{"id":4836,"date":"2021-06-07T11:55:00","date_gmt":"2021-06-07T15:55:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vitality-vixens.com\/?p=4836"},"modified":"2021-06-09T13:36:55","modified_gmt":"2021-06-09T17:36:55","slug":"10-must-have-books-to-read-this-summer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vitality-vixens.com\/index.php\/2021\/06\/07\/10-must-have-books-to-read-this-summer\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Must-Have Books to Read This Summer"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

I for one could always use new book recommendations. I like looking on Goodreads or scavenging through Amazon reviews sometimes, but sometimes I just want to be given a dang list to pick from! So, I figured I’d write one for you guys. This is a list of my top 10 books to read this summer, broken up into 2 categories: 5 amazing books I’ve already read & 5 books I plan to read this summer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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10 Books to Read This Summer<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I’ll start off by sharing my 5 book picks that I’ve read recently and loved. I’m not just going to choose any books though, only books that I think will be great summer reads. Bring these with you to the beach, to sit by the pool with a mojito, or to sit inside in the air conditioning! The options are endless…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5 Amazing Books I’ve Already Read<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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“The Midnight Library”<\/a><\/strong> by Matt Haig<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This was the type of story that completely wraps you up into its world and you can’t put it down. (Or in this case, its worlds…) Matt Haig tells the story of a woman who died and went to this sort of purgatory “midnight library” where she gets to choose from an infinite number of parallel lives she might have lived, had she made different choices in her own life, and have another shot at living them. Warning:<\/strong> If you start reading this book, be prepared to get absolutely nothing done for a few days because you will not be able to put it down!<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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“Can’t Hurt Me”<\/a><\/strong> by David Goggins<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you’re looking for an inspirational true story to get you off your butt and into the gym\/outdoors\/studio\/etc… Or<\/em> if you’re just feeling sorry for yourself for whatever you’re struggling with at the moment, this will completely remotivate you to get out there and accomplish anything you put your mind to. David Goggins is insane, in the best possible way. The things he accomplished in his life are so far from normal and this book inspired me to live a better life all the way through. If you’re looking for an interesting read, that’s also in the personal development realm without being preachy or toxic-positivity-infested – give this a read.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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“Every Last Secret”<\/a><\/strong> by A.R. Torre<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This was another one that I could not put down for the life of me. I’m not usually a huge suspense fan, but this book may have turned me. The best part is that the twists and turns are so crazy, you honestly can’t predict how it’s going to end. You have a theory one minute and then the next minute – poof! – your theory is completely changed. If you enjoy a good suspense\/thriller or just like reading stories about excessively wealthy people (and all their problems) you’ll love “Every Last Secret.”<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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“Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World”<\/a><\/strong> by Cal Newport<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You may be wondering how this is a summer read… It doesn’t seem like a light, beachy fiction story, right? But summertime, sitting poolside, is one of the best times for you to recreate your relationship with social media and the digital world. This book inspired me to put down my dang phone and actually enjoy life (aka the pool & beach.) It helped me remember that living in the moment and experiencing life is more important\/meaningful than snapping a picture of it or posting it on my Insta Story. You can take the wisdom shared in this book a million different ways. The underlying concept I understood is that the digital world is overtaking a lot of our lives and it’s important to find a way to create distance from it (in our own way.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Related:<\/strong> Thoughts on Social Media and Digital Minimalism<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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“The Wife Upstairs”<\/a><\/strong> by Rachel Hawkins<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This book was wild, to say the least. Again, I’m not typically that into suspense\/thrillers, but this one kicked off my recent obsession. The writing is witty and you never know what’s going to happen next. If you’re looking for another book that will keep you up all night reading, this is a perfect choice.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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5 Books I Plan to Read Over the Summer<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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“Malibu Rising”<\/a> <\/strong>by Taylor Jenkins Reid<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I absolutely loved Taylor Jenkins Reid’s “The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo”, so when I saw another one of her books pop up on my BOTM<\/a>, I didn’t even think twice. Honestly, I didn’t even read any of the other 4 books’ descriptions because I already knew I would love this book. Plus – that cover just screams summer. I know, “don’t judge a book by its cover”, but if that’s the case then why did they make this one so bright & summer-infused?! No response, I thought so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From the Amazon description:<\/strong> “Malibu Rising<\/em> is a story about one unforgettable night in the life of a family: the night they each have to choose what they will keep from the people who made them . . . and what they will leave behind.”<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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“The Last Thing He Told Me”<\/a> <\/strong>by Laura Dave<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From the Amazon description:<\/strong> “Before Owen Michaels disappears, he smuggles a note to his beloved wife of one year: Protect her. Despite her confusion and fear, Hannah Hall knows exactly to whom the note refers\u2014Owen\u2019s sixteen-year-old daughter, Bailey. Bailey, who lost her mother tragically as a child. Bailey, who wants absolutely nothing to do with her new stepmother.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Hannah\u2019s increasingly desperate calls to Owen go unanswered, as the FBI arrests Owen\u2019s boss, as a US marshal and federal agents arrive at her Sausalito home unannounced, Hannah quickly realizes her husband isn\u2019t who he said he was. And that Bailey just may hold the key to figuring out Owen\u2019s true identity\u2014and why he really disappeared.”<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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“How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy”<\/a> <\/strong>by Jenny Odell<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From the Amazon description:<\/strong> “In a world where addictive technology is designed to buy and sell our attention, and our value is determined by our 24\/7 data productivity, it can seem impossible to escape. But in this inspiring field guide to dropping out of the attention economy, artist and critic Jenny Odell shows us how we can still win back our lives.
 
Odell sees our attention as the most precious\u2014and overdrawn\u2014resource we have. And we must actively and continuously choose how we use it. We might not spend it on things that capitalism has deemed important \u2026 but once we can start paying a new kind of attention, she writes, we can undertake bolder forms of political action, reimagine humankind\u2019s role in the environment, and arrive at more meaningful understandings of happiness and progress.”<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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“Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood”<\/a> <\/strong>by Trevor Noah<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From the Amazon description:<\/strong> “Trevor Noah\u2019s unlikely path from apartheid South Africa to the desk of The Daily Show <\/em>began with a criminal act: his birth. Trevor was born to a white Swiss father and a black Xhosa mother at a time when such a union was punishable by five years in prison. Living proof of his parents\u2019 indiscretion, Trevor was kept mostly indoors for the earliest years of his life, bound by the extreme and often absurd measures his mother took to hide him from a government that could, at any moment, steal him away. Finally liberated by the end of South Africa\u2019s tyrannical white rule, Trevor and his mother set forth on a grand adventure, living openly and freely and embracing the opportunities won by a centuries-long struggle.”<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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“The Perfect Child”<\/a> <\/strong>by Lucinda Berry<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From the Amazon description:<\/strong> “Christopher and Hannah are a happily married surgeon and nurse with picture-perfect lives. All that\u2019s missing is a child. When Janie, an abandoned six-year-old, turns up at their hospital, Christopher forms an instant connection with her, and he convinces Hannah they should take her home as their own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Janie is no ordinary child, and her damaged psyche proves to be more than her new parents were expecting. Janie is fiercely devoted to Christopher, but she acts out in increasingly disturbing ways, directing all her rage at Hannah. Unable to bond with Janie, Hannah is drowning under the pressure, and Christopher refuses to see Janie\u2019s true nature.”<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Final Thoughts<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I hope this list of books to read this summer gave you a little inspiration for your own summer reading! I can’t wait to dive into the last 5 books on this list. I’ll give an update on how they are post-reading, but until then enjoy your summer reading!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you’re looking for more options, check out our other book club reviews here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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