The Best Audiobooks of 2014 – The Audie Awards

The Audie Awards recognizes distinction in audiobooks and spoken word entertainment and is sponsored by the Audio Publishers Association. This event has been ongoing for over 20 years and is a very good indication on what is selling. There are few resources that track audiobook sales and what constitutes the best of the bunch.

The big winners this year was MANDELA: AN AUDIO HISTORY that won Audiobook of the Year and Best Original Work. Neil Gaimon also won three awards, cementing himself as one of the most successful audiobook adopters.

If you want to get a sense of the most popular audiobooks of 2014, the comprehensive winners list below should satiate you.

Audio Drama

THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Read by Geoffrey Arend, Wilson Bethel, Seamus Dever, Sarah Drew, Henri Lubatti, James Marsters, Christopher Neame, Moira Quirk, Darren Richardson

Audiobook of the Year/Original Work

MANDELA: AN AUDIO HISTORY

Radio Diaries, Read by Desmond Tutu, Nelson Mandela, Joe Richman

Autobiography/Memoir/Narration by the Author or Authors

NOT MY FATHER’S SON

Alan Cumming, Read by Alan Cumming

Business/Educational

A MORE BEAUTIFUL QUESTION

Warren Berger, Read by Michael Quinlan

Children’s Titles – Ages 8-12/DISTINGUISHED ACHIEVEMENT IN PRODUCTION/Multi-Voiced Performance

THE GRAVEYARD BOOK

Neil Gaiman, Read by Derek Jacobi, Robert Madge, Clare Corbett, Miriam Margolyes, Andrew Scott, Julian Rhind-Tutt, Emilia Fox, Reece Shearsmith, Lenny Henry, Neil Gaiman, and an Ensemble Cast

Children’s Titles – Ages Up to 8

H.O.R.S.E.

Christopher Myers, Read by Dion Graham, Christopher Myers

Classic

THE NEW YORK STORIES

John O’Hara, Read by Becky Ann Baker, Dylan Baker, Bobby Cannavale, Jon Hamm, Richard Kind, Jan Maxwell, Gretchen Mol, Dallas Roberts, E.L. Doctorow

Erotica

ALPHA

Jasinda Wilder, Read by Summer Roberts, Tyler donne

Fantasy

WORDS OF RADIANCE

Brandon Sanderson, Read by Michael Kramer, Kate Reading

Fiction

ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE

Anthony Doerr, Read by Zach Appelman

History/Biography

THE BULLY PULPIT

Doris Kearns Goodwin, Read by Edward Herrmann

Humor

YES PLEASE

Amy Poehler, Read by Amy Poehler, Carol Burnett, Seth Meyers, Mike Schur, Eileen Poehler, William Poehler, Patrick Stewart, Kathleen Turner

Literary Fiction

EUPHORIA

Lily King, Read by Simon Vance, Xe Sands

Mystery

THE SILKWORM

Robert Galbraith, Read by Robert Glenister

Non-Fiction

FURIOUS COOL

David Henry, Joe Henry, Read by Dion Graham

Paranormal

THE GIRL WITH ALL THE GIFTS

M.R. Carey, Read by Finty Williams

Inspirational/Faith-Based Fiction

THE AUSCHWITZ ESCAPE

Joel C. Rosenberg, Read by Christopher Lane

Inspirational/Faith-Based Non-Fiction

BEFORE AMEN

Max Lucado, Read by Ben Holland

Judges Award: Science & Technology

THE SECOND MACHINE AGE

Erik Brynjolfsson, Andrew McAfee, Read by Jeff Cummings

Package Design

THE LIGHT AT THE END

Nicholas Briggs, Read by Tom Baker, Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy, Paul McGann, and a Full Cast

Personal Development

WHAT I KNOW FOR SURE

Oprah Winfrey, Read by Oprah Winfrey

Romance

THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY

Robert James Waller, Read by Kelli O’Hara, Steven Pasquale

Science Fiction

THE MARTIAN

Andy Weir, Read by R.C. Bray

Short Stories/Collections

THE ASSASSINATION OF MARGARET THATCHER

Hilary Mantel, Read by Jane Carr

Solo Narration – Female

YELLOW CROCUS

Laila Ibrahim, Read by Bahni Turpin

Solo Narration – Male

THE HERO’S GUIDE TO BEING AN OUTLAW

Christopher Healy, Read by Bronson Pinchot

Teens

EGG & SPOON

Gregory Maguire, Read by Michael Page

Thriller/Suspense

THOSE WHO WISH ME DEAD

Michael Koryta, Read by Robert Petkoff

Michael Kozlowski

Editor-in-chief | michael@goodereader.com | Website | + posts

Michael Kozlowski is the editor-in-chief at Good e-Reader and has written about audiobooks and e-readers for the past fifteen years. Newspapers and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the New York Times have picked up his articles. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.