Audiobooks on Ice: Cool Summer Non Fiction That Pops
By Becca Stumpf
I’m on a quest. A quest for chill. Rolling into July, that means two things: 1) consuming cold foods that require next-to-no preparation, and 2) summer listening that’s invigorating and cool enough to keep my brain cells from melting off their synapses. Care to join me? Here are 3-ingredient popsicles that are as refreshing as they are dead-easy to make, followed by audiobook clips of the listens I’ll be talking everyone’s ear off about at barbecues for the rest of the summer.
Strawberry-Coconut Popsicles! You’ll need:
⭐ The popsicle mold of your choice
⭐ A blending appartus (or not – see note under “less fussy variations” below)
🍓 3 cups chopped strawberries
🍯 3 tablespoons honey (or less)
🥥 1 can (15 oz.) coconut milk (the standard kind; I find “light” or “lite” versions less satisfying, but follow your taste buds)
Instructions for making the two-toned pops shown in the pic above: In a blender, puree the strawberries with 2 tablespoons of the honey (reserving 1 tablespoon). In a seperate bowl, whisk together the coconut milk and remaining 1 tablespoon honey. Lastly, pour each mixture into your popsicle molds, alternating between the two.
Less fussy variations:
Truth? the next time I make these I’m going to throw all the ingredients into the blender at once. Sure, the tie-dye effect of layering coconut and strawberry sections is cute, but I think it would taste just as delicious fully blended.
Come to think of it, you don’t even need a blender for this! Let’s save more steps. Just chop the strawberries into bite-sized pieces and whisk them together with the coconut milk and honey, pour into the molds and call it a day. Sure, the strawberry chunks will all sink to one end of the pop, but they’ll be fun to chomp into, and you’ll get your coconut hit as a chaser. Less IS more.
Frostbite by Nicola Twilley
If you told me a couple days ago that one of my favorite audiobooks of the summer would involve the ancestry of my refrigerator, I’m not sure I would have believed it (no shade, Great-grandma Ice Block). That was before I heard Nicola Twilley’s Frostbite – a.k.a how refrigeration came to be, and how it changed the world. This one is so surprising, so juicy and fascinating, that you can bet I’m going to drop a load of frosty fun facts on the next person who crosses my path.
The Friday Afternoon Club by Griffin Dunne
I came to The Friday Afternoon Club by way of Joan Didion fandom, but stayed for Griffin Dunne’s voice as he reads his crisp, moving, at times tragic and at times darkly funny family memoir. This is a work sparkling with both Hollywood stardust and grounded reflections: truly the perfect companion to a late summer afternoon.
Night Flyer by Tiya Miles
Prepare to have your mind gently, and then forceably, blown by Tiya Miles’ biography of Harriet Tubman. Miles won the National Book Award for All That She Carried, and she brings the same deeply-researched focus and immersive style to Night Flyer – with the added pleasure of Janina Edwards’ narration. So good!
To Anyone Who Ever Asks by Howard Fishman
I’m probably not cool enough to write about this audiobook, but I do know that in listening to it I felt the rare thrill of being “in” on something very special. If you’re a fan of American folk music or unsung musical artists, To Anyone Who Ever Asks is a must. Added bonus: after listening, you’ll be able to beat any music monster (you know the type) at their own game – for YOU will be privvy to one of the deepest cuts of all.
