Does Anyone Else Choose Bedtime Audiobooks Based Almost Entirely on the Narrator?

Audiobooks have become part of my nighttime routine. I normally start with one earbud and then move to a pillow speaker when I’m ready to settle down. Playing the book at 0.85x speed also seems to give my mind fewer reasons to race. Finding the right book is surprisingly difficult. It needs to be interesting enough to distract me from my thoughts but calm enough that I’m not lying there waiting for the next dramatic scene. The narrator matters even more than the story. I do best with a steady, lower-register voice and very little yelling or exaggerated character acting. When I see “performed by a full cast,” I already suspect it won’t be a bedtime book for me. A few that have worked for me are My Year of Rest and Relaxation narrated by Julia Whelan, Horrorstör with Tai Sammons and Bronson Pinchot, and The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy narrated by Stephen Fry. Calm nonfiction can sometimes work too.