6 Must-Read Books Before Summer Fades
As a kid, summer always meant a few key things: enjoying freezer pops, running through sprinklers, spending way too much time memorizing movie lines with my little brother and my fave; taking weekly visits to the library for the Summer Reading Book Club. I fondly remember crossing books off of the list one by one, getting my next star sticker, each time making it closer to the end prize: an ice cream party and tickets to the movies {pretty good incentive right?!}. But as an adult, even when I’ve tried to carve out time to read a book or two….a year… it just never happens!
Since it’s technically still summer it only felt right to force ourselves to try our hand at summer reading and turns out, leaving some time at the end of the day to dive into a good book has been exactly what we needed. We’re here to encourage you to do the same so we’ve got six pageturners you’ll want to dive into before the summer ends! Hurry, that tanning oil has to be frying your brain cells {as well as your skin}, so it’s time to get ‘ta reading! — Bianca
Amanda:
I’m always looking for ways to improve productivity these days. Working from home means I am constantly tempted by distractions, and we all know the struggle of creating a schedule that doesn’t include working until midnight! Manage Your Day-to-Day: Build Your Routine, Find Your Focus, & Sharpen Your Creative Mind is a collection of insights written by top creatives and business leaders such as Seth Godin and Linda Stone. Their wisdom and stories help you rethink your work day and encourage you to start your day with your most meaningful creative work first {aka, not your e-mails!}. I now wake up and spend an hour on projects that require the most thought and the simple switch is life-changing! This quick read will change the way you work for good.
Erin:
I’m a huge fan of memoirs as they’re easy to pick up and put down in a crazy day-to-day life. My current favorite combines three things I love – food, New York and cool women who accomplish amazing things. The memoir Blood, Bones & Butter chronicles the unlikely path Gabrielle Hamilton took to becoming a professional chef and opening my favorite NYC restaurant, Prune. Her personal story {from childhood all the way to marrying an Italian customer to help him get a green card and the craziness that ensues!} is fascinating. This book is an inspirational and entertaining page-turner that also whets your appetite; a delicious combo when it comes to summer reading if you ask me! Definitely pick this puppy up.
Ashley:
As a cocktail enthusiast, I am always looking for new and old ways to hone my skills in mixology! This book is a great way to get to know the origins of the grains, herbs, fruits, and plants that make up tasty potent potables! There are recipes in each chapter that focus on classic drinks with a twist. It’s perfect for those just starting to experiment with cocktails or even for pro-mixologists!
Victor:
Being born with a high sense of curiosity, I’ve always enjoyed learning about other people’s secrets or finding out scandalous info about people’s lives {It might be from watching so many Mexican soap operas as a kid!}. So when I heard about The Vacationers by Emma Straub, I knew I just had to read it. I mean, you know when you put a whole family of Manhattanites on an island for two weeks, something juicy is bound to happen. Everyone in the family is coming to this vacation with their own baggage – literally and figuratively, we’re talking marital problems, secret intentions, and rivalries! It’s fun to have a light and humorous read that you can just chill out to after a hectic day. Since I don’t have any vacation plans this summer, I’ll be living through the Posts’s {crazy!} family vacation!
Bianca:
The Goldfinch might take you the entire summer to read, but I say a slower read is perfect for these slow-paced, warmer months. Weighing in it a hefty 750 pages {yikes!}, the character building in this story is phenomenal. Following the life of a boy named Theo who tragically loses his mother in a modern day terrorist attack and his crazy adolescent friend, Boris, all the way to adult hood, the unfortunate events you read about leave you wondering can anything go right for these two? From drugs, abuse, loss and questionable love, you’ll find characters that become your paperback friends {the ones with all of the drama, of course!}. And pages that will keep you turning in hopes of answering one big question: how the hell does this stolen Goldfinch masterpiece tie into it all?! Get to it already!
June:
People say to never judge a book by its cover, but The White Oleander by Janet Fitch is a novel that caught my eye in the bookstore- and has kept me more than intrigued with every chapter. Darkly beautiful and seductive, The White Oleander explores the complicated relationship between a mother who is in jail for murder, and her daughter, Astrid, who tries to form an identity despite her mother’s manipulative, poisonous ways. Fitch writes in a lyrical way that makes you stop and re-read sentences multiple times to really feel the impact of the words, which is always a welcome change from the many mindless thrillers out there! This novel pulls you into a world of beauty, deception, and complicated love. It’s a perfect darker kind of, summer reading that leaves you craving more!
We’re really hoping this reading habit stays with us through fall. While it might be wishful thinking, it’s fun being a book worm, despite what the kids on the playground once said. It does make you feel smarter {and it’s a great conversation starter that makes you seem WAY more cultured than you might actually be!} even if you’re only reading about sex, drugs and more sex. Ahem, 50 Shades of Grey lovers.
So who’s with us on reading more books? Any good ones, nay, great ones, you’d recommend? We want to add to our list!
image via the glamourai
