Spotify has decided to enter the world of audiobooks and is starting out with nine books that you may have heard of, told by names you might recognize. If you’re strapped for music and podcasts to listen to, it might not be a bad idea to get a better understanding of some classics in the literature.

These nine audiobooks are in the public domain, but these original recordings are exclusive to Spotify. The company uses these nine to assess whether it would be a plausible addition to the service. Each audiobook comes with a 10 to 15 minute chapter “Sitting with the Classics on Spotify” with Harvard professor Glenda Carpio reviewing the story, stories, and themes. Here are the titles offered:

  • Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, narrated by David Dobrik
  • An Account of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass, narrated by Forest Whitaker
  • Awakening by Kate Chopin, narrated by Hilary Swank
  • Persuasion by Jane Austen, narrated by Cynthia Erivo
  • Cane by Jean Toomer, narrated by Audra McDonald
  • Great expectations by Charles Dickens, narrated by James Langton
  • Jane eyre by Charlotte Bronte, narrated by Sarah Coombs
  • Who passed by Nella Larsen, narrated by Bahni Turpin
  • Red badge of courage by Stephen Crane, narrated by Santino Fontana

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Spotify CEO Daniel Ek first thought about adding audiobooks to the portfolio when he saw their popularity with German users. A few months ago, Spotify posted a job posting for an audiobook manager, again signaling interest in the market. The company has experimented with audiobooks before, bringing the first book in the Harry Potter series to the platform last year with narration by celebrities like Daniel Radcliffe, David Beckham and Dakota Fanning, but we hadn’t heard a thing. since.

You can now listen to these audiobooks for free on Spotify worldwide. They should appear quite close to the top of your Home tab, so they should be easy to find.