20 Audiobooks Read by Your Favorite Celebrities

Posted by Hayley on October 21, 2016


Sometimes a familiar voice is all that's needed to draw you into a story; there's a certain comfort that comes from listening to a bestseller being read by someone you know. And, yes, that usually means a movie star. Whether it's Reese Witherspoon hamming up her Southern drawl in Harper Lee's Go Set a Watchman or Jeremy Irons lending his commanding chops to Vladimir Nabokov's Lolita, the cinematic voices that abound in this audiobook roundup demand your attention (as well as your ear). You'll find that these celebrities tend to favor the classics, but there are a few newer titles in the mix, too—namely Keith Richards' Life, as read by Johnny Depp. Who could pass that one up? Check out the rest of the picks and, while you're at it, explore our new audiobooks page, brought to you by Audible.


Go Set a Watchmen
Written by Harper Lee
Narrated by Reese Witherspoon (Walk the Line, Wild)




A Rage in Harlem
Written by Chester Himes
Narrated by Samuel L. Jackson (Pulp Fiction, The Hateful Eight)




The Great Gatsby
Written by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Narrated by Jake Gyllenhaal (Donnie Darko, Nightcrawler)




The Member of the Wedding
Written by Carson McCullers
Narrated by Susan Sarandon (Thelma & Louise, Dead Man Walking)




Jane Eyre
Written by Charlotte Bronte
Narrated by Thandie Newton (The Pursuit of Happyness, Beloved)




The End of the Affair
Written by Graham Green
Narrated by Colin Firth (The King's Speech, A Single Man)




Life
Written by Keith Richards
Narrated by Johnny Depp (Edward Scissorhands, Alice in Wonderland)




The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
Written by L. Frank Baum
Narrated by Anne Hathaway (The Dark Knight Rises, Interstellar)




Lolita
Written by Vladimir Nabokov
Narrated by Jeremy Irons (The Man in the Iron Mask, The Lion King)




Mrs. Dalloway
Written by Virginia Woolf
Narrated by Annette Bening (American Beauty, The Kids Are All Right)




Pride and Prejudice
Written by Jane Austen
Narrated by Rosamund Pike (Gone Girl, Jack Reacher)




Being There
Written by Jerzy Kosinski
Narrated by Dustin Hoffman (Rain Man, Tootsie)




Matilda
Written by Roald Dahl
Narrated by Kate Winslet (Titanic, The Reader)




The Sheltering Sky
Written by Paul Bowles
Narrated by Jennifer Connelly (Requiem for a Dream, A Beautiful Mind)




Fahrenheit 451
Written by Ray Bradbury
Narrated by Tim Robbins (The Shawshank Redemption, Mystic River)




To the Lighthouse
Written by Virginia Woolf
Narrated by Nicole Kidman (Moulin Rouge!, The Others)




The Bell Jar
Written by Sylvia Plath
Narrated by Maggie Gyllenhaal (Secretary, White House Down)




Slouching Towards Bethlehem
Written by Joan Didion
Narrated by Diane Keaton (Annie Hall, The Godfather)




Breakfast at Tiffany's
Written by Truman Capote
Narrated by Michael C. Hall (Dexter, Six Feet Under)




The Human Comedy
Written by William Saroyan
Narrated by Meg Ryan (Sleepless in Seattle, When Harry Met Sally)





Have a favorite audiobook and narrator pairing? Share it with us in the comments! Then check out Goodreads' new audiobooks page, brought to you by Audible.





Comments Showing 1-50 of 88 (88 new)


message 1: by bethany m. (new)

bethany m. planton I love Ready Player One read by Wil Wheaton.


message 2: by An (new)

An Za Bethany wrote: "I love Ready Player One read by Wil Wheaton."

Second that and add The Dresden Files read by James Marsters.


message 3: by hIpnoticraQs (new)

hIpnoticraQs Nothing is Narrated by Ozzy?


message 4: by Marina (new)

Marina Maidou I would love The Light Beneath the Oceans narrated by Michael Fassbender... he doesn't only act perfect in the same movie, but he has also an ideal voice for the story atmosphere...


message 5: by Rebecca (new)

Rebecca Smith I love that Neil Gaimen narrates his own books :)


message 6: by Rebecca (new)

Rebecca Smith I also love Tony Robinson Narrating Terry Pratchetts discworld books :)


message 7: by Sal4gal (new)

Sal4gal My favorite narrators are Wil Wheaton, Neil Gaiman, oh and I also enjoy James Marsters narrating Dresden. My goodness, I own over 300 Audible books . . . too many great ones to list!!!


message 8: by Zara (new)

Zara Hoffman Rebecca wrote: "I love that Neil Gaimen narrates his own books :)"

Agreed!


message 9: by Verity (new)

Verity The Lords of the North narrated by Richard Armitage is a winner for me.


message 10: by Megan (new)

Megan I loved The Handmaid's Tale narrated by Claire Danes!


message 11: by Cassie (new)

Cassie Fischer I haven't listened to it yet, but "Return of the Native" narrated by Alan Rickman is definitely on my list of things to listen to.


message 12: by Roxana (new)

Roxana I would love it if Jared Leto narrated The Little Prince


message 13: by Laura (last edited Oct 24, 2016 08:30AM) (new)

Laura L. Van Dam I remember the Casanova audiobook read by Benedict Cumberbatch. I loved it. Also anything by James Earl Jones, what a lovely voice. Also, i listened to a version of The French Lieutenant´s Woman that i loved back in the early 90s, i cant remember by whom.
ETA: I searched and it was the 1988 version by Jeremy Irons.


message 14: by Marion (new)

Marion Oh! Not only is Matilda one of my favourites, Kate Winslet has really a talent for narrating audio books. She played with different accents and made all the characters come to life.


message 15: by Brooke (new)

Brooke ♥booklife4life♥ Sansa Stark does City of Heavenly Fire with Logan Echolls!


message 16: by Michele (new)

Michele Aylesbury Megan wrote: "I loved The Handmaid's Tale narrated by Claire Danes!"

I just finished this one. It was excellent! I also like Wil Wheaton as a narrator. Recently listened to his "Lock In" by John Scalzi.


message 17: by Ash (new)

Ash Stephen Fry narrating Harry Potter is heaven!


message 18: by Kjell (new)

Kjell I agree with Ash over me.

What about Sir Christopher Lee's epic narration of Children of Húrin?


message 19: by Kjell (new)

Kjell Ash wrote: "Stephen Fry narrating Harry Potter is heaven!"
Yes!


message 20: by Samantha (new)

Samantha I love White Cat and Red Glove narrated by Jesse Eisenberg. I also love Sabriel narrated by Tim Curry. Also the Twilight Saga narrated by Ilyana Kadushin is excellent.


message 21: by Abby (new)

Abby Tim Curry narrating A Series of Unfortunate Events.

Also, Anne Hathaway narrates The Princess Diaries!


message 22: by Luke (new)

Luke Slouching Towards Bethlehem as read by Dianne Keaton was terrible. So badly narrated that it was largely incomprehensible.


message 23: by Madame (new)

Madame Reads The Red Necklace by Sally Gardner is read by Tom Hiddleston. He also narrates Dracula: Starring David Suchet and Tom Hiddleston and High-Rise, which he recently stared in as well. He's incredibly talented! Very entertaining.


message 24: by Margaret (new)

Margaret The Hound of the Baskervilles read by Sir Derek Jacobi.


message 25: by Kate (new)

Kate David Tennant reading How to Train Your Dragon :)


message 26: by [deleted user] (new)

I have enjoyed DVDs of Agatha Christie's Poirot, so a few years ago when I was recovering at home from eye surgery, I really enjoyed listening to the show's Hugh Fraser read the books.


message 27: by Giuliana (last edited Oct 30, 2016 08:17PM) (new)

Giuliana A small correction: Graham Greene's surname is written Greene not Green.


message 28: by The other Sandy (new)

The other Sandy The Dunwich Horror and The Rats in the Walls by H.P. Lovecraft read by David McCallum.


message 29: by Farah (new)

Farah Shamma Currently listening to Frankenstein narrated by Dan Stevens (Downton Abbey, new Beauty and the Beast). So good!


message 30: by Lacey (new)

Lacey I've been listening to David Tennant's audiobooks of How to Train Your Dragon series. Check it out if you're looking for something to listen to with kids or teens!


message 31: by Crystal Dawn (new)

Crystal Dawn Secret Window, Secret Garden (written by Stephen King), narrated by James Woods is a must listen. You may remember him as Hades from Disney's Hercules!! Who doesn't love that voice.


message 32: by Karen (new)

Karen On The Road narrated by Matt Dillon was fantastic!


message 33: by [deleted user] (new)

I do not listen to audio books (at the moment!). When I do start listening to them my first choice will be anything read by the late Alan Rickman. His voice always used to send shivers down my spine.
What a loss.


message 34: by Alessandra (new)

Alessandra Kafka's Metamorphosis by Benedict Cumberbatch is brilliant.


message 35: by Brandy (new)

Brandy The Screwtape Letters read by John Cleese was excellent.


message 36: by Diane (new)

Diane Bean All of the How to Train Your Dragon series narrated by David Tennant (Doctor Who, Broadchurch, etc, etc.) are delightful. His Scottish accent is rather deliciously entertaining anyway, but the characters he creates are perfectly brilliant and hilarious! These audio books truly make me laugh out loud.


message 37: by Hasselhh (new)

Hasselhh And Then There Were None and Murder on the Orient Express read by Dan Stevens (Downton Abby) is a superb listen! The way he can switch from accent to accent, voice to voice, so that you can recognise the different characters as soon as “they” speak is just amazing! I really wish he would do more audiobooks!!


message 38: by Stacy (new)

Stacy Ash wrote: "Stephen Fry narrating Harry Potter is heaven!"

Really? I've been listening to them and I disagree. I think he reads all of the female characters (especially Hermione) as very whiny. I'm sure it isn't intentional but that's what I hear.


message 39: by Katie (new)

Katie Bethany wrote: "I love Ready Player One read by Wil Wheaton."

^YES!!!!!!!!!!!!! Love that book :) and the audio version was perfection!


message 40: by Sue (new)

Sue Will Patton narrating The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater is to die for! His smooth Southern drawl is perfect!


message 41: by Bron (new)

Bron Martoo The Harry Potter series narrated by Stephen Fry...wonderful!


message 42: by Viv (new)

Viv JM Actress Juliet Stevenson is a wonderful narrator for Virginia Woolf's books. I just listened to The Voyage Out


message 43: by Alondra (new)

Alondra Miller Never tried Audiobooks before; but I think I must.


message 44: by Heather (last edited Oct 24, 2016 01:00PM) (new)

Heather I have listened to books narrated by Stephen Lang without even being sure of what the book is about. I love his voice!


message 45: by Megan (new)

Megan Hasselhh wrote: "And Then There Were None and Murder on the Orient Express read by Dan Stevens (Downton Abby) is a superb listen! The way he can switch from accent to accent, voice to voi..."

Oh, I had no idea Dan Stevens narrated audiobooks! I've added And Then There Were None to my audible wishlist!


message 46: by [deleted user] (new)

I always like listening to the All Creatures Great and Small series narrated by Christopher Timothy. There's such a smoothness to his voice that makes it really easy to become sucked into the stories.

I also think it is great that Ashley Clements narrated The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet! It's a great addition to the video diaries and such a blast to listen to.


message 47: by Monica (new)

Monica Megan wrote: "I loved The Handmaid's Tale narrated by Claire Danes!"

Was just about to mention this!!


message 48: by LukasmummyReads (new)

LukasmummyReads Peter Pan narrated by Tim Curry is really good, Paddington Bear narrated by Stephen Fry is a favourite with my kids and I borrowed a really good version of one of the Agatha Raisin books narrated by Penelope Keith from Overdrive. My audiobook collection is insane lol


message 49: by Myrtha (last edited Oct 24, 2016 02:47PM) (new)

Myrtha I encounter audiobooks by necessity, and I fell in love with them!
Some of my favorite narrators are Julia Whelan, Cassandra Campbell.
And pairing author/narrators
Molly Harper/A. Ronconi
Jody Taylor/Zara Ramm
Diana Gabaldon/Davina Porter
Not to mention the A List!


message 50: by Carly (new)

Carly Nicholas I wish Kit Harrington would narrate a book.


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