The Best Audiobooks of January 2026

Perfect on the screen, the Newmans have played curated versions of themselves for decades, but as their off-screen lives begin to unravel, ratings plummet, and 1960s television may never be the same again. Perfect for fans of Lessons in Chemistry and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, this is an introspective story of the dual lives we all live when the “cameras” are off—or on. Audie Award-winning narrator Marin Ireland and Earphones Award-winning narrator Tim Campbell give performances deserving of an Emmy. 

Two unlikely allies, one house full of secrets — in a world teetering on the brink of a suspected apocalypse, a resident of a well-protected mansion is found dead. Thrills, humor, and suspense unfold in this locked-room mystery. Read by Earphones Award-winning narrator Joe Jameson and English actor Derek Jacobi, this audiobook features light sound effects to enhance the listening experience.  

Jennette McCurdy, author of her best-selling memoir, I’m Glad My Mom Died, is back with a debut adult novel. Half His Age is a raw exploration of loneliness and desire told through the eyes of a teenager struggling to uncover her true self and claim her future. Could an entanglement with a teacher who’s unhappy with his own life prove this age-old cliche wrong and offer her the support and love she craves? McCurdy delivers a harrowing performance that betrays extraordinarily little emotion, which surprisingly reveals everything you need to know about 17-year-old Waldo both above and beneath the surface.  

Laura Dave returns with an edge-of-your-seat sequel to her mega-bestseller, The Last Thing He Told Me. Picking up five years later, Hannah and her stepdaughter have settled into a new life. But when Owen reappears, Hannah and Bailey must go on the run. And could there be a second chance for her and Owen? The first book’s narrator, Rebecca Lowman, returns and is now joined by three other talented voices, resulting in a tenser, tighter, and more exhilarating listening experience. 

Historic shipwrecks have become a nonfiction fad! If you are an admirer of the marriage of indefatigable research re-told as a narrative storyline, such as modeled in 2023’s The Wager or 2025’s The Zorg, this is unquestionably your 2026 shipwreck fix. From the author of Madhouse at the End of the Earth, another action-packed survival story of an early expedition on an ill-fated ship, this is a gripping quest to recover one of the Spanish Empire’s lost treasures. Narrator Vikas Adam was recently honored as a Golden Voice, AudioFile Magazine’s lifetime achievement honor for “the best of the best” audiobook narrators.  

With more than 20 narrators, it is a gross understatement to label this narration as a “full cast.” Yes, very full and very good, and the crowd includes author George Saunders himself. Booker Prize-winning Saunders (for Lincoln in the Bardo) returns with an imaginative new story about the pivotal moment between life and death. Jill “Doll” Blaine accompanies the dying as they transition to the afterlife—but her latest assignment forces her to reckon with the fragility of humanity. This is as innovative and thought-provoking as any Saunders. 

A brand-new novel from a cult-favorite author known for his unconventional work, and we are excited to have it available in audiobook! With Audie Award-winning narrator Susan Dalian at the helm, Tom’s Crossing is as epic and visceral as you would expect a Western story to be and is what we have come to expect from Danielewski’s writing. With the hardcover coming in at over 1,000 pages, be sure to grab the audiobook so you can enjoy it whenever the opportunity arises and wherever the open plains take you. 

Taking us back to the beginning, when Special Agent Pendergast was a brand-new junior FBI agent, we learn the origins of his unorthodox methods that have made Pendergast a household name. Fans are sure to delight in Audie Award-winning narrator Jefferson Mays, back for this next installment—or really, the beginning. 

Homeschooled is a natural progression in the conversation started by Tara Westover’s Educated but told with the heart and wit of David Sedaris and Jennette McCurdy. A painful personal account of how one homeschooled kid fell through the cracks, this is primarily a portrait of a mother-son relationship: a son so beloved to the point of neglect by an adoring yet disturbed mother. The power of the narration is summed up by The Washington Post: “[Author Stefan Merrill] Block succeeds at the near-impossible task of narrating from a child’s perspective without sounding like an adult in miniature.”