Historical Fiction bestsellers

Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil

By: V. E. Schwab
Narrated by: Julia Whelan, Katie Leung & Marisa Calin
Length: 18 hours 26 minutes

“Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil is a dark, lyrical story that blends folklore, grief, and quiet horror into something haunting and beautiful. The writing feels earthy and atmospheric, like turning pages by lantern light. It is perfect for readers who enjoy unsettling stories that lean more on mood and meaning than jump scares, and for anyone... Read more

James

A Novel

By: Percival Everett
Narrated by: Dominic Hoffman
Length: 7 hours 49 minutes

“An amazing reverse imagining of Huckleberry Finn, I loved the way Everett uses language to distinguish James from his performative personality of Jim. Language is how James keeps his sense of self and listening to him make the shift I found both drew me in and left me implicated in the dual versions he is forced to maintain. Listening gave an... Read more

The Frozen River: A GMA Book Club Pick

A Novel

By: Ariel Lawhon
Narrated by: Jane Oppenheimer & Ariel Lawhon
Length: 15 hours 5 minutes

“Suspenseful historical mystery inspired by the true story and diaries of midwife Martha Ballard in post-revolutionary Maine (still part of Massachusetts). Respected by women but not by Harvard-trained men, her opinion that the cause of death of the man found frozen dead in the river was murder conflicts with the men in power who rule it an... Read more

Wuthering Heights

Penguin Classics

By: Emily Brontë
Narrated by: Aimee Lou Wood & Kristin Atherton
Length: 13 hours 58 minutes

Brought to you by Penguin.

This Penguin Classic is performed by Aimee Lou Wood, star of Netflix's Sex Education. This definitive recording includes an introduction by Pauline Nestor.

Lockwood, the new tenant of Thrushcross Grange on the bleak Yorkshire moors, is forced to seek shelter one night at Wuthering Heights, the home of his landlord. There... Read more about Wuthering Heights

The Song of Achilles

A Novel

By: Madeline Miller
Narrated by: Frazer Douglas
Length: 11 hours 15 minutes

“In this beautiful retelling of the classic Greek myth, Madeline Miller writes one of the most compelling and heart-wrenching love stories of the 21st Century. It is an ode to the past while also incorporating modern understanding, and I was continuously blown away by the emotions Miller was able to evoke in me while I was reading. For those of... Read more

Katabasis

A Novel

By: R. F. Kuang
Narrated by: Morag Sims & Will Watt
Length: 18 hours 34 minutes

“RF Kuang writes another masterpiece; it was smart, clever, and thought-provoking! Incredible! Read more

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

By: V. E. Schwab
Narrated by: Julia Whelan
Length: 17 hours 31 minutes

“Epic, beautifully written, heartwarming, and heartbreaking, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is a contemplation on life, death, what it means to make your mark on the world, and why we feel it’s important to do so. Addie makes a deal with a demon so she can live her life the way she wants to. But, like most deals, there are strings attached —... Read more

I, Medusa

A Novel

By: Ayana Gray
Narrated by: Tyla Collier & A'rese Emokpae
Length: 11 hours 33 minutes

“such an original and beautiful retelling of the Medusa story. Read more

Babel

Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of The Oxford Translators' Revolution

By: R. F. Kuang
Narrated by: Chris Lew Kum Hoi & Billie Fulford-Brown
Length: 21 hours 46 minutes

“To linguistics what Three Body Problem is to physics, Babel is a wonder. Its extensive research into the etymological backgrounds of multiple languages is topped only by its nuanced, honest exploration of the effects of colonization and white supremacy. I found myself rooting and aching for every character, from the white girl who turns on her... Read more

Hamnet

By: Maggie O'Farrell
Narrated by: Ell Potter
Length: 12 hours 42 minutes

“A wonderful imaginative tale of the family of one of England’s most famous writers – who is never named, but of course you know immediately who it is. O’Farrell has a beautiful style of language, with astute observations and lovely vivid descriptions and Daisy Donovan is the perfect narrator. At the core it is a story of shared grief and how... Read more

The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi

A Novel

An Amina al-Sirafi Adventure: Book #1

By: Shannon Chakraborty
Narrated by: Lameece Issaq & Amin El Gamal
Length: 16 hours 59 minutes

“Conjuring the magic of The Arabian Nights, you can imagine yourself sitting around a campfire on a cool desert evening as Amina al-Sirafi tells of her adventures. And I hope you aren't sensitive because she is brash, brazen, and foul mouthed! A truly singular and compelling voice, Amina reminded me of all the heroic tales I grew up reading. This... Read more

Buckeye: A Read with Jenna Pick

A Novel

By: Patrick Ryan
Narrated by: Michael Crouch
Length: 15 hours 44 minutes

“Beautiful characters and insight into relationships, how they bend, sometimes break, the legacy of choices made; a lovely portrait of a small community in Ohio in the years surrounding WW2. Read more

The Buffalo Hunter Hunter

By: Stephen Graham Jones
Narrated by: Shane Ghostkeeper, Marin Ireland & Owen Teale
Length: 15 hours 40 minutes

“A brutal and chilling vampire story with an ingenious twist. I was completely hooked from the get-go. Read more

Circe

By: Madeline Miller
Narrated by: Perdita Weeks
Length: 12 hours 8 minutes

“I'm late this to this party but so happy I made it. As a bookseller, this is one of those remarkable books that appeal to so many audiences. My teen staff loved it as did my 18-year-old son who grew up reading mythology. I learned quite a bit about Homer's Iliad and The Odyssey (something I missed in my formal education) and the original... Read more

So Far Gone

A Novel

By: Jess Walter
Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini
Length: 8 hours 20 minutes

“A cranky ex-journalist who has rejected society, a retired cop with questionable judgment, a father seduced by a cult-like militant religious group, and husband-and-wife Native American activists are just a few of the memorable characters in this hilarious, harrowing, and heartwarming story filled with commentary on today’s political and social... Read more

North Woods

A Novel

By: Daniel Mason
Narrated by: Mark Bramhall, Michael Crouch, Jason Culp, Mark Deakins, Jayne Entwistle, Billie Fulford-Brown, Arthur Morey, George Newbern, Kirsten Potter & Simon Vance
Length: 11 hours 5 minutes

“This book reminds me of a puzzle, with each chapter, character, and relationship adding a piece to the whole beautiful picture. However, I did have to pause and search where the puzzle pieces fit. I enjoyed the imagery Daniel Mason creates; I could see the scene come together before me as if painted on a canvas. The narration lends to the... Read more

When the Tides Held the Moon

By: Venessa Vida Kelley
Narrated by: Joel de la Fuente & Lee Osorio
Length: 12 hours 23 minutes

“A young immigrant blacksmith barely surviving in an early 1900s New York city. A merman captured from the banks of the East River forced to be the newest amusement in a Coney Island sideshow. A romance as unlikely as it is tender blossoming in a hopeless place. With a carousel of unusual characters Benny and Rio find themselves in the middle of... Read more

Isola: Reese's Book Club

A Novel

By: Allegra Goodman
Narrated by: Fiona Hardingham & Allegra Goodman
Length: 12 hours 54 minutes

“An amazing, sweeping adventure story of endurance and survival, set in 1540, rooted in true events! A French noble woman is left on an isolated island in the St Lawrence river with her lover where she learns to fend for herself, including fighting off polar bears, for several years before being rescued. An absorbing story of resilience. Read more

The Mad Wife

By: Meagan Church
Narrated by: Susan Bennett
Length: 9 hours 15 minutes

“This story beautifully expresses the sadness of a woman trapped in a world she did not want but does not know how to escape. She does not know whom she can trust, including herself. Read more

Agnes Aubert's Mystical Cat Shelter

By: Heather Fawcett
Narrated by: Genevieve Cocke
Length: 11 hours 25 minutes

“Spectacular. Delightful. Gave me the practical-clerk-on-an-adventure-they-did-not-ask-to-be-on that Howl's Moving Castle provides. I did not think it possible for the author to write something I liked as much as Emily Wilde's Encylopaedia of Fairies, but here we are. Do I like it the same? More? Yes. Both. Utterly charmed and enchanted. It is... Read more

Mexican Gothic

By: Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Narrated by: Frankie Corzo
Length: 10 hours 39 minutes

“Best book I have read this year. An amazing, gripping tale of a young woman in a strange old house. It's an epic ghost story mixed with some element for "Girl with all the Gifts." Compelling characters and a twist ending that will have you in the edge of your seat until the very end. 10/10 would recommend. Read more

The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy

Book 1 of the Dearly Beloathed Duology

Dearly Beloathed: Book #1

By: Brigitte Knightley
Narrated by: Heather Long & Thomas Judd
Length: 11 hours 37 minutes

“The first book in the Dearly Beloathed duology is a true enemies-to-lovers sloooow burn that’s sharp, punny and a little raunchy; a delightfully sizzling read. Read more

The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store

A Novel

By: James McBride
Narrated by: Dominic Hoffman
Length: 12 hours 21 minutes

“This is a novel about the power of compassion to stir communities of characters to act as their best selves. The beautiful performance of narrator Dominic Hoffman amplifies the warmth in James McBride's memorable story. I'm grateful to have experienced this story through an audiobook. Read more

The Poppy War

A Novel

The Poppy War

By: R. F. Kuang
Narrated by: Emily Woo Zeller
Length: 19 hours 27 minutes

“I cannot emphasize enough how much I love this series. Fang Runin, a fierce and powerful orphan, is the epitome of female rage and sacrificing everything you are for the good of your country. You will love her, despise her and, ultimately, want to fight with her. Warning - this is not a happy story. In a country plagued by opium addiction and... Read more

The Nightingale

A Novel

By: Kristin Hannah
Narrated by: Polly Stone
Length: 17 hours 37 minutes

“The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah is a powerful novel set in Nazi-occupied France during the Second World War. It follows two very different sisters, Vianne and Isabelle, who struggle to survive and resist the German occupation in their own ways. While Vianne tries to protect her family and keep a fragile sense of normal life, Isabelle joins the... Read more

Lincoln in the Bardo

A Novel

By: George Saunders
Narrated by: George Saunders, Nick Offerman, David Sedaris, Carrie Brownstein, Don Cheadle, Lena Dunham, Bill Hader, Kirby Heyborne, Keegan-Michael Key, Julianne Moore, Megan Mullally, Susan Sarandon, Ben Stiller & Various
Length: 7 hours 25 minutes

“This was my first audiobook and i've been devoted to them ever since. This novel was one-of-a-kind to begin with, so it's no wonder it took a cast of over one hundred actors to realize it in audio. I will admit, at first I found the citations jarring - yes, real and fictional historical sources presented mid-narrative - but by the end they were... Read more

Bog Queen

A Novel

By: Anna North
Narrated by: Lily Newmark
Length: 7 hours 46 minutes

“This book was so fascinating and not at all what I had been reading lately, and yet it still had me waiting to keep reading. I loved the dual timelines between the past and present, as well as the occasional views done by the Moss. I feel like it did a great job highlighting the history of areas and the impacts we have on them. I’ve already... Read more

The Night Circus

A Novel

By: Erin Morgenstern
Narrated by: Jim Dale
Length: 13 hours 40 minutes

“The Night Circus has to be one of my favorite stories ever and Jim Dale brings it to life in the most gorgeous, comforting, magical way. I think I've listened to it at least 20 times at this point and sometimes I'll put it on just so I can drift off to sleep. I literally can't recommend it enough. Read more

The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion Vol. 1

The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion

By: Beth Brower
Narrated by: Genevieve Gaunt
Length: 3 hours 15 minutes

“Emma M. Lion feels like the dearest of friends and this charming start to what is one of my most cherished series is not one to miss. The narrator is particularly lovely and brings life to these delightful characters perfectly. Listen when you need the warmth of finding just where you belong. Read more

The Hounding

A Novel

By: Xenobe Purvis
Narrated by: Olivia Vinall
Length: 6 hours 36 minutes

“F*cking magnificent. In this weird, masterful little book, an 18th-century village located on the shore of the River Thames becomes embroiled in a malicious misogyny-rooted rumor that accuses five sisters of turning into devil-allied dogs. Wonderfully ambiguous and scathingly written, this novel is perfect for readers of Ottessa Moshfegh, Rachel... Read more

The Isle in the Silver Sea

By: Tasha Suri
Narrated by: Shiromi Arserio
Length: 17 hours 49 minutes

“A beautifully written exploration of how the stories we tell shape us and the power in changing them. Read more

The Antidote

A Novel

By: Karen Russell
Narrated by: Elena Rey, Sophie Amoss, Mark Bramhall, Shayna Small, Jon Orsini, Natasha Soudek, Karen Russell & James Riding In
Length: 16 hours 56 minutes

“One of my new favorites, this book hums along like a well-oiled machine. I expected a plot twist at the end but not the one that came... which makes the book even better! Read more

Black Sun

Between Earth and Sky: Book #1

By: Rebecca Roanhorse
Narrated by: Cara Gee, Nicole Lewis, Kaipo Schwab & Shaun Taylor-Corbett
Length: 12 hours 47 minutes

“Black Sun is so much more than simply a book, it is an experience. An audiobook I've returned to multiple times. Inspired by pre-Columbian Americas, Black Sun is lush, lived in, and full of political intrigue and magical mystery. When I think about Black Sun, I find myself sighing nostalgically for the time I've spent reading it. Xiala and... Read more

The Bewitching

By: Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Narrated by: Gisela Chipe
Length: 14 hours 7 minutes

“I really had fun with this book. It had the creeping tension of Shirley Jackson, a dash of Lovecraft's twisted New England atmosphere, and a hefty heaping of Mexican witchcraft that makes for a damn good read. Read more

The Reformatory

A Novel

By: Tananarive Due
Narrated by: Joniece Abbott-Pratt
Length: 20 hours 51 minutes

“I am in awe of Tananarive Due. A horror story set in Jim Crow Florida, The Reformatory is the kind of book that I will never ever forget, no matter how many years have passed. It’s clear that Due poured her heart and soul into this story, her efforts manifesting in vivid storytelling, impeccably researched history, and characters so fully... Read more

The Bright Sword

A Novel of King Arthur

By: Lev Grossman
Narrated by: Nicholas Guy Smith & Lev Grossman
Length: 23 hours 10 minutes

“This audiobook was an immersive delight! Grossman weaves a new world out of a familiar tale- complete with nuanced characters, myths, fairies, knights, and magic. Plot twists and turns abound- so I won't say any more! Read more

The Safekeep

By: Yael van der Wouden
Narrated by: Stina Nielsen & Saskia Maarleveld
Length: 9 hours 30 minutes

“This brilliant debut novel is by a Dutch author and set in 1961 rural Netherlands, focusing on a recluse woman, Isabel. Isabel, a loner, spends most of her days obsessing over her late mother’s things/house. Her life is uprooted when her brother brings home a new girlfriend, Eva and Isabel begins a relationship with her. While WWII was over a... Read more

Outlander

Outlander (Gabaldon): Book #1

By: Diana Gabaldon
Narrated by: Davina Porter
Length: 32 hours 38 minutes

“This book has been a favorite of mine since I read over a decade ago. But Divina Porter is such an amazing narrator! You can really tell which character she is reading by her voice changing- the accents sound really great! And there are so many accents! Read more

The Ten Thousand Doors of January

By: Alix E. Harrow
Narrated by: January LaVoy
Length: 12 hours 20 minutes

“I read The Ten Thousand Doors of January with my eyes and my ears... both were literary nirvana experiences. Alix E. Harrow's tale of a young girl who finds a mysterious book that tells of doors that lead to fantastical worlds reminded me of what story telling is all about. I was transported to the early 1900's and the life of January Scaller,... Read more

Ring Shout

By: P. Djèlí Clark
Narrated by: Channie Waites
Length: 5 hours 36 minutes

“Great for fans of Lovecraft Country, Ring Shout takes very real terrors and mixes them with demonic horrors that feed off hatred and racism in a fast paced novella you won't want to put down. Read more

There Are Rivers in the Sky

A novel

By: Elif Shafak
Narrated by: Olivia Vinall & Elif Shafak
Length: 16 hours 48 minutes

“A sweeping and yet modest story in three timelines set in mid 1800’s London following Arthur, 2014 in Turkey following Narin and 2018 back in London with Zaleekhah. For lovers of Pachinko and the Daughters of Fortune series by Isabel Allende. Carefully written and thought provoking, a story of family, belonging and how we find our place in the... Read more

Trust (Pulitzer Prize Winner)

By: Hernan Diaz
Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini, Jonathan Davis, Mozhan Marnò & Orlagh Cassidy
Length: 10 hours 21 minutes

“How satisfying, the slow unraveling of the truth behind the matter. Please enter into the experience of this novel as I did: with no preconceived notions, no summaries suspended in the back of your mind, no guesses as to its genre. Read more

Skylark

A GMA Book Club Pick: A Novel

By: Paula McLain
Narrated by: Alexa Davalos, Michiel Huisman & Paula McLain
Length: 13 hours 50 minutes

“This novel is heartbreaking, beautiful, and eerily timely. Read more

Keeper of Lost Children

By: Sadeqa Johnson
Narrated by: Ariel Blake, Karen Chilton, Adam Lazarre-White & Sadeqa Johnson
Length: 14 hours 7 minutes

“A well-written historical fiction that informs you of an obvious side effect of war and the struggles of real people to minimize its impact. The narrative weaves the story from three main characters from different times into one historically based plot. Read more

The Briar Club

A Novel

By: Kate Quinn
Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld
Length: 15 hours 3 minutes

“Kate Quinn is one of my favorite authors and she has outdone herself with this one. The Briar Club has it all, strong female characters, dynamic relationships, mystery, a twist, and so much more. This story centers around six women living in an all-female DC boarding house during the 1950's. Each woman has their own struggles and secrets, but... Read more

A Fate Inked in Blood

Book One of the Saga of the Unfated

Saga of the Unfated: Book #1

By: Danielle L. Jensen
Narrated by: Nina Yndis
Length: 15 hours 16 minutes

“This was absolutely EPIC on audio. If the Thor movies and The Vikings TV show had a book baby this would be it - an absolute nonstop action ride. I am chomping at the bit for the next book. Read more

A Gentleman in Moscow

A Novel

By: Amor Towles
Narrated by: Nicholas Guy Smith
Length: 17 hours 52 minutes

“Within the pages of this captivating novel lies a poignant portrayal of a turbulent era in Russian history, rendered with remarkable depth, detail, and grace. Alexander Rostoff, initially portrayed as a haughty aristocrat, undergoes a profound transformation as he navigates the intricate web of relationships that will shape the next three... Read more

The Fox Wife

A Novel

By: Yangsze Choo
Narrated by: Yangsze Choo
Length: 14 hours 37 minutes

“Are you ready to cozy up and savor a story with a bit of mystery, romance, and mysticism with an ending that made me sit in my garage listening until completion? Yangsze Choo seamlessly blends magic into historical fiction in The Fox Wife. The story is told through the eyes of Snow – a fox in woman form, seeking revenge for her daughter – and... Read more

Homegoing

A novel

By: Yaa Gyasi
Narrated by: Dominic Hoffman
Length: 13 hours 11 minutes

“Homegoing is an epic narrative that is sure to become a treasured staple. Two sisters in Ghana are marked by fiery tragedy: one is married off to an English slave trader, and the other is sold to be a slave in America. The story follows their descendants generation by generation. Homegoing will break your heart over and over, impress you with... Read more

1984

By: George Orwell
Narrated by: Theo Solomon
Length: 12 hours 18 minutes

One of the most celebrated classics of the twentieth century, this cautionary tale of a man trapped under the gaze of an authoritarian state is more relevant now than ever before.“Thoughtcrime was not a thing that could be concealed for ever. You might dodge successfully for a while, even for years, but sooner or later they were bound to get... Read more about 1984