Summer Reading List: 10 Awesome Books To Read This Summer

Summer is quickly approaching, and I’ve got a list of 10 books you just have to read in these coming months.  These books are centered around similar themes about purposeful living, goal setting, and being our best selves.  I hope you find some inspiration in the sun this summer.  Let’s dive in….

{This post contains affiliate links to 10 of my favorite books that I intend to read and study and apply in my life this summer!  And, I hope you will too!  The links to purchase these books are included in this post, and if you order from my Amazon Affiliate account I get paid…by Amazon!!  How dreamy is that?!  Thank you in advance for helping to support me & the blog.  And, I hope you have a wonderful summer filled with inspirational words and pages!  Read my Disclosure Policy by clicking here to learn more about affiliate links.  Get ready to be inspired…}

1. “Grace, Not Perfection” by Emily Ley

I am in the midst of reading this wonderful book currently, and it has sincerely challenged my heart.  Emily focuses on “embracing simplicity & celebrating joy” in this gorgeous hot pink book with gold stripes and pineapples.

The cover feels like velvet, and the book includes pages to write notes and doodle.  I am loving this read.  Here’s a snippet that I have highlighted & marked {it’s just oh so good!}…

“Our need to be in control, to orchestrate the perfect scenario for every journey of our lives, breeds anxiety in our hearts.  We try to do the right things, eat the right things, say the right things to get the results we hope for.  Our inability to trust that it will be okay, even if all the pieces of the puzzle don’t fit just right, can lead to comparison, worry, and unhappiness.  Sometimes there is greater gladness in the mess than if everything had gone ‘according to plan’.  In my mess, I found quiet, connected moments with my husband. I learned what it means to have unwavering faith.  I learned that family is everything…But more than anything, I learned what it means to let go….The joy is in the journey, even the hard ones.”

You can purchase “Grace Not Perfection” by clicking on the picture below!

Emily is the owner/creator of The Simplified Planner, & y’all know how much I love “fancy planners”, right?  I’m thinking I may just have to try one of Emily’s planners for 2018, how about you? I love her philosophy of organizing so that we can enjoy the simpler joys in life….

https://vimeo.com/carlyrae/spcliplogo

https://vimeo.com/carlyrae/spcliplogo

2. “Make it Happen” by Lara Casey

“Make it Happen” is an outstanding book written by Lara Casey that encourages us to “surrender our fear, take the leap, & live on purpose”.  You can even join Lara’s Leap Page & pledge your goal for the year there so others can encourage you.

{Order this book, by clicking the book picture below!}

“Make it Happen is the story of how I surrendered my fear, took the leap, & got a life.  In my case, a perfectly imperfect, fulfilling life as a mama, a working woman, & a grateful wife.  This is the story of how I chose to make ‘it’- a greater purpose than mine- happen and how you can too.  The time has come.  Your time has come to take a leap of faith and live on purpose.”

Are you feeling inspired to read this summer?  Huh, huh??!!!  I know, right?  These books sound amazing, but wait until you see this next book by Lara.  Grab some tissues.  This is going to be another goodie!

3. “Cultivate: A Grace-Filled Guide to Growing an Intentional Life” by Lara Casey

I am so excited to announce that I am part of the “launch team” for Lara Casey’s newest book, Cultivate: A Grace-Filled Guide to Growing an Intentional Life.

{Click the picture to buy…}

As you can see from Lara’s first book, “Make it Happen“, her books are filled with inspiration, encouragement, & grace.  “Cultivate: A Grace-Filled Guide to Growing an Intentional Life” will be released on June 27th, but you can pre-order it now by clicking here.  If you pre-order, Lara will also send you several free gifts.

I’m sure I’ll be sharing more about “Cultivate: A Grace-Filled Guide to Growing an Intentional Life” on the blog soon, so stay tuned!  I cannot wait for this book to launch!

Here’s a sneak peek of what “Cultivate: A Grace-Filled Guide to Growing an Intentional Life” is all about!  Enjoy…

“You can live a flourishing life too….right where you are!” ~Lara

I know, I know.  This post was worth taking the time to read just for those first three books, right?  I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to do some serious soul-searching this summer & begin to live a purposeful life like these first 2 authors.

Here’s the rest of my list of books to read this summer.  I haven’t read these books yet, so I don’t know as much about them other than they all come highly recommended.  As I dive into these reads, I’ll share with you what I’m learning, & I hope you do too!

4. “The Miracle Morning” by Hal Erod

I am new to living the day shift lifestyle.  I worked as a night-shift nurse for 10 years at the hospital, and while I loved the night-shift atmosphere, I knew I was overdue for some “normalcy” in my schedule.

Other nurse friends who have gone through the adjustment phase of night-shift to day-shift, have recommended this book to me.

{Click on the book below to purchase!}

Hal Erod claims to have a “not-so-secret secret to completely transform you life before 8 a.m”.  So, in an effort to change my life, ahem…my mornings…I am pledging to read this book this summer and implement the changes he suggests.  I’ll let you all know how it goes, cause me and morning don’t get along so well.

5. “The Joy of Less” by Francine Jay

Have you been meaning to declutter and organize your home, but don’t know where to start?  Then, have I got the book for you!

Like many of you, I had set a goal to make 2017 my most organized year yet.  With just 2 of us in our home, I thought it would be easy to cut back on the clutter and get organized.  But, it’s not been as easy task.  I can’t wait to dive into this book, The Joy of Less: A Minimalist Guide to Declutter, Organize, and Simplify , and learn the strategies that “Miss Minimalist” uses to keep her family organized.

{Click on the picture below to order!}

How about you?  Are you wanting to get organized and declutter this summer too?  “The Joy of Less” might be the help you’re looking for….

“The Joy of Less is a fun, easy-to-follow guide to minimalist living from bestselling, de-cluttering expert Francine Jay. Dip in and be on your way to a simpler, more stream-lined, and more serene life.”

Inside this book you’ll learn…

* How pairing down can make you happier

* 10 easy steps to declutter your home

* Specific techniques to tackle each room

* How living lightly can help save the planet

* Decluttering tips for the whole family

6. “Present Over Perfect” by Shauna Niequist

This book is, once again, about leaving the busy life behind and finding rest and soulful living.  Are we seeing a trend here in book themes?  Here’s a small snippet from “Present Over Perfect: Leaving Behind Frantic for a Simpler, More Soulful Way of Living“…

A few years ago, I found myself exhausted and isolated, my soul and body sick. I was tired of being tired, burned out on busy. And, it seemed almost everyone I talked with was in the same boat: longing for connection, meaning, depth, but settling for busy.  I am a wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend, neighbor, writer, and I know all too well that settling feeling. But over the course of the last few years, I’ve learned a way to live, marked by grace, love, rest, and play. And it’s changing everything.  Present Over Perfect is an invitation to this journey that changed my life. I’ll walk this path with you, a path away from frantic pushing and proving, and toward your essential self, the one you were created to be before you began proving and earning for your worth.

{Click the book below to purchase!}

7. “Hallelujah Anyway” by Anne Lamotte

I saw this book at Target recently, and was instantly intrigued by the sparkly silver firework graphic on the coral cover.  As I read portions of this book I was hooked.  Here’s what it’s all about…

“Mercy is radical kindness,” Anne Lamott writes in her enthralling and heartening book, Hallelujah Anyway. It’s the permission you give others—and yourself—to forgive a debt, to absolve the unabsolvable, to let go of the judgment and pain that make life so difficult.  In Hallelujah Anyway: Rediscovering Mercy Lamott ventures to explore where to find meaning in life. We should begin, she suggests, by “facing a great big mess, especially the great big mess of ourselves.” It’s up to each of us to recognize the presence and importance of mercy everywhere—”within us and outside us, all around us”—and to use it to forge a deeper understanding of ourselves and more honest connections with each other. While that can be difficult to do, Lamott argues that it’s crucial, as “kindness towards others, beginning with myself, buys us a shot at a warm and generous heart, the greatest prize of all.”

{Click the picture below to oder this fabulous book!}

8. “Only Love Today” by Rachel Stafford

This glorious book takes you through each season, and shares ways to cherish each day and live with purpose and love through every season of life.

Only Love Today is the inspirational read from best-selling author of Hands Free Mama, Rachel Macy Stafford. Millions of Stafford’s fans from her blog and her books find hope, challenge, and inspiration through her poetic and powerful short pieces on her blog. Only Love Today brings these pieces and many new, original entries together in a beautiful book based around the four seasons. From finding daily surrender in the autumn and daily hope in the winter, to daily bloom and daily spark in the spring and summer, you will always find fresh beautiful words for your day.  With a flexible, non-dated structure, Only Love Today is perfect to pick up at any time of the year and find hope and encouragement to address your current challenge or need – family, parenting, relationships, finding peace in a stressed out world. Stafford offers you strength and vision for a new and more connected way to live. This is a timeless book of inspiration to remember and live for what really matters.

Several bloggers I love and admire have recommended this book. It sounds like it’s a wonderful inspirational resource to have on your bookshelf for any day of the week, month, or year when you need a little pick-me-up.

{Click the book below to purchase!}

9. “Happy Pretty Messy” by Natalie Wise

I don’t think I could say explain what this book is all about any better than this brief description…

From cultivating your inner self to creating community and the perfect homemade latte, Happy Pretty Messy inspires a life that flourishes with charm, color, caffeine and, most importantly, courage. Finding value in these things might be the most important thing you do, so grab this book and dig in today.

{Click the book below to order!}

10. “The Magnolia Story” by Chip & Joanna Gaines

It’s no secret that I’m obsessed with Fixer Upper, shiplap, farmhouse style, & basically anything and everything inspired by Chip & Joanna Gaines.  So, when my hubby surprised me with their book, “The Magnolia Story” in my stocking this past Christmas, I was thrilled!  This book is definitely on my reading list for this summer.  I can’t wait to get the inside scoop on how they began & how they maintain such a light-hearted yet respectful marriage despite a growing family and booming business.

{Click the book below to purchase!}

So, there you have it…my summer book bucket list!  What reading material is on your agenda for this summer?  Will you be sharing reading time with you kiddos, or will you be catching up on the piles of magazines that have collected over the year so far?  Can I encourage you to take some time to yourself every day to read something that you enjoy…something that inspires you…something that makes changes your perspective on life?

Please share with me what your reading this summer.  I’d love to know what you’re looking forward to reading too!