There’s a new kind of book on the rise. Audiobooks have been around for decades, but many readers are just now discovering them for the first time. While listening offers the same benefits as traditional reading, audiobooks have perks you can’t find in a written book.

You can listen while you drive, clean, garden, exercise, paint, shop, swim or just sit on your couch, surrounded by the story. In our fast-paced, multitasking society, reading while you do just about anything else has its appeal. Throw an audiobook on the Sonos speakers while you make dinner, or connect the Libby app through bluetooth, CarPlay or Android Auto to pass the time on your commute. In my case, a phone and a good pair of headphones will do the trick. I finished the entire Harry Potter audiobook series while feeding my newborn in the middle of the night. A rocking chair and Voldemort was all I needed.

With more of us than ever listening to streaming music services and podcasts, audiobooks from the library through Libby provide a free option for high-quality audio content. Listeners are taking advantage, as digital library collections across the world have seen an 18% annual growth rate in audiobook checkouts since 2019.

So, what’s everybody listening to these days?

Most popular audiobooks of 2022 (so far!):

1. The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave

2. Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

3. The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah

4. Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty

5. The Guest List by Lisa Foley

6. Atomic Habits by James Clear

7. Dune by Frank Herbert

8. The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

9. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson

10. Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid

See the full list of 2022's best audiobooks

Most popular audiobooks of all time:

1. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling

2. Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

3. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

4. Becoming by Michelle Obama

5. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling

6. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson

7. All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

8. Educated by Tara Westover

9. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

10. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling

See the full list of top audiobooks of all time

Download the Libby app to start borrowing audiobooks from your library.