No need to fill your suitcase with heavy tomes this summer, the rising trend for audiobooks means you can now take a library abroad with nothing more than your phone and earplugs.
And while audiobooks were once slow, dreary readings by bored-sounding narrators, nowadays they are often better than the printed version, brought to life by unmissable performances by famous actors or the authenticity of hearing the author’s own voice.
Audiobooks aren’t just easy on suitcase space, though, they are also ideal for the beach (Pictured, Michelle Obama’s Becoming)
You can hear Emma Thompson narrate Jane Austen’s Emma in a perfect match of tone and content, or Jake Gyllenhaal read F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby with his unique American twang.
Such A-list narrators, coupled with ease of listening on phones and tablets and high production values, has seen the audiobook market soar, with sales up 43 per cent last year while print sales fell by 5.4 per cent.
Audiobooks aren’t just easy on suitcase space, though, they are also ideal for the beach, letting you lie back and listen rather than prop yourself up on a lounger and squint in the sunlight.
But choosing one entails more than simply liking the book’s blurb or author; the choice of narrator can make or break a book. Not even the most brilliant writing can offset a flat or irritating voice for ten hours.
Here, we round up some of the best summer beach listens.
If you want… an inspirational memoir
Becoming, by Michelle Obama.
Narrated by Michelle Obama (free with 30-day trial, audiobooks.co.uk).
Being able to read about the Obamas’ time in the White House is already fascinating and compelling, but hearing the revelations in Michelle’s own voice elevates this phenomenal memoir even further.
It seems a wonderful privilege to have the former First Lady speaking her own words straight into your ear, and her own reading gives the anecdotes extra meaning and emotion.
The memoir details her upbringing and education, her career as a lawyer and marriage to Barack, and their life as First Family of the United States.
If you want… a much‑loved classic
Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte.
Narrated by Thandie Newton (£36.69, or free with 30-day trial, audible.co.uk).
There is nothing like the voice of a modern, glamorous star to give a classic a contemporary feel.
Thandie’s performance of this cherished classic makes you hear Bronte’s words afresh, however many times you’ve read them before.
The audiobook also casts Newton in a different light, her voice so soft, smooth and comforting to listen to that it’s hard to imagine her as the ruthless killer from Line Of Duty.
Thandie Newton’s performance of Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre (left) makes you hear the classic words afresh, however many times you’ve read them before (Pictured right: Kate Atkinson’s Big Sky)
If you want… a hotly anticipated thriller
Big Sky, by Kate Atkinson.
Narrated by Jason Isaacs (14-day free trial, storytel.com).
Atkinson’s adored detective Jackson Brodie is back after a nine-year hiatus, but the book’s only out in a £20 hardback, making this audio version a money-saver, too. Brodie is now living in a North Yorkshire seaside village with his teenage son, but soon finds himself investigating modern slavery.
The book is read by Jason Issacs — best known for playing Lucius Malfoy in the Harry Potter films — a popular and adept narrator, who has done all five Brodie novels with great flair.
This book has all Atkinson’s genius hallmarks: funny, sad, heartwarming and gripping.
If you want… an all-star cast narrating
The Handmaid’s Tale is narrated by Elisabeth Moss, Bradley Whitford, Amy Landecker and Ann Dowd
The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood. Narrated by Elisabeth Moss, Bradley Whitford, Amy Landecker, Ann Dowd (£15.99, amazon.co.uk).
This new recording of Atwood’s seminal book is read by U.S. actress Elisabeth Moss, star of the Channel 4 television version, as well as other actors from the hit series. Inevitably, Moss embodies the lead character, Offred, perfectly and reads with grace and at an ideal pace.
It also makes the transition easy for fans of the TV show wanting to hear the original work, a dystopian novel which follows Offred, a ‘handmaid’ forced to bear children for infertile families in Gilead.
If you want… gripping crime fiction
Sherlock Holmes, by Arthur Conan Doyle. Narrated by Stephen Fry (free with 30-day trial, amazon.co.uk).
This award-winning and hugely popular recording of the complete works of Sherlock Holmes consistently wins five-star ratings from listeners. Fry is a natural fit: a gifted performer whose lifelong love of Holmes comes across in his narration.
Arthur Conan Doyle’s stories remain intriguing and satisfying and sound fresh and energetic in Fry’s voice. This full works comprises four novels and five collections of short stories.
If you want… prize-winning literature
Lincoln in the Bardo, by George Saunders. Narrated by 166 people, including Ben Stiller, Susan Sarandon, and Julianne Moore (£14.99 or free with 30-day trial, audible.co.uk).
This Man Booker Prize-winning novel has been given the celebrity treatment in its translation into audiobook.
The story, which takes place over one night in a graveyard in 1862 and concerns the death of Abraham Lincoln’s 11-year-old son, is told by a chorus of different characters; and in audio form, each one has been given a separate narrator.
That means an astonishing 166-strong cast featuring famous actors, musicians and writers as well as Saunders himself. It also makes for an intriguing guess-the-voice listen.
Robert Galbraith’s (J.K Rowling) Lethal White is narrated by Robert Glenister (left) wheras Philippa Perry takes on the role of narrator for her own The Book You Wish You Parents Had Read
If you want… a heart-stopping thriller
Lethal White, by Robert Galbraith (J.K. Rowling’s alias).
Narrated by Robert Glenister (£24.99, or free with 30-day trial, audible.co.uk).
The best book yet in Rowling’s crime series about Private Investigator Cormoran Strike, and even more addictive on audio thanks to actor Robert Glenister’s knack for distinctive dialogue.
This is an unpredictable, perfectly plotted, deeply satisfying mystery that takes in the 2012 London Olympics and the Houses of Parliament, as Strike and his assistant Robyn try to find the truth about a strangling witnessed decades earlier.
Glenister is an audiobook listeners’ favourite with his lovely tone, spot-on speed and wonderful characterisation.
Also, the paperback is 776 pages long and weighs half a kilo. Nobody wants that in their bag.
If you want… a non‑fiction hit
The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read, by Philippa Perry. Narrated by Philippa Perry (14-day free trial, storytel.com).
The book everyone is talking about has spent more than 16 weeks in the hardback bestseller lists, and is an interesting read whether or not you have children.
Narrated by the author, a renowned psychotherapist, her advice on navigating parenthood and reflecting on your own upbringing is given extra emphasis and authority by her narration.
In audio form, it feels like having your own private therapy session. The content combines case studies and Perry’s own experiences, both as a parent and drawing on her 20-year psychotherapy career.