What We’re Listening To: Gracie’s July Picks
By Gracie Marcellus
My name is Gracie and I’m the summer Audio Editorial Intern at Penguin Random House!
I have been obsessed with audiobooks; I get such an energy boost from listening to the books on my TBR while doing my weekly tasks. For those who also wish they could be better at multi-tasking, audiobooks may be the perfect creative solution this summer! Whether it’s during summer cleaning, a shower, or the gym, audiobooks have been my perfect partner-in-crime. As someone who always felt like a slow reader, audiobooks have helped build my confidence, and finishing a book gives me an extra feeling of satisfaction.
During college, it became difficult to find the time to finish physical books outside of schoolwork. One of the audiobooks that got me back into reading during college was obsessively listening to Carley Fortune’s debut Every Summer After.
I find time to listen to audio content in the weirdest places, such as my shower. I’ve gone as far as getting a new wireless speaker, the grey backing oddly matching my grey tabby cat Opal, to blast Good Girl, Bad Blood, as it’s my mission to finish the A Good Girls Guide to Murder series this summer. I’m glad my neighbors haven’t complained about the thin walls.
What better way to listen to the Reese’s book club pick The Cliffs than while applying to jobs? J. Courtney Sullivan’s words have carried me through the strenuous application process. Escaping to Maine during Austin’s summer heat sounded like a fever dream, and pretending I was surrounded by psychic mediums made the mundane thrilling and my lunch breaks more appetizing.
And finally, the compulsive listens to close out my July TBR is Tell Me Everything by Cambria Brockman, which is perfect for fans of Tell Me Lies by Carola Lovering. As I am about to enter a world without college obligations, it’s a necessity to read a thriller surrounded by a tight knit college friend group on the cusp of graduation.
Bonus: an album!
When I take a break from audiobooks, an album I have been listening to at the pool while reading the physical copy of The Next Mrs. Parrish by Liv Constantine, is by an artist I’ve been following since she would just drop songs on her YouTube. As a die-hard Gracie, I’ve been listening to The Secret of Us by Gracie Abrams and can’t wait to see her in concert again, alongside Taylor Swift at the Eras Tour in December!
