What is it about summer that just begs us to read good books?

As the weather warms, I start stocking up on books I’ll read as I sit by the baby pool in the backyard, in the passenger seat as we travel, and on our porch swing as my kids play late into the evening. I can’t imagine a summer without piles of books waiting for me.

Here is what’s making up my stack this summer:

Love Does by Bob Goff

Everyone is loving this one, I hear about it all the time and how it’s changing people and inspiring lives. Those ideas speak to me and I need to see what all the fuss is about!

The Antelope in the Living Room by Melanie Shankle

I love hearing others’ perspectives on marriage and married life and I’ve seen people I follow on Instagram posting about this book and sharing their love of it. My husband and I will celebrate our eighth wedding anniversary soon and I still don’t feel like I have any idea what we’re doing so I find other marriages so interesting. I can’t wait to hear Shankle’s stories.

Hands Free Mama by Rachel Macy Stafford

Am I the only one who needs to spend a little more time disconnected so I can be more present in real life? On the cover of Hand Free Mama, it mentions “burning the to-do list” which really piques my interest because I love a to-do list more than anything. And getting rid of it??! I’m breaking out in a cold sweat just thinking about it.

The Year Money Grew on Trees by Aaron Hawkins

I’m a middle school English teacher so I’m drawn to young adult literature and spend a lot of my summer reading novels that I can share with kids when we go back to school. I picked this one up at our book fair and I love the idea of these fictional characters, these kids just like my students, working together in an orchard as they learn about food, agriculture, and raising money for a cause they care passionately about.

Grace-Based Parenting by Dr. Tim Kimmel

Nothing in my life has taught me more lessons than becoming a parent. And the idea that I’m raising these little people that will one day leave my nest is sometimes too much. I know time is fleeting and I want their childhood to be full of grace and love so they can be adults full of grace and love. But currently, that’s just a lofty goal that is far from reality. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak, friends. I’m reading this book because I want to learn how to be a grace-full parent.

Wonder by RJ Palacio

“Wonder is the best kids’ book of the year” according to a senior editor at Slate.com. And since it’s my job to know what kids are reading and encourage them with new and exciting books, I’m just drawn to this one. The main character has some facial disfiguration and the book explores societal norms, bullying, and growing up different. I can’t wait to see how this one goes.

It Starts with Food by Dallas and Melissa Hartwig

Again, I follow a lot of people on Instagram that are on the whole foods bandwagon (do we need to discuss how awesome Instagram is? Also, I really need to read that Hands Free Mama book right away…) and I’m really interested in the science and theories behind this food movement. I’m toying with the idea of thirty days of nothing but whole foods and I need to do the research before I commit. So this one is my “research.”

How about you, what’s on your summer reading list? Have you read any of these books before? Tell me what you think!

 

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