2021 Summer Reading Guide: Absorbing Audiobooks
Audiobooks are the perfect soundtrack to summer – whether you’re road-tripping to the ocean or just need some entertainment while you fold shorts and t-shirts, these audiobooks are smart, funny, and hard to turn off!
Call Me Maybe by Cara Bastone
If you like a little summer romance for your audio cue, this one is a DELIGHT and carried me through many not-that-fun miles of running. Told in alternating points of view, Vera has spent the last three hours on hold with customer service trying to get her website ready to launch her new business. Kal is the guy who finally picks up and thinks he can help her. As they spend hours together on the phone. . . it’s possible that her website won’t be the only thing that launches. This one is an Audible Original, meaning it’s only available from Audible – if you’re an Audible Member, it’s included free with your membership (and you can sign up for a free month trial here!) AND there is a sequel, Sweet Talk, which is also free with an Audible membership.
The Half Sister by Sandie Jones
I listened to this on a long car trip last summer and it was so gripping I almost wished the drive was longer! Told in alternating points of view (with a separate narrator for each sister), Kate and Lauren are sisters who are very close and come from a tightly-knit family that’s been rocked by the recent death of their father. But things start unraveling fast when a young woman shows up at a family dinner claiming to be their half sister. And she has the DNA test to prove it. As the sisters try to track down the truth, it becomes clear that MANY members of the family are keeping secrets. This story keeps twisting and turning and the end completely surprised me!
The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah
I already know that The Four Winds is divisive. I LOVED it and couldn’t stop listening – blowing through the 15 hour of audio in just days – but I know other people found it too depressing. I was sucked in to this story of the Dust Bowl during the Great Depression and a woman who will do whatever it takes to protect her children. After growing up in a family that consider her too weak (thanks to a childhood illness) and too homely to ever marry and then a husband who can’t find the happiness he seeks with his family, she knows that the only person she can really rely on is herself. If you love historical fiction and strong characters, this one is a winner. It’s also narrated by Julia Whelan who also read Kristin Hannah’s last book, The Great Alone.
When Stars are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed
You might think a graphic novel is really best enjoyed when you can see the . . . you know, graphics. But the audio version of this stunning book is out to prove you wrong with a full-cast narration that brings this true story of a young boy living in a refuge camp in Kenya, caring for his non-verbal younger brother and trying to attend school to life in the most stunning way. In fact, people who have listened to this audiobook tell me they feel sorry for people who read it on paper instead of getting to experience the audio version. This is a terrific one for both children (probably about 8+) and adults!
Effortless by Greg McKeown
There is some chance that I liked this book even more than I would have anyway because of the author’s delightful British accent. But even without it, this is a really great book. If you loved Atomic Habits, this is along the same lines, but I’ve found it even MORE helpful and packed with implementable ideas. I’ll admit that I wasn’t wildly taken by his first book, Essentialism, as most people seem to be, but I’m really glad I took a chance on this one because I LOVED it. If you like to listen to non-fiction, this one is a total winner.