Today, it’s officially summer!
And I’m celebrating summer solstice with a summer reading list for you and your likeminded friends.
I can’t tell you how many times over the years I’ve asked for book recommendations from my friends, colleagues, and clients. Not just any book. They kind of book you know you want to finish. The kind of book you know will impact you.
And when it comes to fiction specifically, the kind that has such strong character and plot development, you are truly wondering what they are up to when you aren’t in between those pages. We all know the kind.
“Never stop reading,” were the parting words of an executive for whom I worked before he moved on to another business opportunity. Talk about impactful! When I think of all the career advice he could have given as someone who had made it to the top in the business world, I know that those three words were truly the most valuable he could have passed on to me.
We love to buy books because we believe we’re buying the time to read them. – Warren Zevon
Summer reading lists are everywhere. Recommendations are plentiful. There’s no lack of lists when it comes to reading a book, hard copy or electronically, or listening to an audio book.
This list comes from all of you! Through social media posts, texts, comments, and direct messages. Thank you to all who contributed!
And a quick shout out to public libraries. They are amazing! If they don’t have what you are looking for, they can usually help you get it. And I’ve learned how to use the Libby and Hoopla apps on my phone because my local library card gains me access.
The list below has both fiction and non-fiction titles. I purposely intertwined them. They came from close friends, current clients, former colleagues, and several social media posts as I blogged about reading the last few weeks.
Listed alphabetical by title, not by author.
There are approximately 13 weeks in summer. This list incudes 23 choices. Plenty of options!
Let’s Get Reading!
- Ape House by Sara Gruen
- Atomic Habits by James Clear
- Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah
- Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman
- Giftology: The Art and Science of Using Gifts to Cut Through the Noise, Increase Referrals, and Strengthen Retention by John Ruhlin
- Grit by Angela Duckworth
- I Take My Coffee Black: Reflections on Tupac, Musical Theater, Faith, and Being Black in America by Tyler Merritt
- Know My Name: A Memoir by Chanel Miller
- Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
- Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
- Never Split the Difference: Negotiate Like Your Life Depends On It by Christopher Voss
- Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain
- Stories I Only Tell My Friends: An Autobiography by Rob Lowe
- Surrounded by Idiots: The Four Types of Human Behavior and How to Effectively Communicate with Each in Business (and in Life) by Thomas Erickson
- The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Daniel James Brown
- The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
- The Help by Kathryn Stockett
- The Nightingale: A Novel by Kristin Hannah
- The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
- The Wright Brothers by David McCullogh
- Train Your Brain for Success: Read Smarter, Remember More, and Break Your Own Records by Roger Seip
- Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
- Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
Whether you pick one or two for a trip. One or two a week. One or two a month. Or plow through all you haven’t read yet…enjoy!
(Photo credit Kimberly Farmer)
