Tackle Your Summer Reading List, Hands-Free

Whether you are on the beach, roadtripping for a long weekend or just sipping margaritas on the patio, the next hundred days are a perfect time to catch up on your reading. New devices like the iPad and Kindle expect to make on-the-go reading a lot more user friendly this season but, as we all know, the sun and (LCD) screens do not always go well together.

That’s when audio books, downloaded to your iPod, come in handy! Hands-free reading can make everything from outdoor workouts to grid-lock beach traffic more inspiring and all the more manageable when there are no books to lug around. Don’t believe us? We searched through Audible.com to give you some terrific books, guides and tutorials to listen to this summer.  Have a laugh, have a cry, get lost in a great story or even learn something new...all hands free!

Up in the Air: When traveling for work or play those long hours en route don’t have to be so mind-numbing. Overseas flights are a perfect time to pick up new language skills like French, German or Italian that will help you navigate through foreign countries upon arrival. For easy language learning courses check out the eTicket audio books collection by Living Language – each one is available on Audible.com for only $10.39 or less if you sign up for a 3 month subscribption to the service.

The Long and Winding Road Trip: Yes, you can make it a car ride to remember, you just have to plan ahead! For girlfriends who are getting away, Lori Gotleib’s latest “Marry Him: The Case for Settling for Mr. Good Enough” is a controversial best-seller that will keep gal pals debating for nine hours of driving time. On the other hand, if you are heading out of town with a new special someone for the first time, a little humor will help break those awkward silent moments. One new release you ought to try is Sarah Silverman’s book “The Bedwetter: Stories of Courage, Redemption and Pee.”

Personal Tour Guide: If you are searching for a little adventure on a cloudy afternoon, being a tourist in your hometown or abroad is always exciting. Just pick a neighborhood you would like to explore and download your very own self-guided walking tour. There are hundreds of city guides from which to choose on Audible.com but our favorite expeditions come courtesy of CityListen, iAudioGuide, CitySurf,  Tourcaster and Tourist Tracks.

Hot and Inspiring Workouts: Need a little push to inspire you to go the extra mile? Music can be a great motivator but so too can health and wellness books, especially when you can spend time listening to advice from some of today’s top fitness and nutrition experts. How boring can a run be with a recording of Jillian Michaels’ “Master Your Metabolism”  or Bethany Frankel's Skinny Girl Rules playing in the background?

Beach, Blanket and Sizzling Best-Sellers: Your time on the beach is precious so don’t let your monkey brain run wild! To get the R&R you need, try getting lost in one of this summers’ sizzling best-sellers. Just browse through the list of new releases and best sellers on Audible.com to find a summer read that suits your needs perfectly, lay back and let yourself get lost in a story as it's brought to life.