This list is updated monthly with new audiobooks. 2023 was a breakout year for audiobooks — at least in terms of the social-media impact of two massive titles. Early in the year, Prince Harry narrated his own memoir, Spare , which included an oversharing scene in which Harry spoke calmly about his frostbitten penis.
Then the audiobook of Britney Spears’s The Woman in Me , read by the actress Michelle Williams, became a sensation. Of particular note: This clip, the War and Peace of audiobooks, which stars Williams as Justin Timberlake saying, “Ohh yeaa fo shizz fo shizz.” Try not to listen at least twice.
The celebrity memoir is the audiobook in its greatest form. Some of last year’s best — in terms of entertainment value, intimacy, and genuine weirdness — came from unexpected sources like: Minka Kelly , Henry Winkler , Leslie Jones , John Stamos , Laura Dern and Diane Ladd , and, of course, Barbra Streisand , whose own narration clocked in at two days’ worth of material. For 2024, the celebrity avalanche seems to be slowing.
But to be sure, I’ll keep you updated in this column, along with all the other titles — thrillers, romances, self-help guides, TikTok sensations — you should consider listening to over the months ahead. Hopefully, you’ll start loving audiobooks almost as much as I do. Read by: Elle Fanning Length: 10 hrs, 21 mins.
Speed I listened: 2.2x This semi-comic novel about a new teen mom (Margo) who starts an Only Fans account is made much .
