Your best book ever....

[Zoeyclash]

I've got a very long car journey coming up and I'm looking for recommendations for a really good audiobook. AIBU to ask what's the best book you've ever read/listened to? I'm open to all types of genres except sci-fi. Thanks!

The Group by Mary McCarthy

My favorite book that no one ever talks about is called Object Lessons, by Anna Quindlen. I’m not even sure why I like it so much (nothing much happens, it’s just a particularly vibrant “slice of life” look at a young girl growing up in the 60s). I don’t know if it’s available on audio or not, actually! But I love it and I always recommend it.

Wolf Hall. I read it every year.

It Happened in Boston? By Russel H. Greenan. Adore how work

the Master and Margarita by Bulgakov

anything by Kurt Vonnegut

I loved, and was surprised by this, Where the crawdads sing. Read over the summer and lived it. Also lessons in chemistry, again didn't think i would like it but really enjoyed it.

Emmeline by Judith Rossner

Loads of great suggestions. Mine duplicate some:
a Secret History - Donna Tartt
The Cazalet Chronicles - Elizabeth Howard - brilliantly written and a great story through 5 books - you’ll be extremely sad when you’ve read them all.
Lonesome Dove - Larry Mcmurty - my book of 2026 so far (it’s been old though!) - I think it’s being serials for Netflix.
Any Elizabeth Strout
Any Anne Tyler
Any Ann Patchett
Most Barbara Kingsolver

I don't know about best book ever, but I loved the Armistead Maupin Tales of the City books.

The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13 3/4

Anything by Bill Bryson
spoils of time trilogy by Penny Vincenzi (I reread every few years and know the characters like family)
angelas ashes

The Hare with the Amber Eyes has stayed with me for years even though I read it probably more that 15 years ago. My favourite all time book is Belle Ami, it such a fantastical tell of a male grifter and social climber - think Becky sharpe but 19th century french, male and never humbled. This year I really enjoyed The Parasites which is one of Daphne de Maurier’s lesser known novels.

Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch, in fact the whole series read by the wonderful Kobna Holdbrook Smith

Also:
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
Strange Sally Diamond by Liz Nugent
We Solve Murders by Richard Osman
Marrying the Mistress by Joanna Trollope
The Word is Murder Anthony Horowitz

I recently read "things don't break on their own" and was up until 1am finishing it. Very good.
About a girl whose sister went missing. Very well written.

Best book ever - If Nobody speaks of Remarkable Things. It's one August 1990s day in the lives of a group of people who all live on a street up North and all witness this incident happen.

I also like Clare Chambers' books and really enjoyed Shy Creatures recently, which sort of went backwards and forwards at the same time - about a patient who arrives at a mental hospital in the early 20th Century and a staff member working with him.

The adventures of goodnight and loving by Leslie Thomas if you want a book to make you laugh out loud it’s a complete masterpiece

The Pilars of the earth was very good audio book.

Im going to get that one recommended several times on this thread, shadow of the wind. Thanks I love a good drive listening to a good book. Have fun.

Where the Crawdad’s Sing was actually very good on audible

I really enjoyed Daisy Jones and the Six and also Atmosphere as audiobooks!

Oh wow! Read this book a few years ago and been trying to recall the name of it!! So good.

Fingersmith by Sarah Waters. The audio made it.

I love the Rivers of London series on audiobook, not sure I would have stuck with them in print but the voices make it for me.

Midnight Library— Matt Haig. Wish I could read this book for the first time again. So good!

For audible
A thousand splendid suns
The five people you meet in heaven
The 7 husbands of Evelyn Hugo

Lonesome Dove.

Goodnight Mister Tim. I cried when I first read it aged 12 ish. I've cried every time since as an adult. Maybe not when you are driving though 🤣

A good driving read would be the Ellie Grifiths books about an archaeologist and a police man

There are some great suggestions here!