10 of the Most-Anticipated Audiobooks of January 2024
One of the best things about the new year is new audiobooks! There’s something special about an audiobook. Whether it’s a walk on a brisk winter day or an evening in front of a faux fireplace while enjoying a cup of hot chocolate, audiobooks give readers new ways to experience the stories that they love. With just the push of a button, listeners can travel to other worlds and go on endless adventures.
In 2024, we’re starting the year off with a host of new audiobooks. With January comes a myriad of engrossing stories. Álvaro Enrigue reimagines the moment Hernán Cortés arrived on the shores of Moctezuma’s empire. Seanan McGuire opens new doors to other worlds in her latest installment of the Wayward Children’s series. And Bora Chung is back with another collection of unsettling tales perfect for late winter nights.
And, of course, great stories must be paired with great narrators. Natalie Naudus brings such emotional depth to her performance of Annie Liontas’s memoir of a queer woman experiencing the aftereffects of traumatic brain injury. Actor Alex Jennings brings all of his experience to his performance of The Fury, a mystery of a group of friends vacationing on a Greek Island when one of them is found dead.
With such an incredible range of choices, you’re sure to find an audiobook perfect for your January listening.
Publication dates are subject to change.
Divine Might by Natalie Haynes, Narrated by Natalie Haynes (January 2)
Bestselling Natalie Haynes is back with Divine Might, a collection of the stories of women in Greek mythology. In addition to her take on these women’s stories, Haynes discusses how figures like Hera, Demeter, and Aphrodite still influence art today.
Mislaid in Parts Half-Known by Seanan McGuire, Narrated by Jesse Vilinsky (January 9)
In the 9th installment of the series, we return to Eleanor West’s School for Wayward Children, a place for children and teens who have stumbled upon the magical doors that take them to other worlds. This time around, Antsy, a student who has a talent for finding anything, goes on a quest to find the door that will take them back to Shop Where the Lost Things Go.
Poor Deer by Claire Oshetsky, Narrated by Narrated by Sophie Amoss (January 9)
Young Margaret Murphy doesn’t like to think about the death of her best friend, Agnes. Instead, she weaves tall tales that she can get lost in and forget the worst day of her life. But when Poor Deer enters her life, Margaret realizes that the mysterious creature won’t stop until she confronts her own role in her friend’s death.
You Dreamed of Empires by Álvaro Enrigue, Translated by Natasha Wimmer, Narrated by Gabriel Porras (January 9)
Set in Tenochtitlan, known now as Mexico City, You Dreamed of Empires is a historical fiction novel set in 1519, when conquistador Hernán Cortés met the emperor Moctezuma. This first meeting marks the beginning of colonial powers’ violent takeover of the continent, an event that Enrique imagines in a whole new way.
Sex with a Brain Injury: On Concussion and Recovery by Annie Liontas, Narrated by Natalie Naudus (January 16)
After experiencing a series of concussions, Annie Lionta finds her entire world upended. Her brain doesn’t work like it used to, deeply impacting her relationship with her wife and family. With a particular focus on people in the LGBTQ+ community, Liontas takes us into the world of people who have experienced traumatic brain injury, disability, and illness.
The Fury by Alex Michaelides, Narrated by Alex Jennings (January 16)
When a group of friends get together for a vacation on a picturesque Greek island, they never suspect that one of them will be dead. What starts out as the perfect holiday turns into a nightmare. Trapped on the island, the friends start spilling out their secrets. And, of course, one of them ends up murdered.
Martyr! By Kaveh Akbar, Narrated by Arian Moayed (January 23)
Cyrus Shams is an addict, an alcoholic, and obsessed with ideas around Martyrs. His mother just died after her plane was shot down in the Persian Gulf, and when Shams discovers a painting of hers in a Brooklyn art gallery, he realizes that he may not have known his mother as well as he thought he had.
The Takeover by Cara Tanamachi, Narrated by Narrated by Donald Chang and Chieko Hidaka (January 30)
While blowing out the candles for her 30th birthday, Nami wishes to find the man of her dreams. But instead, in walks Jae Lee, her childhood nemesis. And what’s worse, his company is trying to take over her start-up. In this enemies-to-lovers romance, Nami realizes that love might arrive in unexpected ways.
Your Utopia by Bora Chung, Translated by Anton Hur, Narrated by Greta Jung (January 30)
In her follow-up to her National Book Award finalist collection, Cursed Bunny, Bora Chung is back with another series of intoxicating stories full of otherworldly happenings. In one story, an event planner is blamed for a crime she saw at one of her parties. In another another, an elevator begins having special feelings for its residents. No matter what the subject, Bora Chung is a masterful storyteller.
Come and Get It by Kiley Reid, Narrated by Nicole Lewis (January 30)
It’s 2017, and all Millie wants is the American dream: to graduate college and buy a house complete with a white picket fence. But when she accepts a sketchy side hustle to make more money to help her start her new life, she finds herself way in over her head.
Enjoy your cold winter days with these incredible audiobooks. For more audiobook recommendations, check out 10 of the Best Nonfiction Audiobooks and The Bestselling Audiobooks of 2023.
