We all know the book is better than the movie in MOST cases. So if you are excited to see some upcoming adaptations, but know you can’t go back and read it when the credits roll, make sure you plug in and hit 1.7x speed so you can get in the read before it’s on screen.

The Odyssey by Homer (7/17)

There’s no purer way to absorb the works of Homer than through hearing his poetry performed, to hear the words twist and turn together until they’ve braided an epic that has entranced and enticed crowds through millenia. Besides, you can’t go wrong when Audible has a dramatized production of it including the voice talents of Benedict Cumberbatch, Tim McInerney, and a fully star-studded cast to bring you every tantalizing, poetic detail of Odysseus and his doomed crew. Before you watch The Odyssey on the big screen this summer, make sure you listen to it first, as the first Homeric poetry lovers have done.

Listen to the audiobook now: Amazon

Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins (11/20)

A few years ago we were entranced by one songbird, and now another Covey girl is making her way onto our screens and into our hearts as Hunger Games fans finally get what we’ve been clamoring for: to see Haymitch’s games for ourselves. Before we see how the second District 12 victor fought for his life, we should hear it from the tribute himself. Jefferson White captures the youthful spite of Haymitch in his narration of this second prequel novel, and we think it’s definitely worth the heartache to hear his story told in the first person before you see it play out in the theater.

Listen to the audiobook now: Amazon

When He Was Wicked by Julia Quinn (TBD 2027)

You knew Bridgerton was going to be on here, we knew Bridgerton was going to be on here, so let’s all kick our feet and clap our hands together while we wait for Francesca to get her second great love (and all the messy, messy drama of the Ton) delivered directly to our home screens. Rosalyn Landor brings all of the tantalizing energy to her narration as Julie Andrews does to Lady Whistledown. While we’ve already seen some major changes to Michaela’s character as she is adapted from the book’s original Michael, we’ve also seen the subtle sparks for Francesca’s passion for her next love begin to burn just beneath the surface. Her longing both on-screen and on-page unrealized to her, but we readers know where her heart is treading. In order to prepare for season five of Bridgerton, this author suggests absorbing Julia Quinn’s first iteration of the sixth book in the series in the same way the Queen has her issues of Whistledown read aloud to her in her throne room.

Listen to the audiobook now: Amazon

The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune (Release Details TBD)

How many of us have longed for our favorite found families in literature to be adapted into an animated show? If your hand isn’t up, go read The House in the Cerulean Sea and jump back onto this hype train with me. There is something so enchanting about the magic of animation, the way that artists can take the rules of this world and bend them into such creative beauty, that makes an animated series the perfect adaptation for Klune’s novel. As you listen to the audiobook and allow yourself to be transported to a world on the verge of ruin from the danger posed by six magical children, also be sure to allow yourself to fall in love with them and their family. Daniel Henning’s narration of this audiobook will take you through all the dark secrets held by the orphanage, and the harsh decisions Linus Baker must make as he holds the children’s fate in his hands.

Listen to the audiobook now: Amazon

Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler (Release Details TBD)

Parable of the Sower is a modern classic for innumerable reasons, and we could not be more ready for the Earthseed movement to enrapture the screens of the cinema. Lynne Thigpen narrates this audiobook with the sort of gravitas and sincerity that only she can provide to the work as we follow the diary entries that take us through a not-so-fantastical vision of what horrors may come, and what we must do to endure. This is sure to be a movie we come back to time and again once it premiers, but hesitating to listen to such a pivotal piece of modern literature would deprive readers of Butler’s own vision of the work before we see it adapted for our current times.

Listen to the audiobook now: Amazon

Fake Dates and Mooncakes by Sher Lee (Release Details TBD)

When it comes to fake-dating, it’s a shorter list to come up with “what can go right” than “what can go wrong?” That being said, readers had better be ready to see this rom-com get adapted into the sweetest dramedy to fill the void in our hearts after Heartstopper. Dylan Tang is the type of protagonist you really need to hear before you see: ambitious and a romantic. While he struggles between saving his family business and his heart naggingly following Theo Somers, narrator Joshua Chang captures the sincerity of this feel-good romance. Readers ought to give this one a listen so we can show up to the release with our shipper guns a-blazing.

Listen to the audiobook now: Amazon

The God of the Woods by Liz Moore (Release Details TBD)

There’s nothing better than getting cozy and curling up with some good, old-fashioned, teeth-gritting suspense and that’s exactly what The God of the Woods provides. When Barbara Van Laar goes missing from her summer camp, her vanishing bears a striking resemblance to the disappearance of her brother fourteen years ago. As the search goes on, we get to dig deeper into the twisted roots of the community within which the summer camp resides. Narrated by Saskia Maarleveld, the audiobook takes Liz Moore’s expertly-timed prose that pulls the reader through in such a way that we were not able to gasp for air while listening. Before seeing The God of the Woods visually adapted, readers should experience the addictive tension the audiobook provides.

Listen to the audiobook now: Amazon

Beach Read by Emily Henry (Release Details TBD)

After the hit success of People We Meet on Vacation, is it any wonder that we’re hyped for the romantic chemistry of Emily Henry’s opposites-attract perfection? Well, that, and the fact that we readers love books about books, especially if those books are about people who fall in love while writing more books. Speaking of books, the audiobook! A pretty sure-fire way to not get your latest library loan bogged down in sand and salt water is to avoid bringing it to the beach altogether and letting your next beach read be listening to Julia Whelan narrate the audiobook to you while we all prepare for Phoebe Dynevor make her big return to swoon-worthy romantic lead alongside Patrick Schwarzenegger. As these two trade literary blows in a desperate attempt to save their careers, writer’s block could prove just as deadly as meeting with the surviving members of a cult. Maybe. Truly, who’s to say? Give it a listen!

Listen to the audiobook now: Amazon

The Mist by Stephen King (Release Details TBD)

Mike Flanagan is taking another spin at adapting Stephen King’s novella The Mist for cinema. The power of King’s work to draw you into the depths of fear and refuse to release you until you’re on the verge of madness yourself is amplified as the iconic Will Patton narrates every inch of the encroaching mist. The way it twists the minds of the survivors all trapped together and allows terror of the imminent to overcome basic reason until their little civilization crumbles… Are you getting excited to pop in your headphones and turn the lights out? I’d close my curtains if I were you. The last thing I’d want is to see what’s lurking outside my own window while David Drayton and his fellow survivors are attempting to outlast the creatures lurking in The Mist. Plus, don’t know if you caught it or not, but I mentioned this is a novella, so the commitment of your audiobook library is far less than some of King’s more lengthy works. Pinkie-Promise.

Listen to the audiobook now: Amazon

Lights Out by Navessa Allen (Release Details TBD)

Okay, it’s not a proper list without a little spice, and those of you looking to include all the senses with your literary indulgences will be left delighted (and possibly winded) by the audiobook narration of Lights Out before the novel gets adapted for television. Jacob Morgan captures the twistedly sexy voice of Josh Hammond perfectly as he and Aly explore the depths of their depravity together. With this audiobook, the chills sent down your spine come both from pleasure and terror; the two often act in tandem to push the stakes of their affair to the brink of life and death. In the same way that the phone eats before you can enjoy your deliciously decadent dinner, you simply must intake Lights Out as the thrilling audiobook before seeing it unfold before your eyes.

Listen to the audiobook now: Amazon