Choosing the perfect audiobook for your flight to Madagascar or Rome can mean the difference between a dreary, vexing slog and not even noticing how fast El Capitan flew you to your destination.
Here, we present ten top-of-the-line audiobook productions of the best novels of the 21st Century. These picks cater to diverse tastes and preferences, but each one is compulsively listenable – so much so that you’ll be tempted to book an immediate flight back home just to finish whatever’s left of your preferred audiobook.
But first…
The Best Apps For Audiobooks
Part of having the best audiobook experience is considering the app you use – and with the app, you also have to consider factors such as easy accessibility, consistent development, and simplicity of use.
We pooled our collective experiences, did a Reddit deep dive, and found these to be the best audiobook apps to plug into.
1. Smart Audiobook Player – the best for audiobook listening on any Android device. It features a sleep timer and skips of varying time lengths (10 to 60 seconds), making listening a breeze.
2. Libby App – this one is a must-have for avid audiobook listeners. It’s free to use and accesses titles in one’s local library through their library cards.
3. Audible – no other app beats the sheer number of books and variety available on Audible. Not to mention its versatility (samples are provided to give you a better chance of gauging if the narrator suits you) and cost-friendly price. It also has the best movie audiobooks.
4. Chirp Audiobooks – the app allows you to listen to thousands of audiobooks at a fraction of the price. The site consists of limited deals on select digital books. Plus, it’s got the latest and fan-favorite #BookTok reads.
5. Spotify Audiobooks – apart from offering you the best playlists and podcast lineups, Spotify provides users with top audiobook titles. There’s no dedicated Spotify audiobook subscription, so you might have to pay for every book you order, making it one of the priciest audiobook apps.
The Absolute Best Audiobooks For In-Flight Travel In 2024
Now for the best audiobooks to keep your tenterhooks from takeoff to touchdown:
The Other Black Girl By Zakiya Dalila Harris – Read By Aja Naomi King, Joniece Abbott-Pratt, Heather Alicia Simms & Bahni Turpin
Who’ll Love It: Anyone looking for a Black-woman-written psychological masterpiece where microaggressions and gaslighting turn a firm’s ‘civilized’ (white privilege…cough*cough) atmosphere into a slowly unraveling horror (a little too relatable ????).
Zakiya’s storytelling brilliance is of the highest order, and when paired with Aja Naomi King’s and Bahni Turpin’s narration, you get audiobook gold. It’s one of the best audiobooks to listen to while on a long flight.
Perfect If Your Flight Is Approx: 13 Hours & 33 Minutes, about the time it’ll take to get from Los Angeles to New Zealand.
The Vanishing Half By Brit Bennet – Narrated By Shayna Small
Who’ll Love It: Um, everyone, especially your Toni Morrison/Jacqueline Woodson-obsessed bestie – has read everything Toni, Jacqueline, or James Baldwin authored.
It’s an accomplished, affecting story (following twins inseparable as kids but who ultimately chose to live in two very different worlds. One Black and one White), but Shayna’s voice and pronunciation make it captivating and seat-gripping.
Perfect If Your Flight Is Approx: 11 Hours & 34 Minutes, about the time it’ll take to get from Frankfurt to San Fransisco.
@books.with.lee Replying to @kellykennie reading audiobooks has been so helpful for me! Here are books that made me fall in love with audiobooks! #audiobooks #audiobooktok #booktok #bookish #blackbooktoker #bookishquestion #bookrecommendations ♬ original sound – Lee | Booktok
Captivated By Danger By Endiya Carter – Narrated By Winston James, Trei Taylor
Who’ll Love It: Any girlie looking to venture into steamy, spicy, and smutty Black-written novels.
No lie.
As a book, this novel will have you reaching for a glass of water, but as an audiobook, you won’t even notice the turbulence, the wailing toddler in front of you, or the cute flight attendant winking at you. It’s a next-level experience!
Get it today, and thank us later????!
Perfect If Your Flight Is Approx: 14 Hours & 36 Minutes, about the time it’ll take to get from New York to Hong Kong.
@goode.reads Let me tell yall about Captivated by Danger by Endiya Carter – listen to the audiobook for a next level experience. Thank me later ???? #blackafbooktoker #blackbooktok #blackwriters #blackauthors #blackreadersoftiktok #blackgirlbooktok #blackreaders #blackromance #domsublife ♬ original sound – Ashley | Writer & Bookfluencer
The September House By Carissa Orlando – Read By Kimberly Farr
Who’ll Love It: Haunted house lovers. Yes, girl, because why would one ever run from a haunted house when you can just chill out and ignore ’em ghosts?
Kimberly brings a whole new layer to Margaret’s character and humor, making this audiobook that much more intimate and darkly funny.
Save it for your next trip to Italy or a road trip with a like-minded friend.
Perfect If Your Flight Is Approx: 13 Hours & 31 Minutes, about the time it’ll take to get from Los Angeles to Italy.
Butcher And The Blackbird By Brynne Weaver – Narrated By Joe Arden, Lucy Rivers
Who’ll Love It: Who wouldn’t? This dark romance is something out of a Netflix show.
It combines gory murder (yeah, it’s about serial killers!), comedic relief, a somewhat absurd plot (everything a thriller enthusiast will die for), and sweet, sweet romance (yeah, there’s a reason millennials are obsessed with fictional characters!).
It’s exactly what you’d expect from Brynne Weaver and an audiobook narration by Joe Arden & Lucy Rivers.
Perfect If Your Flight Is Approx: 8 Hours & 43 Minutes, about the time it’ll take to get from Philadelphia to Norway.
Adult Children Of Emotionally Immature Parents By Lindsay C. Gibson – Read By Marguerite Gavin
Who’ll Love It: Self-therapizing Queens, or should we say millennials????? The audiobook exposes the destructive nature of parents who are emotionally unavailable/immature.
Through Marguerite’s soothing and captivating voice, you’ll see how these parents create a sense of neglect and learn how to heal from the emotional turmoil and confusion caused by your childhood.
When you leave that flight, you’ll surely be a whole new (and healed) person, that’s for certain.
Perfect If Your Flight Is Approx: 6 Hours & 50 Minutes, about the time it’ll take to get from Miami to Seattle.
The Weight Of Blood By Tiffany D. Jackson – Read By JD Jackson, Sarah Mollo-Christensen, Joy Nash, Christopher Salazar, Karen Malina White
Who’ll Love It: Every 13 Reasons Why/Carrie fan – the Black version, though ????. The package, the delivery, the emotion, everything about the audiobook is spellbinding and one to come back to over and over again.
‘The chokehold and intrigue this book had on me, man. This fantastic, cathartic thriller is a great way to end black history month. So many memorable quotes, too! It’s Carrie meets Passing meets AHS: Coven. Loved it!’ – Ashely Willies.
Perfect If Your Flight Is Approx: 10 Hours & 55 Minutes, about the time it’ll take to get from Miami to Seattle.
@flyslibrary Besties‼️This Audiobook may have won me OVER ???????? ‼️ I was STRESSED at the end‼️ Also if you havent read this book I Highly recommend you do.. Preferably BEFORE the end of FEBRUARY‼️ And definitely give the Audio version a shot. #blackbooktokok #blackgirltiktok #bookcommunity #bookish #barnesandnoble #kindleunlimited #BookTok #bookreviewer #blackgirlsread #fyp #amazon ♬ Разборка – Misha Mozhet
Seven Days In June By Tia Williams – Narrated By Mela Lee
Who’ll Love It: Anyone who dreams of joining Oprah’s or Reese Witherspoon Book Club. You’ll be switching back and forth between reading the hard copy and listening to the audiobook of this smart, sexy, and witty testament to Black joy.
Narrators can make or break audiobooks, but Mela Lee adroitly pulls off various POVs and timeframes like a pro. It’s 11 hours of perfection!
Perfect If Your Flight Is Approx: 10 Hours & 32 Minutes, about the time it’ll take to get from Houston to Paris.
Boyfriend Material By Alexis Hall – Read By Joe Jameson
Who’ll Love It: Anyone who’d kill for a laugh-out-loud romp. Luc O’Donnell is tangentially and reluctantly famous.
He is the son of an aging, substance-addicted rock star, and Oliver Blackwood is a successful (if slightly stuffy) ethically vegetarian barrister. The two begin fake dating in an attempt to repair Luc’s bad-boy image.
The plot, the characters, and the compelling narration make this a truly hilarious, worth-every-dime audiobook affair.
Perfect If Your Flight Is Approx: 13 Hours & 11 Minutes, about the time it’ll take to get from Washington to Greece.
Born A Crime By Trevor Noah – Narrated By Trevor Noah
Who’ll Love It: Every Trevor Noah fan will get a kick out of this skillfully and comically narrated audiobook of his wild, coming-of-age tale during the twilight of apartheid in South Africa.
Trevor’s virtuoso embodiment of all the characters and his ability to perform accents and dialects flawlessly in English, Xhosa, and Zulu is ingenious – it even earned him the Audie Award for Best Male Narrator in 2018.
But it’s Trevor’s devoted and uncompromising – as voiced by her son – that steals the show.
Perfect If Your Flight Is Approx: 8 Hours & 44 Minutes, about the time it’ll take to get from Chicago to Finland.
