Audiobook Recs for Your Summer Anthem
By Olivia Langen
Working in audiobook publishing, my summer media digest is always a bit unusual. It’s full of Halloween mysteries in the heat of June, cozy Christmas romances in July, and New Year’s resolution self-help titles in August as we plan ahead for publication dates. By the end of a busy week of coordinating audiobook productions and huddling near my air conditioning unit for dear life, all I want to do is turn my brain off, drive to the beach, and listen to pop music.
The following guide is intended to help you make the most of the season while it’s still here, pairing summery tracks with carefully curated audiobook pairings, so you have something great to listen to when you’ve finally overplayed your faves. I hope you find your own personal summer anthem in this list and find a nice new book rec to boot. Happy listening!
If your anthem is “Girl, so confusing” by Charli XCX ft. Lorde
Your audiobook is Headshot by Rita Bullwinkel
I’ve invested too much in brat summer for it to end any time soon. If you missed out on the “Girl, so confusing” drama, here’s a recap: Charli XCX’s album brat dropped in June and featured a song detailing her troubled relationship with fellow alt-pop princess Lorde. Fast forward, Lorde hopped on the remix and the internet went crazy.
When I first listened to Lorde’s verse about how she’s been working through internal battles over body image and success, it felt right out of a scene from Headshot by Rita Bullwinkel, a book I’ve been recommending incessantly since it was released earlier this year. Headshot follows eight young women who are competing at a national boxing championship in Reno, Nevada, each chapter detailing a new match as the bracket narrows down to the final fight of the novel. Narrated by the incomparable Cassandra Campbell, this audiobook is the perfect listen for the moment and exemplifies the Charli XCX philosophy that you can most definitely be a “girl’s girl” while still competing against girls.
If your anthem is “Good Luck, Babe!” by Chappell Roan
Your audiobook is Something About Her by Clementine Taylor
Chappell Roan’s recent rise in the pop charts, while completely unsurprising, has been glorious to behold. Her vivid lyrical storytelling and high camp aesthetics have secured her slots in countless summer playlists, but “Good Luck, Babe!” takes the crown. It captures the heartbreak of a tumultuous queer romance almost as poetically as Clementine Taylor’s debut novel Something About Her. This audiobook features the dulcet tones of Helena Wilson and Roisin Rankin, whose contrasting British and Irish accents take readers into the unique perspectives of the characters Maya and Aisling, respectively. Potential spoiler alert: you may be left scream-singing the bridge of “Good Luck, Babe!” by the end of the audiobook.
If your anthem is “II Most Wanted” by Beyoncé and Miley Cyrus
Your audiobook is My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante
Driving scenic routes and blasting Cowboy Carter has been one of my favorite activities this year, and I owe it all to Beyoncé. Whether or not Bey and Miley have ever actually hung out outside of the recording studio, the track “II Most Wanted” evokes the ride-or-die essence of Thelma and Louise. Elena Ferrante tells an even more timeless tale of female friendship in her Italian novel My Brilliant Friend. When the main character learns that her best friend of 60 years has gone missing, she decides to process the news by writing down the entire story of their friendship. It’s a gorgeous, sprawling novel and makes for a lovely beach listen.
If your anthem is “Please Please Please” by Sabrina Carpenter
Your audiobook is All Fours by Miranda July
“Please Please Please” by Sabrina Carpenter and All Fours by Miranda July have a lot in common. Lust, humiliation, painful doses of self-awareness–maybe not the most care-free, summery themes, but endlessly entertaining and hard to look away. Miranda July narrates her All Fours audiobook with the perfect level of candor and comedic timing. Even when the main character reaches obscene levels of impulsive nonsense, July’s poetic writing always cuts through the chaos.
If your anthem is “Saturn” by SZA
Your audiobook is The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin
For those listening to SZA’s latest single on repeat and dreaming of an escape to another planet, this one’s for you. The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K Le Guin will transport you all the way to another solar system and onto the planet Gethen. The novel’s Earthling protagonist Genly Ai tries to navigate a culture that is completely unrecognizable to him, where there is no such thing as men, women, or fixed gender concepts of any kind. Written in 1969, this boundary-pushing sci-fi novel is surprisingly accessible to non-sci-fi readers (speaking from experience).
If your anthem is “Yeah x10” by Trent Reznor from Challengers Soundtrack
Your audiobook is Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid
If, like me, you still can’t stop thinking about the film Challengers, I have good news. Zendaya’s character Tashi Duncan has a literary doppelganger and her name is Carrie Soto. This sporty and drama-packed novel from Taylor Jenkins Reid follows a tennis player who decides to come out of retirement to save her record, making many enemies in the process. So hit pause on Trent Reznor’s Challengers soundtrack and treat yourself to the literary grand slam of Carrie Soto is Back.
