Father’s Day has a tendency to sneak up on us. Maybe it’s because dads are notoriously hard to shop for – surely mine isn’t the only one who offers up the same sweet yet unhelpful “Nothing for me, thanks. I have everything I need” response to all gift-related inquiries? And there's the fact that Father’s Day is on the first Sunday of September, which this year falls on (eek!) the first day of the month.
Whatever the reason, there’s no shame if you’re still on the hunt for the right gift. Whether you’re shopping for a birth parent, adoptive parent, father figure or father-to-be, an audiobook might be the perfect present. Thoughtful and impactful yet decidedly low-fuss, a great listen makes daily activities more special, from commuting and working out to relaxing in the backyard or working on projects around the house. And since dads are all different, our guide has suggestions in a range of genres, from absorbing histories and crime thrillers to recent bestsellers and perennial favourites.
If your favourite father figure is anything like mine, the last thing he’d want is for you to stress on his behalf. This Father’s Day, look no further – these are the very best audiobooks for dads.
The best non-fiction for dads
Hugh van Cuylenburg stumbled upon a remarkable discovery while working as a volunteer teacher in northern India. Despite his students’ struggle with poverty, they appeared to be generally happier than the young people van Cuylenburg knew back home in Australia. This insight led the writer on a journey that eventually led to the founding of The Resilience Project, a mission to show Australian students, parents and educators how to achieve happiness through empathy and mindfulness. In his title of the same name, narrated by van Cuylenburg himself, he shares his most life-changing insights in his deep, comforting voice and humourous style.
Bestselling author Ryan Holiday knows a thing or two about being a great dad, but you know who might know more? A litany of illuminating historical figures, from Marcus Aurelius and Florence Nightingale to Gandhi and Frederick Douglass, whose examples provide keen insights into integrity, the third value in Holiday’s Stoic Virtues series. Whether your dad is a pillar of integrity himself or just likes learning about fascinating people in history, Right Thing, Right Now is an entertaining and inspiring journey into the power of conviction and acting in accordance with one’s principles.
Consider this one the daddy of all expecting-father books. Not only is Dr. Peter Downey one of Australia’s most trusted experts on babies and parenting, his bestselling guide to becoming a dad celebrated its 25th anniversary with this standout audio edition. Written with the absolute beginner in mind, this hilarious and info-packed guide covers everything from pregnancy and sleep deprivation to living with a baby while maintaining one’s sanity and sense of humour. Amiably narrated by Dr. Downey himself, it deserves to be handed out at hospital in lieu of cigars as a congratulatory must-have for all new dads.
Though dad doesn’t need to have listened to Sapiens or Homo Deus to enjoy Nexus, Yuval Noah Harari’s latest feels like a logical continuation of the Israeli thinker's mind-blowing explorations of human history. Harari once again excels at distilling thousands of years of history into accessible observations that simultaneously feel both obvious and revelatory, this time performed by Vidish Athavale. From the oral storytelling of our past, to the audiobooks and podcasts of our present, and the AI of our future, Harari shows how we’re on the precipice of another great (but potentially devastating) cultural and technological shift, alongside some potential solutions to ensure we continue to harness information to our benefit.
Does your dad like to look to the skies and wonder "What if?" Point him in the direction of former senior US intelligence official Luis Elizondo, who argues in Imminent that we're long past the point of speculating whether alien life exists. Recruited into a highly sensitive government program to investigate unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP), Elizondo now delivers the most credible, and shocking, account to date of government intel on UAP, from retrieving nonhuman remains from crash sites to keeping the findings secret for decades.
Tyson Yunkaporta, Australian Aboriginal artist, scholar and bestselling author of Sand Talk, breaks the mold with this insightful and collaborative conversation on our relationship with land, the earth and each other. With his trademark humour and sonorous voice, Yunkaporta casts an Indigenous lens on contemporary society, drawing perspectives from a range of voices, from liberal economists and memorisation experts to Elders who are wood carvers, mathematicians and storytellers in a crowd-sourced narrative Yunkaporta describes as “the closest thing I can find in the world to the Aboriginal collective process of what we call ’yarning’.”
Bestselling author and scuba-diving philosopher Peter Godfrey-Smith returns with the conclusion to his acclaimed exploration of the origins of intelligence that began with Other Minds and continued in Metazoa. Following those examinations of the evolution of sentience and consciousness, Living on Earth goes a step further to ask how life has shaped, and been shaped by, our planet. A grand tour of both natural and human history, Living on Earth is for the inquisitive, science-loving dad who will marvel at the fun facts and big ideas within.
The best fiction for dads
Sometimes nothing hits the mark like a smart crime thriller, and for that we suggest this award-winning gem from The Rules of Backyard Cricket author Jock Serong. Serong's debut novel finds prosecution lawyer Charlie Jardim in dire straits after a courtroom fiasco and relationship flameout leave his personal and professional life in shambles. So when a murder case crops up in the remote coastal town of Dauphin, Jardin agrees to go. The fast-paced story and surprising twists will keep dad gripped until the final reveal.
The intergalactic bromance dad didn't know he needed. From Andy Weir, author of The Martian, comes this legendary audiobook, winner of the 2022 Audie Awards' Audiobook of the Year, #1 Audible and Sunday Times bestseller, and starring an audio performance for the ages. Unlikely hero Ryland can't even remember who he is at the moment, and yet he is the only one left alive on his ramshackle spaceship who can save planet Earth. Listener favourite voice actor Ray Porter wows with his reading of this exciting sci-fi thriller about one man (and a friend he never expected to make) against the cosmos.
Shogun is a fictional epic perfect for the history buff, ship-in-a-bottle type dad. This sprawling tale centres on British merchant fleet captain John Blackthorne, who crash-lands on Japan during the warring states period in the 1600s. Through Blackthorne, and acclaimed narrator Ralph Lister, the listener experiences the epic rise of Japan's next ruler, better known as the shogun.
Kristin Hannah’s latest blockbuster has had more than a few of our own dads sobbing this year and, honestly, we love that for them. Even for dads who think they know everything there is to know about Vietnam, Hannah’s unique ability to take a well-known historical event and intimately weave it with a deeply human story will have them riveted. In The Women, Hannah pays tribute to the nurses who served in the Vietnam War, using her heroine Frankie McGrath as a vessel. Frankie begins the story as a naive young woman, full of misplaced optimism, but quickly becomes the sort of steady and focused heroine dads will root for. Thanks to Julia Whelan’s incomparable performance, dads will savour every moment of this sweeping and poignant novel.
Can your dad smell a lie at 50 paces? Does he know someone's been in his liquor cabinet because the rug has been stepped on just so? Perhaps it's time to reacquaint him – or rather, distract him – with the greatest sleuth who ever lived. Masterfully read by ultra-charismatic performer and bona fide Holmesian Stephen Fry, this comprehensive collection of novels and short stories starring Arthur Conan Doyle's famous detective is a gift dad will treasure forever.
Hands down one of our favourite books of the year, James might become your dad's favourite too. No one writes like Percival Everett, the author of the novel behind the Academy Award-nominated film American Fiction. With James, he takes on one of the cornerstones of American literature, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, but with a twist: In Everett's telling, the enslaved character Jim takes the reins and gets the attention he deserves. Smart, compassionate and bitingly funny, it's brought to life beautifully in audio by narrator Dominic Hoffman.
A true DadLit classic, author Frank Herbert's 1965 novel Dune is among the greatest sci-fi sagas ever written. Set in a bleak future, the story follows Paul Atreides, a young nobleman whose family controls the desolate desert planet Arrakis, the only known source for a sought-after drug. Dune's film adaptations are legendary, but if dad has never encountered the original novel – which won both the Hugo and Nebula Awards for Best Novel as well as the Audie Award for Science Fiction – Dune would make the perfect gift.
The best memoirs for dads
Is your dad hopelessly devoted to Formula One? If he’s at loose ends awaiting the next big race, fill in the gap with the hard-driving autobiography of a true F1 legend, driver Mark Webber. With an amazing 12-year career studded with triumphs (including winning the Monaco Grand Prix twice), Webber also had his share of dangerous twists and turns. Tracking his journey from a small-town pizza delivery boy to the apex of Formula One racing, Aussie Grit is an instant classic motorsports memoir that will zoom to the top of dad's listening queue.
This frank, funny memoir by Sean Szeps charts the author’s journey from a little American boy who dreamed of becoming a mum to falling in love with a handsome Australian, better known as the podcast host and media personality Josh Szeps. In Not Like Other Dads, Sean Szeps offers his quirky, refreshing and startlingly honest takes on everything from battling outdated marriage laws, depression and his own internalised homophobia to moving across the world and finally parenting twins. Certainly a thoughtful gift for gay fathers, this heartwarming memoir would be an inspiring listen for any parent regardless of orientation and anyone interested in family dynamics.
Beloved actor Jack Charles is a one-of-a-kind storyteller, drawing listeners to his memoir within seconds via his spirited narration. Jack Charles: Born-Again Blakfella is full of wild ups and downs, as told by Uncle Jack himself. A survivor of the Stolen Generations, he was taken from his mother at four months old (“snatched like a little lamb”) and placed into institutional care. Recounting his isolation and struggles with belonging, experiences many Indigenous writers have wrestled with, his stories may be heartbreaking, but they’re infused with wit and charm. Uncle Jack is a wonderfully gifted performer, with a voice that’s warm, melodious and full of character. Dad will be hanging on his every word.
From Academy Award-winning actor Matthew McConaughey comes an unconventional memoir filled with raucous stories, outlaw wisdom and lessons learned the hard way about living with greater satisfaction. A crowd-pleasing blockbuster, Greenlights is a masterclass in vulnerability, wisdom and spirited anecdotes on everything from what makes a good man to how to live a life full of purpose. A listen the author himself calls “a love letter to life,” this is the perfect choice for any dad needing a bit of guidance or a meaningful adventure. After a few hours alone with Mr. McConaughey, he just may find his own answers to the meaning of life.
This fresh new memoir from self-described “former bikie, heroin trafficker, and underworld fixer” Jay Malkoun is already getting raves from listeners. Former Comanchero boss Malkoun has never really been scared of anything, and here he goes behind the headlines to tell his story for the first time. Gripping, explosive (at times literally so) and as complex and fascinating as the man himself, The Consultant is a shocking true crime bio and up-close portrait of the criminal underworld, read to perfection by Australian Palestinian performer Hazem Shammas.
On Father’s Day, it’s important to recognise that not everyone has a good relationship with their father, though even those who do will get something from this beloved Audie Award-winning memoir. Multi-talented actor Alan Cumming narrates his story of growing up with a disapproving, tyrannical father before eventually finding his way out from under his shadow and learning to be happy on his own. Not My Father’s Son is one of those tremendous father-and-son books that explores how each generation can be different even when they’re so closely related. Cumming’s famed melodious voice lends itself beautifully to the narration.
