Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Audible. Get a free one-month trial for Audible.
Summertime is the perfect time to catch up on books and find new authors. There’s nothing like a good beach read (or in my case a lake read!) or listening to a great audiobook while you’re on a road trip this summer, so what better time to create a Summer Listen List!
Since we’re going to have a long road trip (over 1,000 miles!) soon for our journey to Minnesota I thought it would be a good time to try out Audible and find a few books we can listen to in the car. In addition, I think it will be fun to mix things up between podcasts we love and music we can dance to we’ll add some family-friendly audiobooks everyone can enjoy while we unpack 1,001 boxes.
I’ve made a selection of audiobooks for my Summer Listening List. I’m sharing it below, so feel free to borrow my list or make your own!
Summer Listen List: What To Listen to This Summer
Family-friendly Listens
Whether you’re on a summer road trip or you’re just looking for ways to keep the kids engaged without a screen this summer audiobooks are a great option to turn to. They can learn new things through audiobooks, use their imaginations to connect with a story, or act out the scenes that are playing on the speaker.
Harry Potter series: We’re big Potter-heads, so this one was a no-brainer. Listening to the audiobooks is a vastly different experience than reading them or watching the film version. The narration is fantastic, and we’re sure to geek out as we listen to these on the road.
Quiet Power: The Secret Strength of Introverts: This book is a kid version of the author’s other book on introverts (see below for that one!). Two of my kids are hardcore introverts (they get it from me) so this will be a must-listen for all the kids. Not only will it help our introverts, but it will help the other kids ‘get’ them better.
Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance: I’ve listened to the author, Angela Duckworth, of this book on several podcasts and the audiobook sounds like a must-listen. Duckworth studies ‘grit’ or perseverance and suggests that grit is responsible for success-not talent. With stories from a number of people she follows this seems like a fascinating look at how to stick to it.
Eleanor & Park: Friends have raved about this book to me, and since it’s a young adult novel featuring not only the era of my youth (1980s) and first loves it seems like one everyone will enjoy listening to.
Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy: A longtime favorite this is one our whole family will enjoy listening to. It’s quirky, funny, and is sure to be a fun listen.
The Trials of Apollo, Book One: The Hidden Oracle: My kids (and husband!) love Rick Riordan’s other books, so we’re psyched to jump into this new book from one of their favorite authors. I think it will be a great summer listen.
True Crime Listens
I’m a big fan of true crime, and there are several books I’ve had on my list for months (or years!) that I haven’t read yet. Listening to the audiobook version is the perfect way to check these off my list.
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil: This book is part true crime and part peek into life in Savannah’s society. I can’t wait to listen to this one.
The Lost Girls: The True Story of the Cleveland Abductions and the Incredible Rescue of Michelle Knight, Amanda Berry, and Gina Dejesus: An audiobook that details the incredibly horrible crimes committed on three women over more than a decade of captivity and their escape and rescue may not be top on your list, but it is on mine.
Missoula: Rape and the Justice System in a College Town: This audiobook is a well researched look at Missoula, a college town where 100s of sexual assaults took place that were handled horribly by the justice system. It’s an important listen to help understand the grim reality of rape and sexual assault in the US.
Lake/Beach Listens
Summer is the perfect time to lay back and listen to a great book whether you’re poolside, on the beach, or lake listening. Here are a few that I’ll be listening to or recommend.
Beautiful Ruins: I read this book last summer, but loved it so much I want it in audiobook form. It’s perfect for a beach or lakeside listen since it takes place on the coast in Italy. But be warned-it’s one you can’t stop listening to.
The Girl in the Ice: This may not seem like a summer read to you, but I love reading things that are thrilling and scary in the bright sunshine-it makes it much easier to read without getting too scared! This audiobook is a thriller that is sure to be a ‘can’t stop listening’ book.
Where’d You Go, Bernadette?: I read this book last year, but I think it will make a great listen, too. It’s a story that takes you on an unexpected journey, but it’s one that you’ll love.
Truly Madly Guilty: The latest from Liane Moriarity comes out this July, so it’s already on my list of listens for the summer. I’ve enjoyed her other books, and I’m sure this one will be no exception.
The Weekenders: The latest from Mary Kay Andrews is set on an island in North Carolina. It’s got some mixed reviews, but I do love a good beach read on the beach, so I’ll be giving this one a try.
Enchanted Islands: This story starts in my new home state and heads to the Galapagos Islands (a place long on my bucket list of places to visit), so this one is a must-listen this summer. It’s inspired by the memoirs of Frances Conway.
Self Improvement
Year of Yes: I’m a big fan of Shonda Rhimes and her TV empire (Olivia Pope is my everything idol) and listening to the brains behind some of my favorite shows is tops on my list. A number of friends have recommended this book so I’m excited to listen to it this summer.
Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking: I’m an introvert, so this book is a must this summer. Even after nearly 4 decades knowing myself I still have a lot to learn about how to live in an extroverted world.
UnSelfie: Why Empathetic Kids Succeed in Our All-About-Me World: While my kids are a bit older I think this guide to helping parents teach empathy to their kids ‘from birth to young adult’ will be incredibly helpful. We’ve (I think) done a good job so far, but there’s always room for improvement, especially when you’re talking about being empathic to siblings. 😉
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: Alright. I’m finally getting on board with this phenomenon. I already did a big purge of stuff in anticipation of our move, but I know this audiobook will be a huge help as we unpack our things in our new house.
Why We Love Audible
I’ve been a fan of Audible since I got my dad a subscription to their service. He’s a big fan of audiobooks, so it was the perfect gift for him when he retired. We got him a year of service and he’s been hooked ever since. We love that we could give him something that was so easy to use and that he enjoys so much.
We also turned to Audible as a way to encourage our kids to take in more great stories. We often use Audible to download audiobooks for our daughter who has a reading disability. It’s been a great way for her to improve her vocabulary, hear great stories, and I’d even venture to say has improved her reading. We’ve used it on long road trips, too. It has not only the benefit of keeping the kids off screens, but audiobooks can entertain us all at once with the bonus of no one getting car sick from reading in the car.
Try Audible FREE!
Get a free one month trial at Audible and start listening today.
You can sign up for free and get one audiobook. If you like it you can get membership at two different levels and two ways to pay-monthly or annually.
Gold membership gives you one credit per month or 12 credits for the year if you sign up for annual membership.
Platinum membership gives you two credits per month or 24 credits for the year if you opt to pay annually.
Additionally, you’ll get 30% off other purchases, a moneyback guarantee on every book you buy, and more.
You can try out the service now by signing up for a free Audible membership and get one book free. Cancel your service at any time, but don’t worry you’ll still have access to all the books you purchased.
Your turn!
Share your favorite audiobooks with me! I’d love to hear what you’re listening to.
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Audible. The opinions and text are all mine.
[…] Hibernate: During the cooler parts of the day spend some time outside, and use the middle of the day (from 10-4) to stay indoors and nap, color, or have a little screen time and play games. Here’s recommendations of things to listen to this summer. […]