Books & Bevs: Listens for Your Favorite Summer Drink
By Mika Ellison
Summer is reaching its peak and scorching temperatures and skyrocketing humidity bring the perfect opportunity to relax into the heatwave with a nice, cold drink. But the serene moment wouldn’t be complete without an audiobook to grab your attention while you take a walk or take in the view. We’ve collected some audiobooks that will best complement your delicious beverage of choice.
If you love lemonade
Lemonade is the most classic of summer beverages, suitable for all ages and lending a sense of comfort and nostalgia to the most humid of climates. Whether you have fond memories of selling sugary cups to neighbors to make a few bucks or simply have a weakness for the sour-sweet tang, these books will be the perfect pairing for the refreshing yellow bev.
In The Backyard Bird Chronicles, you can step into a luscious, comforting escape while learning about the beauties of wildlife. A Love Like The Sun is a sweet, comforting story told over the course of three sizzling summer months about shared history and love in its many forms.
If you love margaritas
Margaritas are a quintessential summer beverage for those nights when you can finally let loose, accompanied by the soft noise of cicadas or a party winding down (or starting up). A classic adult beverage that feels young and a little wild, the complex mix of flavors and options to customize make the margarita perfect to pair with stories about starting over and striking out on your own, regardless of your age.
Instructions for Traveling West chronicles Joy Sullivan’s fresh start in life with poignancy and tenderness, illuminating the ways a new life can come with both loneliness and belonging. If you’re thirsty for a book with more intrigue and drama, Come and Get It by Kiley Reid offers a tale of new but unusual professional opportunities and the tensions that can come with them, as well as an appropriately lime-green cover.
If you love a Shirley Temple
Shirley Temples are the Barbie of the beverage world: they can be dressed up or down (in this case, with booze or without) and they’re great for any occasion. Whether you just need a pink afternoon pick-me-up or a sweet and silly introduction to the dance floor, Shirley Temples are the perfect pairing for bubbly, sweet romances.
Sip on one while listening to Happy Place by Emily Henry, a book about second chances, summer, and soul-searching, or Not In Love by Ali Hazelwood, a story with its heart on its sleeve. Both, of course, have covers in shades of pink that match the classic rosy hue of the Shirley.
If you love iced coffee
An iced coffee is the perfect accompaniment to a lazy morning sitting in a cafe contemplating life, or an afternoon spent listening to an absorbing audiobook and watching sunbeams move across the floor. Whether you have a whole bevy of tasks to take care of and need the caffeine or just need a latte to stave off the afternoon nap, iced coffee is an iconic, sophisticated, academic-and-book-nerd approved summer beverage. Pull up a chair and pull out your favorite sustainable and stylish straw, and get ready to feel smart and put together as you listen and sip.
If you’ve ever heard the concept of entropy explained using a cup of coffee and wished you could get the real details, The Biggest Ideas in the Universe is the perfect way to explore the possibilities of physics and space without leaving your comfy chair (or getting unnecessarily confused about your latte). Or, if you’re in the mood for something more down to earth, the striking cover and multilayered, emotional complexities of Martyr! By Kaveh Akbar serves as a counterpoint to the simplicity of an iced mocha.
If you love soda
There’s nothing that says summer more than an ice-cold soda, from the crispy fountain variety to a can pulled out of a cooler at a backyard barbecue. A soda is the symbol of everything from the sweetness of childhood to the bracing bite of a caffeine rush. It can recall memories of your hometown, your friends, and summers throughout your life. It doesn’t matter if you’re a Dr. Pepper fanatic, dedicated to Diet Coke, or a 7-up devotee: a cold soda means the possibilities are endless.
If you’re dreaming of summers past and thinking about what might be next, check out There’s Always This Year, Hanif Abdurraqib’s exploration of America and basketball. Or if you’re looking for something that sounds like an overflowing, effervescent fountain drink feels, While We Were Burning, a thriller with plenty of plot, intrigue, and complex female characters, is for you.
If you love an Aperol spritz
The summer drink of choice for the past few years, the Aperol Spritz, combines prosecco, Aperol, and club soda for a refreshing, slightly bitter cocktail that epitomizes summer with its lively orange hue and exciting mix of flavors. This spritz is as breezy and fun as the name implies, but its lightness is contrasted with the grounded, complex herbal flavors of the Aperol, creating a drink that is both serious and playful.
If you’re looking for some intellectual, yet fun listening for your afternoon sip and you’ve been following the “girlhood” renaissance, On Our Best Behavior is a book that dives into the history and psychology behind women, contemporary culture, and the patriarchy. For some more girl boss-flavored reading, and for a fun Aperol orange cover, listen to Quietly Hostile by Samantha Irby for a hilarious collection of essays on the second side of fame.
