Some listens we love so much, we always have them downloaded, ready to be queued up at a moment's notice. Our repeat listens are what we turn to when we crave comfort, need a reliable escape, or find ourselves in between worlds.
Editor Emily, The Handmaid's Tale: I find an opportunity to promote this book at least once a year, which is more or less the frequency with which I relisten to it. While it is set in a dystopian world built around the systematic subjugation of women, the central experience and internal musings of the protagonist feel very relevant today. The incongruous experience of being a feminist who doesn't want to forfeit one's femininity is amplified by the complex and richly imagined world that Margaret Atwood creates. It's an illuminating experience each time, and I discover a new way of understanding the world I live in.
Editor Katie, The Selection: I love relistening to The Selection as it combines so many of my favorite things—young adult literature, a dystopian America, and The Bachelor. The world Kiera Cass has created is unique and her protagonist—America Singer—utterly relatable.
Editor Sam, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Sci-fi is my preferred genre, precisely because I love getting swept away by an author’s unique world-building. But sometimes when I’m in between listens, the thought of immediately leaving one universe and adjusting to a whole new one makes my head spin. I need something a bit lighter to ease the intergalactic jet lag. Queue The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. I’ve read and listened to this classic too many times to count, and each time the symptoms are the same—uncontrollable fits of laughter, an unintentional mimicry of Douglas Adams’ style in everything I write, and a renewed love for my favorite genre. Onto the next epic space opera!
Editor Nicole, Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea: I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve listened to these essays. Sometimes I will listen to the entire thing from end to end and sometimes I happily settle for a chapter or two, doesn’t matter which one. Listening to Chelsea is like when you have that hilarious friend and you make them tell that one funny joke or story over and over, every chance you get. It doesn’t matter if you’ve heard it before, every time is the first time. When I just need a good laugh, I turn to this listen every time
Editor Melissa, The Scorpio Races: I never remove The Scorpio Races from my device because I just love Puck Connolly, Sean Kendrick, and the island of Thisby too much. I named my Animal Crossing island after Thisby, hoping to recapture the feeling of being on a mythical, wistful Irish island. At this point it's my safe space, listening to Steve West and Fiona Hardingham before I go to sleep or in the background when I want to invoke a sense of home. Every time I listen to it, the nostalgia is powerful; I'm reminded of who I was and who I am.
Editor Tricia, Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim: Have you ever just finished a really long book and weren't sure what to start next? You may ask yourself, "Am I ready to dive into another 20+ hour listen?" This is the perfect time for David Sedaris! Well, any time is the perfect time for David Sedaris, but Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim requires little commitment. You can listen to one story or all of them—you can even skip through and sample. It's a comfort just knowing that it's in my library and that I will never be left with nothing good to listen to.