Essays bestsellers

The Message

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

“Ta Nehisi-Coates’ beautiful writing illustrates the politics behind the craft of writing in the most moving, deeply profound way. He points to ways in which reading and writing are tools of both oppression and resistance that I had never even thought of before. You will think about this book for the rest of your life. Read more

The Anthropocene Reviewed

Essays on a Human-Centered Planet

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

“I read this in hardcover but this is worth a listen just capture John Green's tone on all these subjects! 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

On Tyranny

Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century

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

“On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century by Timothy Snyder is a concise yet powerful exploration of the lessons history teaches us about the nature of tyranny and the fragility of democracy. Drawing from historical examples, particularly from Europe during the 20th century, Snyder outlines twenty practical lessons aimed at helping... 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

“Poor punks can be car guys AND horse girls, too! Read more

On the Hippie Trail

Istanbul to Kathmandu and the Making of a Travel Writer

By: Rick Steves
Narrated by: Rick Steves
Length: 4 hours 16 minutes

Stow away with Rick Steves for a glimpse into the unforgettable moments, misadventures, and memories of his 1978 journey on the legendary Hippie Trail.

In the 1970s, the ultimate trip for any backpacker was the storied “Hippie Trail” from Istanbul to Kathmandu. A 23-year old Rick Steves made the trek, and like a travel writer in training, he... Read more

Well-Read Black Girl

Finding Our Stories, Discovering Ourselves

By: Glory Edim
Narrated by: Glory Edim
Length: 5 hours 6 minutes

An inspiring collection of essays by black women writers, curated by the founder of the popular book club Well-Read Black Girl, on the importance of recognizing ourselves in literature.

Remember that moment when you first encountered a character who seemed to be written just for you? That feeling of belonging remains with readers the rest of... Read more

Everything I Know About Love

A Memoir

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

“Everything I Know About Love was a joy to read and relatable to me as a young woman in her early 20's. Dolly Alderton gives a transparent, brutally honest look at herself at the various stages of her 30 years of life. She accurately depicts the hedonistic nature of being young, somewhat clueless, and attempting to navigate through life's... Read more

Little Weirds

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

“Little lovely weirds from the big, lovely, weirdness of Jenny Slate's brain. I am recommending that you get both a physical copy to beautify your shelves and the audiobook so that Slate can croon her little weirds into your ears and that way your hands are free for snacking or petting the dog or arranging acorns on your mantle. You will laugh... 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

“Imbler’s full-length debut is as much about their personal evolution as a queer, mixed race writer as it is an exploration of the deep sea creatures whose eccentricities inspire them. Imbler's tender approach and tactile prose toggles between expansive aquatic research and personal experiences, expanding the portrait of our world as we know it... Read more

Dear Girls

Intimate Tales, Untold Secrets & Advice for Living Your Best Life

By: Ali Wong
Narrated by: Ali Wong & Justin Hakuta
Length: 6 hours 20 minutes

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Heartfelt and hilarious essays from the Emmy and Golden Globe Award–winning actress, star of the Netflix original series Beef, and two-time member of Time’s 100 Most Influential People of the Year list
 
“A collection of letters to her baby girls that are barn-burning reflections on being a working mom, marriage, sex,... 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

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

Happy-Go-Lucky

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

“Happy-Go-Lucky is another bang up group of essays of Sedaris' hilarious life, including family and partner stories deliciously presented. His Oberlin Commencement Speech, alone, is worth the book price! An upper for anyone down or ailing! Read more

We Are Never Meeting in Real Life

Essays

By: Samantha Irby
Narrated by: Samantha Irby
Length: 9 hours 16 minutes

“If you think you’re 'just not an audiobook person,' I dare you to listen to any of Sam Irby’s essay collections and not fall in love with hearing an author read their work to you. Irby’s wit and humor will have you laughing to the point of tears! Read more

Disability Visibility: First-Person Stories from the Twenty-First Century

Unabridged Selections

By: Alice Wong
Narrated by: Alejandra Ospina & Alice Wong
Length: 8 hours 1 minute

“Containing dozens of personal stories, this is an absolute must-read for anyone looking to learn about the breadth, diversity, and history of disabled experience(s) from disabled folks themselves. Read more

Kitchen Confidential

Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly

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

“Bourdain begrudgingly offers, among other things, a cracked and battered pair of rose-colored glasses through which to view the world. Read more

Want

Sexual Fantasies by Anonymous

By: Gillian Anderson
Narrated by: Gillian Anderson & Anonymous
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

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

The Salt Path

A Memoir

By: Raynor Winn
Narrated by: Raynor Winn
Length: 9 hours

NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE STARRING GILLIAN ANDERSON AND JASON ISAACS

"Polished, poignant... an inspiring story of true love."—Entertainment Weekly

A BEST BOOK OF 2019, NPR's Book Concierge
SHORTLISTED FOR THE COSTA BOOK AWARD
OVER 400,000 COPIES SOLD WORLDWIDE

The true story of a couple who lost everything and embarked on a transformative journey... 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

Inciting Joy

Essays

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

“I consider Ross Gay’s Inciting Joy to be a true masterpiece. Gay repeatedly took my breath away with his quiet emotional power, which dazzles in these essays in a wild, satisfying dance between the personal and political. There were at least a dozen occasions where I wanted to stand up and applaud, or weep, or cheer out loud, or reach out and... 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

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

Calypso

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

“"Calypso" is an antidote to contentious family gatherings and seasonal boredom. One finds themselves pushed into a state of the most comfortable sort of self-examination ("If I had a tumor removed, would I feed it to a snapping turtle?") Read more

Broken (in the best possible way)

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

“I've said it before and I'll say it again: Jenny Lawson is a genius. She can make me sob uncontrollably from both laughter and the heartbreakingly honest way she talks about mental illness. She takes the worst things in life and finds a way to laugh through them. Her ability to bring people together in a celebration of human awkwardness is just... 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

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

I'll Have What She's Having

By: Chelsea Handler
Narrated by: Chelsea Handler
Length: 6 hours 12 minutes

In hilarious and tender essays, #1 New York Times bestselling author Chelsea Handler shares her unforgettable story of becoming the woman she always wanted to be.

There’s a woman I want to become, Chelsea Handler thought as a child. She’ll be strong and confident. She’ll light up a room and spread that light to make others feel better. She’ll... Read more

Surviving Autocracy

By: Masha Gessen
Narrated by: Masha Gessen
Length: 5 hours 45 minutes

“When Gessen speaks about autocracy, you listen.” —The New York Times

“A reckoning with what has been lost in the past few years and a map forward with our beliefs intact.” —Interview

As seen on MSNBC’s Morning Joe and heard on NPR’s All Things Considered: the bestselling, National Book Award–winning journalist offers an essential guide to... Read more

Ten Steps to Nanette

A Memoir Situation

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

“My first exposure to Hannah Gadsby was watching Nanette on Netflix. Nanette is funny, witty, heartbreaking, and excruciatingly well crafted. Gadsby’s memoir about the experiences that led her there is no different. Ten Steps to Nanette is many things. Gadsby elegantly synthesizes the narrative threads of her childhood, family, queerness, and... 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

The Disordered Cosmos

A Journey into Dark Matter, Spacetime, and Dreams Deferred

By: Chanda Prescod-Weinstein
Narrated by: Joniece Abbott-Pratt
Length: 10 hours 55 minutes

“If this was the science I learned growing up, I would have been way more invested. This is an intersectional look at physics, detailing the dazzling wonder and the stifling social conditions of physics. 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

Slouching Towards Bethlehem

Essays

Picador Modern Classics

By: Joan Didion
Narrated by: Maya Hawke
Length: 6 hours 23 minutes

“In this snapshot of mid-century American culture, Didion, deliberate and unabashed, takes the reader on journeys across the United States - from Newport, to Sacramento, to Hollywood, to Hawaii, and back to San Francisco - digesting political unrest, youthful buoyancy, and fundamental questions of morality and human responsibility. Her essays... 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 Fran Lebowitz Reader

By: Fran Lebowitz
Narrated by: Fran Lebowitz
Length: 7 hours 1 minute

In the vein of Lebowitz's acclaimed Netflix limited series, Pretend It's a City—The Fran Lebowitz Reader brings together two of the famed author's bestsellers, Metropolitan Life and Social Studies.

In "elegant, finely honed prose" (The Washington Post Book World), Lebowitz limns the vicissitudes of contemporary urban life—its fads, trends,... Read more

The Witches Are Coming

By: Lindy West
Narrated by: Lindy West
Length: 6 hours 27 minutes

“This was recommended to me as a funny political/social commentary read. How right they were. Lindy West is funny, on the point, and full of rational sense! So many things became clear, like why I no longer watch "funny" movies made by "funny" men. I highly recommend this to anybody who likes humor and non-fiction/memoir stuff. Particularly if... 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

Raw Dog

The Naked Truth About Hot Dogs

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

“Raw Dog by Jamie Loftus, (host of The Lolita Podcast and Ghost Church), covers all the basics you'd expect from a writer embarking on a road trip to taste test all the hottest pork tubes in America - a crumbling relationship due to a distaste for mustard, xenophobia and sexism in the competitive hot-dog eating circuit, and the horrible... Read more

Shit, Actually

The Definitive, 100% Objective Guide to Modern Cinema

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

“It might be that Lindy West talks during movies, but you wouldn't shush her. She's better than the movie. This audiobook is read by the author and she is hilarious. Smart, funny, irreverent and feminist. I'll take that with a bowl of popcorn. PS. I really, really want West's Hermione-lead HP remake. Read more

It Came from the Closet

Queer Reflections on Horror

By: Joe Vallese & various authors
Narrated by: various narrators, Graham Halstead, Aven Shore, Aida Reluzco, Mark Sanderlin, Tori Barron, Krystal Hammond, Daniel Henning, Ron Butler, Hope Newhouse, Lindsey Dorcus, André Santana, Joel Froomkin, Mike Cooper, Em Grosland & Vikas Adam
Length: 10 hours 58 minutes

Through the lens of horror—from Halloween to Hereditary—queer and trans writers consider the films that deepened, amplified, and illuminated their own experiences.Horror movies hold a complicated space in the hearts of the queer community: historically misogynist, and often homo- and transphobic, the genre has also been inadvertently feminist... Read more

Have I Told You This Already?

Stories I Don't Want to Forget to Remember

By: Lauren Graham
Narrated by: Lauren Graham
Length: 4 hours 23 minutes

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the beloved star of Gilmore Girls and the New York Times bestselling author of Talking as Fast as I Can comes an “insightful, honest, funny, and moving collection of captivating stories” (BuzzFeed).

“Graham is fast and furiously funny. . . . Where Graham leads, we will definitely follow.”—E! Online

Lauren Graham... Read more

Quietly Hostile

Essays

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

“I'm obsessed with Samantha Irby (in a cute way, not a dangerous way). Her books are hilarious, endearing, and a little gross. Walking around the neighborhood listening to this audiobook got me a lot of weird looks as I gasped, gagged, talked back to her (she narrates all of her audiobooks!), and laughed with wild abandon. 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

You Are Your Best Thing

Vulnerability, Shame Resilience, and the Black Experience

By: Tarana Burke & Brené Brown
Narrated by: Tarana Burke, Brené Brown, the Contributors, Mirron Willis, Bahni Turpin, JD Jackson & L Morgan Lee
Length: 6 hours 36 minutes

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Tarana Burke and Dr. Brené Brown bring together a dynamic group of Black writers, organizers, artists, academics, and cultural figures to discuss the topics the two have dedicated their lives to understanding and teaching: vulnerability and shame resilience.

Contributions by Kiese Laymon, Imani Perry, Laverne Cox,... Read more

You'll Never Believe What Happened to Lacey

Crazy Stories about Racism

By: Amber Ruffin & Lacey Lamar
Narrated by: Amber Ruffin & Lacey Lamar
Length: 5 hours 21 minutes

“In this eye-opening, horrifying, and hilarious book, Amber Ruffin and her sister, Lacey Lamar, share stories from Lacey's life where she has encountered racism in Nebraska. From racist donuts to being mistaken for Whoopi Goldberg, they share everything from the everyday examples of racism to the downright scary, while making you laugh out loud... Read more

They Can't Kill Us Until They Kill Us

By: Hanif Abdurraqib
Narrated by: Hanif Abdurraqib
Length: 8 hours 37 minutes

“For anyone who has ever felt our collective beating heart in the crowd of a concert. Read more

Me Talk Pretty One Day

By: David Sedaris
Narrated by: David Sedaris
Length: 5 hours 50 minutes

A new collection from David Sedaris is cause for jubilation. His recent move to Paris has inspired hilarious pieces, including Me Talk Pretty One Day, about his attempts to learn French. His family is another inspiration. You Cant Kill the Rooster is a portrait of his brother who talks incessant hip-hop slang to his bewildered father. And no one... Read more

The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows

By: John Koenig
Narrated by: John Koenig
Length: 4 hours 42 minutes

“The best dictionary you'll ever had read to you. In fact, there's probably a word for that. Read more