The Night Circus Audiobook by Erin Morgenstern— narrated by Jim Dale

Why the audiobook wins

Jim Dale built his career making sprawling casts of characters instantly distinguishable by ear alone — it's the skill that carried the Harry Potter audiobooks to legend status — and Le Cirque des Rêves gives him a whole new set of tents to work with. Illusionists, clockmakers, twins, a contortionist: Dale finds a separate register for each without ever losing the storyteller's thread that holds the circus together.

Morgenstern wrote a book that's more atmosphere than plot, which is a risk on the page and a gift in the ear. Dale's voice becomes the bonfire everyone's gathered around, unhurried and a little conspiratorial, exactly the register this floating, nocturnal world needs. It's a strong choice for a long night in, since the circus itself only opens after dark.

Thirteen-plus hours is a serious commitment, but Dale has carried longer, denser books than this one and made every hour count. One credit gets you the whole striped-tent world.