Best audio books you can recommend?

[VenusInBlurs]

I couldn't find a current audio books thread so I'm hoping this isn't a duplicate of an existing one.

I'm bed bound for the coming month and a friend has kindly given me 12 Audible credits to use while I'm recuperating I love her

Normally I'm a prolific Audible listener while I'm driving.
As an example I listened to 117 books last year in addition to good old fashioned reading.
I've read most of the classics, I enjoy original thrillers, good real life books ie A Life Of Crime and Unnatural Causes,Marian Keyes or Taylor Jenkins Reid and the latest Dawn O'Porter type books.

I'm listening to The July Girls now.

Any suggestions for good listens or books you've enjoyed recently? And why?
Anything at all, it doesn't matter if it's not something I'd usually like as long as you think it's good and you really liked it.

Thanks again, please keep the recommendations coming, I'm downloading the ones that appeal to me. They are helping me drag myself through the days stuck in bed.

Yesterday I finished Secret Service by Tom Bradby, it is brilliant and kept me gripped.

Currently I'm listening to Bad Blood by John Carreyrou, I think it is a fascinating example of investigative journalism about the Theranos company. The narration is dry but it seems appropriate for the subject matter as this isn't fiction.

As so many people have endorsed it here I'm going to listen to Becoming by Michelle Obama.

I'm repeating myself but please do keep recommending audiobooks, I'm hoping anyone reading this thread will find it useful.

I loved maya angelou autobiog found it fascinating

I enjoyed The Goldfinch and The Secret History but I'm 100% sure I wouldn't have persevered with the written version. The great thing about audiobooks is that you can get on with other things while the boring parts wash over you. For this reason I try to read short books and listen to long ones (also makes sense financially with audible as you pay the same for ten hours as thirty!).

I really enjoyed Life After Life and Behind the Scenes at the Museum audiobooks, the narration of both was great.

I accidentally got John Lanchester (whose work I love) reading his own memoir (? not sure if that's the best word), Family Romance. It's about his parents' lives, particularly his mother, whose life was extraordinary, and his attempts to understand everything that happened. I found it incredibly moving, as he has a very soft voice and the story is heartbreaking on many occasions. I would thoroughly recommend.

Loved ‘A gentleman in Moscow’ for gentle escapism. All of Jodi Taylor’s St Mary’s series (but sadly none of her other work), Matt Haig for more escapism and lovely narration, and The Testaments is going well, though I’m only three chapters in.

I've recently finished Once Upon A River by Diane Setterfield, brilliantly narrated by Juliet Stevenson. Also La Belle Sauvage, narrated by Michael Sheen. Both very good.

Circe
Song of Achilles

Any of Alice Hoffman’s books.
Malcolm Gladwell - all of them.
Neil Gaiman reading his own work.
Stephen Fry reading Harry Potter or Sherlock Holmes (about 90 hours worth - excellent to get with a credit!)

I'm definitely someone who thinks the narrator is important and I have returned quite a few audible book because I don't like the voice.

My absolute favourite is The Martian narrated by R. C. Bray I could listen to his voice all day.

The audio books of Rivers of London are great - very good fit for the first person narrator’s voice.

My top suggestions aren’t audio books exactly: Cabin Pressure, as previously suggested, which is probably the greatest radio sitcom of all time, and the BBC radio adaptation of Lord of the Rings (Michael Horden and Ian Holm) which is a flawless 13 hours and also has great music.

I’d second Spinning Silver and Uprooted as excellent but slightly lesser known books but I don’t know the audio versions.

@parrotonmyshoulder I've just used one of my credits to get Stephen Fry's Sherlock Holmes. Thanks for the recommendation. I loved his reading of HP so know he's a good narrator and couldn't believe what a bargain it was.

I've just done the same!

I've recently listened to The Dutch House by Ann Patchett and read by Tom Hanks. It was really good and Tom Hanks was very nice to listen to.

I am currently listening to The Institute By Stephen King and enjoying that too.

I just listened to a wonderful Georgette Heyer - Arabella - narrated by Phyllida Nash and it was so good that I might just have to listen to it all again. She is the best narrator and does male and female voices superbly!

I loved both of Graham Nortons books narrated by him. Slight stories but told with such warmth.
Also enjoyed Margaret Atwood - The Testaments.

I slightly cheat and prefer adaptations so The Cazalets was excellent and good value for money as very long and currently listening to Agatha Raisin which has Penelope Keith.

Didn't come back because I've been recovering. I've got lots of getting better after an operation tips but that's another thread.

Thank you for your contributions and please do keep suggesting titles you have enjoyed.

I've listened to loads, including lots of crime and thrillers, they wouldn't previously have been a choice of mine but my friend got me in to them.

Some of the titles that stick out for me as being good including non crime include:

The Widow by Fiona Barton
The July Girls by Phoebe Locke
All of the Jackman and Evans books by Joy Ellis
The Couple On Cedar Close by Anna-Lou Weatherley
With Our Blessing by Jo Spain

I'd give 4 stars to these ones:
The Suspect by Fiona Barton
So Lucky by Dawn O Porter
Your Deepest Fear by David Jackson

I've really enjoyed some of the DCI Ryan books, others not so much.

When I was immediately recovering from my operation and my brain couldn't concentrate I listened to a lot of Jilly Cooper, they were both daft and great but easy to follow when you've got a head full of anaesthetic.!

I'm in complete agreement that the narrator makes all the difference.!

I'm in complete agreement that the narrator makes all the difference.

More recommendations to follow, back to sleep now.

I don’t listen to many so don’t really take much note of the narrators, but ones I enjoyed where the narrator didn’t get on my nerves were:
The Mandibles - Lionel Shriver
On Beauty - Zadie Smith
Beyond Black - Hilary Mantel
We are All Completely Beside Ourselves - Karen Joy Fowler