The Best Audiobooks of 2024

For those looking variously for a very last-minute gift or just a little post-holiday recuperation, Laura Miller over at Slate runs down the top audiobooks your money or your Audible credits can buy. A look at her favorites, and the people narrating them:

• The Bright Sword by Lev Grossman, narrated by Nicholas Guy Smith. In this Arthurian tale, a yokel arrives in Camelot to find King Arthur is dead. "Smith is more than up to the task of performing" a hodgepodge of distinct characters.

• The God of the Woods by Liz Moore, narrated by Saskia Maarleveld. A camper vanishes at an Adirondack summer camp in 1975 that her family funds. "Cool and poised, with an ever-so-slightly husky voice, Saskia Maarleveld confidently takes charge of this gothic saga."
• James by Percival Everett, narrated by Dominic Hoffman. Everett's take on Huckleberry Finn dominated the year's bestseller lists and awards, and "also makes for a terrific listening experience."
• The Road From Belhaven by Margot Livesey, narrated by Ell Potter. A 19th-century Scottish girl has the gift of seeing the future. "Potter's serene narration, with its lilting brogue, intensifies the atmosphere."
• Slouching Towards Bethlehem by Joan Didion, narrated by Maya Hawke. An essay collection that blends Hawke's breathy voice "with Joan Didion's often icy prose style," and "the combination turns out to be inspired."

Full list is here. (More audiobook stories.)