Opinion
The best Booker audiobooks to curl up with this winter, chosen by you
We asked you to tell us which audiobooks of Booker-nominated novels are your all-time-favourites to listen to in winter. This is your top 20
Flashlight by Susan Choi
A thrilling, globe-spanning novel that mines questions of memory, language, identity and family, shortlisted for the Booker Prize 2025.
‘Listening to the narrator [Eunice Wong] gently unfurl the masterpiece of Susan Choi’s Flashlight was a treat I savoured over our many hours together. Her steady, clear warmth leant soul to a sometimes bleak narrative, like a sure hand guiding the way, a companion for listeners on our journey with Louisa, Anne and Serk. Her subtle voices and tones added depth to an already vivid, layered story. Flashlight is the perfect listen on cosy winter days when your mind wants to wander and discover just how wide the world outside can be. Loved Flashlight and loved listening’ – Jacob Orlando, Substack
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Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk, translated by Antonia Lloyd-Jones
A subversive, entertaining neo-noir that’s both gripping and thought-provoking, shortlisted for the International Booker Prize 2019.
‘This autumn I’ve been returning to Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk. The audiobook, read by Beata Poźniak, is excellent – tender, unsettling, funny. It’s the perfect companion for dark evenings’ – Kristine Benoit de Bykhovetz, Substack
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The Story of the Lost Child by Elena Ferrante, translated by Ann Goldstein
A searingly honest chronicle of a lifelong female friendship, set against the backdrop of a seductive and perilous Naples, shortlisted for the International Booker Prize in 2016.
‘Solenoid, Audition, Septology… but my favourite is Elena Ferrante’s, The Story of the Lost Child [narrated by Hillary Huber]. There is nothing better than a comfy chair, warm blanket, hot tea, and a good audiobook in winter. I’m in Central Texas, so winter is mostly cranking the AC and dreaming it’s cosy season’ – Monica Becerra, Substack
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The Overstory by Richard Powers
Nine strangers are each summoned in different ways by the natural world to save it from catastrophe, in a radical and remarkable novel shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 2018.
‘Suzanne Toren’s narration of Richard Powers’ 2018 shortlisted The Overstory continues to captivate me. Though I listened to it over the course of a summer while walking and running through a wooded park in Missouri, it is just as fitting for winter while huddled near a fireplace, trimming a Christmas tree, or those simply “stopping by woods on a snowy evening.” I have returned to it again this year and plan to make it an annual tradition. Toren’s interpretation of each character and the book’s intertwined narratives breathes even more vibrancy into Powers’ prose (if that’s possible) and assumes an almost sacred quality’ – Anthony, Substack
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Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders
A startlingly original novel – narrated by a chorus of voices – exploring death, grief and the possibilities of life, winner of the Booker Prize 2017.
‘One of my favourite audiobooks ever is Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders. The novel has 166 characters and the audiobooks really brings the story to life [with multiple narrators including Nick Offerman, David Sedaris, George Saunders, Carrie Brownstein, Miranda July and Lena Dunham]. It’s the only audiobook that is possibly better than the printed book’ – Cheryl Mathieu, Substack
‘Lincoln in the Bardo. Two completely unique experiences: one the brilliant audio performances and the other in the words on the page. Both stunning’ – Gingia, Substack
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The Testaments by Margaret Atwood
The spellbinding sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale featuring the explosive testaments of three female narrators from Gilead, and the joint winner of the Booker Prize 2019.
‘The Testaments! While I started reading it as an eBook, I quickly downloaded the audiobook from the library because my reading pace could not keep up with my desire to find out what was going to happen next. It has a stellar cast, including Ann Dowd as Aunt Lydia, Bryce Dallas Howard as Agnes and Mae Whitman as Daisy. While all did solid work bringing the characters to life, it was Dowd, who also portrays Lydia on screen, that delivered a chilling and nuanced performance, cementing her as the definitive embodiment of the character. While The Testaments lacks some of the sharp edges of its predecessor, it more than compensates with entertainment value’ – Please Read It To Me, Substack
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Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart
A blistering and heart-breaking exploration of the unsinkable love that only children can have for their damaged parents, winner of the Booker Prize 2020.
‘Shuggie Bain! I, personally, find audiobooks with a lot of characters or that jump around in time to be too difficult to follow without seeing the printed word. Shuggie Bain [narrated by Angus King] was an intimate and ultimately endearing, if painfully tragic at times, audio companion – perfect for the audio medium. And the Scottish English accent… *swoon*… (I’m American)’ – Sarah, Substack
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Milkman by Anna Burns
A tale of gossip and hearsay, silence and deliberate ignorance, and the enormous consequences of inaction, winner of the Booker Prize 2018.
‘Milkman, read by Bríd Brennan, is my favourite audiobook ever. Have read the book once and listened twice. It’s a great book and a great rendition. Belfast humour delivered so precisely, knife sharp’ – Roxy, Substack
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The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton
A fiendishly clever novel that’s both a ghost story and a gripping mystery, richly evoking a mid-19th century world of goldrush boom and bust, and winner of the Booker Prize 2013.
‘The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton, narrated by Mark Meadows, is so good! There are so many voices in this complex book and Meadows is such a skilled narrator that it’s easy to follow who is speaking. I have listened to this book many times. Highly recommend’ – Vicki Madden, Substack
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Seascraper by Benjamin Wood
A mesmerising portrait of a young man confined by his class and the ghosts of his family’s past, dreaming of artistic fulfilment, longlisted for the Booker Prize 2025.
‘I really enjoyed listening to Seascraper [narrated by the author, Benjamin Wood]. The added production value of the song and the sounds of the waves greatly increased my enjoyment of the book. It’s one of the only audiobooks I listened to at 1x speed instead of faster, and I enjoyed the slow pace’ – Kendall, Substack
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Orbital by Samantha Harvey
Chronicling the lives of six astronauts aboard the International Space Station, who circle Earth 16 times over the course of a single day, Samantha Harvey’s slim novel is concerned with the beauty and fragility of life. It won the Booker Prize in 2024.
‘I am nominating the audiobook of Orbital by Samantha Harvey, the 2024 Booker Prize recipient. It is read beautifully by Sarah Naudi. Orbital challenges our big ideas and shows, not tells the magnificent choice to change our minds about deeply held beliefs about our lives and our deaths… It is such a beautiful book to be read to us out loud. This book by this author, with these words, read by this narrator is just stunning. It is transformative’ – Jaime Glasser, Substack
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The Sea, the Sea by Iris Murdoch
In a riveting chronicle of strange events and unexpected visitors – some real, some spectral – Iris Murdoch turns her microscopic gaze on vanity and obsession. Her 19th novel, it won the Booker Prize in 1978.
‘The Sea, the Sea by Iris Murdoch, read by Richard E. Grant, is an absolute comfort listen’ – Hannah Jackson Shekhawat, Substack
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The Bee Sting by Paul Murray
A patch of ice on the road, a casual favour to a charming stranger, a bee caught beneath a bridal veil – can a single moment of bad luck change the direction of a life? A brilliant, tragicomic saga, shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 2023.
‘The Bee Sting (Paul Murray). The Irish accents for each character gave this audiobook a richness I haven’t experienced before. From Cassie’s opening narration to Imelda’s accent – which subtly reveals her rough, complicated upbringing – every performance pulled me deeper in… Of all the Booker nominees I’ve listened to, this one stands out the most’ – Jordan Rosenberg, Substack
‘Listening to The Bee Sting by Paul Murray [narrated by Heather O’Sullivan, Barry Fitzgerald, Beau Holland, Ciaran O’Brien and Lisa Caruccio Came] kept me captivated while walking many miles. But the ending literally stopped me in my tracks, thankfully not in traffic. What a fantastic book and listen’ – Lisa Tanen-La Fontaine, Substack
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The Sellout by Paul Beatty
A biting satire about a young man’s isolated upbringing and the race trial that sends him to the Supreme Court, winner of the Booker Prize 2016.
‘The Sellout by Paul Beatty! The comedic timing of Prentice Onayemi’s performance is brilliant’ – Kat Lewis, Substack
‘The Sellout by Paul Beatty is a brilliant audiobook. The narrator is one of the best I’ve heard, he’s funny but with gravitas’ – Amani Hope, Substack
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A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James
In a dazzling display of masterful storytelling, Marlon James explores the extraordinary backstory to the attempted assassination of Bob Marley. Winner of the Booker Prize 2015.
‘A Brief History of Seven Killings – Marlon James. The atmosphere created by the different voice actors was incredible!’ – Bridget Greer, Substack
‘A Brief History of Seven Killings – Marlon James cast the voice actors [including Robertson Dean, Cherise Boothe, Dwight Bacquie, Ryan Anderson, Jonathan McClain, Robert Younis and Thom Rivera], so their performances add a powerful dimension to the storytelling’ – Adam, Substack
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The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai
A spellbinding story of two young people whose fates intersect and diverge across continents and years – an epic of love and family, India and America, tradition and modernity, shortlisted for the Booker Prize 2025.
‘Completely immersed in Kiran Desai’s The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny, at the moment, beautifully narrated by Sneha Mathan. The pace and inflection are on point, in eight hours out of 25 and I started yesterday’ – Sanjita Majumder, Substack
‘The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai, narrated by Sneha Mathan. Fantastic novel, superbly narrated. I can’t stop listening to it!’ – Anna, Substack
‘From this year’s shortlist… I loved listening to The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai. The vivid imagery was truly brought to life in the narration’ – Vinod Viswanath, Substack
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James by Percival Everett
A profound meditation on identity, belonging and the sacrifices we make to protect the ones we love, which reimagines Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, shortlisted for the Booker Prize 2024.
‘James. Superbly narrated [by Dominic Hoffman], this audiobook painted vivid scenes and wove wry humour into the story without overdramatising. I listened twice, several months apart. A work of art!’ – Mopatk, Substack
‘Percival Everett, James: I held out on this one, afraid it was overhyped and I’d be jumping on a bandwagon. A bandwagon, perhaps, but it’s well deserving of the attention and acclaim. Dominic Hoffman (one of my favourite narrators to listen to) does a superb job capturing the humour and the macabre denouement’ – Ryan Knight, Substack
‘James by Percival Everett is my favourite audio Booker-listed novel. Listening to this novel gave voice and texture and a richness to the novel I don’t think I would have experienced by reading it alone. It sunk me into the narrative so much so that I can still hear the echoes of Jim’s voice resonating through time’ – Tiffany Plummer, Substack
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Love Forms by Claire Adam
In this heart-aching novel, a mother searches for the daughter she left behind a lifetime ago, longlisted for the Booker Prize 2025.
‘Love Forms, acted on audio by Melanie La Barrie, was pretty remarkable! It felt important to hear it all in a Caribbean voice’ – Scott Adams, Substack
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Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
A novel that peels back history to explore the rich intersection of individual psychology and wider politics in Tudor England. Winner of the Booker Prize 2009.
‘Ben Miles narrated the audiobooks for Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall trilogy, which includes Wolf Hall, Bring Up the Bodies, and The Mirror and the Light. He was chosen by the author and previously played Thomas Cromwell in the stage adaptation of the books, giving him a deep understanding of the character and story’ – Wolf Hall Weekend, Substack
‘I’ve just spent a little over 27 hours listening to Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall Trilogy. Thoroughly recommend the engagement for slowing down and immersing yourself in a short period of Tudor history’ – WAYS OF SEEING, Substack
‘I loved the audiobook to Hilary Mantel’s novel Wolf Hall. All of the characters were brilliantly acted and the intrinsic excellence of the novel was brilliantly conveyed. Unforgettable’ – Bryan O’Flyn, Substack
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Stone Yard Devotional by Charlotte Wood
A fearless exploration of forgiveness, grief and female friendship, shortlisted for the Booker Prize 2024.
‘I loved the audiobook of Stone Yard Devotional last year [narrated by Ailsa Piper]. Lifted it off the page for me’ – Jude Machin, Substack
‘Stone Yard Devotional is a ravishing audiobook. Also, The Land in Winter [narrated by the author, Andrew Miller] and The Quickening Maze [narrated by Colin Moody]. I love how the readers perform every word, and I find it a richer experience than the eye/brain sweeping phrases up at a gulp, in print books. An argument to be made for this, at least. A strong argument’ – Merry Benezra, Substack
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Huge thanks to all our newsletter subscribers and Substack followers for sharing their winter listening recommendations. There were so many we didn’t have room to include them all here and others we had to abridge to fit. Want to subscribe to our newsletter? Sign up here or find us on Substack.
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