The Best Audiobooks of October

Brené Brown returns with strategies to inspire and lead others who strive for greatness. By tapping into the resilience of the human spirit, Brown uses her renowned wisdom to provide an accessible template for navigating life’s uncertainties with confidence. Brown is a popular podcaster and has more than 6 million followers on social media, so it would only be surprising if she did not narrate this. Of course, she does, and she integrates her own POV with deep dives into the work of others, such as psychologist/author Adam Grant and soccer star turned motivational speaker/author Abby Wambach. Extra special are thought-provoking poems read by guest narrators. 

Hollywood glitz and glam take on a murderous sheen in Stephanie Garber’s gripping adult debut. This blend of science fiction and fantasy is read by Tony Award-winning musical theater star, Sutton Foster. Booklist raves, “Foster’s evocative and consistent tone throws the reader a lifeline amid a multitude of uncanny characters and mind-bending plots as Garber twists and turns the narrative at every corner.”  

Oh, boy, did we get overly excited when it was confirmed that the iconic Michael J. Fox is reading Future Boy, the poignant, heartfelt, and funny memoir about one of the most chaotic but rewarding years in his life. This is a guided behind-the-scenes tour of his two most well-known roles, which he performed at the same time in 1985! How???? Featuring outside sources and Fox’s own reflections, this is an insightful dive into movie-making, legendary television, and a beloved and much-admired actor, who, thanks to his screen work, will always be part of our own memories and hopes for the future. 

Louise Penny fans, rejoice! The 20th installment in the award-winning series picks up right where we left off in The Grey Wolf. Sharp, sly, and complex, this is one of Penny’s most clever chapters in the life and career of Chief Inspector Armand Gamache. Earphones Award winner Jean Brassard is masterful at capturing all the accents and personalities behind them, gifting listeners with an extra layer of enjoyment beyond the story itself. 

Last summer in Catherine Newman’s Sandwich, we fell in love with middle-aged Rocky, who incessantly questioned past choices and future paths as she vacationed with her family on Cape Cod. When Rocky’s summer and the novel ended simultaneously, we wondered, “What happened to them all?” Now we get to find out as we join Rocky, Nick, Willa, and Mort at home two years later. Helen Laser, an Earphones Award winner for R.F. Kuang’s Yellowface, picks up narrating duties and immediately settles in as a member of this highly relatable family. 

Ooh…isn’t Girl Dinner an evocative title? Use your imagination, and it could mean many different things. But then look at who the author is, Olivie Blake, and you immediately know it’s going to be smart, surprising, pointed, and decadent. Bestselling author TJ Klune sums it up: “Bracing and darkly funny, [this novel] is filled with the fire of feminist rage that burns so good.” The two narrators are perfectly paired as two very different women—a college sophomore and a 30-something professor and new mom—who are yearning for a strong sense of belonging and who find out how far they’ll go to gain it. Our prediction: you’ll devour this! 

This is a combination we never predicted: with the heart of Nicholas Sparks and the twists of M. Night Shyamalan, Remain is a one-of-a-kind read. The audiobook adds an extra layer of magic with two Audie-winning narrators, Ari Fliakos and Julia Whelan, both at the top of their formidable talents here. We don’t know why you’d need any additional information to put this on your TBL, but we’ll give you a taste of the plot: Tate doesn’t believe in the old family myth that a chosen few can see spirits trapped in the realm of the living — until something rattles his world for good.  

Beloved and bestselling author Mitch Albom (Tuesdays with Morrie, The Five People You Meet in Heaven) is back with a captivating work of fiction about life, commitment, chance, and romance. Alfie Logan learns at a young age that he has the power to un-do and re-do moments—true second chances. But this unique ability also comes with a catch. This is a love story told by a weary man looking at his life backwards and wondering, as we all will do one day, how it all went by so quickly and if he made the right choices. Albom narrates with his familiar earnestness and warmth. 

John Grisham expands beyond the legal thriller to a clever whodunit in The Widow. This character-driven mystery revolves around a small-town attorney who gets caught up in a race to catch a killer and reclaim his own innocence. Narrator Michael Beck has narrated many of Grisham’s novels and handles the extra twists and turns outside of the courtroom with good pacing and creates a poignant portrait of a lawyer trying to remain confident in the legal system he believes in while all evidence points against him.   

The global phenomenon that is the Wimpy Kid hits another milestone with this 20^th book in the series. And there is no more appropriate way to celebrate than a Greg Heffley birthday party! Of course, things don’t go according to plan, which makes it a perfect listen for fans. Just don’t ask what the cake frosting is made from! Ramon de Ocampo has narrated the series from the beginning, so we send our thanks and applause for his spot-on voice work, making Greg and his friends jump out of the book’s pages so realistically for almost two decades.