June is Audiobook Appreciation month, as well as Libro.fm's ten year anniversary, so it's the perfect time to pick up a new book on audio! Whether you're already a lover of audiobooks or you're new to the format, we've got recommendations to help you find a great read.

Did you know you can browse and buy audiobooks on Libro.fm, while supporting Readings? We have a Libro store, meaning you can buy audiobooks from Readings, see our curated recommendations and support independent retailers, all in one place!

Mark Rubbo recommends The Detective Up Late by Adrian McKinty, read by Gerard Doyle

My most recent audiobook was The Detective Up Late by Adrian McKinty and narrated brilliantly by Irish actor Gerard Doyle. This is the seventh and possibly last in McKinty's series featuring Royal Ulster Constabulary detective, Sean Duffy.

It's the beginning of the 90s and Duffy has resigned and is leaving Belfast; a missing persons case just needs to be tidied up and then Duffy can join his partner and daughter in Scotland. But the case turns out to be far from simple, with more twists and turns than an Irish country lane.

McKinty's fast paced story and Doyle's flawless narration keep the earbuds in. If you've loved Slow Horses you'll love this.

Chris Gordon recommends The Desert Knows Her Name by Lia Hills, read by Anna Hruby, Jo Van Es, Marli Williams & Nic English

 Read review

In this unusual novel set in the Wimmera desert, the notion of pain and loss is apparent through every minute. This story centres on a young girl who wanders barefootout of the desert, unsettling the small local farming town. Alongside the heartfelt descriptions of loss, there is a crime and a love story of sorts, that moves the narratives through the wildlife and town gossip to issues that we all know are apparent on this unceded land.

Lia Hills has researched this ode to Australia's wilderness and history to ensure that this story of kinship can be part of the search for a way forward. Readers of Alexis Wright will rejoice in this poetically told tale of land and history. By reading these women, we understand that we cannot talk about this land without also talking about its history.

Lian Hingee recommends Everyone in my Family has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson, read by Barton Welch

Benjamin Stevenson's Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone has been on my TBR list for a while, so when I saw it on Libro.fm I downloaded it immediately. It's been a while since I listened to audiobooks, but this one reminded me of just great they are to pass the time on a walk, a long commute, or just while I'm bustling around the house doing laundry.

Narrated by Australian actor Barton Welch, Everyone in my Family has Killed Someone is a wildly enjoyable piece of metafiction that riffs off classic European crime dramas like Agatha Christie, but with a distinctly Australian bent. Set mostly during a family reunion that takes place at a snow-bound chalet somewhere in the NSW snowfields, Everyone in my Family has Killed Someone introduces readers to the unexpectedly murderous Cunningham family. With strong Knives Out vibes and an engaging cast of characters, it's one of the funniest and most clever works of cozy crime that I've read.

Lucie Dess recommends Funny Story by Emily Henry, read by Julia Whelan

A friend of mine is obsessed with Emily Henry and is constantly recommending I read her, so I thought it was finally time! I had a lot of fun listening to Funny Story on Libro.fm. It was an easy listen and an enjoyable story, and I can’t wait to add more of Henry’s work to my reading pile.

For me, one of the most important thing when choosing an audiobook is the narrator, and Julia Whelan did not disappoint. Her voice suited the characters and story perfectly! I’m glad to see she narrates all Henry’s books!

Bella Mackey recommends Her Majesty's Royal Coven by Juno Dawson, read by Nicola Coughlan

I absolutely loved the audiobook of Her Majesty's Royal Coven and devoured the sequel, The Shadow Cabinet, too. Following four women as they grapple with the rifts that have formed between them since their shared childhood, and the aftermath of a magical war, this is an original and utterly compelling series filled with diverse voices and experiences.

Juno Dawson is such a clever writer, and manages to write from very different perspectives with incredible feeling and naturalism (even when dealing with witchcraft and demons!). And Nicola Coughlan does an incredible job as the narrator, providing gravitas and humour by turns, as well as displaying her impressive skill at accents.

If you have ever enjoyed stories of magic, witchcraft, or millenial women, then I can't recommend this series enough!

Melinda Houston recommends The Lost Cause by Cory Doctorow, read by Cory Doctorow

I loved Cory Doctorow's The Lost Cause. Doctorow's trademark insight, enthusiasm and wry humour create the perfect blend in this thoroughly entertaining speculative fiction about a group of teens and twentysomethings figuring out the best way to survive the climate apocalypse.

Read with verve by Doctorow himself, it's as clever as it is joyous. I did not want it to end!

Rosalind McClintock recommends James by Percival Everett, read by Dominic Hoffman

 Read review

I just swallowed up James by Percival Everett in less than a weekend, and I have a very chatty 7 year old, so that is saying something! A retelling of Huckleberry Finn, from Jim's view, it is such an elegant, compelling, harrowing and yet hopeful read. Everett's prose is perfect, the issues meaty, and his characters are nuanced – this is a book that feels familiar but breaks the mould.

I am not really sure how he has done it, but who am I to question greatness?

Joanna DiMattia recommends Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh, read by Jeremy Irons
& The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath, read by Maggie Gyllenhaal

I’d listen to Jeremy Irons read anything, but especially his narration of Brideshead Revisited – a novel he has an intimate understanding of after starring in the 1981 adaptation. His voice has the necessary weary nostalgia of a carefully held memory; it's a sublime reading I return to again and again. 

I also adore and have listened multiple times to actor Maggie Gyllenhaal reading The Bell Jar. Her gooey, warm voice captures the humour in Sylvia Plath’s novel, but her performance shifts darker and more knowing at just the right moment. I’ve never wanted to see a film adaptation of this novel, because this audio interpretation is so vivid and alive.

You can find all these books on Libro now! And if more than one of these recommendations have taken your fancy, we've got good news – Libro are running a Buy One Get One Free offer throughout June. Just sign up as a member and start building your audio library at a great price.