Today is International Podcast Day (September 30th)! If you’re obsessed with charismatic hosts, revealing interviews, and the addictive episodic structures of podcasts, then you’ll want to bend your discerning ear to these audiobooks—many of which are written and read by your favorite podcasters. And to truly go behind the curtain and discover what it’s like to record an audiobook, add Penguin Random House Audio’s This Is the Author podcast to your regular listening rotation.
Pick your champions below to find immersive stories, intimate narration, and the chance to deep-dive into your niche obsessions.
For Fans of Lore (and other scary stories)
Your Halloween plans, solved: for fans of the podcast Lore who haven’t yet discovered Aaron Mahnke’s Lore audiobook series, it’s time. Start with The World of Lore: Monstrous Creatures and continue with The World of Lore: Wicked Mortals and The World of Lore: Dreadful Places.
For Fans of The Dave Chang Show (calling all foodies)
Need a palette cleanser after the Lore audiobooks scare your pants off? Take a bite out of chef David Chang’s New York Times bestselling memoir Eat a Peach. If you’re hip, you may also know Chef Dave from his podcast The Dave Chang Show, but you’ll learn even more from listening to him read his audiobook.
For Fans of the Bodega Boys (and hilarious pop culture realness)
From Desus & Mero, co-hosts of the Bodega Boys podcast, comes God-Level Knowledge Darts, a guide to life the likes of which you really should know. As Desus & Mero put it: “We want to share all we’ve learned, after years in the Bronx streets, with you: the people. So with a lifetime spent building up a plethora of information from trials and tribulations and a handful of misdemeanors, we decided to write this book—a sequel to the Bible, or maybe to The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, depending on how big a nerd you are. Let this book be your North Star.”
For Fans of Your First Million (and other business-minded podcasts)
In Arlan Hamilton’s podcast Your First Million she goes behind-the-scenes to teach listeners how to achieve success, and in her audiobook It’s About Damn Time she goes even deeper and tells the story of how she broke into the boys’ club of Silicon Valley—and how you too can reach your dreams.
For Fans of Stay Tuned with Preet (we see you, legal eagles!)
Written and read by the former federal prosecutor for the Southern District of New York and host of the podcast Stay Tuned with Preet, Doing Justice is a critical overview of the way our justice system works, and Preet’s perspectives on how the rule of law is essential to our society.
For Fans of Oprah’s Book Club (and other podcasts that talk about books)
A New York Times bestseller and Oprah’s Book Club Pick. In Caste, Pulitzer Prize-winning, bestselling author Isabel Wilkerson examines the unspoken caste system that has shaped America and shows how our lives today are still defined by a hierarchy of human divisions. Listen to the audiobook, read by Robin Miles, and then listen to Oprah in conversation with Isabel Wilkerson on the Oprah’s Book Club Podcast.
For Fans of Brené Brown’s Unlocking Us (and paradigm-shifting self-care)
If you love Brené Brown’s Unlocking Us podcast, press play on this tenth-anniversary edition of the game-changing #1 New York Times bestseller The Gifts of Imperfection. What transforms this audiobook into effective daily practices are Brené’s transformative ten guideposts to wholehearted living.
Plus look for Brené next audiobook, Atlas of the Heart, coming soon!
For Fans of The Dropout (and true crime generally)
If you found yourself riveted (and kinda horrified) by The Dropout podcast series, listen to Bad Blood by the journalist who first broke the story of the breathtaking rise and shocking collapse of Theranos, the one-time multibillion-dollar biotech startup founded by Elizabeth Holmes.
For Fans of Nothing Much Happens (and fans of sleep)
Yes, you read that right. This audiobook from the host of the Nothing Much Happens podcast is designed to help you drift off to sleep. Host Kathryn Nicolai is a pro at bedtime stories for adults, and these soft, peaceful tales will release your mind from the worries of the day so that you can drift off to dreamland, a chorus of sheep harmonizing along the way. You need this audiobook.
Want to go behind the scenes and hear what it’s like for your favorite authors to record their audiobooks? Look no further.