published: November 15, 2016
What a journey! Trevor Noah’s life so far has been such an adventure. This book is such a brilliant way to tell his story and that of his mother. From his years as a mischief-making child to his woes in the love department and then surviving abuse at home. This is my kind of memoir. Have I mentioned that Trevor Noah is HILARIOUS?! Because he is. The AUDIO of this book is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! Enlivening, eye-opening and just A JOY!
Yes, Please
Published: October 28, 2014
I listened to this one years ago and remember it being so funny, but also insightful. I couldn’t put it down — and I didn’t even know Poehler before I listened to the book. If you love her and her work, you should definitely give this one a listen.
The Storyteller: Tales of Life and Music
Published: October 5, 2021
This is one I’ve heard excellent things about but have yet to read. Dave Grohl is the founder of the Foo Fighters and writes brilliantly about his life and music. The narration is really good, from the excerpt I listened to. If you love Grohl, you want to listen to this one.
Year of Yes
Published: November 10, 2015
Really enjoyed this one and found it so inspiring. After years of saying no more than yes, when Shonda’s sister challenges her to try to say yes to the unexpected invitations that come your way, Shonda reluctantly agreed. And the result was nothing short of transformative. In Year of Yes, Shonda Rhimes chronicles the powerful impact saying yes had on every aspect of her life – and how we can all change our lives with one little word. Yes.
Crying in H-Mart
Published: April 20, 2021
Michelle Zauner’s book is acclaimed for good reason. She documents the life-changing blow of her mother’s terminal cancer diagnosis and how it upends her life in positive and heartbreaking ways.
Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me
Published: November 1, 2011
I really liked Mindy Kaling’s first memoir about learning to embrace her earnestness and finding her tribe. The audiobook is even more fun with brief periods of narration by her friends BJ Novak, Mike Schur, and Brenda Withers. This book is funny, candid, and overall an enjoyable experience.
The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl
Published: February 10, 2015
Being an introvert in a world that glorifies cool isn’t easy. But when Issa Rae, the creator of the Shorty Award-winning hit series The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl, is that introvert–whether she’s navigating love, work, friendships, or rapping– it sure is entertaining. Now, in this debut collection of essays written in her witty and self-deprecating voice, Rae covers everything from deflecting unsolicited comments on weight gain, navigating the perils of eating out alone and public displays of affection to learning to accept yourself –natural hair and all.
Scrappy Little Nobody
Published: November 15, 2016
Even before she made a name for herself on the silver screen starring in films like Pitch Perfect, Up in the Air, Twilight, and Into the Woods, Anna Kendrick was unusually small, weird, and “10 percent defiant.”
At the ripe age of thirteen, she had already resolved to “keep the crazy inside my head where it belonged. Forever. But here’s the thing about crazy: It. Wants. Out.” In Scrappy Little Nobody, she invites readers inside her brain, sharing extraordinary and charmingly ordinary stories with candor and winningly wry observations.
With her razor-sharp wit, Anna recounts the absurdities she’s experienced on her way to and from the heart of pop culture as only she can.
Bossypants
Published: April 5, 2011
Before Liz Lemon, before Weekend Update, before Sarah Palin, Tina Fey was just a young girl with a dream: A recurring stress dream that she was being chased through a local airport by her middle-school gym teacher. She also had a dream that one day she would be a comedian on TV. She has seen both these dreams come true.
At last, Tina Fey’s story can be told. From her youthful days as a vicious nerd to her tour of duty on Saturday Night Live; from her passionately halfhearted pursuit of physical beauty to her life as a mother eating things off the floor; from her one-sided college romance to her nearly fatal honeymoon – from the beginning of this paragraph to this final sentence.
Tina Fey reveals all, and proves what we’ve always suspected: You’re no one until someone calls you bossy.
Finding Me
Published: April 26, 2022
Viola Davis’s memoir is so good on audio that the audiobook won a GRAMMY — yep! If you have the heart for a heartwrenching, victorious story of triumphing life challenges, this is a must-listen.
Rising Strong: How the Ability to Reset Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead
Published: August 25, 2015
Social scientist Brené Brown has ignited a global conversation on courage, vulnerability, shame, and worthiness. Her pioneering work uncovered a profound truth: Vulnerability—the willingness to show up and be seen with no guarantee of outcome—is the only path to more love, belonging, creativity, and joy. But living a brave life is not always easy: We are, inevitably, going to stumble and fall.
Braiding Sweetgrass
Published: October 13, 2020
Drawing on her life as an indigenous scientist, and as a woman, Kimmerer shows how other living beings—asters and goldenrod, strawberries and squash, salamanders, algae, and sweetgrass—offer us gifts and lessons, even if we’ve forgotten how to hear their voices. In reflections that range from the creation of Turtle Island to the forces that threaten its flourishing today, she circles toward a central argument: that the awakening of ecological consciousness requires the acknowledgment and celebration of our reciprocal relationship with the rest of the living world. For only when we can hear the languages of other beings will we be capable of understanding the generosity of the earth, and learn to give our own gifts in return.
Thank You for Listening
Published: August 2, 2022
Audiobook narrator and author Julia Whelan has written a love story starring an audiobook narrator who falls in love with her co-narrator (whom she happens to have history with). I’m midway through this audiobook and it has plenty of banter and interesting musings on the audiobook industry.
The Anthropocene Reviewed
Published: May 18, 2021
The Anthropocene is the current geologic age, in which humans have profoundly reshaped the planet and its biodiversity. In this remarkable symphony of essays adapted and expanded from his groundbreaking podcast, bestselling author John Green reviews different facets of the human-centered planet on a five-star scale—from the QWERTY keyboard and sunsets to Canada geese and Penguins of Madagascar.
The Covenant of Water
Published: May 2, 2023
Spanning the years 1900 to 1977, The Covenant of Water is set in Kerala, on South India’s Malabar Coast, and follows three generations of a family that suffers a peculiar affliction: in every generation, at least one person dies by drowning—and in Kerala, water is everywhere. At the turn of the century, a twelve-year-old girl from Kerala’s long-existing Christian community, grieving the death of her father, is sent by boat to her wedding, where she will meet her forty-year-old husband for the first time. From this unforgettable new beginning, the young girl—and future matriarch, known as Big Ammachi—will witness unthinkable changes over the span of her extraordinary life, full of joy and triumph as well as hardship and loss, her faith and love the only constants.
There they are: 20 great audiobooks narrated by the author! Which of these audiobooks have you enjoyed? What did I miss?
More Audiobook Recommendations
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I don’t listen to many audio books but it would be fun to listen to the author read their book. Thanks for this collection!