The Best Audiobooks of March 2025

Fans of #1 New York Times bestselling author Brandon Sanderson, creator of many science fiction and fantasy series that take place in the fictional Cosmere universe, know that he completed four “secret projects” during the COVID-19 pandemic. This is one of those much-heralded surprise novels, now produced by GraphicAudio as a dramatized adaptation with a large cast, music, and sound effects. If you haven’t dipped into Sanderson’s vast output before, this is a good starting point because it stands on its own as a complete story about a man trying to escape from sunlight that’s deadly and his sordid past.  

We return to the dystopian country of Panem in this unexpected fifth book in Suzanne Collins’s Hunger Games series. The Fiftieth Annual Hunger Games are about to begin, and the focus is on Haymitch Abernathy, who decades later will become mentor and nemesis to Katniss and Peeta. Actor Jefferson White, who starred in the TV series Yellowstone, reads his very first audiobook with the combination of tenacity, fear, sadness, and resilience that the character of young Haymitch requires.  

It must be daunting to take on a Wicked prequel after the iconic star turns of Tony Award winner Idina Menzel and Academy Award nominee Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba. But Golden Voice narrator Eduardo Ballerini delivers a confident and sensitive narration in storytelling wizard Gregory Maguire’s look backwards at the child, Elphie, and the people and experiences that influenced her destiny to become the Wicked Witch of the West.   

Calvin and Sadie escape to a cozy cabin in the mountains just before their first child is due to relax before their busy and hope-filled future begins. But this is a Kiersten Modglin book, so things take a horrifying turn. Modglin writes another taut psychological thriller, which we started and finished in one afternoon. Versatile award-winning narrators Abigail Reno and Jay Myers play the couple with the emotional intensity that the story’s many twists and turns demand.  

Three authors and three narrators give us a fresh take on the classic Little Women with The Other March Sisters. By leaving Louisa May Alcott’s lead sister, Jo, completely in the background, Meg, Beth, and Amy move beyond stereotypes to fuller characters with fuller storylines than in the original. Each narrator connects naturally and believably with “her” sister, bringing vibrancy to all three and contemporary perspectives to the book’s themes of challenging society’s rigid expectations, personal ambition, motherhood, love and marriage, and sisterhood.  

Gem Carmella is new to us as an audiobook narrator, but we are ready to start her fan club. Her work in this poignant fairy tale, the solo debut of New York Times bestselling author Amal El-Mohtar, is laden with magic seemingly bestowed by fairies themselves. Her voice is imbued with a gritty yet beautiful sadness, which is perfectly matched to the story of two sisters who cannot be separated, even in death. Making this even more of a must-listen is music performed by the author and her sister on harp, flute, and vocals, as well as songs sung by Carmella. Do not miss this one!  

This is Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Tori Amos’s first children’s book, which she also reads. She has said her inspiration was wanting to give kids a way to leave screens behind in search of their own imagination: “For me, the muses allowed me to escape the concrete boundaries that confined me and enabled me to find a place where I could create without fear of judgment. The muses are there for everyone should you ever wish to look and trust me here.” Amos also released a new companion album, “The Music of Tori and the Muses,” which is currently available on music streaming platforms.  

Popular author and prolific online content creator John Green recently spoke for over five minutes on his social media platforms about his respect and love for audiobooks. Thank you, John; we agree! In this nonfiction offering, Green narrates his own heavily researched book about the scourge of tuberculosis, weaving in the personal story of Henry, a young boy from Sierra Leone fighting this curable disease, which mostly affects the world’s most impoverished communities. Part science, part history, part real-life story, part advocacy for global health care reform, this is Green empowering us through knowledge about how we can play a role in enacting positive social change.  

Only available in the audiobook format, Lights On is an audio documentary that explores the unknown corners of consciousness and the cosmos. A journalist who specializes in neuroscience and physics, Harris makes a complex subject highly accessible by structuring it as a Q&A with other deep thinkers in the fields of science and philosophy. A soothing soundscape adds to the easy listening experience about something almost unfathomable. Well-known author and psychologist Adam Grant raves, “You’ll never think about what happens between your ears in the same way again.”  

Born in 1941, legendary singer, songwriter, and activist Joan Baez is still finding ways to create and motivate. This is a deeply personal poetry collection, and the audiobook includes six poems not available elsewhere. Judy Collins and Bob Dylan make an appearance, as do family, friends, and moments from her amazing life that have made the biggest impact on her. Best of all, the poet reads her own words. After listening to this, you also may want to enjoy some of her iconic music to complete your personal time with Joan.  

Phil Hanley is a Canadian stand-up comedian and actor. When he was in first grade, he realized that he was different from his friends and classmates in a significant way: he couldn’t read. Being dyslexic has affected many aspects of Hanley’s life ever since. Here, he writes and narrates with humor, heartbreak, humility, and gratitude about how he successfully adapted to dyslexia and uses it as an inspiration.   

Even the most creatively accomplished amongst us sometimes have bad ideas. But we’re going to guess with a high level of certainty that none of your sub-par ideas reach the same level of horrific as The Star Wars Holiday Special, which is just one of many poorly received works of television “art” that Bruce Vilanch recounts in his laugh-out-loud narration of his career misfires. Vilanch can make fun of himself because of the many accomplishments in his background, too, working with the likes of Johnny Carson, Bette Midler, Lily Tomlin, Billy Crystal, and many more. So, you’re forgiven when you can’t believe how truly bad his bad stuff is — because he can’t believe it either.  

Let’s be honest: even the best relationships go south sometimes, so we can all use tips on how to better communicate. Author and social media influencer Jefferson Fisher has many millions of fans and followers because he provides concrete suggestions for how to navigate all kinds of conversations using his three-part system: say it with control, say it with confidence, say it to connect. Listen to him walk you through each stage with relatable examples, and you’ll be ready to approach any situation as a more effective communicator.  

Author Laurie Woolover worked closely with two popular chefs/television personalities, Anthony Bourdain and Mario Batali, but in this self-narrated autobiography, she reveals her own turbulent story as a cook, food editor, and more in the cut-throat and male-dominated high-end food industry. She candidly speaks about her many tough roads, including addiction and mental health struggles, while never putting blame on anyone else. There is also humor, redemption, and happiness, making her story relatable to so many others.   

In How to Love Better, author Yung Pueblo is earnest, meditative, and poetic in introducing the theme that you need to know yourself better in order to love others better, which will then lead to personal growth and fulfillment. In one word, this book is heartfelt, and the reflections and advice seem more authentic and convincing when we hear the emotion Pueblo brings to his own words.