Today is National Book Lovers’ Day! I’ve loved reading books for a long time, and recently I’ve gotten back into reading. I have fallen out of loving reading, and then fallen back in love again quite a few times. Recently, I have loved it! And I’ve loved reading books that aren’t in my normal genres as well. Here are my 7 favorite books that I’ve read this summer with ratings, thoughts, and reviews.
#7 The Difference Maker by John C. Maxwell
This book was a great inspiration to me. It’s outside of my normal genres, but overall a great read. There were some times when I was a little bored, but it was great to read. It was very inspiring and reminded me of how much your mindset and attitude towards things really matter. The way you look at and react to the things in the world changes the way you experience it, and this book shows exactly that.
# 6 Radical Compassion by Tara Brach
This book completely changed my outlook on the things that were happening in my life when I read it. I was really struggling to be understanding towards other people, and in feeling good about myself as well. It was so hard for me to continue to talk to people in my life because I was struggling with all relationships. This book introduced me to the idea and practice of RAIN, and I can not express how much that practice helped me through the things that happened then and have happened since.
#5 The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann
This series is one of my absolute favorites! I am so glad that this was suggested to me and I read it. Rereading it is absolutely amazing, and it is one that I feel like I will always be able to come back to. The sequel series changed my life. The ending of that one with the plot of all of the books in both series ripped my heart out in the most heartwarming way possible. It was such a mix of strong emotions, and I genuinely cried because of how beautiful it is.
#4 Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon
I absolutely loved this book! It was a super fast read, and it had a ton of great insight. I finished this book more inspired than I have been in a long time to create. Any type of creation! Something that I especially loved as I have been starting my new endeavors with this blog (and other things coming soon) was that it doesn’t matter in the beginning if the stuff you are creating matches with a style specific to you because it’s all connected because you’re making it! I 100% recommend this to anyone who creates anything.
#3 Everybody Has a Podcast (Except You) by Justin McElroy, Travis McElroy, and Griffin McElroy
I am still reading this, but I have loved it. It’s a great read for anyone who is even slightly thinking about starting a podcast. There is so much great advice in this book, and it has taught me so very much. The authors all have a great dynamic (which makes sense when they have multiple podcasts together and are siblings) making it a very entertaining read. There is so much learning that happens while also enjoying it.
#2 The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson
Okay, not something anyone who knows me would expect me to read because 1) the title has a swear, therefore you would assume (correctly) that it swears a lot in the book, and 2) it’s non-fiction. I listened to this one on audiobook, and thanks to the way that society has been headed, I was able to drown out most of the swearing. That is not saying, however, that I would ever use the language that this book does. The things this book teaches, however, are amazing. I felt inspired more than ever before to take charge of my life and do the things that I’ve been too scared to do. If you need motivation, and you can ignore the language, I would highly suggest this book.
#1 Dishwasher Safe by M.J. Etkind
This book was absolutely amazing. It has been out for just over a month. It was so great! This is a mix of my typical genres, and I loved it. This is the cutest romance with a bit of fantasy mixed in, while still maintaining an almost realistic fiction feel. I can’t believe how lucky I was to read this as an ARC. If you want a cute romance meets fantasy involving mermaids, then this is what I would suggest to go. I got so into this book I read it way faster than I thought I would and I hated every single time I had to put it down. There is no way on Earth that I will stop suggesting this book any time soon.
Books have always been a major part of my life, and that isn’t going to change. I have loved every single book on this list, and I highly suggest all of them. There are so many more books that I could have added to this list, but there is no way I could include them all.
Happy National Book Lovers’ Day to any of my fellow readers out there!
