The most popular audiobooks of the year (and all time!)

Reading while you do just about anything else has its appeal. So many of us love listening while we drive, clean, garden, exercise, paint, shop, swim, or just relax on the couch, surrounded by the story. Throw an audiobook on your Sonos speakers while you make dinner, or connect the Libby app through bluetooth, CarPlay, or Android Auto to pass the time on your commute or on your next road trip.

With more of us than ever listening to streaming music and podcasts, free audiobooks from the library through Libby provide a break from rising subscription costs and listening caps. And with more than half of American adults saying they've listened to an audiobook this year, we're left with only one question:

What's everyone listening to?

Recommendations from other listeners is a good place to start, so we've compiled the top 25 audiobooks of the year (so far) by checkouts, followed by the top 25 most popular audiobooks of all time on Libby. 

✅ How many have you checked off your list?

Top 25 most popular audiobooks of 2026 so far (by checkouts):

1. The Correspondent by Virginia Evans
2. Dear Debbie by Freida McFadden
3. The Housemaid by Freida McFadden 
4. The Women by Kristin Hannah 
5. Heated Rivalry by Rachel Reid 
6. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen 
7. Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry 
8. The Housemaid's Secret by Freida McFadden 
9. Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid 
10. The Wedding People by Alison Espach 
11. Shield of Sparrows by Devney Perry 
12. Game Changer by Rachel Reid 
13. Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins 
14. My Friends by Fredrik Backman 
15. Say You'll Remember Me by Abby Jimenez 
16. The Intruder by Freida McFadden 
17. Theo of Golden by Allen Levi 
18. Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall 
19. Gone Before Goodbye by Harlan Coben 
20. The Housemaid Is Watching by Freida McFadden 
21. Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy 
22. The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah 
23. Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë
24. You Deserve to Know by Aggie Blum Thompson 
25. Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

Top 25 most popular audiobooks of all time (by checkouts):

1. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J. K. Rowling
2. Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
3. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
4. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson
5. The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah
6. Becoming by Michelle Obama
7. Educated by Tara Westover
8. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J. K. Rowling
9. All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
10. Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
11. The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
12. Atomic Habits by James Clear
13. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
14. The Guest List by Lucy Foley
15. The Women by Kristin Hannah
16. The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
17. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J. K. Rowling
18. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J. K. Rowling
19. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J. K. Rowling
20. Dune by Frank Herbert
21. A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin
22. The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah
23. The Dutch House by Ann Patchett
24. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J. K. Rowling
25. The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley

*Title availability may vary by library.

New to Libby?

It's easy to get started. Just follow these simple instructions:

1️⃣ Download the Libby app.

2️⃣ Find your library.

3️⃣ Enter your library card.

4️⃣ Start listening!