With audiobooks, the old can become new again. Classics are often an entrée into the format, and they’re popular for a reason—listeners can revisit famous works of literature or experience them for the first time, and they can discover lesser-known works. Audiobooks can make reading the classics more accessible, especially with a skilled narrator at the helm who can transform what might seem impenetrable into a narrative that will sweep you along.
Simon & Schuster Audio recently released fresh recordings of many of Ray Bradbury’s works. Actor Paul Giamatti narrates Something Wicked This Way Comes (Simon & Schuster Audio, 2025), and our reviewer writes, “Combining his unpretentious style with the rhythms and tones of 1940s radio, Giamatti smoothly creates the uniquely American feel of Ray Bradbury’s 1962 classic dark fantasy.” An ominous carnival means trouble for the residents of Green Town, Illinois, and two 13-year-old best friends are the only ones who seem to notice it. Our review concludes that it’s a “thunderous swirling concoction of boyhood adventure, nostalgia, and modern horror delivered by a consummate actor.” These new recordings are an excellent reason to return to Bradbury’s books.
A new collection of Harper Lee’s writings, The Land of Sweet Forever (HarperAudio, 2025), gets an Earphones Award–winning performance from actor Ellen Burstyn. No matter how familiar you might be with To Kill a Mockingbird, these stories, essays, and articles will likely be new to you, and listening to them adds context to Lee’s later works. As our reviewer writes, “Lee’s inimitable literary voice takes on the American South, along with her thoughts on life in New York City. Yet she remains drawn to her home in Alabama.” With her expressive voice, Burstyn situates these short works in their time and place. Create your own mini-syllabus by listening to The Land of Sweet Forever and then to Sissy Spacek’s iconic narration of Mockingbird.
Eva Le Gallienne (1899-1991) was an actress, director, writer, producer, and founder of the Civic Repertory Theatre in New York City. Her 1934 autobiography, At 33 (Blackstone Audio, 2025), gets refreshed with a performance from narrator Barrie Kreinik. Kreinik herself wrote a play about Le Gallienne’s life and then adapted it into an audio original, performed by a full cast. In writing The Queen of Fourteenth Street (2024), Kreinik says that she wanted to focus on the time period covered in At 33, and she also immersed herself in the sound of Le Gallienne’s voice, so she brings a unique personal connection and level of preparation to the audiobook. As our reviewer raves, “Kreinik is so good that listeners will swear they’re hearing the cultured, intelligent voice of Le G herself.” Listen to learn about an essential chapter in theater history.
If the last time you read a classic it was homework, this is your call to consider them anew through audiobooks. After all, thanks to an appearance on Late Night With Stephen Colbert, we now know that Taylor Swift is a fan of audiobooks—gothic stories in particular—and she namechecked the OG, Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca.
Jennifer Dowell is the audiobooks editor.
