Audiobooks for Your August Adventures

It’s that time of year, when New Yorkers with a car are headed out of town for beaches, mountains, tents—anywhere that isn’t miles of uninterrupted concrete and squashed lanternflies—while those who don’t have wheels are making beelines for New York City’s great parks, equipped with cold beverages, blankets, and the desire not to use one’s eyes for anything other than cloud-gazing and staring into long, green blades of grass.

If you’re like me, you like to have a story to disappear into as you do all this escaping and relaxing (and because you’re reading a library blog, you probably are like me!) So, in keeping with the no-eyeball-strain requirement of summer, here are a few of my favorite audiobooks to keep your mind engaged and your eyes and body relaxed. All of these titles can be checked out with your library card, through the free Libby app. (Reading times included, because sometimes you have to choose a road trip book based on the number of hours it will kill. No shame in that!)

For lovers of true stories:

Many of my friends tell me that memoirs were their gateway into audiobooks. These days, it seems like most memoirs are narrated by the authors themselves, which I think leads to a deeper understanding of the book and the person who wrote it. My favorite memoir of the past few years is All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson (5 hours), which also happens to be a frequently banned book (not good for the book itself, but good if you’re looking to fulfill another category on your BPL Book Bingo board!). The memoir is honest and insightful, and a beautiful story of a family that unquestioningly loves and supports a child who is brave enough to be themselves.

Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner (7 hours) is another of my favorite memoirs, also narrated by the author. Zauner is part of the music group Japanese Breakfast and is as excellent a narrator as she is a songwriter. The memoir is about the death of Zauner’s mother, but there are so many moments of humor and tenderness that I only found myself tearing up a handful of times.

For the accent-lovers:

Let's face it, sometimes we listen to books for the accents! Milkman by Anna Burns (14 hours) takes place in Northern Ireland amidst The Troubles. It's the story of a young woman who suddenly becomes the subject of a stalker whose aims are unclear. The writing is funny and tense, and if the accent of the narrator doesn't keep you listening, then the compelling characters certainly will. 

There are some books I probably wouldn’t understand if I didn’t hear them read aloud, and Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart (18 hours) is one of them. The book takes place in Glasgow in the 1980s and is full of Scottish slang. Though the story deals with alcoholism and abuse, the characters rise above the noise of their misery, making for an unforgettable read.

For all you lyrical ladies:

The Seas by Samantha Hunt (5 hours) is a dreamy, haunting tale about a young woman who believes she is a mermaid trapped in a depressed seaside town. This is a world where people’s convictions get them into trouble, and everyone is just trying not to drown. Hunt’s mesmerizing words make this novel one of the more poetic stories I’ve read in a while.

Marilynne Robinson’s Gilead series is another lyrical favorite of mine. The first, Gilead (9 hours) also fulfills the epistolary novel category of BPL Book Bingo because it’s told from the perspective of an elderly preacher writing the story of his life in letters to his son. Home (13 hours) is my personal favorite of the series, a compelling portrait of the relationship between siblings over time as they care for a dying father. Lila (9 hours) follows the wife of the narrator in the first book, and Jack (10 hours) is the story of the wayward brother in the second novel. Each book is delicate and poignant and can be read in any order. (Though for greatest effect, I recommend starting with the first and making your way to the last. You won’t regret it.)

For those who want to escape:

Not traveling this summer? Take a trip with American Spy by Lauren Wilkerson (11 hours) and follow agent Marie Mitchell to Burkina Faso as she tracks “Africa’s Che Guevara” in the midst of the Cold War. The narrative jumps between New York, Martinique, and Ouagadougou, painting the landscape of each place as carefully as the characters who inhabit them. I like to tell people this is the spy book for people who don’t normally like spy books (me!) because the compelling characters and political intrigue kept me listening until the end.

The Old Drift by Namwali Serpell (25 hours) is certainly a long one, but worth the time investment. Serpell tracks Zambia from colony to independence into the future. Winding plotlines jump between time periods and involve an AIDS-like virus, a mythical story of a woman entirely covered in hair, and a protest movement that vaults the listener into a surreal near-future.

For New Yorkers who don’t really want to escape:

Not sold on this whole escapism idea? You can stay in New York City with these lovely reads. Another Brooklyn by Jacqueline Woodson (3 hours) might be one of my favorite books of all time. Brooklyn comes alive in this short, moving novel which is, at its core, the story of a group of girls growing up and setting off on their own trajectories.

Perhaps not her most well-known novel, Jazz by Toni Morrison (3 hours) is still a gem. A love letter to New York City, this audiobook is narrated by the queen herself. Disappear into New York of the 1920s with Morrison’s grave, gravelly voice as your guide.