AudioFile was thrilled to celebrate with all of the stars of the audiobook world at this year's Audie Awards, held for the first time in L.A. It was a glamorous event to honor the best of the year's audiobooks, hosted by Nia Vardalos with familiar faces and voices joining her on stage to present the awards. While celebrations were held in person, there was a livestream for anyone hoping to catch a glimpse of their favorites from the comfort of their own homes.
If you missed it on the night of the event, you can still watch on the Audiobook Publishers Association's YouTube page. Find out more about the Audie Award finalists and winners and watch videos from many talented narrators on our new Audie Awards page.
The winner of the coveted Audiobook of the Year award was Bono's memoir SURRENDER, which blends personal stories and his music for a truly memorable audio experience. In another first for the Audie Awards, instead of having gendered narrator categories, there were honors given for the Best Fiction and Best Non-fiction Narrator. The inaugural Best Fiction Narrator winner was Billie Fulford-Brown, who gave a heartfelt speech about her win for the moving historical fiction novel THE LAST LIFE BOAT, written by Hazel Gaynor. You can hear more of her thoughts on the audiobook in the narrator video she recorded for us about the incredible story.
The Best Non-fiction Narrator award had an impressive array of finalists — including three titles narrated by Golden Voice Dion Graham — so viewers were perhaps unsurprised but no less delighted when he won for his narration of KING: A LIFE by Jonathan Eig. We interviewed Dion about recording the audiobook for our Behind the Mic podcast, as it was also one of AudioFile's selections for our Best Audiobooks of 2023. He gave a moving speech about this honor on stage—thanking not only the publisher of KING, but also those of his other finalists, THE LOST SONS OF OMAHA and THE WAGER. Notably, Dion also narrated the Best Non-Fiction Audiobook winner, Matthew Desmond's POVERTY, BY AMERICA.
Sir Patrick Stewart was honored for his memoir, MAKING IT SO, in the Autobiography/Memoir category, and the audience cheered when they realized he was in attendance for the event. The Fiction winner, Ann Patchett's memorable TOM LAKE, is narrated by another star, Meryl Streep, while Leslie Jones brought home the Humor Audie Award for her memoir, LESLIE F*CKING JONES.
Emily Wilson's translation of THE ILIAD, narrated by Audra McDonald, took home the award for Literary Fiction & Classics. And Felicia Day's THIRD EYE, narrated by a full cast, won for Audio Drama. Felicia was on hand to present awards and accept her own. Explore the full list of winners and finalists on the APA website, where you'll also find links to titles reviewed by AudioFile.
Congratulations to all of the finalists and winners of the 2024 Audie Awards!
--
AudioFile Magazine is your #1 source for audiobook reviews.
Photos of Nia Vardalos, Samira Wiley, Patrick Stewart in the audience, and the Audies Crowd by Stewart Cook at Shutterstock. Photos of Dion Graham and Patrick Stewart on the red carpet by Rob Latour.
