Books
Every year, the Audie Awards honor the best audiobooks the English language has to offer. George Saunders' Lincoln in the Bardo has won the 2018 Audie Award for Audiobook of the Year. It's just one of 29 audiobooks to win the 30 Audie Awards handed out this year, however, so keep reading to find out what other titles you should add to your listening queue.
One book was lucky enough to take home two Audie Awards this year, and it's one of the most lauded titles of the last year. Angie Thomas' The Hate U Give has won the 2018 Audie Awards for Best Female Narrator and Young Adult. That's no surprise, considering the novel won two 2017 Goodreads Choice Awards, and was nominated for the NAACP Image Award, the Carnegie Medal, and the National Book Award, among other honors.
As the 2018 Audiobook of the Year, Lincoln in the Bardo joins a stellar group of previous winners that includes Hamilton: The Revolution by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Jeremy McCarter, The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins, and Mandela: An Audio History by Nelson Mandela. You can view all of the previous winners on the Audio Publishers Association website.
Check out the 2018 Audie Award winners below, and share your favorite audiobooks with me on Twitter!
Audiobook of the Year: 'Lincoln in the Bardo' by George Saunders, read by Nick Offerman, David Sedaris, and George Saunders, among others
After the death of his young son Willie, President Lincoln journeys to his son's tomb to grieve over his corpse, unaware that the Oak Hill Cemetery is full of ghosts with plenty to say. The audiobook is narrated by 166 people, including Don Cheadle, Bill Hader, and Julianne Moore.
Audio Drama: 'Brother Francis: The Barefoot Saint of Assisi' by Paul McCusker, read by Joseph Timms, Owen Teale, and Geoffrey Palmer, among others
This 10-part audio drama recounts the life of Saint Francis of Assisi, who, according to Christian tradition, was the first person in history to receive the stigmata.
Autobiography/Memoir: 'Born to Run' by Bruce Springsteen, read by the author
Bruce Springsteen's Born to Run began with the singer-songwriter's effort to write about his experience performing at the 2009 Super Bowl halftime show. It blossomed into a 500-page autobiography that quickly became one of the most talked-about books of the year.
Best Female Narrator and Young Adult: 'The Hate U Give' by Angie Thomas, read by Bahni Turpin
Starr Carter doesn't live in a ritzy neighborhood like the other students at her majority-white prep school, and the differences between Starr and her classmates only become more apparent after she witnesses police kill her childhood best friend, Khalil. Now, Starr must choose between fighting for justice and keeping her school chums.
Best Male Narrator: 'Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood' by Trevor Noah, read by the author
Born in South Africa to a black mother and a white father, The Daily Show host Trevor Noah was forced to hide for much of his childhood, until the repeal of Apartheid in 1994. In Born a Crime, Noah recalls a childhood and adolescence spent navigating the complex social and political systems of his home country.
Business/Personal Development: 'Peak Performance' by Brad Stulberg and Steve Magness, read by Christopher Lane
Combining stories from major players in a variety of fields and disciplines, Peak Performance aims to help you achieve success by improving your cognitive function.
Erotica: 'Claim & Protect' by Rhenna Morgan, read by John Lane
The third entry in Rhenna Morgan's Haven Brotherhood series, Claim & Protect centers on sexy cowboy Trevor Raines, who must go to great lengths to save his new love interest, Natalie Jordan, from her ex.
Excellence in Design: 'In Death: Limited Collector's Edition' by J.D. Robb, designed by Carissa Dreese
The In Death: Limited Collector's Edition includes the 45 novels in J.D. Robb's In Death series, plus 11 additional novellas focused on NYPSD Lieutenant Eve Dallas.
Excellence in Marketing: Transform Your Commute Campaign by Penguin Random House Audio
Last summer, Penguin Random House Audio's Transform Your Commute campaign offered free audiobook downloads to New York City commuters.
Excellence in Production: 'Sherlock Holmes' by Arthur Conan Doyle and Stephen Fry, read by Stephen Fry
From Sherlock Holmes actor Stephen Fry comes this collection of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's famous detective stories, which feature introductions from the narrator.
Fantasy: 'The Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter' by Theodora Goss, read by Kate Reading
Following the death of her mother, the newly orphaned Mary Jekyll begins to track down Diana Hyde, the daughter of Mary's late father's friend. The trail leads her to three other women — Catherine Moreau, Beatrice Rappaccini, and Justine Frankenstein — whose fathers, like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, were once involved in the scientific community.
Fiction: 'Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine' by Gail Honeyman, read by Cathleen McCarron
Eleanor Oliphant doesn't have friends, but that changes when she and Raymond, a similarly socially compromised individual, meet up and save an elderly man named Sammy. Together, these three, lonely people blaze new trails in their lives, emboldened by newfound friendship.
History/Biography: 'Loving Vs. Virginia' by Patricia Hruby Powell, read by Adenrele Ojo and MacLeod Andrews
This work of nonfiction traces the history of Loving v. Virginia, the landmark Supreme Court case that legalized interracial marriage in the U.S. in 1967.
Humor: 'Carpet Diem: Or . . . How to Save the World by Accident' by Justin Lee Anderson, read by Matthew Lloyd Davies
When a bet between God and the Devil upsets his carefully ordered life, Simon must leave home and venture out into a world he has shunned since losing his family more than a decade ago.
Inspirational/Faith-Based Fiction: 'Catching the Wind' by Melanie Dobson, read by Nancy Peterson
More than 70 years after he made his way from Germany to England while fleeing the Gestapo, Daniel Knight is still looking for Brigitte Berthold, the girl who made the journey with him. With a team that includes his lawyer and an American journalist, Daniel is more hopeful than ever that he'll find his old friend, but what they discover will change their lives forever.
Inspirational/Faith-Based Non-Fiction: 'Fire Road: The Napalm Girl's Journey through the Horrors of War to Faith, Forgiveness, and Peace' by Kim Phuc Phan Thi, read by Emily Woo Zeller
Immortalized on film as a nine-year-old girl fleeing the firebombing of her home, Kim Phuc Phan Thi writes about her spiritual journey in Fire Road.
Literary Fiction & Classics: 'House of Names' by Colm Tóibín, read by Juliet Stevenson, Charlie Anson, and Pippa Nixon
Three years after he sacrificed his eldest daughter in exchange for a military victory at Troy, Agamemnon returns home to find his family crumbling in the wake of his unthinkable crime.
Middle Grade: 'See You in the Cosmos' by Jack Cheng, read by Kivlighan de Montebello, Brittany Pressley, and Michael Crouch, among others
Carl Sagan-obsessed preteen Alex Petroski wants to launch his iPod into space as a tribute to the Golden Record, but for now he'll have to be content with tracking its movements as it moves with Alex and his troubled mother across the U.S.
Multi-Voiced Performance: 'Restart' by Gordon Korman, read by Jonathan Todd Ross, Laura Knight Keating, Ramon de Ocampo, Andy Paris, Suzy Jackson, Graham Halstead, and John Kroft
This middle grades novel centers on Chase, a young boy who must recover from total amnesia brought on by a significant blow to the head. He's forgotten everything, including his own name, so how can he ever hope to reclaim who he was, or who he was meant to be?
Mystery: 'The Girl Who Takes an Eye for an Eye' by David Lagercrantz, read by Simon Vance
The fifth book in the Millennium series, The Girl Who Takes an Eye for an Eye follows ace hacker and total badass Lisbeth Salander into a women's prison, where she is serving two months for her extreme rescue of a young boy. With the help of Michael Blomkvist, who visits every week, Salander begins to unravel the truth about her convoluted past.
Narration by the Author: 'Norse Mythology' by Neil Gaiman
Master storyteller Neil Gaiman tackles the legends of Odin, Thor, and Loki in Norse Mythology, which should definitely be atop your TBR if you haven't already read it.
Non-Fiction: 'American Wolf: A True Story of Survival and Obsession in the West' by Nate Blakeslee, read by Mark Bramhall
Have you ever read the biography of a wolf? In American Wolf, Nate Blakeslee tells the story of O-Six, the alpha female of Yellowstone's wolfpack.
Original Work: 'Romeo and Juliet: A Novel' by David Hewson, read by Richard Armitage
This Audible exclusive retells Shakespeare's most famous love story, reframing it as Juliet Capulet's search for her own identity in a time and place where women and girls have little personal value.
Paranormal: 'Curse on the Land' by Faith Hunter, read by Khristine Hvam
The second Soulwood novel, Faith Hunter's Curse on the Land centers on Nell Ingram, a PsyLED agent whose connection to the natural world tells her that something is gravely amiss in the woods she calls home.
Romance: 'The Duchess Deal' by Tessa Dare, read by Mary Jane Wells
The Duke of Ashbury needs an heir, but he isn't particularly interested in being married. His quick marriage to a vicar's daughter comes with plenty of rules from both sides, but can Emma Gladstone break through Ashbury's tough exterior?
Science Fiction: 'Provenance' by Ann Leckie, read by Adjoa Andoh
Ann Leckie's Hugo Award-nominated standalone novel follows a young woman who must restore her family to its former position of prestige, but who needs the help of the man who brought them down in order to do so.
Short Stories/Collections: 'The Language of Thorns: Midnight Tales and Dangerous Magic' by Leigh Bardugo, read by Lauren Fortgang
Set in Leigh Bardugo's Grishaverse, The Language of Thorns takes readers on a journey through the mythology underpinning the author's bestselling novels, including Shadow and Bone and Siege and Storm.
Thriller/Suspense: 'The Fourth Monkey' by J.D. Barker, read by Edoardo Ballerini and Graham Winton
The first installment of J.D. Barker's 4MK Thriller series, The Fourth Monkey explores the aftermath of serial killer's death, which has a lead detective searching for one final victim, who may have survived the murderer.
Young Listeners: 'Trombone Shorty' by Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews, read by Dion Graham
Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews headed his own band by the time he was six years old. In Trombone Shorty, Andrews tells the story of his rise to stardom.
