Our friends at AudioFile magazine recommend the best fall audiobooks, from Sally Rooney’s buzzy new Intermezzo to a delicious memoir from actor Stanley Tucci, plus Earphones Award–winning audiobooks from Rumaan Alam, Liane Moriarty, Rachel Kushner, and more. This is listening to settle in with.
Intermezzo by Sally Rooney, read by Éanna Hardwicke [16.5 hrs.]
Éanna Hardwicke’s narration highlights the rich emotionality of Rooney’s newest novel. Hardwicke’s smooth voice shifts to capture every mood—becoming desperately angry, bitter, and frantic yet also achingly tender, patient, and loving—as he performs a story of two grieving brothers. Full of pain, hope, and love.
The Grey Wolf by Louise Penny, read by Jean Brassard [12.75 hrs.]
Jean Brassard, Louise Penny’s choice to narrate her 19th Armand Gamache/Three Pines novel, proves an inspired selection. From his portrayals of familiar Three Pines residents to his introduction of new characters, Brassard, a native Quebecois and award-winning actor, gets it right. Domestic terrorism takes Gamache, Jean-Guy, and Isabelle from Montreal to the Vatican and to an isolated French monastery. Brassard’s accents—whether French Canadian, Italian, or continental French—create indelible characters.
What I Ate in One Year by Stanley Tucci, ready by the author [7.75 hrs.]
Soon Stanley Tucci may be as famous as a food writer as he is as an actor. A nuanced narrator who plays with tone and tempo like a jazz musician, he knows how to be ironic, self-effacing, witty, and charming, yet his performance is most satisfying because of his restraint. Tucci is a creative gourmand who is mischievous (he whispers his preparation of pigeon breasts) and masterfully ends each section with suggestions, recipes, appreciations, and observations.
Entitlement by Rumaan Alam, read by Nicole Lewis [8.75 hrs.]
This novel tells the story of a mega-rich octogenarian and a 33-year-old Black woman. Narrator Nicole Lewis makes an excellent guide to the gilded world in this story of wealth and aspiration, race and power. The plot involves Vassar-educated Brooke Orr, who goes to work for wealthy philanthropist Asher Jaffee to help him give away his billions. This often dark story stays with the listener.
We Solve Murders by Richard Osman, read by Nicola Walker [10.5 hrs.]
British actress Nicola Walker’s subdued tone, unhurried cadence, and restrained use of accents perfectly suits the characters and situations in Richard Osman’s newest mystery. The incidents and personalities are even more outlandish and unconventional than in Osman’s previous series, The Thursday Murder Club, but his obvious affection for them and Walker’s emotionally connected performance keep them from becoming over-the-top.
Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty, read by Caroline Lee and Geraldine Hakewill [16 hrs.]
Narrators Caroline Lee and Geraldine Hakewill weave the threads of this tense exploration of free will. Hakewill portrays the passengers on a delayed flight across Australia, tired and frustrated as they await reaching their destination. Lee portrays the nondescript woman who suddenly stands and begins pointing to fellow passengers and stating how they will die and when.
Guide Me Home by Attica Locke, read by JD Jackson [10 hrs.]
Listeners join Texas Ranger Darren Mathews who, after turning in his badge, reluctantly investigates the disappearance of a young Black student from an otherwise all-white sorority house. JD Jackson’s pitch-perfect narration is the ideal match for this fast-paced story, which is seen through the eyes of a Black man who is living in Trump’s America. Jackson’s gifted delivery creates a cast of highly believable characters.
John Lewis: A Life by David Greenberg, read by David Sadzin [24.5 hrs.]
John Lewis has been described as a quiet revolutionary and the conscience of Congress. This sums up the two halves of this biography, which covers his early years as a frontline civil rights campaigner and his later years as a driving force on Capitol Hill. Narrator David Sadzin offers an engaging narration of this highly listenable and informative work.
When the World Tips Over by Jandy Nelson, read by Michael Crouch, Alex McKenna, Briggon Snow, Caitlin Kinnunen, and Julia Whelan [17.25 hrs.]
This performance by a five-narrator cast is truly special. The Fall children harness unique powers. What’s more magical is the gorgeous concoction of every narrator’s style. Every perspective offers an individual personality and a spectrum of emotions. It genuinely feels like each character is a complete story on their own, but when blended together, they create a symphony of mystery, challenges, and compelling world-building.
Creation Lake by Rachel Kushner, read by Rachel Kushner [11.25 hrs.]
It’s hard to imagine anyone other than Rachel Kushner narrating her gripping and highly original novel about an unconventional spy. Sadie is hired by governments and unnamed private entities to infiltrate radical eco and industrial terrorist groups. Masterful writing and narrating.
