Booklists for recommended summer reading often use images of paperback spines stretched across colorful beach towels or exciting covers tucked into a carry-on bag en route to some far off destination to conjure the feeling of getting away. Yet rarely do such lists acknowledge the damage that waterlogged pages and books left behind in rental cars and Airbnbs can do your library card fines balance! We at Off the Shelf are realists and see it as our duty to remind you that e-audiobooks, which take up no luggage space nor become homes to stowaway beach sand, are perfect for passing the hours on a long road trip, soaking up rays on the beach, or livening up a daily commute. You don’t even have to bring them back to the library when you’re done!
Choose from a collection of masterful narrators who skillfully weave their voices around a group of complex, sometimes quirky, always authentic, spirited and even twisted characters. With plots that range from comedic, creepy, romantic, suspenseful, to nostalgic, there is something here for everyone. While away these remaining days of summer with an audiobook, because good story truly comes alive when it is read out loud!
ROMANCE
- Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors by Sonali Dev | Read by Soneela Nankani is a fresh take on the Jane Austen classic.
- The Bride Test by Helen Hoang | Read by Emily Woo Zeller is a deeply moving love story between two passionate and strong-willed individuals.
- My Favorite Half-Night Stand by Christina Lauren | Read by Shayna Thibodeaux and Deacon Lee is a funny yet romantic listen, replete with sexual sparks and corny jokes, about five modern-day college professors about to try dating apps. Similar to Merry & Bright by Debbie Macomber
SCI-FI/FANTASY
- Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey | Read by Xe Sands is a compulsively engaging mystery full of magic and liars, Ivy Gamble, a P.I. is recounting the investigation of a gruesome murder case at Osthorne Academy of Young Mages. Similar to The Secret Place by Tana French and The Rook by Daniel O’Malley
- Middlegame by Seanan McGuire | Read by Amber Benson a complex and intricately told fantasy story of siblings who come together through pain and longing to save each other and the world--if they don't destroy it first. Similar to The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern and The Magicians by Lev Grossman
LITERARY FICTION
- City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert | Read by Blair Brown is a tale composed of the recollections of a 95-year-old New York seamstress who came of age during WWII. Similar to Lillian Boxfish Takes A Walk by Kathleen Rooney and The Boston Girl by Anita Diamant
- Lost Roses by Martha Hall Kelly | Read by Kathleen Gati is a story of love and friendship involving both the Russian Revolution of 1914-1917 and the upper classes of New York during that period. Similar to A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles and Shanghai Girls by Lisa See
- Daisy Jones & the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid | Read by Full Cast a transcribed, oral history-style story, narrated by a star-studded full cast including Jennifer Beals, Benjamin Bratt, Judy Greer, and Pablo Schreiber, of a seventies rock band's meteoric rise to fame and mysterious fall from grace.
MEMOIR/BIOGRAPHY
- Save Me the Plums by Ruth Reichl | Read by Ruth Reichl is a juicy account of Reichl's decade as editor in chief of the fabled culinary magazine Gourmet. Like her lively writing, her performance is inviting and engaging.
THRILLER
- My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing | Read by David Pittu is a domestic thriller about a happily married couple whose hobby is killing innocent women told mostly through the voice of the husband, who describes his relationship with his wife and problems with his kids, as well as details of the couple's secret life and growing concerns about getting caught. Similar to Behind Her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough and Our Kind of Cruelty by Araminta Hall
- The Last Woman in the Forest by Diane Les Becquets | Read by Emily Rankin a twisty psychological thriller! Similar to Freefall by Jessica Barry and The Lost Man by Jane Harper
This blog post reflects the opinions of the author and does not necessarily represent the views of Brooklyn Public Library.
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