Books

The Most Listened-To Audiobook Of The Year Sums Up 2017 Perfectly

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Audiobooks are the perfect activity for any sort of holiday travel, and luckily, Audible has some suggestions for your upcoming trip. The world's largest seller of audiobooks just announced the books most-listened to over the past year. According to the data they provided to Bustle, The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F*ck audiobook (written by Mark Manson and narrated by Roger Wayne) was the most listened-to title of the year, and honestly, that sums up 2017 pretty nicely.

Mark Manson's book, released in 2016, can only be described as the anti-self help book. Manson preaches the art of caring less — a hard pill to swallow for those of us who grew up in the age of The Secret and were taught to believe in the power of positive thinking. But despite the title, The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F*ck isn't as cynical as it sounds. Rather, Manson, with his signature dose of candor and humor, teaches the power of learning and understanding your limitations and working through them and with them to achieve your goals. The whole thing is backed by scientific research, so it's not just some guy's crazy ramblings about how you should live your life.

Audible also provided Bustle with a list of their top 10 most-listened to audiobooks of the year, and the second place finisher will hardly surprise anyone: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, narrated by Jim Dale. See the full list of most-listened to audiobooks below:

1

'The Subtle Art Of Not Giving A F*ck' by Mark Manson, narrated by Roger Wayne

The perfect holiday book before you head into the New Year and forget about all your promises to yourself. Listen now.

2

'Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone' by J.K. Rowling, narrated by Jim Dale

It's been 20 years since the first book came out, but Harry Potter is still an incandescent star in the world of audiobooks. Listen now.

3

'A Game of Thrones' by George R. R. Martin, narrated by Roy Dotrice

The fact that A Game of Thrones is the only book from A Song of Ice and Fire on the top 10 list seems to indicate that people are perhaps not making it to book two... Listen now.

4

'Born a Crime' by Trevor Noah, narrated by Trevor Noah

The Daily Show host narrates his own memoir — a tale of a childhood spent during the South African apartheid. Despite the tense subject matter, the book is permeated by Noah's signature charm and charisma. Listen now.

5

'Ready Player One' by Ernest Cline, narrated by Wil Wheaton

Wil Wheaton narrates the audiobook version of the book every Tech Bro recommends to women they're dating. (Just me?) Regardless, it's a wonderful book, and it's even better on audiobook. Listen now.

6

'Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets' by J.K. Rowling, narrated by Jim Dale

Seems listeners are making it to book two of the Harry Potter series. Listen now.

7

'It' by Stephen King, narrated by Steven Weber

You know what's even scarier than watching It on the movie screen? Listening to it. Listen now.

8

'How to Win Friends and Influence People' by Dale Carnegie, narrated by Andrew MacMillan

I know one surefire way to not win friends and influence people: Pulling this book out on the subway in full view of everyone. Put that copy away and listen on audiobook instead. Listen now.

9

'Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire' by J.K. Rowling, narrated by Jim Dale

Am I the only one concerned that listeners appear to be skippingThe Prisoner of Azkaban? Listen now.

10

'Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix' by J.K. Rowling, narrated by Jim Dale

But it does warm my heart to know these books are being enjoyed by a whole new generation of families. Listen now.