Hear Outstanding Audiobook Narration on the 2024 Listen List

By Jennifer Rubins | January 22 2024 | Audiobook News

The RUSA Listen List award “highlights extraordinary narrators and listening experiences that merit special attention by a general adult audience and the librarians who advise them.” This year’s committee listened to more than 3,161 hours of audiobook recordings (!!) and we are thrilled to highlight these four winners from Books on Tape/PRH Audio! Plus, some must-hear listen-alikes for other winning titles! Check out the full list of 12 winners here.

Check those audio holds and delight listeners with these captivating audiobooks:

2024 Listen List Winners from BOT

Chain Gang All Stars

National Book Award Finalist

Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah

Read by Shayna Small, Aaron Goodson, Michael Crouch, and Lee Osorio

The Listen List committee says: “The violence is visceral in this cleverly structured novel set in the near future United States. Welcome to a world where convicts are tapped to participate in the newest craze, fights to the death televised for the public’s viewing pleasure. This multicast production brings each character to life, giving listeners a front-row seat, cheering for the winners and mourning the losers.”

Fiction > Literary Fiction

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Happiness Falls (Good Morning America Book Club)

A Novel

Angie Kim

Read by Shannon Tyo, Sean Patrick Hopkins, and Thomas Pruyn

The Listen List committee says: “Her father’s disappearance impels high-achieving genius Mia to search. The twenty-something’s brother Eugene has both autism and Angelman syndrome–he’s nonverbal and the only witness. Shannon Tyo conveys Mia’s blunt affect, though her protectiveness shines through as she analyzes her family, seeking truth. Xenophobia and ability bias permeate the police investigation, with Eugene’s testimony as counterpoint, authentically performed by fellow autistic community member Thomas Pruyn. Sean Patrick Hopkins voices their vanished father in a moving coda.”

Fiction > Literary Fiction

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The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store

A Novel

James McBride

Read by Dominic Hoffman

The Listen List committee says: “In a small 1930s Pennsylvania town, conflicts involving a few good people and some evil operators boil over. The suspicious death of a kindly Jewish woman and incarceration of a Black child galvanize community action. Dominic Hoffman ably employs storytelling cadences of both Black and Jewish speakers.”

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Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers

Jesse Q. Sutanto

Read by Eunice Wong

The Listen List committee says: “Widowed, 60-year-old Vera lives a very orderly life in San Francisco’s Chinatown until the body of a man is found in her tea shop. Surprised when the police think her meddlesome, she decides to find the killer. Along the way, she plays host, chef, and matchmaker to a variety of suspects. Eunice Wong imbues this cozy mystery with warmth and humor while providing distinct voices for a large cast of eccentric characters.”