Best Audiobooks: August 2018

August 2018As publishers, we don’t just turn pages–we also seek the best audiobooks for book lovers so we can share them with you!By David AdamsAndre Aciman’s erotic coming-of-age story set on the Italian Riviera is given new life in this sumptuous audio version narrated by actor Armie Hammer. In the Academy Award-nominated film, Hammer played Oliver, the object of desire to newly minted heartthrob Timothee Chalamet’s 17-year-old Elio Perlman. In the audiobook, Hammer mellifluously narrates the story from the perspective of an older Elio reliving his summer romance. The twistiness of the character swap makes this a must-listen even (especially!) if you’ve already read the book or seen the movie. True crime blogger Michelle McNamara died tragically while writing this investigation into a string of unsolved burglaries, rapes, and murders that she believed were committed by one man: the Golden State Killer. Her husband, comedian Patton Oswalt, oversaw the book’s completion and publication in February 2018 — two years after McNamara’s death and two months before the arrest of Joseph James DeAngelo proved her central theory correct. Gillian Flynn’s introduction and Oswalt’s afterword pay heartfelt tribute to a brilliant woman who dedicated her life to pursuing justice for others. When the Hulu series based on this dystopian fable premiered in 2017, it hit almost too close to home. But the power of Margaret Atwood’s searing portrait of a society based on the subjugation of women lies in its timelessness. The Handmaid’s Tale has always been terrifyingly relevant–from its first publication in 1985 to its reemergence on bestseller lists last year. In 2013, Emmy Award-winning actress Claire Danes took on the role of the handmaid Offred to narrate this magnificently produced audio version. The iconic novel by one of America’s most beloved humorists gets the star treatment in this audiobook narrated by Meryl Streep. The Academy Award-winning actress brings warmth, self-awareness, and an impeccable sense of timing to her audio portrayal of Rachel Samstat (who Streep also immortalized onscreen), a cookbook writer who discovers that her journalist husband is having an affair. The story, which is based on Ephron’s marriage to Watergate reporter Carl Bernstein, will have you laughing through tears.

Love books?

Sign up for the free Celadon Books newsletter, and get book giveaways, news, and recommendations sent straight to your inbox.

Share with your friends

5 Surprising Ways Iconic Artists Throughout History Earned a Living

A life in the arts is often viewed in stark terms: If you really want to be an artist, you’ll have to choose between chasing your dreams or paying your bills.

Penitence Author Kristin Koval Recommends the Best Books About Redemption

I wrote Penitence to explore the concepts of guilt, forgiveness, and redemption, and centered the novel on the aftermath of 13-year-old Nora Sheehan’s killing her brother, Nico, who had terminal Huntington’s disease. The novel places Nora’s parents in both the easiest and the hardest possible position to forgive, but all three generations of Sheehans—and the intertwined Dumont family members, lawyers who are defending Nora in court—are flawed and struggling with guilt about their own life choices.

Bestselling Author Tracey Lange Recommends the Best Fiction Books for Hockey Fans

Hockey is having an undeniable moment right now, and it started even before Team USA’s dramatic gold medal wins over Canada in both the men’s and women’s divisions in the 2026 Winter Olympics. The intensity, teamwork, and raw emotion of the sport have spilled over into fiction, and stories on the ice seem to be drawing in readers like never before.

Celadon delivered

Subscribe to get articles about writing, adding to your TBR pile, and simply content we feel is worth sharing. And yes, also sign up to be the first to hear about giveaways, our acquisitions, and exclusives!