The best beach reads for 2026

As the season changes, critics Mia Levitin, Kate Hutchinson and Francesca Gavin recommend the books to read, albums to listen to and exhibitions to visit.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A vibrant community is one that is engaged, connected and in conversation, and providing places for that to happen is essential. So we head to Chapters, a Berlin bookshop with a mission; Bold Tendencies, a South London arts organisation breaking down the barriers between artist and audience; and Cinema Akil in Dubai, which has become a place of refuge during a turbulent year.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Robert Bound is joined by Clarisse Loughrey, chief film critic at The Independent, and Tim Robey, film critic for The Telegraph, to discuss what’s on the big screen this August – from blockbusters to documentaries and the local film festivals worth checking out.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From Colombian pop to classic rock via indie, electronica, jungle and soul, we take a spin through the best albums of the summer. Robert Bound is joined by rock and pop critic for The Times, Will Hodgkinson, and journalist, DJ and broadcaster Kate Hutchinson.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Whether you’re after a laugh, romance or an alternate world, our literary experts round up the summer’s best reads. Robert Bound chats with author Chris Power and ‘The Sunday Times’ deputy editor of culture, Susannah Butter.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We visit London’s Hayward Gallery to meet the artist Anish Kapoor at his new wall-expanding, sense-bending, visually enticing exhibition. Plus: Hayward’s director, Ralph Rugoff, discusses Kapoor’s longstanding history with the gallery. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Film critics Tim Robey and Leila Latif join Robert Bound to review the hits and misses of this year’s Cannes Film Festival, including Cristian Mungiu’s Palme d’Or winning drama, ‘Fjord’.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Monocle on Culture returns. Robert Bound is joined by culture editor Sophie Monaghan-Coombs, fresh from the Venice Biennale, to discuss everything from the pavilions to the protests. Plus: we hear from artists Michael Armitage and Lorna Simpson.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the eve of the opening of a landmark show across two locations in two countries, artist Wallace Chan discusses his life and practice with Robert Bound. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Robert Bound is joined in the studio by Sarah Cracknell and Pete Wiggs from beloved British pop band Saint Etienne. They discuss their upcoming album, ‘International’, which will be their last. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.