12 fascinating non-fiction audiobooks more satisfying than any podcast

Avid true crime fans will absolutely adore this intriguing audiobook from one of the most decorated journalists of our time, Patrick Radden Keefe. Rogues tells twelve unbelievable and totally enthralling true stories of killers, grifters, rebels and crooks. Each of these meticulously reported investigations will have you absolutely hooked. 

There have been several great podcasts about the meteoric rise and fall of the blood-testing startup Theranos and its founder Elizabeth Holmes. But if you want the full story, with every little detail, then you can't miss the Bad Blood audiobook. 

Written by John Carreyou, the prize-winning journalist who first broke the story and pursued it to the bitter end, and read by Will Damron, Bad Blood is the story of one of the biggest corporate fraud cases of the 21st century. In 2014, Theranos promised to revolutionize the medical industry with a machine that would make blood testing both faster and easier. The business was backed by serious investors and valued at more than $9 billion. The problem was, the technology didn’t work . . .

Read our guide to the Theranos scandal.

On 21 November 1915, Sir Ernest Shackleton’s ship, Endurance, sank beneath the ice of the most hostile sea on Earth. While the miraculous survival of the crew has entered legend, the iconic ship that bore them to the brink of the Antarctic was considered forever lost . . . until March 2022. Including countless fascinating stories of Shackleton and his ship, and of the legendary recovery expedition itself; in The Ship beneath the Ice, the Director of Exploration tells the story of the monumental discovery in his own words.

If you binge-listen to the latest technology podcasts, then Scary Smart is the perfect audiobook for you. With more than thirty years experience working at the cutting-edge of technology, Mo Gawdat takes us on a mind-blowing journey into the world of artificial intelligence, examining the problems that currently plague AI and the steps we need to take to safeguard our future.

Read author Mo Gawdat's insights on the future of artificial intelligence.

Are you intrigued by natural history? Then The Rise and Reign of the Mammals could be the perfect audiobook for you. Palaeontologist Steve Brusatte explores the history and evolution of our mammal ancestors, telling the stories of the iconic extinct mammals – the mammoth and the sabre-tooth tiger – as well as introducing us to incredible new species that few of us have heard of. 

Is your podcast library filled with shows all about politics and current affairs? Then you won’t want to miss Sebastian Payne’s essential and compelling audiobook, Broken Heartlands. Lauded by Robert Peston as,‘ A must-read for anyone who wants to understand England today,’ this is the story of Labour’s Red Wall and how it came falling down . . .

In the same way that the best podcasts introduce us to the most extraordinary stories, War Doctor is an audiobook that opens our eyes to the life and career of a remarkable man and his unfaltering dedication to helping people in the direst need. War Doctor is the extraordinary story of David Nott, the most experienced trauma surgeon in the world, and his experiences on the ground in some of the world’s most dangerous and volatile places.

Read an extraordinary extract from David's autobiography.

Ever wondered how the world as we know it came to be? Inspired by Sagan’s famous line, “If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe,” Harry Cliff ventures out in search of the ultimate apple pie recipe, tracing the ingredients of our universe through the hearts of dying stars and back in time to a tiny fraction of a second after our universe began.

We're not alone in our love for Crying in H Mart, in fact we were in good company as Barack Obama named it one of his favourite books of 2021. And the audiobook is truly one not to be missed, as it's read by Michelle Zauner herself. A lyrical writer (and front-woman of the twice Grammy-nominated band, Japanese Breakfast), Michelle Zauner tells a story of family, food, grief and endurance in this memoir about growing up mixed-race, re-discovering her Korean identity, and a personal reckoning brought on by the loss of her mother to terminal pancreatic cancer. 

Michelle Zauner on her bestselling memoir of mother-daughter love and grief.

For fifteen years, Jeffrey Boakye, co-presenter of BBC Radio 4's Add to Playlist, taught English in British secondary schools. Often the only black, male teacher at a school, Boakye had a unique perspective of the British education system. Through a series of eye-opening anecdotes, Jeffrey provides a timely analysis of how we can dismantle racism in the classroom and do better by all students. 

What is it like to be queer in the 21st century? With gay marriage legal in many countries across the west, Ru Paul’s Drag Race now one of the most popular programmes on TV and Pride celebrations endorsed by some of the biggest global brands, some might think it’s an easy life. Amelia Abrahams’s audiobook delves into the experiences of those across the LGBTQ+ spectrum, beyond these positive but limited changes, and reveals the battles for progress that queer communities continue to fight for across the world. 

You might already be familiar with Jon Ronson’s BBC Radio 4 podcast So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed, based on his groundbreaking non-fiction read of the same name. If you’re looking for more of Jon’s incisive investigative journalism, or just want to listen once again to his dulcet tones, then you’re sure to love The Psychopath Test, an utterly compelling audiobook adventure into the world of madness.