How to Get into Audiobooks: Tips & Recommendations for Audiobook Appreciation Month
June marks an event that the team at Listening Books get particularly excited about: Audiobook Appreciation Month. Founded by the Audio Publishers Association, this annual celebration spotlights the joy, accessibility, and growing popularity of the medium, as more people than ever are diving (ear first!) into a great audiobook. In fact, The Bookseller has reported that the UK audiobook market grew by 10% in 2025, to £225m.
As audiobooks continue to grow in popularity, many people are looking to start their own listening journeys – and we’re here to help. With so many brilliant titles and narrators out there, it can feel like a minefield knowing where to begin. So, to help guide you, the Listening Book team, volunteers and some of our members have put together our top tips and recommendations, along with the audiobooks that first sparked their love for the medium.
Megan – Listening Books’ Titles and Copyright Co-ordinator
The audiobook that first made me fall in love with the medium is ‘We Pretty Pieces of Flesh’ by Colwill Brown. Read by the author, the book is written phonetically in a South Yorkshire accent and dialect. As an audiobook it really comes to life heard in her voice and makes it more accessible to readers. Having grown up in Sheffield, I loved hearing how she draws out a poetry and beauty in the everyday words and turns of phrase of the region. It is beautifully written and a staggeringly poignant narrative about female friendships, adolescence and trauma. It’s a book that will stay with me for a long time!
My go-to recommendations for new listeners – Maggie O’Farrell’s new book ‘Land’ is an exploration of Irish history and folklore, deep-mapping and the memory of landscape. I have enjoyed being swept up in the story and the sublimity of her writing. It is a hot favourite for the Booker Prize Award, so get ahead of award season and listen to it! I also would recommend ‘Is a River Alive?’ by Robert MacFarlane, all his books are so deeply researched, beautifully written and significant for repairing our relationship with the natural world.
Claire – Listening Books’ Deputy Membership and PR Manager
‘The Magician's Nephew’ by C. S. Lewis was one of the first audiobooks I listened to and was something my family enjoyed on long trips to Cornwall when I was younger. It was narrated by Sir Michael Hordern, who had such a distinctive voice, and it's always stuck with me as a story.
I'd highly recommend it to fans of the Narnia series, or those just starting out with audiobooks.
Nicola – Listening Books’ Membership and Marketing Assistant
The audiobook that really got me into the medium is The Hobbit, narrated by Andy Serkis. Not only is it one of my favourite classics, but Serkis also adds another level to the story with his brilliant performance, breathing new life into it with a wonderful array of different voices, accents, and songs. His take on "Riddles in the Dark" is also a personal highlight!
My recommendations for new listeners would be to try full-cast dramatisations first, or to start with narrators you might already know (e.g. David Tennant or Michael Sheen) as a gateway into the medium, as this typically makes for a more immersive, theatrical listening experience.
Depending on your go-to genres, I would recommend Ready Player One, narrated by Star Trek’s Wil Wheaton; anything narrated by Julia Whelan(!) - particularly The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo (written by Taylor Jenkins Reid); or I Love You, Byeee by podcast extraordinaire Adam Buxton for a real audio experience.
Jennifer – Listening Books volunteer
I've always loved reading, but the audiobook that really made me appreciate listening was The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer. It’s a children’s fiction story. There was something about hearing the story performed rather than simply reading it on the page that completely drew me in. The narrator, Korey Jackson brought the characters to life, and I found myself looking for excuses to keep listening until the final page.
For anyone new to audiobooks, I’d recommend this book, because it's engaging, easy to follow, and has a narrator who makes the experience feel immersive from the very first chapter. It's the kind of audiobook that shows how enjoyable listening to a story can be.
Jacqui – Listening Books member
I think my first audiobook was 'The Book Thief'. When first trying audiobooks, I always recommend that people listen to a book that they are already familiar with, either a title they have read before or from an author they love.
Don’t be afraid to play around with the speed, it can make a difference with how the narrator sounds. Also, keep a list of narrators that you really like - and the ones that you don’t get on with too.
Also, do a boring activity while listening, such as ironing, walking (make sure you can still hear any hazards!) or sitting in the same room as someone who is watching the telly that you are not interested in (football!)
Along with Listening Books, make sure you use your local library, as you can try out lots of different types of books and not feel like you have wasted your money if you don’t get on with them.
Also, audiobooks definitely count as reading!
Lana - Listening Books member
The Song of Achilles and Circe by Madeline Millar are wonderful books that I’d recommend. I listened at bedtime and the imagery of the books is amazing. I love Greek myths, and these were easy to listen to. The narrators of both audiobooks (Frazer Douglas for The Song of Achilles and Perdita Weeks for Circe) had a lovely voice, which really helped the listening experience.
At Listening Books, we have a catalogue of over 10,500 audiobooks for all ages and interests. Membership costs just £25 for a year or is free if cost is a barrier.
Explore our audiobook collection, or join today – and experience the joy of stories like never before.
