The “Top” category pulls together the audiobooks that listeners keep coming back to, the ones with the highest ratings, the longest wishlists, and the most passionate word-of-mouth. Audio performance makes these titles hit differently, because a great narrator can turn a good book into something you think about for years.

If you’re new to audiobooks, start here. Listeners who loved Julia Whelan’s narration of “Gone Girl” often describe it as the reason they never went back to print.