Essays bestsellers

Braiding Sweetgrass

Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants

By: Robin Wall Kimmerer
Narrated by: Robin Wall Kimmerer
Length: 16 hours 44 minutes

As a botanist and professor of plant ecology, Robin Wall Kimmerer has spent a career learning how to ask questions of nature using the tools of science. As a Potawatomi woman, she learned from elders, family, and history that the Potawatomi, as well as a majority of other cultures indigenous to this land, consider plants and animals to be our... Read more

Crying in H Mart

A Memoir

By: Michelle Zauner
Narrated by: Michelle Zauner
Length: 7 hours 22 minutes

“I was struck by just how much I loved this book for how it walks through grief not as a way to leave it behind, but as a way to remember its exact shape. I’m grateful for its funny, self-deprecating, and wise observations, and for its difficult beauty. Read more

The Anthropocene Reviewed

Essays on a Human-Centered Planet

By: John Green
Narrated by: John Green
Length: 10 hours 42 minutes

“A lovely lovely listen read by the author. This is the perfect book to take on a long walk or drive that will make you look at the world in a fresh way. Drawing on personal anecdotes, history, literature and science, Green embraces both small and big ideas and makes you grateful for things you might have once overlooked. 5/5 stars for this... Read more

Little Weirds

By: Jenny Slate
Narrated by: Jenny Slate
Length: 4 hours 19 minutes

“Magical, delightful and amusing book of daydreams with a cupful of nonsense. Read more

Leslie F*cking Jones

By: Leslie Jones
Narrated by: Leslie Jones & Chris Rock
Length: 16 hours 32 minutes

“The best thing about the book Leslie F*cking Jones is that it is read by...Leslie F*cking Jones. Her bluntness, humor, and authenticity shine through in this moving memoir that is both witty and poignant. Existing fans and new followers will be carried away by Jones' informal and raucous style, telling stories both heartfelt and hilarious that... Read more

Everything I Know About Love

A Memoir

By: Dolly Alderton
Narrated by: Dolly Alderton
Length: 8 hours 34 minutes

“Everything I Know About Love was a joy to read and relatable to me as a young woman in her early 20's. Dolly Alderton gives a transparent, brutally honest look at herself at the various stages of her 30 years of life. She accurately depicts the hedonistic nature of being young, somewhat clueless, and attempting to navigate through life's... Read more

Joyful Recollections of Trauma

By: Paul Scheer
Narrated by: Paul Scheer
Length: 6 hours 37 minutes

From award-winning actor and comedian Paul Scheer, a candid and hilarious memoir-in-essays on coming to terms with childhood trauma and finding the joy in embracing your authentic self, featuring content exclusive to the audio edition, including excerpts from live shows and audio clips from home movies.Paul Scheer has entertained countless fans... Read more

Kitchen Confidential

Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly

By: Anthony Bourdain
Narrated by: Anthony Bourdain
Length: 8 hours 18 minutes

When Chef Anthony Bourdain wrote "Don't Eat Before You Read This" in The New Yorker, he spared no one's appetite, revealing what goes on behind the kitchen door. In Kitchen Confidential, he expanded the appetizer into a deliciously funny, delectably shocking banquet that lays out his twenty-five years of sex, drugs, and haute cuisine.

From his... Read more

How Far the Light Reaches

A Life in Ten Sea Creatures

By: Sabrina Imbler
Narrated by: Sabrina Imbler
Length: 5 hours 40 minutes

“Part memoir, part nature/science writing, this is an amazing book. The author's ability to weave together the wonders of marine biology with stories exploring their own existence and coming of age lets us experience the world in a different light. Original and thought-provoking. Looking for a good audio book to listen to? This is a great choice,... Read more

Hijab Butch Blues

A Memoir

By: Lamya H
Narrated by: Ashraf Shirazi
Length: 7 hours 32 minutes

“This memoir absolutely blew me away. Structured around stories from the Qur'an, Lamya H beautifully explores the intersections between faith, identity, culture, and belonging. I learned so much while reading this book, and really valued Lamya's unique perspective on queerness and religion. Incredibly raw and honest, this is a memoir I will be... Read more

Gathering Moss

A Natural and Cultural History of Mosses

By: Robin Wall Kimmerer
Narrated by: Robin Wall Kimmerer
Length: 7 hours 46 minutes

Living at the limits of our ordinary perception, mosses are a common but largely unnoticed element of the natural world. Gathering Moss is a beautifully written mix of science and personal reflection that invites listeners to explore and learn from the elegantly simple lives of mosses.

Robin Wall Kimmerer's book is not an identification guide,... Read more

Raw Dog

The Naked Truth About Hot Dogs

By: Jamie Loftus
Narrated by: Jamie Loftus
Length: 9 hours 38 minutes

“Funny, informative, and fantastic, this has to be the most American book ever written. It has: a road trip with a relationship on line, plus pets; hot dogs; baseball; the COVID-19 pandemic; the trials and tribulations of small businesses; corporations pretending to be the small guy; the Great Depression; local communities who love their local... Read more

Happy-Go-Lucky

By: David Sedaris
Narrated by: David Sedaris
Length: 7 hours 30 minutes

“Sedaris reading his own stories is a true treasure. He’s a master storyteller and hearing him tell his stories adds an extra layer of delight. His pauses and inflections make each story that much more hilarious or profound. Sedaris’ brand of humor and his willingness to share candid, sometimes cringy, details of his life, keep me coming back for... Read more

These Precious Days

Essays

By: Ann Patchett
Narrated by: Ann Patchett
Length: 11 hours 13 minutes

“I loved absolutely everything about this book and did not want it to end. Ann Patchett's narration is magical and I believe is best way to experience her writing. Though these are essays, they are expertly arranged and together feel like a memoir. Patchett talks about everything from life and death to bookstores and book covers and you... Read more

Bite by Bite

Nourishments and Jamborees

By: Aimee Nezhukumatathil
Narrated by: Aimee Nezhukumatathil
Length: 5 hours 32 minutes

From the New York Times bestselling author of World of Wonders, a lyrical book of short essays about food, offering a banquet of tastes, smells, memories, associations, and marvelous curiosities from natureIn Bite by Bite, poet and essayist Aimee Nezhukumatathil explores the way food and drink evoke our associations and remembrances—a subtext or... Read more

Quietly Hostile

Essays

By: Samantha Irby
Narrated by: Samantha Irby
Length: 9 hours 31 minutes

“Quietly Hostile only reinforced the love I already have for Samantha Irby’s writing. I love listening to frank and humorous way she tackles everything from relationships to Red Lobster to bodily functions. Her books, especially the audio recordings, are always ones I look forward to! Read more

Disability Visibility: First-Person Stories from the Twenty-First Century

Unabridged Selections

By: Alice Wong
Narrated by: Alejandra Ospina & Alice Wong
Length: 8 hours 1 minute

“Containing dozens of personal stories, this is an absolute must-read for anyone looking to learn about the breadth, diversity, and history of disabled experience(s) from disabled folks themselves. Read more

All We Can Save

Truth, Courage, and Solutions for the Climate Crisis

By: Ayana Elizabeth Johnson & Katharine K. Wilkinson
Narrated by: Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, Katharine K. Wilkinson, Cristela Alonzo, Sophia Bush, Kimberly Drew, America Ferrera, Jane Fonda, Ilana Glazer, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Janet Mock, Bahni Turpin & Alfre Woodard
Length: 15 hours 5 minutes

Provocative and illuminating essays from women at the forefront of the climate movement who are harnessing truth, courage, and solutions to lead humanity forward.
 
There is a renaissance blooming in the climate movement: leadership that is more characteristically feminine and more faithfully feminist, rooted in compassion, connection,... Read more

Broken (in the best possible way)

By: Jenny Lawson
Narrated by: Jenny Lawson
Length: 8 hours 18 minutes

“I do love reading Jenny Lawson's books, but I have to admit: I love listening to them more. It's like having her sit with me, telling me stories, making me crack up and squirt water through my nose. It is hilarious and thoughtful at the same time. And definitely the perfect thing for right now. Read more

The View from the Cheap Seats

Selected Nonfiction

By: Neil Gaiman
Narrated by: Neil Gaiman
Length: 15 hours 29 minutes

“I must be one of the few people to love Neil Gaiman most for his nonfiction. Over the years, I've scoured the shelves and online for his speeches, his introductions, his forewords, even his tweets and blog posts, so this book is a thing of wonder. Filled to bursting with his humor, wisdom, and hope, all articulated in the thoughtful, generous... Read more

I Shouldn’t Be Telling You This

(But I'm Going to Anyway)

By: Chelsea Devantez
Narrated by: Chelsea Devantez
Length: 8 hours 54 minutes

"It’s f*cking great!!! Raw, intimate, hilarious, actually inspiring.” –Jon Stewart

A dynamic memoir-in-essays by comedian, screenwriter, and podcaster Chelsea Devantez, detailing her tumultuous upbringing and uproarious career path into Hollywood, featuring a bonus chapter exclusive to the audio edition.

There are things Chelsea Devantez probably... Read more

Shit, Actually

The Definitive, 100% Objective Guide to Modern Cinema

By: Lindy West
Narrated by: Lindy West
Length: 7 hours 16 minutes

“Lindy West makes true observations about movies in ways that will make you laugh out loud, and cause you to re-think some of your 90s/00s favorite films! Her witty commentary is what we all NEED in this post 2020 world, even if you have not seen the films. It’s written by someone smart and hilarious who has strong opinions about things that... Read more

Wow, No Thank You.

Essays (Lambda Literary Award)

By: Samantha Irby
Narrated by: Samantha Irby
Length: 10 hours 3 minutes

A new rip-roaring essay collection from the smart, edgy, hilarious, unabashedly raunchy, and bestselling Samantha Irby.

Irby is forty, and increasingly uncomfortable in her own skin despite what Inspirational Instagram Infographics have promised her. She has left her job as a receptionist at a veterinary clinic, has published successful books and... Read more

Opinions

A Decade of Arguments, Criticism, and Minding Other People’s Business

By: Roxane Gay
Narrated by: Roxane Gay
Length: 9 hours 58 minutes

From beloved and bestselling author Roxane Gay, “a strikingly fresh cultural critic” (Washington Post) comes an exhilarating collection of her essays on culture, politics, and everything in between. Since the publication of the groundbreaking Bad Feminist and Hunger, Roxane Gay has continued to tackle big issues embroiling... Read more

Calypso

By: David Sedaris
Narrated by: David Sedaris
Length: 6 hours 38 minutes

“Calypso by David Sedaris is laugh out loud hysterical in true Sedaris fashion. Listening to him read and deliver his stories is like listening to a stand-up comedian. This collection is fairly personal and many stories involve his family and their adventures in his North Carolinian beach house, aptly name the “Sea Section”. Sedaris manages to... Read more

Ten Steps to Nanette

A Memoir Situation

By: Hannah Gadsby
Narrated by: Hannah Gadsby
Length: 13 hours 47 minutes

“My first exposure to Hannah Gadsby was watching Nanette on Netflix. Nanette is funny, witty, heartbreaking, and excruciatingly well crafted. Gadsby’s memoir about the experiences that led her there is no different. Ten Steps to Nanette is many things. Gadsby elegantly synthesizes the narrative threads of her childhood, family, queerness, and... Read more

Freedom is a Constant Struggle

Ferguson, Palestine, and the Foundations of a Movement

By: Angela Y. Davis
Narrated by: Angela Y. Davis & Coleen Marlo
Length: 5 hours 47 minutes

“A must read on the interconnection of all liberation struggles that has only become more relevant since its publication in 2016. Angela Davis is one of the most steadfast voices of our time, and her background as a public speaker makes for excellent narration. Read more

Music and Mind

Harnessing the Arts for Health and Wellness

By: Renée Fleming
Narrated by: Gina Daniels, Carin Gilfry, Patty Nieman, Cary Hite, Vikas Adam & Renée Fleming
Length: 22 hours 19 minutes

"This book inspires us all to immerse ourselves in the vast potential of music and other creative arts to heal our wounds, sharpen our minds, enliven our bodies, and restore our broken connections.” —Bessel van der Kolk, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Body Keeps the Score

World-renowned soprano and arts/health advocate Renée Fleming... Read more

The Best of Me

By: David Sedaris
Narrated by: David Sedaris
Length: 13 hours 8 minutes

“As if there is anything greater than a new David Sedaris, it's listening to David Sedaris read the new David Sedaris. This self-edited collection of essays from his prolific 25-year career is exactly what we need to boost the morale of 2020 and remind ourselves what a crazy world we've always lived in when viewed through Sedaris's keen... Read more

All Creatures Great and Small

The Warm and Joyful Memoirs of the World's Most Beloved Animal Doctor

All Creatures Great and Small

By: James Herriot
Narrated by: Nicholas Ralph
Length: 15 hours 22 minutes

“The classic memoir of a young veterinarian who arrives in the remote Yorkshire Dales region in a changing era, post-WWI. Beautiful descriptions of farming life, workplace hi-jinx, small village society, and of course lovable, memorable animals. Read by the actor who plays James Herriot in the new adaptation on Masterpiece. I might be imagining... Read more

Mean Boys

A Personal History

By: Geoffrey Mak
Narrated by: Geoffrey Mak
Length: 7 hours 51 minutes

NAMED A MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK BY DEBUTIFUL, LIT HUB, PASTE MAGAZINE, BOOK RIOT, INSIDE HOOK, AND NYLON

"This book is a rare comfort, a companion . . . Makes you say: yes, that is exactly how it is.”—Torrey Peters

A ferocious inquiry into art and desire, style and politics, madness and salvation, and coming of age in our volatile, image-obsessed... Read more

I'm Just a Person

By: Tig Notaro
Narrated by: Tig Notaro
Length: 5 hours 15 minutes

One of America’s most original comedic voices delivers a darkly funny, wryly observed, and emotionally raw account of her year of death, cancer, and epiphany.In the span of four months in 2012, Tig Notaro was hospitalized for a debilitating intestinal disease called C. diff, her mother unexpectedly died, she went through a breakup, and then she... Read more

They Can't Kill Us Until They Kill Us

By: Hanif Abdurraqib
Narrated by: Hanif Abdurraqib
Length: 8 hours 37 minutes

*2018 "12 best books to give this holiday season" TODAY Show*Best Books of 2018* Rolling Stone"A Best Book of 2017" NPR, Buzzfeed, Paste Magazine, Esquire, Chicago Tribune, Vol. 1 Brooklyn, CBC, Stereogum, National Post, Entropy, Heavy, Book Riot, Chicago Review of Books, The Los Angeles Review, Michigan Daily*American Booksellers Association... Read more

Yearbook

By: Seth Rogen
Narrated by: Seth Rogen & Full Cast
Length: 6 hours 13 minutes

“So funny. I couldn’t stop listening until I had heard all of his anecdotes. Loved it. Read more

Conversations with Birds

By: Priyanka Kumar
Narrated by: Priyanka Kumar
Length: 9 hours 17 minutes

"Birds are my almanac. They tune me into the seasons, and into myself."

So begins this lively collection of essays by acclaimed filmmaker and novelist Priyanka Kumar. Growing up at the feet of the Himalayas in northern India, Kumar took for granted her immersion in a lush natural world. After moving to North America as a teenager, she found... Read more

Sucker Punch

By: Scaachi Koul
Length: TBA

Read more

The Witches Are Coming

By: Lindy West
Narrated by: Lindy West
Length: 6 hours 27 minutes

“ I struggle to write a review of Lindy West's work without resorting to simplistic three syllable sentences like "she's awesome," or, "she's the best." Maybe it's because she makes it look so very easy. She says everything I'm always thinking: about feminism, about politics, about our image-obsessed culture. And she does it with irrefutable... Read more

Theft by Finding

Diaries (1977-2002)

By: David Sedaris
Narrated by: David Sedaris
Length: 13 hours 51 minutes

One of the most anticipated books of 2017: Boston Globe, New York Times Book Review, New York's "Vulture", The Week, Bustle, BookRiot
An NPR Best Book of 2017An AV Club Favorite Book of 2017A Barnes & Noble Best Book of 2017A Goodreads Choice Awards nominee

David Sedaris tells all in a book that is, literally, a lifetime in the making.

For... Read more

We Are Never Meeting in Real Life

Essays

By: Samantha Irby
Narrated by: Samantha Irby
Length: 9 hours 16 minutes

“If you think you’re 'just not an audiobook person,' I dare you to listen to any of Sam Irby’s essay collections and not fall in love with hearing an author read their work to you. Irby’s wit and humor will have you laughing to the point of tears! Read more

You'll Never Believe What Happened to Lacey

Crazy Stories about Racism

By: Amber Ruffin & Lacey Lamar
Narrated by: Amber Ruffin & Lacey Lamar
Length: 5 hours 21 minutes

“In this eye-opening, horrifying, and hilarious book, Amber Ruffin and her sister, Lacey Lamar, share stories from Lacey's life where she has encountered racism in Nebraska. From racist donuts to being mistaken for Whoopi Goldberg, they share everything from the everyday examples of racism to the downright scary, while making you laugh out loud... Read more

The Book of Delights

By: Ross Gay
Narrated by: Ross Gay
Length: 5 hours

“For those of you having a rough year, take comfort and inspiration from Ross Gay’s aptly titled The Book of Delights. After going through a bumpy patch himself, Gay tasked himself with a year’s worth of essays, each day focusing on something delightful. What resulted is a warm, thoughtful range of reflections on tomato plants, high fives, and... Read more

On Freedom

Four Songs of Care and Constraint

By: Maggie Nelson
Narrated by: Gabra Zackman
Length: 10 hours 5 minutes

An expansive, exhilarating work of criticism by one of the most significant writers of our day.

So often deployed as a jingoistic, even menacing rallying cry, or limited by a focus on passing moments of liberation, the rhetoric of freedom both rouses and repels. Does it remain key to our autonomy, justice, and well-being, or is freedom's long... Read more

Eat Like a Fish

My Adventures as a Fisherman Turned Restorative Ocean Farmer

By: Bren Smith
Narrated by: Bren Smith
Length: 7 hours 43 minutes

Part memoir, part manifesto, in Eat Like a Fish Bren Smith—a former commercial fisherman turned restorative ocean farmer—shares a bold new vision for the future of food: seaweed.

Through tales that span from his childhood in Newfoundland to his early years on the high seas aboard commercial fishing trawlers, from pioneering new forms of ocean... Read more

Dear Girls

Intimate Tales, Untold Secrets & Advice for Living Your Best Life

By: Ali Wong
Narrated by: Ali Wong & Justin Hakuta
Length: 6 hours 20 minutes

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Heartfelt and hilarious essays from the Emmy and Golden Globe Award–winning actress, star of the Netflix original series Beef, and two-time member of Time’s 100 Most Influential People of the Year list
 
“A collection of letters to her baby girls that are barn-burning reflections on being a working mom, marriage, sex,... Read more

A Short History of Nearly Everything

By: Bill Bryson
Narrated by: Richard Matthews
Length: 18 hours 16 minutes

One of the world’s most beloved and bestselling writers takes his ultimate journey -- into the most intriguing and intractable questions that science seeks to answer.

In A Walk in the Woods, Bill Bryson trekked the Appalachian Trail -- well, most of it. In In A Sunburned Country, he confronted some of the most lethal wildlife Australia has to... Read more

Make It Scream, Make It Burn

Essays

By: Leslie Jamison
Narrated by: Leslie Jamison
Length: 9 hours 3 minutes

“Jamison's skills as a journalist and essayist, very much in the tradition of Didion and New Journalism, have earned her much praise, and I can only heap onto the pile. The essay, "Maximum Exposure," about the outsider photographer Annie Appel, is a masterpiece in particular. Layered like an onion, it explores the relationship between... Read more

101 Essays That Will Change The Way You Think

By: Brianna Wiest
Narrated by: Abby Craden
Length: 10 hours 45 minutes

Over the past few years, Brianna Wiest has gained renown for her deeply moving, philosophical writing. This new compilation of her published work features pieces on why you should pursue purpose over passion, embrace negative thinking, see the wisdom in daily routine, and become aware of the cognitive biases that are creating the way you see... Read more

Strong Female Character

By: Fern Brady
Narrated by: Fern Brady
Length: 6 hours 43 minutes

INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER • “Witty, dry, and gimlet-eyed, this is a necessary corrective in a world where Autistic women are all either written off as quiet and docile, or erased entirely.” —Devon Price, Ph.D., author of Unmasking Autism

Scottish comedian Fern Brady was told she couldn't be autistic because she'd had loads of boyfriends and is... Read more

If You Can't Take the Heat

Tales of Food, Feminism, and Fury

By: Geraldine DeRuiter
Narrated by: Geraldine DeRuiter
Length: 9 hours 34 minutes

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • From the James Beard Award–winning blogger behind The Everywhereist come hilarious, searing essays on how food and cooking stoke the flames of her feminism.

“With charm and humor, Geraldine DeRuiter welcomes us into her personal history and thus reconnects us with ourselves.”—Mikki Kendall, New York Times bestselling author... Read more

The Wreckage of My Presence

Essays

By: Casey Wilson
Narrated by: Casey Wilson
Length: 6 hours 28 minutes

""Magnificent."" —People MagazineThe instant New York Times bestseller: Laugh-out-loud, deeply insightful, and emotion-filled essays from multitalented actress, comedian, podcaster, and writer Casey Wilson.Casey Wilson has a lot on her mind and she isn’t afraid to share. In this dazzling collection, each essay skillfully constructed and brimming... Read more