Essays bestsellers

The Anthropocene Reviewed

Essays on a Human-Centered Planet

By: John Green
Narrated by: John Green
Length: 10 hours 42 minutes

“A beautiful collection of essays written about humans on our funny little planet. John Green tells stories from his life and connects them to bigger ideas that make you stop and think as you’re reading. This was the first audiobook I ever read on Libro.Fm, and it was a great starting point to get me hooked on nonfiction again! Read more

The Message

By: Ta-Nehisi Coates
Narrated by: Ta-Nehisi Coates
Length: 5 hours 20 minutes

“An unflinching and deeply personal musing on what nonfiction writing (particularly long-form journalism) can accomplish. What frames do we take with us as we travel in search of truth? How is the past reframed in the service of myth-making? How can it be understood in a fuller way? This book is worth reading for the Israel/Palestine chapter... Read more

Crying in H Mart

A Memoir

By: Michelle Zauner
Narrated by: Michelle Zauner
Length: 7 hours 22 minutes

“In Crying in H Mart Michelle Zauner goes into detail about her mothers cancer, the nights she spent next to her bed, the secrets she learned about her later on, the small yet wonderful moments she remembers with clarity, and of course the raw emotion that goes with losing a mother. I had gotten over halfway through when I fell asleep listening... Read more

Kitchen Confidential

Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly

By: Anthony Bourdain
Narrated by: Anthony Bourdain
Length: 8 hours 18 minutes

“If you want the raw, uncut version of Anthony Bourdain’s cooking life look no further! Kitchen Confidential documents the nitty gritty of the back of house - and how truly at home many cooks feel while sweating and yelling their way through 60+ hour workweeks. Anthony Bourdain is frank with his recount of his rise and fall throughout the ranks... Read more

The Harder I Fight the More I Love You

A Memoir

By: Neko Case
Narrated by: Neko Case
Length: 7 hours 1 minute

From a beloved Grammy-nominated musician, a "heartbreaking and funny" memoir of a poverty-stricken childhood, obsessive desires, and indispensable friendships that reflects on the way art and music and a deep connection to nature guided her journey towards stardom (Maggie Smith, NYT bestselling author of You Could Make This Place Beautiful). ... Read more

World Travel

An Irreverent Guide

By: Anthony Bourdain & Laurie Woolever
Narrated by: Laurie Woolever, Shep Gordon, Christopher Bourdain, Jen Agg, Matt Walsh, Bill Buford, Claude Tayag, Nari Kye, Vidya Balachander & Steve Albini
Length: 12 hours 11 minutes

“There are not words for how much I miss the voice of Anthony Bourdain. A new collection of his writings put together with Laurie Woolever (his assistant for 10 years) details his favorite places on earth and with notes on how to visit them. As we prepare to travel as safely as possible again, it's comforting to have Bourdain as my companion if... Read more

How Far the Light Reaches

A Life in Ten Sea Creatures

By: Sabrina Imbler
Narrated by: Sabrina Imbler
Length: 5 hours 40 minutes

“How Far the Light Reaches by Sabrina Imbler is badass. I never thought I'd walk away from a collection of essays about weird sea creatures with a more crystal-clear understanding of my own gender identity than I have had in years—but curious readers live to be surprised! In winding personal essay with science writing, Imbler gifts the reader... Read more

Broken (in the best possible way)

By: Jenny Lawson
Narrated by: Jenny Lawson
Length: 8 hours 18 minutes

“San Antonio author Jenny Lawson's newest collection was worth the wait! We have giggled over her previous book, FURIOUSLY HAPPY, many times here at the store. Now, we have BROKEN (IN THE BEST POSSIBLE WAY). Her hilarious, meandering life stories had me laughing in every chapter. Not only does she make comedy out of her (#relatable) social... Read more

All Creatures Great and Small

The Warm and Joyful Memoirs of the World's Most Beloved Animal Doctor

All Creatures Great and Small

By: James Herriot
Narrated by: Nicholas Ralph
Length: 15 hours 22 minutes

“The classic memoir of a young veterinarian who arrives in the remote Yorkshire Dales region in a changing era, post-WWI. Beautiful descriptions of farming life, workplace hi-jinx, small village society, and of course lovable, memorable animals. Read by the actor who plays James Herriot in the new adaptation on Masterpiece. I might be imagining... Read more

Y2K

How the 2000s Became Everything (Essays on the Future That Never Was)

By: Colette Shade
Narrated by: Eva Kaminsky
Length: 7 hours 46 minutes

“Nothing I’ve read has cut to the heart of the ’00s like Y2K.” — BustlePerfect for fans of Jia Tolentino and Chuck Klosterman, Y2K is a delightfully nostalgic and bitingly told exploration about how the early 2000s forever changed us and the world we live in.THE EARLY 2000s conjures images of inflatable furniture, flip phones, and low-rise... Read more

Happy-Go-Lucky

By: David Sedaris
Narrated by: David Sedaris
Length: 7 hours 30 minutes

“This was my first experience listening to David Sedaris. It was great. His stories are always smart and funny, sometimes disturbing, but always make me think. Wonderful to hear him tell them authentically. Read more

I Shouldn't Be Telling You This

(But I'm Going to Anyway)

By: Chelsea Devantez
Narrated by: Chelsea Devantez
Length: 8 hours 54 minutes

“I laughed, I cried, I googled things she told me not to. Chelsea Devantez is a hilarious gift to us all. Read more

I'm Laughing Because I'm Crying

A Memoir

By: Youngmi Mayer
Narrated by: Youngmi Mayer
Length: 8 hours 10 minutes

From standup comedian Youngmi Mayer, an unforgettable memoir written with “raw, enviable freedom that simply floors you,” interrogating whiteness, gender, and sexuality in America, navigating a tumultuous childhood in Korea and Saipan, and coming to terms with her parents’ shortcomings (Michelle Zauner).

“Do you know what happens if you laugh... Read more

Hijab Butch Blues

A Memoir

By: Lamya H
Narrated by: Ashraf Shirazi
Length: 7 hours 32 minutes

“This memoir absolutely blew me away. Structured around stories from the Qur'an, Lamya H beautifully explores the intersections between faith, identity, culture, and belonging. I learned so much while reading this book, and really valued Lamya's unique perspective on queerness and religion. Incredibly raw and honest, this is a memoir I will be... Read more

Quietly Hostile

Essays

By: Samantha Irby
Narrated by: Samantha Irby
Length: 9 hours 31 minutes

“The audiobook is absolutely stellar. Hearing the book in Irby's literal voice is a delightful way to enjoy her authorial voice. Funny, relatable, engaging, and rewarding. Read more

Calypso

By: David Sedaris
Narrated by: David Sedaris
Length: 6 hours 38 minutes

“Calypso by David Sedaris is laugh out loud hysterical in true Sedaris fashion. Listening to him read and deliver his stories is like listening to a stand-up comedian. This collection is fairly personal and many stories involve his family and their adventures in his North Carolinian beach house, aptly name the “Sea Section”. Sedaris manages to... Read more

Everything I Know About Love

A Memoir

By: Dolly Alderton
Narrated by: Dolly Alderton
Length: 8 hours 34 minutes

“The most uplifting memoir for the most confusing time of a person’s life. Reading this as someone in their early 20s, I never felt more reassured about life and its ever-changing moments. I found myself sending pictures to my friends of particularly heartbreaking realizations to which they’d respond, 'I need this book.' This memoir questions... Read more

The Memory Palace

True Short Stories of the Past

By: Nate DiMeo
Narrated by: Nate DiMeo, Jad Abumrad, Daniel Alarcón, Betsy Brandt, Carrie Coon, Hrishikesh Hirway, Dominic Hoffman, Rebecca Lowman, Roman Mars, Robin Miles, Ryan Reynolds, Kai Ryssdal, Lili Taylor & Full Cast
Length: 8 hours 41 minutes

Incredible true stories reveal strange new magic in American history in this wondrous first book from the creator of the award-winning podcast The Memory Palace.

“One doesn’t often find the words imagination and history in the same sentence. Nate DiMeo has forever woven them together. The Memory Palace wants you to linger, to stay awhile, and... Read more

Sitting Pretty

The View from My Ordinary, Resilient, Disabled Body

By: Rebekah Taussig
Narrated by: Rebekah Taussig
Length: 7 hours 33 minutes

A memoir-in-essays from disability advocate and creator of the Instagram account @sitting_pretty Rebekah Taussig, processing a lifetime of memories to paint a beautiful, nuanced portrait of a body that looks and moves differently than most.Growing up as a paralyzed girl during the 90s and early 2000s, Rebekah Taussig only saw disability depicted... Read more

Loving Corrections

Emergent Strategy Series: Book #12

By: adrienne maree brown
Narrated by: adrienne maree brown
Length: 6 hours 41 minutes

New York Times–bestselling author adrienne maree brown knows we need each other more than ever and offers a practice for holding collective power, righting wrongs, and generating true belonging. Ethical, pondering, and wondrous, adrienne maree brown’s Loving Corrections is a collection of love-based adjustments and reframes to grow our movements... Read more

We're Alone

Essays

By: Edwidge Danticat
Narrated by: Edwidge Danticat
Length: 4 hours 35 minutes

“Loved these smart essays by acclaimed author Edwidge Danticat. Read more

Want

Sexual Fantasies by Anonymous

By: Gillian Anderson
Narrated by: Anonymous & Gillian Anderson
Length: 11 hours 59 minutes

“A really thoughtful and moving exploration of sexuality, fantasy, and desire. This book is a collection of anonymous essays featuring true stories about women and nonbinary people. What do people have to say about sex when no one can hear? In what ways are feminine presenting people expected to perform in the bedroom? And what do they really... Read more

Wow, No Thank You.

Essays (Lambda Literary Award)

By: Samantha Irby
Narrated by: Samantha Irby
Length: 10 hours 3 minutes

A new rip-roaring essay collection from the smart, edgy, hilarious, unabashedly raunchy, and bestselling Samantha Irby.

Irby is forty, and increasingly uncomfortable in her own skin despite what Inspirational Instagram Infographics have promised her. She has left her job as a receptionist at a veterinary clinic, has published successful books and... Read more

I Might Regret This

Essays, Drawings, Vulnerabilities, and Other Stuff

By: Abbi Jacobson
Narrated by: Abbi Jacobson
Length: 6 hours 9 minutes

“Abbi Jacobson (of Broad City fame) set off on a solo road trip from New York City to Los Angeles in an impulsive attempt to shake off heartache from a breakup. This quietly introspective and sweetly self-deprecating essay collection brings readers along on Jacobson’s cross-country trek and shows us that we’re never too old to figure out who we... Read more

Little Weirds

By: Jenny Slate
Narrated by: Jenny Slate
Length: 4 hours 19 minutes

“Magical, delightful and amusing book of daydreams with a cupful of nonsense. Read more

All We Can Save

Truth, Courage, and Solutions for the Climate Crisis

By: Ayana Elizabeth Johnson & Katharine K. Wilkinson
Narrated by: Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, Katharine K. Wilkinson, Cristela Alonzo, Sophia Bush, Kimberly Drew, America Ferrera, Jane Fonda, Ilana Glazer, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Janet Mock, Bahni Turpin & Alfre Woodard
Length: 15 hours 5 minutes

“I wasn’t expecting this collection of essays and poetry from women on the frontlines of the climate movement to be so energizing and symphonic…My favorite contributors were a climate scientist who had to convince her husband that climate change was real, a Black church leader hosting community discussions, a student suffering from climate grief,... Read more

These Precious Days

Essays

By: Ann Patchett
Narrated by: Ann Patchett
Length: 11 hours 13 minutes

“I loved absolutely everything about this book and did not want it to end. Ann Patchett's narration is magical and I believe is best way to experience her writing. Though these are essays, they are expertly arranged and together feel like a memoir. Patchett talks about everything from life and death to bookstores and book covers and you... Read more

Leslie F*cking Jones

By: Leslie Jones
Narrated by: Leslie Jones & Chris Rock
Length: 16 hours 32 minutes

“The best thing about the book Leslie F*cking Jones is that it is read by...Leslie F*cking Jones. Her bluntness, humor, and authenticity shine through in this moving memoir that is both witty and poignant. Existing fans and new followers will be carried away by Jones' informal and raucous style, telling stories both heartfelt and hilarious that... Read more

Shit, Actually

The Definitive, 100% Objective Guide to Modern Cinema

By: Lindy West
Narrated by: Lindy West
Length: 7 hours 16 minutes

“I've read a few things by Lindy West, but they were all pretty serious subjects. This audiobook, narrated by West, had my cracking up at my desk. Of course it's perfect for movies you've already seen — I'll admit to liking Love Actually, but her scathing review was still enjoyable. Even movies I have never seen before and barely know the... Read more

Ten Steps to Nanette

A Memoir Situation

By: Hannah Gadsby
Narrated by: Hannah Gadsby
Length: 13 hours 47 minutes

“In 2017, at the height of the Me Too movement, Hannah Gadsby changed comedy as we know it with her groundbreaking show, Nanette. As a woman, as a lesbian, as a gender-nonconforming person, as a neuro-atypical person, as a victim of trauma, Gadsby mapped out a way forward for comedy that didn't make herself, and people like her, the butt of the... Read more

Vanishing Treasures

A Bestiary of Extraordinary Endangered Creatures

By: Katherine Rundell
Narrated by: Lenny Henry & Katherine Rundell
Length: 3 hours 18 minutes

“Full of fun facts and folklore, this little book packs a punch. The author tells you about the amazing animals we have on this planet, and how we should take care of them. Read more

How To Tell When We Will Die

On Pain, Disability, and Doom

By: Johanna Hedva
Narrated by: Johanna Hedva
Length: 15 hours 2 minutes

The long-awaited essay collection from one of the most influential voices in disability activism that detonates a bomb in our collective understanding of care and illness, showing us that sickness is a fact of life.   In the wake of the 2014 Ferguson riots, and sick with a chronic condition that rendered them housebound, Johanna Hedva turned to... Read more

The Best of Me

By: David Sedaris
Narrated by: David Sedaris
Length: 13 hours 8 minutes

“As if there is anything greater than a new David Sedaris, it's listening to David Sedaris read the new David Sedaris. This self-edited collection of essays from his prolific 25-year career is exactly what we need to boost the morale of 2020 and remind ourselves what a crazy world we've always lived in when viewed through Sedaris's keen... Read more

The Lord God Made Them All

All Creatures Great and Small

By: James Herriot
Narrated by: Nicholas Ralph
Length: 12 hours 2 minutes

**This program is read by Nicholas Ralph, star of the PBS Masterpiece series All Creatures Great and Small**

"Nicholas Ralph’s readings of Herriot’s stories are as comforting an experience as the show, and even more immersive." - The Houston Chronicle

Now available in unabridged CD format for the first time, The Lord God Made Them All is the... Read more

If You Can't Take the Heat

Tales of Food, Feminism, and Fury

By: Geraldine DeRuiter
Narrated by: Geraldine DeRuiter
Length: 9 hours 34 minutes

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • From the James Beard Award–winning blogger behind The Everywhereist come hilarious, searing essays on how food and cooking stoke the flames of her feminism.

“With charm and humor, Geraldine DeRuiter welcomes us into her personal history and thus reconnects us with ourselves.”—Mikki Kendall, New York Times bestselling author... Read more

Raw Dog

The Naked Truth About Hot Dogs

By: Jamie Loftus
Narrated by: Jamie Loftus
Length: 9 hours 38 minutes

“I know you've never actively wanted to know the history of the hot dog, but you should. Using the comfort food as a lens, Jamie Loftus examines all sorts of niche elements of societies and neighborhoods around the US and makes it eye opening, informative, and simply hilarious. Read more

All Things Wise and Wonderful

The Warm and Joyful Memoirs of the World's Most Beloved Animal Doctor

All Creatures Great and Small

By: James Herriot
Narrated by: Nicholas Ralph
Length: 16 hours 2 minutes

**This program is read by Nicholas Ralph, star of the PBS Masterpiece series**

"Add in the narration of Nicholas Ralph, and you have a first-rate audio experience. Ralph plays Herriot in the PBS series, but he does not simply bank on his star power. He narrates the stories with empathy and emotion. His skill with voices really sets this work... Read more

Women in the Kitchen

Twelve Essential Cookbook Writers Who Defined the Way We Eat, from 1661 to Today

By: Anne Willan
Narrated by: Imogen Church
Length: 5 hours 29 minutes

Culinary historian Anne Willan “has melded her passions for culinary history, writing, and teaching into her fascinating new book” (Chicago Tribune) that traces the origins of American cooking through profiles of twelve influential women—from Hannah Woolley in the mid-1600s to Fannie Farmer, Julia Child, and Alice Waters—whose recipes and ideas... Read more

A Very Punchable Face

A Memoir

By: Colin Jost
Narrated by: Colin Jost
Length: 7 hours 40 minutes

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • In these hilarious essays, the Saturday Night Live head writer and Weekend Update co-anchor learns how to take a beating.

“I always wanted to punch his face before I read this book. Now I just want to kick him in the balls.”—Larry David

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY Cosmopolitan • Vulture • Parade

If there’s... Read more

Landmarks

By: Robert Macfarlane
Narrated by: Roy McMillan
Length: 8 hours 50 minutes

Penguin presents the unabridged, downloadable audiobook edition of Landmarks by Robert Macfarlane, read by Roy McMillan

SHORTLISTED FOR THE SAMUEL JOHNSON PRIZE

SHORTLISTED FOR THE WAINWRIGHT PRIZE

From the bestselling author of UNDERLAND, THE OLD WAYS and THE LOST WORDS

'Few books give such a sense of enchantment; it is a book to give to many, and... Read more

On Tyranny

Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century

By: Timothy Snyder
Narrated by: Timothy Snyder
Length: 1 hour 47 minutes

“This pocket guide to preserving our freedoms and resisting authoritarianism, penned by Yale historian of fascism Timothy Snyder, takes lessons from the fall of democracies across Europe in the 20th Century, each posing a warning to us now in the 21st Century. A brief but mind blowing, eye-opening read that left me feeling sobered and empowered... Read more

Airplane Mode

An Irreverent History of Travel

By: Shahnaz Habib
Narrated by: Deepa Samuel
Length: 8 hours 46 minutes

Longlisted for the Andrew Carnegie Medals of Excellence



The conditions of travel have long been dictated by the color of passports and the color of skin.



The color of one's skin and passport have long dictated the conditions of travel. For Shahnaz Habib, travel and travel writing have always been complicated pleasures. Habib threads the history... Read more

On Being Jewish Now

Reflections from Authors and Advocates

By: Edited by Zibby Owens
Narrated by: Narrated by Zibby Owens and the Contributors
Length: 7 hours 42 minutes

A USA Today Bestseller An intimate and hopeful collection of meaningful, smart, funny, sad, emotional, and inspiring essays from today’s authors and advocates about what it means to be Jewish, how life has changed since the attacks on October 7th, 2023, and the unique culture that brings this group together. On October 7th, 2023, Jews in Israel... Read more

Turn Right at Machu Picchu

Rediscovering the Lost City One Step at a Time

By: Mark Adams
Narrated by: Andrew Garman
Length: 10 hours 9 minutes

What happens when an unadventurous adventure writer tries to re-create the original expedition to Machu Picchu? In 1911, Hiram Bingham III climbed into the Andes Mountains of Peru and "discovered" Machu Picchu. While history has recast Bingham as a villain who stole both priceless artifacts and credit for finding the great archeological site,... Read more

The Ultimate Hidden Truth of the World . . .

Essays

By: David Graeber
Narrated by: Jacques Servin & Savitri D
Length: 13 hours 54 minutes

Drawn from more than two decades of pathbreaking writing, the iconic and bestselling David Graeber's most important essays and interviews.

"The ultimate hidden truth of the world is that it is something that we make, and could just as easily make differently," wrote David Graeber. A renowned anthropologist, activist, and author of such classic... Read more

Yearbook

By: Seth Rogen
Narrated by: Seth Rogen & Full Cast
Length: 6 hours 13 minutes

“So funny. I couldn’t stop listening until I had heard all of his anecdotes. Loved it. Read more

Joyful Recollections of Trauma

By: Paul Scheer
Narrated by: Paul Scheer
Length: 6 hours 37 minutes

From award-winning actor and comedian Paul Scheer, a candid and hilarious memoir-in-essays on coming to terms with childhood trauma and finding the joy in embracing your authentic self, featuring content exclusive to the audio edition, including excerpts from live shows and audio clips from home movies.Paul Scheer has entertained countless fans... Read more

Lifeform

By: Jenny Slate
Narrated by: Jenny Slate, George Saunders, Vanessa Bayer & Will Forte
Length: 4 hours 57 minutes

Comedian and New York Times bestseller Jenny Slate’s wild, hilarious, genre-bending essays read in her singular voice depict life and motherhood as you’ve never seen it before. Featuring narration from friends Vanessa Bayer and Will Forte (“Schumacher 2”), and George Saunders (“The Therapist”).
 
What happened was this: Jenny Slate was a human... Read more

Inciting Joy

Essays

By: Ross Gay
Narrated by: Ross Gay
Length: 8 hours 20 minutes

“Reading Ross Gay makes me feel (to paraphrase Emily Dickinson on poetry) like the top of my head’s been blown off…in the most exciting, nourishing, comforting, challenging ways. Here, he muses on the power of community and connection to incite joy, touching on gardening and grief, mutual aid, masculinity, mental health, even skateboarding and... Read more

Everything's Trash, But It's Okay

By: Phoebe Robinson
Narrated by: Phoebe Robinson
Length: 8 hours 55 minutes

“Phoebe Robinson narrates her collection of essays and she is so much fun. Her laugh makes you want to laugh with her and her personality just sparkles through. This essay isn't all fun and games as she in honest about personal matters such as debt, dating and struggle as well as feminism (and it's lack of intersectionality), beauty standards and... Read more