by Kelsey Smythe | Mar 6, 2020 | Books
My virtual TBR list is endless and all over the place. I have books I want to read saved on Goodreads, in a notes app on my phone, in my bullet journal, and in an Amazon list or two. Pretty much any book lover out there can tell you that their TBR list is out of control (though most are probably better organized than mine!). But here are the books I literally have in a TBR pile in our apartment.
10 Books on My Actual TBR Pile
How to Read a Book by Mortimer Adler and Charles Van Doren
This has been in my TBR pile for years. I’ve started it and stopped it multiple times. It’s such a great book on being an active reader and getting the most out of books. I can’t wait to dive into this soon.
Boundaries by Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend
Any time I hear a discussion on having good boundaries, this book is suggested shortly after. This is THE manual on having healthy boundaries in your life.
The illustrations in this book are to die for. I’ve read a good chunk of the Sherlock Holmes stories but am looking forward to finishing all of them while looking at the original illustrations.
I’m currently about halfway through this book. I’ll be honest, this book is a hard read. I don’t love reading the stories of hardship and injustice. But I believe it’s important to be informed and that being informed helps you become a more empathetic person, so I’m going to push through those feelings of discomfort and finish this book soon. It doesn’t hurt that it’s really beautifully written.
This is a recent addition to my TBR pile as I just picked it up from the library a few weeks ago. I want to read it to motivate myself to eat less sugar, but I also don’t want to read it because I like sugar. It’s a tough world we live in.
Prayer by Tim Keller
This is also a recent addition to my TBR pile. There was one period of a couple months when I heard suggestions for this book several times. I took it as a sign and checked it out from the library.
Educated by Tara Westover
I’m usually a couple years behind when it comes to reading trendy books. People have raved about this one and I’m looking forward to diving in! It recently came into my hands at a book exchange I attended. I have a month before I need to return it!
If memory serves me correctly, this book was suggested by the lovely Lisa Hensley. I first started listening to it on audiobook but there were so many things I wanted to underline and remember that I decided to buy a copy to keep.
Landline by Rainbow Rowell
I stumbled onto this book in a little free library while on a run. I know! What are the chances? I had to finish the rest of my run with a book in hand, but it was totally worth it. and we’ll just skip over the fact that I stopped running to take a peek into the Little Free Library ;). The first Rainbow Rowell book I read gave me mixed feelings, but she’s such a beloved author and I hope I’ll enjoy this one more.
Mindset by Carol Dweck
I first heard about this book a couple of years ago when I heard the author talk on a podcast. She talks a lot about having a growth mindset, and I realized immediately that I do not have a growth mindset and it really holds me back. I’ve thought a lot about the concept since then and I’m looking forward to diving into the subject even more.
What’s on your TBR pile?
So there we have it, 10 physical books I actually have stacked into a TBR pile. I’d love to hear about yours! What’s on your TBR list?
Looking for book recommendations? Here are:
by Kelsey Smythe | Jan 28, 2020 | Books
One thing I’ve never done before is pick my favorite books from a given year. I saw Janssen do this over at Everyday Reading and loved seeing what stood out to her most. I finished 52 books last year and, when looking back, I was surprised how difficult it was to come up with my favorite 10. Not because I loved all of them, but because many of them just didn’t stick with me or stand out in my mind. I considered two things when deciding my top 10 – enjoyment-factor and tangible takeaways. If a book was either really enjoyable or I had a tangible takeaway, I included it on my list. Here are my top 10 favorite books from 2019.
My Top 10 Favorite Books from 2019
Simple Path to Wealth by JL Collins
This book helped me understand investing sooo much better. I’m by no means an expert, but I now know what to look for in analyzing stocks. I also came away from reading the book with tangible action steps that felt pretty easy to complete. That happens so rarely!
Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb
I enjoyed this book so much more than I expected! It was funny and insightful and sad and thought-provoking. I would definitely recommend it!
Small Space Style by Whitney Leigh Morris
This book was full of both inspiration and practical advice on how to live in a small space. For just the two of us, our 600 square foot apartment is plenty big. But i definitely can’t store as much or spread out in the kitchen like I’m used to. I’ll take all the small space help I can get.
The Next Right Thing by Emily P. Freeman
I’ve been following Emily Freeman online for years and she never disappoints. She has a podcast by the same name which is amazing. I chose this book for the tangible takeaways I came away with for decision making. “What’s the next right thing?” became my mantra when deciding on my 2020 goals.
One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp
This book changed the word gratitude from a children’s church platitude to a powerful and life-changing concept for me. Last year I made my own list of one thousand gifts and it was well worth the time and effort. You can read more about that here.
Atomic Habits by James Clear
As a person who has read a lot of habit and productivity books, this one didn’t have that much novel information for me. But what was new for me was SO helpful. I love the idea of changing our self-identity with every single action we take. For example, this year I’m becoming a runner. Definitely worth a read, even if you’ve read a lot on the subject. FOR SURE worth a read if you haven’t read up on habits much at all.
This is Where You Belong by Melody Warnick
I read this book shortly after we moved here and it was such a fascinating book about place-making. I definitely intend to reread it sometime this year. It gave me a lot of ideas about how to get more settled in our new city… most of which I took no action on, but you know, I’ll get there. Even if you haven’t moved recently or have lived somewhere all your life, I think this book has many valuable insights about finding + making community.
The Magnolia Story by Chip and Joanna Gaines
Besides just being sweet, I was so impressed with how Chip and Joanna were willing to just try things. Joanna in particular, as she seems to have a personality more similar to my own. I have a lot of big ideas but always talk myself out of things. Reading this book inspired me to think less and do more.
The River by Peter Heller
This is a book that I had no desire whatsoever to read. But I trust Anne Bogel and her recommendations enough that when she raved about it for her summer reading list, I decided to give it a shot. The story sucked me in immediately and made me want to stay up all night to find out what happened. The prose is beautiful. It makes for a great summer read.
Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare
This is another book that kept popping up in recommendations (though now I can’t for the life of me remember where), and I decided to give it a shot even though I really didn’t think I would enjoy it. It just didn’t seem like my type of novel? Steampunk? Pass. But it actually sucked me right in and I really enjoyed it. I listened to the audiobook and then quickly blew through the 2nd and 3rd book in the series as well. In hindsight, I wish I had started with the original series and then moved on to this one, which is actually a prequel.
What are your favorite 2019 reads?
Leave a comment and let me know. I’m ALWAYS looking for more recommendations!
by Kelsey Smythe | Oct 11, 2019 | Books
Happy fall, friends! I’ve had the hardest time narrowing down the books I want to focus on this Fall. There are so many amazing ones that I would like to read. This time instead of breaking the list into sub-categories like I did this summer, I’m using three broad categories: fiction, non-fiction, and Christian non-fiction. As for the fiction titles, several of them you might recognize from my 17 Books to Read for a Cozy Fall post. Here’s my personal 2019 fall reading list.
*All links are Amazon affiliate links, which means I may get a small percentage of the total price at no extra cost to you if you purchase your book through my link.
Fiction Fall Reading List
I just started this one and I’m enjoying it so far. I’m a sucker for a great fantasy novel, and all the moody, fall vibes thrown in are a bonus.
I picked up an old copy from Halfprice Books years ago that has lots of the original illustrations. I think it’s finally time I crack it open.
This is a classic that I keep hearing about lately so I decided to give it a try myself.
This sounds like the perfect spooky, fall read.
This book is a twelfth-century tale of the building of a gothic cathedral. It has been on my radar for a while now but after the fire at Notre Dame, I promised myself that this would be the year I read it. Some of Follett’s later novels are popular, such as his most recent — A Column of Fire.
Charles and I recently watched the 2017 movie adaptation and I enjoyed it. I typically will only watch adaptations after I’ve read the book, but I’m discovering that this particular method always results in me being disappointed because they took out some of my favorite scenes or even characters or whatever it is. It will be fun to try this the other way around.
It’s been many years since I’ve read this classic but I think a re-read is finally in order.
I read this book the first time a little over a year ago, and the second time about six months ago. It’s unusual for me to re-read a book so quickly (and so frequently), but I enjoy the series, the cozy Three Pines atmosphere, and am thinking I might just read my way through the whole series again so I’m fully immersed in the world before I read her latest book. Also, last time I mostly listened to the audiobooks (which are phenomenal, by the way), but I take in much more when I read read
, so I think I’m going to give that a go this time around.
Nonfiction Fall Reading List
I’ve already started reading this and am incredibly impressed. I haven’t enjoyed a book on productivity this much since I read Better Than Before.
I discovered Elise on Instagram about a year ago and find her so inspiring. I love seeing the things that she makes with her actual hands. It’s all so lovely, and she produces so much. If I can pick up even a portion of that from her book, I’m in. I already have this book on hold at the library, but it might just have to be one I purchase myself.
This book is a marriage of two beautiful concepts (I love cozy, I love minimalism!) with lots of pretty pictures. I’m picking this beauty up from the library today and can’t wait to dive in!
This is a classic book about writing that I’ve been meaning to read for about a decade. I figured I should probably get to it before this decade is up 😉
You might recognize this title from my summer reading list. I got about 100 pages in and have been learning a lot about the great migration so far. I definitely want to finish this before the year is up. Since I own it and don’t have to return it to the library, there aren’t any external deadlines pushing me to hurry.
Here’s another book off my summer reading list that I’d like to finish. This book is looooonnnng. But I’ve been learning so much and I think it’s fascinating to get a peek into the beginning of our nation and the personality of such a celebrated person in our history.
Christian Nonfiction Fall Reading List
The ‘gram has been singing high praises for this book since it came out. And since I’m a big fan of Jess Connolly myself anyways, I actually bought myself a copy. I’m expecting good things!
I just started following Phylicia on Instagram a few months ago and have been loving the content she puts out. So thoughtful, so well-researched, so helpful. When she just released a book I knew right away that it was worth throwing my $10 at, if not for anything else except to support the woman whose content I’ve learned so much from.
I started listening to the audiobook of this first because my library had it on Overdrive (but weirdly they did not have the ebook or book book). After one chapter I stopped listening because I could tell that it was going to be of huge value and something I wanted to dig into. Sooo I bought a physical copy. There aren’t a lot of great faith-based productivity books out there, so I’m really looking forward to this one. A huge thanks to Lisa Hensley for the recommendation.
This is an actual, physical book I own that’s been sitting on my literal TBR shelf for way too many years. I typically read Christian non-fiction books first thing in the morning but this is a little bit heavy morning reading. I definitely want to finish it so I might just need to crack it open on weekends instead.
I’m actually about halfway through this book and have really enjoyed Tish’s perspective. She comes from a much different denomination than I’ve ever been a part of, so I really enjoy reading about that difference in perspective too. So much great insight and such a practical little theological book.
What’s on your fall reading list?
In total, I have 19 books on my fall reading list. That’s a lot! I don’t know if I’ll get to them all, but I’ll sure have fun trying. It’ll also help keep my reading life fresh and focused. Happy reading, friends!
by Kelsey Smythe | Oct 6, 2019 | Books
After a couple of months of not reading any books at all in the spring, summer was a very fertile reading time for me. I think that planning out what I’m going to read each season gives me a direction and a goal, which helps get me started with reading. But I also read quite a few books that weren’t even on my list but were well worth the detour. Somehow, magically, reading always leads to more and better reading. The hard part is sometimes just getting started. Following in the footsteps of Anne Bogel’s Quick Lit posts, here’s a recap of what I’ve been reading lately, with quick reviews and general thoughts.
*All links are Amazon affiliate links, which means I may get a small percentage of the total price at no extra cost to you if you purchase your book through my link.
What I’ve been reading lately
This was an introduction to what I think is quickly becoming one of my favorite new genres, interior design books. This one in particular was incredibly inspiring to me since our space is going to be limited for the foreseeable future. One of the things about living in a big city is that there’s not a ton of room and you have to get a bit more creative in your storage solutions. I love how Whitney does it so beautifully and naturally.
I’ve been following Jon Acuff on Instagram for a while now and his posts always either make me laugh out loud or inspire me to take action on something. This is the first book of his that I’ve read and I loved it. I’m not very good at finishing the things that I start. This book had so many helpful and practical tips. One that stands out to me is to keep a list of projects you want to do after you finish your current one. The anticipation of the next project will help you stay motivated with the current one.
Even though this was a beautiful book, I thought about abandoning it several times throughout. It’s heartbreaking and hard to read at times, but I’m so glad I finished it. I think it’s important to try to better understand other cultures and the stories they’ve experienced. This book gave me greater understanding and empathy for those living in the Korean peninsula during the 20th century.
Parts of this book were really interesting and parts of this book were dry. I have never read the original so I’m not sure how it compares. One thing I found interesting was the fact that your income level has little to do with whether you will be wealthy in the long term. Even people who make hundreds of thousands of dollars every year can still live paycheck-to-paycheck, and those who live off of teacher’s salaries can eventually become millionaires if they’re wise with their savings.
When this first came out, I wanted to roll my eyes every time someone raved about it. When everyone likes something, it’s hard for me to jump on board (maybe because I think I’m too cool? I don’t know, we can dissect that another day). But Chip and Jo’s story is truly delightful and well worth the read. I can see why so many people are part of their fan club. It was also inspiring and made me want to get out there and just try stuff like they’re so good at doing even if it seems risky or scary.
In this book, Hayley addresses the gap between what you believe and what you do. She asks the question, “Why can’t our brains take something we intellectually know, something that seems easy, and process it into something we just get with our whole selves.” I have about a million highlights from this book and think it’s definitely worth the read.
Since I liked that first interior design book so much, I checked this one out from the library too. There’s a fair amount of advice and how-to, but for the most part it’s just really pretty pictures, which was just fine by me. I love Joanna’s philosophy of embracing the space you have and making it work for the family that you have.
This series was a delightful surprise for me. Not only did I enjoy the fantasy world that Clare created, but I fell in love with the characters too. I for sure wasn’t happy with all the plot points, but you know it’s a good book when you have strong opinions on what happens to the characters.
This book was heavily talked about when it first came out earlier this summer and I can see why. I had zero interest in reading about canoeing down a river and wildfires and the like, but Peter Heller’s writing is so good that it grabbed me in the first chapter and I couldn’t stop reading. It was such a moving, beautiful story all the way through.
City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
I didn’t realize when I started the Infernal Devices series that it was a prequel to this series which came out first. It was a bit challenging for me to love this book as much as the others. I could see how the author grew before starting the second series, so as a result, this one felt a little flat to me. However, there are millions of people who love this series, so if you’re thinking about reading them start with this one and know that it only gets better from here.
This was another one I decided to read purely because so many people were raving about it this summer. And I too was delighted. It’s written from the perspective of a therapist who is also in therapy. I laughed, I cried, I smiled wistfully. And as a non-emotional person, that’s saying quite a lot.
This is a classic in the personal finance world so I’m glad to have finally checked it off my list. To be honest, I wouldn’t recommend it to friends. I think that when it first came out it was probably full of some novel concepts. There are also quite a few useful tips peppered throughout. But all in all, it wasn’t worth wading through all of the ramblings for the occasional actionable advice when you can get that information much more readily available in other books. Also, I might just be bitter because I didn’t feel like he had a lot of respect for his dad.
This is a personal finance book that I really enjoyed. He speaks this questioner’s language by telling you all the why’s when telling you what to do with your money. Per his advice, I’ve already made some big changes with our finances. I love that I feel confident in those decisions and know why they’re the right move. This is the single-best resource I’ve found about investing. If that’s something you’re ready to start doing, definitely read this book.
I would love to hear, what have you been reading lately? Anything you’d highly recommend? Anything you’d recommend not reading?
by Kelsey Smythe | Oct 2, 2019 | Books
Fall is basically the perfect time to really dig into your reading life. The days are getting shorter, the cooler weather begs you to curl up under a cozy blanket, and that back-to-school feeling basically never leaves you even when you’re an adult. So even though it’s still currently 90* outside, I’m sharing 17 books to read for a cozy fall… with the expectation that nature will work its miracle and it’ll (eventually) actually become fall.
Despite how difficult it is, I’m going to refrain from suggesting Harry Potter even though it feels like perfect fall series, what with the books always beginning at the start of term in September and the Halloween feasts quickly following. I’ve included books based on atmosphere, setting, genre, and of course suggestions I found on the internets. The first grouping is recommendations based on books I’ve actually read and that feel like fall to me. The second group is the recommendations that I found on the interweb. Enjoy!
*All links are Amazon affiliate links, which means I may get a small percentage of the total price at no extra cost to you if you purchase your book through my link.
Books I’ve Read
My intense dislike of spoilers means that I don’t often read much about books before I actually start reading them. This book was much darker than I anticipated, but I would have expected this had I bothered to discover that it’s a gothic novel. I loved how the classics and a love of reading are interwoven throughout the novel. As for the story in general, I thought I had figured out which direction it was going at the beginning, but I was in for lots of surprises–which I really enjoyed! The setting and eerie feel of the story make this the perfect book for fall.
This first book in the Chief Inspector Gamache Mystery novels is perfect for fall reading, but really the whole series is good. Set in a small village in Montreal, the story takes place during Canadian Thanksgiving and all sorts of Autumn vibes abound. While murder mysteries are always going to be somewhat dark, overall this book feels wholesome and would be a good way to dip your toe in the water if you’re not sure the genre is for you. I started reading this series last winter and flew through them. The first few books aren’t the most interesting, but the series definitely picks up the pace around book 3-4 and is worth slogging through the first few if you don’t find them as interesting. If you’re a fan of audiobooks, the narrator is fantastic.
The world of Sherlock Holmes always feels like it’s the epitome of fall and early winter what with the cozy mysteries and the setting of rainy London. This is a classic best read on a dark evening under a blanket and with a cup of tea if you ask me.
This fantasy novel is full of cozy taverns, misty woods, firelight, and magic. At over 600 pages, it will definitely get you through quite a few long, dark nights. This book captured my imagination right away. I almost gave up on it because I was so nervous for the protagonist and didn’t think I could handle any more tension. But after a short break, I did eventually come back to it and am so glad I did. For every down, there’s an up that eventually follows. If you like fantasy novels and coming of age stories, you would definitely love reading this for fall.
Ah, the classic Jane Eyre. If you were force-fed this or somehow made it through your school years without reading this, read it now. As a classic gothic novel, it makes for perfect fall reading.
You can’t mention one Brontë sister without mentioning the other. This is another great classic gothic novel to read during the colder months.
The first in a three-part series, this book is full of fall-feeling things. It has magic, witches, vampires, time-travel, and lots and lots of pages. Harkness has a background as a researcher and historical fiction writer, so the book certainly has a lot of interesting historical details as well. As a content warning, there are some more adult scenes you should know about. I believe that Amazon just came out with a show based on the book, but I haven’t checked that out yet.
I picked out this book last summer primarily because the cover was gorgeous. To my delight, I discovered that the story was really interesting too. I read through it really quickly and am eagerly anticipating the sequel coming out January 2020. It’s a modern gothic novel with fairy tale roots and a mystery to uncover. What feels more like fall than fairy tales?
The Internet’s Suggestion of Books to Read for a Cozy Fall
These are books that I haven’t read but the internet highly recommends as the perfect fall books. Some of them look spookier than others, so if you’re a HSP, bear that in mind.
Under the influence of their charismatic classics professor, a group of clever, eccentric misfits at an elite New England college discover a way of thinking and living that is a world away from the humdrum existence of their contemporaries. But when they go beyond the boundaries of normal morality their lives are changed profoundly and forever, and they discover how hard it can be to truly live and how easy it is to kill.
“Last night I dreamt I went to Manderly again.”
With these words, the reader is ushered into an isolated gray stone mansion on the windswept Cornish coast, as the second Mrs. Maxim de Winter recalls the chilling events that transpired as she began her new life as the young bride of a husband she barely knew. For in every corner of every room were phantoms of a time dead but not forgotten—a past devotedly preserved by the sinister housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers: a suite immaculate and untouched, clothing laid out and ready to be worn, but not by any of the great house’s current occupants. With an eerie presentiment of evil tightening her heart, the second Mrs. de Winter walked in the shadow of her mysterious predecessor, determined to uncover the darkest secrets and shattering truths about Maxim’s first wife—the late and hauntingly beautiful Rebecca.
A middle-aged man returns to his childhood home to attend a funeral. Although the house he lived in is long gone, he is drawn to the farm at the end of the road, where, when he was seven, he encountered a most remarkable girl, Lettie Hempstock, and her mother and grandmother. He hasn’t thought of Lettie in decades, and yet as he sits by the pond (a pond that she’d claimed was an ocean) behind the ramshackle old farmhouse where she once lived, the unremembered past comes flooding back. And it is a past too strange, too frightening, too dangerous to have happened to anyone, let alone a small boy.
Around the world, black hand prints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky.
In a dark and dusty shop, a devil’s supply of human teeth grows dangerously low.
And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherworldly war.
Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real, she’s prone to disappearing on mysterious “errands”, she speaks many languages – not all of them human – and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she’s about to find out.
When beautiful, haunted Akiva fixes fiery eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself?
The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night.
But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway: a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them both, this is a game in which only one can be left standing. Despite the high stakes, Celia and Marco soon tumble headfirst into love, setting off a domino effect of dangerous consequences, and leaving the lives of everyone, from the performers to the patrons, hanging in the balance.
Just after midnight, the famous Orient Express is stopped in its tracks by a snowdrift. By morning, the millionaire Samuel Edward Ratchett lies dead in his compartment, stabbed a dozen times, his door locked from the inside. Without a shred of doubt, one of his fellow passengers is the murderer.
Isolated by the storm, detective Hercule Poirot must find the killer among a dozen of the dead man’s enemies, before the murderer decides to strike again.
Possession is an exhilarating novel of wit and romance, at once an intellectual mystery and triumphant love story. It is the tale of a pair of young scholars researching the lives of two Victorian poets. As they uncover their letters, journals, and poems, and track their movements from London to Yorkshire—from spiritualist séances to the fairy-haunted far west of Brittany—what emerges is an extraordinary counterpoint of passions and ideas.
For those who still dream and remember, for those yet to experience the hypnotic power of its dark poetry, step inside. The show is about to begin. Cooger & Dark’s Pandemonium Shadow Show has come to Green Town, Illinois, to destroy every life touched by its strange and sinister mystery. The carnival rolls in sometime after midnight, ushering in Halloween a week early. A calliope’s shrill siren song beckons to all with a seductive promise of dreams and youth regained. Two boys will discover the secret of its smoke, mazes, and mirrors; two friends who will soon know all too well the heavy cost of wishes…and the stuff of nightmares.
My name is Mary Katherine Blackwood. I am eighteen years old, and I live with my sister Constance. I have often thought that with any luck at all I could have been born a werewolf, because the two middle fingers on both my hands are the same length, but I have had to be content with what I had. I dislike washing myself, and dogs, and noise, I like my sister Constance, and Richard Plantagenet, and Amanita phalloides, the death-cap mushroom. Everyone else in my family is dead…
What books make perfect fall reading for you?
Are there certain books that beg to be read during the autumn? Any specific genres you especially enjoy as the weather changes? I would love to hear what you’re planning on reading! Share your books to read for a cozy fall in the comments!
You can find my personal list of books I plan to read this fall here.
by Kelsey Smythe | Jun 7, 2019 | Books
Update: I’ve now shared quick reviews for the majority of these books in this post. If you’re interested in any of these books, that’s the place to go to see what I thought of them!
This is the second year that I’ve created a summer reading list for myself. To be honest, it’s more like a summer reading wish list than an ‘I actually expect to read all these books’ list. But there’s something about taking the time to thoughtfully choose the books I want to read in an upcoming season that makes reading feel special and energizing. Last summer, I was able to get through a lot more books than I expected! And having the guideline of what to read next helped a TON.
You can see last summer’s reading list here. There’s a recap of what I thought of all the books I read here.
This year, for the sake of being a well-rounded reader, I broke up my list into genres and selected three books for each. If the last day of summer ends on September 23 (it does, I checked), this gives me 15 weeks to read 15 books. I wish I could say I planned that, but I didn’t! How crazy is that? A book a week is an easy reading pace for me, but only if I’m not watching too much tv. This should be a good challenge for me! 🙂
A few quick tips for getting more reading in
- Always have a book on hand. For me, this means having a book on my nightstand and a couple Kindle books I can read using the Kindle app on my phone. And also maybe an audiobook too.
- Read more than one book at once. I read different types of books during different parts of the day. Mornings are for non-fiction. Evenings are usually for fiction. This is another reason why I chose multiple genres for my summer reading list!
- For sure listen to audiobooks. They make commutes and chores so much better, plus you can cross more books off your list this way too!
- Decide ahead of time how much of a book you have to read. When you reach that point, ditch it if you’re still not interested.
- Don’t be afraid to read in bits and pieces. You don’t have to have large chunks of unoccupied time to make good progress in a book!
- Know which book(s) you’re going to read next. You can create your own summer reading list.
Any tips I missed? Please share in the comments!
Without further ado, here’s my summer reading list:
Something Fun
This is one of the books recommended by Anne Bogel in her Modern Mrs. Darcy Summer Reading Guide. This book looks so different from anything I’ve ever read before. I’ve put myself on the hold list at my library already!
This beautiful, thoughtful novel illuminates a world turned upside down, one where the women are in charge, engaging in dangerous physical work, and the men take care of the children. A classic Lisa See story—one of women’s friendships and the larger forces that shape them—The Island of Sea Womenintroduces readers to the fierce and unforgettable female divers of Jeju Island and the dramatic history that shaped their lives.
Yet another Anne Bogel recommendation. This one caught my eye because it’s a Jane Austen retelling and I love a good Jane story. It sounds fun and lighthearted, perfect for summer nights when heavy reading feels so wrong.
Charming romantic comedy perfect for fans of Meg Cabot and Sophie Kinsella. Charlotte Gorman loves her job as an elementary school librarian, which couldn’t be more opposite from her identical twin sister. Ginny, an Instagram-famous beauty pageant contestant, but the winning plan quickly goes awry when Ginny has a terrible, face-altering allergic reaction the night before the pageant, and Charlotte suddenly finds herself in a switcheroo the twins haven’t successfully pulled off in decades. But as she discovers there’s more to her fellow contestants than just wanting a sparkly crown, Charlotte realizes she has a whole new motivation for winning.
I stumbled across Whitney’s blog the other day and thought her style was so charming. While our condo here in Arlington (589 square feet) isn’t that small for the two of us, I still feel like I could use all the small space living tips I can get. I’ve put myself on the library hold list for this one and am looking forward to flipping through the pretty pictures.
Interior design maven Whitney Leigh Morris makes living in under 400 square feet look elegant and effortless—even with a husband, baby, and two Beagles in the mix. In her debut book, Whitney shares her ideas and practices for making any tiny space efficient and stylish—whether it’s a rustic A-frame in the woods or a chic microapartment in the city.
Something Historical
I’ve had this book on my shelf for approximately 5 gazillion years, and have even started reading it several times. I always end up putting it aside for something lighter (literally. this book is a long’un!). I’d love to finish up this book this summer.
In this epic, beautifully written masterwork, Pulitzer Prize–winning author Isabel Wilkerson chronicles one of the great untold stories of American history: the decades-long migration of black citizens who fled the South for northern and western cities, in search of a better life.
Now that we live in the nation’s capital, I thought it would be really fun to read a book about each of the United States presidents. I’m not positive that I want to 100% commit myself to this long of a project yet. Reading about the 1st president seems like a good place to find out though. I picked this one because a quick google search informed me that it’s the most interesting biography about George Washington.
Celebrated biographer Ron Chernow provides a richly nuanced portrait of the father of our nation and the first president of the United States. With a breadth and depth matched by no other one volume biography of George Washington, this crisply paced narrative carries the reader through his adventurous early years, his heroic exploits with the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War, his presiding over the Constitutional Convention, and his magnificent performance as America’s first president. In this groundbreaking work, based on massive research, Chernow shatters forever the stereotype of George Washington as a stolid, unemotional figure and brings to vivid life a dashing, passionate man of fiery opinions and many moods.
If reading a biography about the first president goes well, it only makes sense to read one about the second! I’ve heard about this author a lot but have never read any of his books myself. Also, I just saw someone reading it on the metro. That feels like a sign.
In this powerful, epic biography, David McCullough unfolds the adventurous life journey of John Adams, the brilliant, fiercely independent, often irascible, always honest Yankee patriot who spared nothing in his zeal for the American Revolution; who rose to become the second president of the United States and saved the country from blundering into an unnecessary war; who was learned beyond all but a few and regarded by some as “out of his senses”; and whose marriage to the wise and valiant Abigail Adams is one of the moving love stories in American history.
Something to Learn
I’ve been following Jon Acuff on Instagram for yeeeeaars. His are probably the posts I share with my husband most just because they’re so funny. But I’ve also learned a lot about business and personal development from him too. I’ve been wanting to read one of his books for a while now. Since I’m really good at starting things and really bad at finishing them, this feels like a great place to start 😉
According to studies, 92 percent of New Year’s resolutions fail. You’ve practically got a better shot at getting into Juilliard to become a ballerina than you do at finishing your goals.
If you’re tired of being a chronic starter and want to become a consistent finisher, you have two options: You can continue to beat yourself up and try harder, since this time that will work. Or you can give yourself the gift of done.
I don’t know a whole lot about this book or its author, but I DO know that it’s one of my favorite subjects. I have heard quite a few recommendations for this particular book!
Clear is known for his ability to distill complex topics into simple behaviors that can be easily applied to daily life and work. Here, he draws on the most proven ideas from biology, psychology, and neuroscience to create an easy-to-understand guide for making good habits inevitable and bad habits impossible. Along the way, readers will be inspired and entertained with true stories from Olympic gold medalists, award-winning artists, business leaders, life-saving physicians, and star comedians who have used the science of small habits to master their craft and vault to the top of their field.
To be honest, this book sort of intimidates me. It sounds way too academic or expert for me. But it’s about money and the way that people actually behave with it, which also sounds fascinating, so I’m going to give it a try!
Nobel laureate Richard H. Thaler has spent his career studying the radical notion that the central agents in the economy are humans―predictable, error-prone individuals. Misbehaving is his arresting, frequently hilarious account of the struggle to bring an academic discipline back down to earth―and change the way we think about economics, ourselves, and our world.
Something Financial
This book is such a personal finance classic that I’ve been meaning to read. (noticing a theme with my summer reading list?). I hadn’t considered reading it when I first heard about it because I thought it was for dads. Crazy assumption, huh? But it’s about a lot more, including challenging the assumptions and mindsets we have when it comes to money that aren’t doing us any favors.
In Rich Dad Poor Dad, the #1 Personal Finance book of all time, Robert Kiyosaki shares the story of his two dad: his real father, whom he calls his ‘poor dad,’ and the father of his best friend, the man who became his mentor and his ‘rich dad.’ One man was well educated and an employee all his life, the other’s education was “street smarts” over traditional classroom education and he took the path of entrepreneurship…a road that led him to become one of the wealthiest men in Hawaii. Robert’s poor dad struggled financially all his life, and these two dads—these very different points of view of money, investing, and employment—shaped Robert’s thinking about money.
This books comes highly recommended from Liz over at the Frugalwoods blog. Some of the things it covers I know well, like how to avoid debt and what to do if you have it. But there are a lot of topics that I don’t know much about and would love to learn about like
- understanding the stock market
- figuring out the world of saving for retirement
- whether we’ll ever need an investment advise
Fun stuff, no?
“In the dark, bewildering, trap-infested jungle of misinformation and opaque riddles that is the world of investment, JL Collins is the fatherly wizard on the side of the path, offering a simple map, warm words of encouragement and the tools to forge your way through with confidence. You’ll never find a wiser advisor with a bigger heart.” — Malachi Rempen: Filmmaker, cartoonist, author and self-described ruffian
Here’s another classic personal finance book I’d love to have under my belt. I love the idea of people building wealth not to live super flashy lives but to love their families well and give generously.
The bestselling The Millionaire Next Door identifies seven common traits that show up again and again among those who have accumulated wealth. Most of the truly wealthy in this country don’t live in Beverly Hills or on Park Avenue-they live next door.
Something Old
Confession. I’ve been intending to re-read this book since the movie came out. In 2014. Has it really been that long? Did you see the movie and was it any good?
The Giver, the 1994 Newbery Medal winner, has become one of the most influential novels of our time. The haunting story centers on twelve-year-old Jonas, who lives in a seemingly ideal, if colorless, world of conformity and contentment. Not until he is given his life assignment as the Receiver of Memory does he begin to understand the dark, complex secrets behind his fragile community. Lois Lowry has written three companion novels to The Giver, including Gathering Blue, Messenger, and Son.
I’ve heard such great things about John Steinbeck but I’ve never read any of his works. I’m really looking forward to this one.
They are an unlikely pair: George is “small and quick and dark of face”; Lennie, a man of tremendous size, has the mind of a young child. Yet they have formed a “family,” clinging together in the face of loneliness and alienation.
Laborers in California’s dusty vegetable fields, they hustle work when they can, living a hand-to-mouth existence. For George and Lennie have a plan: to own an acre of land and a shack they can call their own. When they land jobs on a ranch in the Salinas Valley, the fulfillment of their dream seems to be within their grasp. But even George cannot guard Lennie from the provocations of a flirtatious woman, nor predict the consequences of Lennie’s unswerving obedience to the things George taught him.
This classic sounds like a fun summer read. I can’t believe I made it through so many years of schooling without this one being on the required reading!
At the dawn of the next world war, a plane crashes on an uncharted island, stranding a group of schoolboys. At first, with no adult supervision, their freedom is something to celebrate. This far from civilization they can do anything they want. Anything. But as order collapses, as strange howls echo in the night, as terror begins its reign, the hope of adventure seems as far removed from reality as the hope of being rescued.
What are you reading this summer?
Do you have any of the same books on your summer reading list? Which of these books is a must-read and, more importantly, are there any that you would recommend I take off my summer reading list?
Happy reading, friends!
, so I think I’m going to give that a go this time around.
