My Favorite Audiobooks of 2023

and how I rescued my audiobook focus

Traditional audiobook listening advice dictates that if you’re struggling to focus on the story, speed it up. Move the needle from 1.0 to 1.2, and if that’s too slow for your brain, crank ‘er up to 1.5, maybe even 1.8—or for the truly epic audiobook listeners—2.0! I’ve kept my audiobook speed set between 1.5 or 1.75 for years now, adjusting ever so slightly for variations in narrator’s voices. Speeding things up worked well for my brain…until it didn’t.

This fall, I wrestled to get through any audiobook, when usually I’d listen to one or two per week. Nothing grabbed my attention, and I preferred listening to podcasts, or silence, or books I’d already read. There’s nothing inherently wrong with this, and I was okay with leaning on podcasts for awhile—but I love listening to audiobooks, and reading is part of my job. The stakes are slightly higher when you need to read for work, so I made a few adjustments.

First, I took the pressure off to finish a whole audiobook in one week. I know that may sound silly, but it’s been my rhythm for so long, and I needed to let go of that expectation. I decided to focus on just one audiobook per month and see what happened.

One day, as I was listening to a book (I wish I could remember which one), I slowed my audiobook speed down to 1.4, which sounds like a minuscule change, but it made all the difference. Not only did my brain feel less rushed to absorb the story, it also made me feel less rushed to finish the book. At a slower pace, I felt better about listening in smaller chunks of time and stretching out my listening across weeks instead of days.

Sometimes routines stop working, and sometimes we need to ditch the usual advice in favor of what works best for us. I don’t know if I’ll stick with my slightly slower listening speed, but for now it feels restorative and inspires me to repair my focus in other ways as well.

Recent Audiobook Reads

• Love Lettering by Kate Claybourn, narrated by Nicol Zanzarella

• The Art of Scandal by Regina Black, narrated by Mela Lee

• The Golden Spoon by Jessa Maxwell, narrated by a full cast

• Rouge by Mona Awad, narrated by Sophie Amoss

• Currently listening: Wellness by Nathan Hill, narrated by Ari Fliakos

Favorite Audiobooks of 2023

• Hotel of Secrets by Diana Biller, narrated by Carlotta Brentan (on sale for 9.99 until 12/1)

• You Could Make This Place Beautiful by Maggie Smith, narrated by the author

• Lone Women by Victor Lavalle, narrated by Joniece Abbott-Pratt

• Family Lore by Elizabeth Acevedo, narrated by the author, Sixta Morel & Danyali Rodriguez del Orbe

• Congratulations, the Best is Over! by R. Eric Thomas narrated by the author

• Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross, narrated by Alex Wingfield & Rebecca Norfolk

• Disoriental by Nega Djavadi, narrated by Siiri Scott

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Are you listening to any fabulous audiobooks right now? What was your favorite listen of the year?

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To find out more about my current reads, favorite things, and life updates follow me on Instagram. If you’re interested in reading classic literature with accessible guidance and a cozy community, check out the Novel Pairings podcast and Patreon.