Audio

The best audiobooks of the season span fiction, mystery, horror, romance, SFF, and a range of nonfiction.

The mystery listens not to miss.

Romance listens not to miss.

SFF listens not to miss.

A horror listen not to miss.

Together with the Audio Publishers Association (APA), in September 2024 Library Journal and School Library Journal fielded a survey about audiobooks in the United States’ public libraries. Nearly 500 librarian respondents provided insight into audio format demand, budgeting, licensing terms, and selection influences.

The demand for audiobooks continues to grow year-over-year. Publishers are responding to consumers’ ever-increasing audiobooks appetite by looking beyond the latest front-list titles to expand catalogs and production in creative ways.

LJ talks with playwright, actor, and Audie Award– and multiple-time Earphones Award–winning audiobook narrator Dominic Hoffman to learn more about the process of storytelling and how he crafted his voice and style.

The year in audio celebrates stories that prove as timeless as Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and as modern as Kaveh Akbar’s Martyr!, each a testament to the pure joy of being read a story.