Summer Reading List

As summer quickly approaches it seems like all I want to do is find a sunny spot to settle in with a good book! Here are my top 5 must reads on my summer reading list:

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The Silent Sister by Diane Chamberlain- This mystery novel has received great reviews and will be the perfect summer page turner!

“In The Silent Sister, Riley MacPherson has spent her entire life believing that her older sister Lisa committed suicide as a teenager. Now, over twenty years later, her father has passed away and she’s in New Bern, North Carolina cleaning out his house when she finds evidence to the contrary. Lisa is alive. Alive and living under a new identity. But why exactly was she on the run all those years ago, and what secrets are being kept now?”

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The Best Day of Someone Else’s Life by Kerry Reichs- Sometimes you just need a fun chick lit book to indulge in while laying on the beach and this one seems like a perfect choice!

“Eleven weddings in eighteen months would send any sane woman either over the edge or scurrying for the altar. But as reality separates from illusion, Vi learns that letting go of someone else’s story to write your own may be harder than buying the myth, but just might help her make the right choices for herself.”

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Better Than Before: Mastering the Habits of our Everyday Lives by Gretchen Rubin – I always like to mix in an inspirational self help book and after reading one of Rubin’s other books, “The Happiness Project” I can’t wait to see what I can learn from this one!

“The author of the blockbuster New York Times bestsellers, The Happiness Project and Happier at Home, tackles the critical question: How do we change? Gretchen Rubin’s answer: through habits. Habits are the invisible architecture of everyday life. It takes work to make a habit, but once that habit is set, we can harness the energy of habits to build happier, stronger, more productive lives.”
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All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr – I’m a bit behind the curve with this one. If you’re like me and haven’t read this yet, you need to add this one to your list right now! This New York Times bestseller seems to be on all the must read lists!

“From the highly acclaimed, multiple award-winning Anthony Doerr, the beautiful, stunningly ambitious instant New York Times bestseller about a blind French girl and a German boy whose paths collide in occupied France as both try to survive the devastation of World War II.”

Any other summer reading recommendation?

Week 2 Challenge: Read every day

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Week 1 challenge is complete! I’ll admit I did better than I thought I would and only ate out one time all week! I bought a lot of groceries that I actually used, ate a lot of leftovers and got creative! We entertained friends 2 nights out of the week instead of going out. I only slipped up once over the weekend (which is actually amazing now that I think about it) when I was becoming famished and we walked right by this little pizza restaurant I wanted to try that had just opened the night before! (btw it was delicious!) So I would say week 1 was a success, now on to week 2!

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Week #2 Challenge: Read every day.
I’m currently reading 2 books (and have many more on my list!) and I want to get in a better habit of reading every day. I love reading before going to bed but I tend to wait until I’m completely exhausted before I head to bed and then I fall asleep rather than reading a couple chapters. So! this is my next challenge. Join me?

Reading list

“You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me.”― C.S. Lewis

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I’ve surpassed my goal of reading 10 books this year (by 3!) so that was the first time that’s ever happened, yay! I usually try to rotate between books that are more fun reads to more serious/non-fiction books. Here are the next few on my list and one that I’m currently reading and enjoying:

the goldfinchTo Entertain: The Goldfinch By Donna Tartt
I know this is super long and I’ve read a lot of mixed reviews but overall everyone seems to think this book is worth reading. I’m finally ready to give it a try. Also, doesn’t it always feels like you really accomplished something after finishing an especially long book? It seems like a perfect read to dig into for the winter.
“…a novel of shocking narrative energy and power. It combines unforgettably vivid characters, mesmerizing language, and breathtaking suspense, while plumbing with a philosopher’s calm the deepest mysteries of love, identity, and art.”

 

25460To Inspire: Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life by Barbara Kingsolver
This seems a little different than something I’d usually pick up but it may help me on my journey of eating better even if it is a little extreme!

“This is the story of a year in which we made every attempt to feed ourselves animals and vegetables whose provenance we really knew . . .”

 



18052969To Learn: The Confidence Code: The Science and Art of Self-Assurance by Katty Kay
I just saw this book recently and was intrigued. It’s not so much about how to gain more confidence but more about the science behind confidence. I can’t wait to learn something new and see how I can apply it to myself!

“Confidence. We want it. We need it. But it can be maddeningly enigmatic and out of reach. The authors of the New York Times bestseller Womenomics deconstruct this essential, elusive, and misunderstood quality and offer a blueprint for bringing more of it into our lives.”

the engagementsCurrently Reading: The Engagements by J. Courtney Sullivan
I’m not too far into this but so far I’m loving it! I’m immediately interested in anything about advertising (it was my college major) and I like how there are a few different stories that apparently intertwine somehow in the middle. Can’t wait to find out how!

“…an exhilarating novel about Frances Gerety, the real pioneering ad woman who coined the famous slogan “A Diamond is Forever,” and four unique marriages that will test how true—or not—those words might be.”