Nothing’s better than settling into a sunny spot with an iced coffee and a good book in the summertime, am I right? The sheer act of making a summer reading list of all the books I want to read over the next 3 months feels like a physical reminder to make time to slow down and savor the good and simple things in life. And, during these social media and schedule-packed times, it feels downright luxurious.
From an addictive new novel written in letters between a husband and wife, to a celebration of easygoing summer parties, to a tome on freeing ourselves from bad food habits, this list is everything I’m reading this summer. Leave a comment and let us know what’s on your list.
featured image by free people
An American Marriage, by Tayari Jones
Newlyweds, Celestial and Roy, are the embodiment of both the American Dream and the New South. While settling into the routine of their married life, they are suddenly ripped apart by circumstances neither could have imagined. This love story is an insightful look into the hearts and minds of three people who are at once bound and separated by forces beyond their control. An American Marriage is an intimate look into the souls of people who must reckon with the past while moving forward- with hope and pain- into the future.
I Am, I Am, I Am: Seventeen Brushes with Death, by Maggie O’Farrell
In this memoir, Maggie O’Farrell reveals the secrets she’s spent her life hiding, including the multiple near-death experiences that make her a living miracle in every sense. The childhood illness she was not expected to survive; a cliff-jumping disaster as a teenager; and an ongoing struggle to protect her daughter from a condition that leaves her extremely vulnerable to life’s everyday dangers, are just a few of the instances where she defied all odds, yet lived to tell the tale. Her stories of survival are an inspiring reminder to hold our loved ones close, and that with a strong will (and a little bit of luck), we can handle anything that comes our way.
How to Break Up With Your iPhone, by Catherine Price
Award-winning journalist Catherine Price presents a practical, hands-on plan to break up—and then make up—with your phone. The goal? A long-term relationship that actually feels good. You’ll discover how phones and apps are designed to be addictive, and learn that the time we spend on them damages our abilities to focus, think deeply, and form new memories. You’ll then make customized changes to your settings, apps, environment, and mindset that enable you to take back control of your life. This is an essential guide for everyone who owns a smartphone.
I’ve Been Thinking, by Maria Shriver
In this moving and powerful book, Maria Shriver shares inspiring quotes, prayers, and reflections designed to get her readers thinking, feeling, laughing, and help them in their journey to what she calls ‘The Open Field’ –a place of acceptance, purpose, joy, and passion. This book is ideal for anyone, at any point in their life. Whether you feel like you’ve got it all together or like it’s all falling apart–whether you’re taking control of your life or simply looking to recharge, this is the book you will turn to again and again.
The Food Therapist: Break Bad Habits, Eat With Intention, and Indulge Without Worry, by Shira Lenchewski
In The Food Therapist, Shira Lenchewski offers readers an ongoing one-on-one food therapy session, revealing the root causes of our emotional hang-ups around food, and providing the necessary tools to overcome them. This practical and judgement-free guide helps readers hone the skills needed to put their get-healthy intentions into daily action, such as planning ahead wisely, tuning into their fullness cues, and harnessing willpower (even when life gets messy). Shira also offers easy-to-follow, tasty recipes aimed at rebalancing our hormones and conquering our cravings without deprivation.
Educated: A Memoir, by Tara Westover
Tara Westover was seventeen the first time she set foot in a classroom. Born to survivalists in the mountains of Idaho, she prepared for the end of the world by stockpiling home-canned peaches and sleeping with her “head-for-the-hills” bag. When another brother got himself into college and came back with news of the world beyond the mountain, Tara decided to try a new kind of life. Her quest for knowledge and self re-invention transformed her, taking her over oceans and across continents, to Harvard and to Cambridge University. Only then would she wonder if she’d traveled too far, and if there was still a way home.
The Awakened Family: How to Raise Empowered, Resilient, and Conscious Children, by Shefali Tsabary
This book will take you on a journey to transcending your fears and illusions around parenting and help you become the parent you always wanted to be: fully present and conscious. It will arm you with practical, hands-on strategies and real-life examples from Tsabary’s experiences as a parent and clinical psychologist that show the extraordinary power of being a conscious parent.
I Love California: Live, Eat, and Entertain the West Coast Way, by Nathan Turner
In his first book, Nathan Turner introduces readers to his casual American style, chic design sense, and easy California way of living. This book is a journey up and down Highway 1 that takes readers from the redwoods of northern San Francisco, to the mountains of the Sierra Nevada, to the beaches of Southern California. Simple recipes and tips for entertaining are featured alongside never-before-seen interiors. Lavish photographs capture the homes, people, and food of each unique location in glorious, sun-drenched detail. It even includes his signature recipes for California comfort food, like his family’s Cioppino, Marinated Tri-tip Steak, Mexican Chocolate Cake, and more.
