Books
Whether you're spending your summer vacation on the lake, in the mountains, or in the comfort of your own home, the right book can make the difference between a good holiday and a great one. I've picked out 15 new audiobooks to listen to on vacation, and I think you're going to love this list.
I'm a big fan of listening to audiobooks when you're doing activities that prevent you from reading, such as hopping on the rowing machine or driving to work. You don't have to abandon your audiobook the minute you leave the car or step off the plane, however. Just pop in a pair of headphones while you're working on your summer tan, and let all the problems of the world drift away as you slip into a fantastic, new "read."
Audiobooks aren't everyone's cup of tea, to be sure, but, when it comes to summer listening, they have a distinct advantage over physical books. For one, you'll never be stopped by airport security — as I was — for carrying a suspicious block of audiobooks in your bag. You also won't have to choose between putting a cute outfit or a load of audiobooks in your suitcase. Finally, most people will actually leave you alone when you have headphones in, as opposed to the folks who feel entitled to interrupt your precious reading time.
Check out the 15 new audiobooks I've picked out for your vacation playlist below:
'Normal People' by Sally Rooney, read by Aoife McMahon
7 hours / 34 minutes
Already optioned for the screen by Hulu, Sally Rooney's Normal People follows classmates Connell and Marianne as they move from high school to university, each one always in the other's orbit. It's a will-they-won't-they story with a whole lot of depth and commentary about the experience of being young in today's world.
'Delayed Rays of a Star' by Amanda Lee Koe, read by Orlagh Cassidy and Amanda Lee Koe
14 hours / 36 minutes
Centering on three, real-life celebrities — Marlene Dietrich, Leni Riefenstahl, and Anna May Wong — Delayed Rays of a Star uses a chance photograph of the three women to explore the larger issues surrounding their glamorous — and not-so-glamorous — lives in the early 20th century.
'Summer of '69' by Elin Hilderbrand, read by Erin Bennett
13 hours / 34 minutes
The summer of 1969 is the first year that the Levin siblings haven't been able to gather in Nantucket. One is pregnant and stuck in Boston, another is fighting for civil rights, and a third is overseas in Vietnam. The only Levins in Nantucket are the youngest daughter, Jessie, her mother, and grandmother, and each of them has a secret they're trying to keep from the rest of the family.
'The Best Lies' by Sarah Lyu, read by Nancy Wu
11 hours / 8 minutes
Remy's boyfriend is dead. Her best friend killed him. Remy doesn't know what happened, but she knows it happened fast. She had just left the room. Surely Elise didn't murder Jack. She wouldn't do that... would she?
'Rules for Visiting' by Jessica Francis Kane, read by Emily Rankin
6 hours / 34 minutes
When 40-year-old, semi-reclusive May gets the chance to take an unexpected vacation, she decides to reconnect with four old friends. Unable to bring everyone together, she goes to visit each person in turn, imagining herself the central character in an all-new Odyssey.
'With the Fire on High' by Elizabeth Acevedo, read by the author
7 hours / 27 minutes
Teen mom Emoni has a lot on her plate, balancing caring for her daughter and abuela with keeping her grades up. She can't stop thinking about an upcoming trip to Spain, her dream of becoming a chef, and the challenges and joys college will bring. A modern-day Tita de la Garza, Emoni makes magic in the kitchen, but will that be enough to carry her to future success?
'The Unhoneymooners' by Christina Lauren, read by Cynthia Farrell and Deacon Lee
9 hours / 7 minutes
When an unfortunate bout of food poisoning at a wedding reception leaves only the maid of honor and best man in good health, they're given a free "honeymoon" in Maui. There's just one problem — they can't stand one another.
'The Bookish Life of Nina Hill' by Abbi Waxman, read by Emily Rankin
9 hours / 3 minutes
Nina grew up an only child, and she's maintained a healthy distance from the rest of the world into adulthood, working as a librarian and cat mom. When her estranged father dies, Nina discovers that she's been living right next door to a host of siblings and other relatives, and they all want to meet her for the first time.
'The Friend Zone' by Abby Jimenez, read by Teddy Hamilton and Erin Mallon
9 hours / 32 minutes
Planning her best friend's wedding gives Kristen something to do to take her mind off of the immediate future. When she falls for the best man, she worries they'll never work. He wants a big family someday — and she's staring down a medical procedure that may leave her unable to have children.
'Lifelines' by Heidi Diehl, read by Christa Lewis
11 hours / 58 minutes
Decades after she left Düsseldorf behind, Louise returns for the funeral of her ex-lover's mother. In Germany for the first time since a family tragedy sent her home to the U.S., Louise must reckon with the ghosts of her past, and examine the futures that might have been.
'The Satapur Moonstone' by Sujata Massey, read by Sneha Mathan
12 hours / 1 minute
In this sequel to The Widows of Malabar Hill, a family curse affecting two maharanis and the crown prince has placed a British Raj in power over their land. With the royal women living in purdah, there's only one person who can crack the case — Perveen Mistry, Bombay's only female lawyer — but a trip to the Satapur palace may place her in mortal jeopardy.
'Mrs. Everything' by Jennifer Weiner, read by Ari Graynor and Beth Malone
16 hours / 45 minutes
Following sisters Jo and Bethie from their childhoods in 1950s Detroit to their lives as young adults in the 1960s and '70s, Jennifer Weiner's Mrs. Everything explores the realities and dreams of women whose lives didn't quite turn out the way they expected.
'The Stationery Shop' by Marjan Kamali, read by Mozhan Marnò
9 hours / 13 minutes
From Together Tea author Marjan Kamali comes The Stationery Shop, a story of love after loss. Sixty years after uproarious violence divided young lovers Roya and Bahman, they stumble upon the chance to reconnect. But does Roya really want to know why Bahman left her the day before their wedding?
'Gods of Jade and Shadow' by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, read by Yetta Gottesman (July 23)
11 hours / 4 minutes
A Jazz Age Cinderella story populated with Mayan myths and legends, Silvia Moreno-Garcia's Gods of Jade and Shadow takes readers on a journey across Mexico with Casiopea, a young heroine who finds herself in service to the Mayan god of death.
'Color Me In' by Natasha Díaz, read by Bahni Turpin (Aug. 20)
11 hours / 15 minutes
In this YA debut, 16-year-old Nevaeh Levitz wrestles with questions of identity when she moves with her Black mom to Harlem and tries to connect with her extended family. But for Nevaeh, who is white-passing and half-Jewish, finding a place she belongs in her mom's family proves difficult, and her father's insistence on a three-years-late bat mitzvah ceremony might just make her life infinitely more complicated.
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