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Reading used to be part of our homework back in the good old school days; the last time I was in school (high school) our literature teacher assigned us a monthly read and I must confess that despite being an avid reader I disliked this task because the books were usually bad. If perhaps you went through something like that but now you love spending hours with your Kindle or paperback in hand and are looking for some good stories for this summer here’s a list of the 10 best books for this summer.
1. The Mountain Is You by Brianna Wiest"
"In the end, it is not the mountain we master but ourselves."
Struggling with self-sabotage? The Mountain Is You will help you figure out how, why when you do it, and how to stop it once and for all. This self-help book will help you navigate your inner world by "extracting crucial insight from your most damaging habits and building emotional intelligence by better understanding your brain and bodies, releasing past cellular experiences and learning how to act as your higher potential future self". This is for sure one of the best books for this summer for those who are seeking a significant life transformation.
2. Book Lovers by Emily Henry
"One summer, two rivals. A plot twist they didn't see coming."
If you're a fan of a good old slow burn and the enemies-to-lovers trope you'll love this story. Winner of the 2022 Best Romance selection of the GoodReads Choice Awards, Book Lovers is a highly popular novel throughout the internet thanks to its one-of-a-kind characters and plot. Nora Stevens is a literary agent whose life seems to be focused solely on her job until she's persuaded by her sister to go on a trip to Sunshine Falls in North Carolina where she keeps bumping into Charlie Lastra, a bookish yet serious editor with whom she's had nothing but poor experiences. After a series of comical and unique coincidences, their meetings lead them to unravel stories about themselves that they weren't aware of.
When I got the book I honestly had no idea what it was about, I just saw everyone on the BookTok and Bookstagram communities was talking about it so I got it. It definitely didn't turn into one of my favorite books but it does have an interesting story, will give you good laughs, and make you experience an unusual POV.
3. The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin
"I set out to write a book about what to do to make a great work of art. Instead, it revealed itself to be a book on how to be." -Rick Rubin
Despite my significant interest in music and the music industry, I had no idea who Rick Rubin was until I came across this book on TikTok, if like me you're clueless here's a brief summary. Rick Rubin is an American record executive, record producer, co-founder of Def-Jam Recordings, founder of American Recordings, and former president of Columbia Records. The Creative Act is "a beautiful and generous course of study that illuminates the path of the artist as a road we all can follow. It distills the wisdom gleaned from a lifetime's work into a luminous reading experience that puts the power to create moments--and lifetimes--of exhilaration and transcendence within closer reach for all of us."
Let out your inner creativity with this heartwarming and inspiring asset by one of the most noticeable figures in the music field.
4. 1984 by George Orwell
"Big brother is watching you."
If you haven't yet, 1984 stands without a doubt as a must-read summer book. This dystopian novel is one where the dangers of a full-time surveilled society are portrayed perfectly, it's more than just a story, is a warning for the world to evade a point of no return where we no longer have our own thoughts, choices, and freedom overall and instead follow what the power says in a society that's monitored 24/7 by cameras, phones, screens, and even other citizens. This fiction masterpiece will open the eyes of those who have been unconscious of the real threat that an over-technologized deranged society can lead us to. While I read it I gasped so many times because there were events in the book that are already happening in real life, so if you decide to add this one to your TBR list please be conscious about your power and role to avoid a horrific society.
5. The Power Of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment by Eckhart Tolle
“Realize deeply that the present moment is all you have. Make the NOW the primary focus of your life.”
Another read that aims to be life-altering is The Power Of Now, which was first published in 1997. As its title says, Eckhart Tolle guides you throughout this book to "become connected to the indestructible essence of our Being". Although the journey can be challenging, Tolle makes sure to navigate the reader through this adventure with simple language and an easy question-and-answer format. The Power Of Now is said to be "one of those rare books with the power to create an experience in readers, one that can radically change their lives for the better". I currently have this title on my want-to-read list, because I've heard and read many good things about it, I'll let you know my thoughts on it once I check it off my list!
6. People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry
"I'll never belong anywhere like I belong with you."
Emily Henry ranks again as the book #6 on this list with People We Meet on Vacation, a friends-to-lovers story full of chemistry, fun, and of course, a thrilling summer vibe. The two main characters, Poppy and Alex are total opposites, she's wild and he wears khakis (kinda funny I know, but that's what the GoodReads description says); they became best friends since college and when Poppy moved out of their hometown to NYC they agreed that she'd come back every summer to spend one week together, that lasted a decade until they got into a fight and split ways, but then, she convinces Alex to reunite for a week like they used to, what could happen?
Also famous among social media readers, this chick-lit contemporary romance is described as a captivating slow-burn read ideal for the summer.
7. Break The Habit Of Being Yourself by Joe Dispenza
"We cannot create a new future, by holding on to the emotions of the past."
If you can't already tell, I'm a fan of self-development and spirituality books, which is why I had to include Break The Habit of Being Yourself. Dr. Dispenza is a prominent figure in the wellness, spirituality, and self-growth communities due to his revolutionary and cathartic teachings, chances are you may have watched something from him on YouTube, TikTok, or Instagram. I really loved this book because it gives you an easy way to dive into your conscious and subconscious thoughts and patterns so you can break them and start new ones based on the life you actually want and not the one you've been programmed to have. Break The Habit of Being Yourself combines quantum physics, biology, neuroscience, and genetics to give you the tools to make measurable changes in any area of your life and change any part of yourself that no longer serves you.
Reading used to be part of our homework back in the good old school days; the last time I was in school (high school) our literature teacher assigned us a monthly read and I must confess that despite being an avid reader I disliked this task because the books were usually bad. If perhaps you went through something like that but now you love spending hours with your Kindle or paperback in hand and are looking for some good stories for this summer here’s a list of the 10 best books for this summer.
1. The Mountain Is You by Brianna Wiest"
"In the end, it is not the mountain we master but ourselves."
Struggling with self-sabotage? The Mountain Is You will help you figure out how, why when you do it, and how to stop it once and for all. This self-help book will help you navigate your inner world by "extracting crucial insight from your most damaging habits and building emotional intelligence by better understanding your brain and bodies, releasing past cellular experiences and learning how to act as your higher potential future self". This is for sure one of the best books for this summer for those who are seeking a significant life transformation.
2. Book Lovers by Emily Henry
"One summer, two rivals. A plot twist they didn't see coming."
If you're a fan of a good old slow burn and the enemies-to-lovers trope you'll love this story. Winner of the 2022 Best Romance selection of the GoodReads Choice Awards, Book Lovers is a highly popular novel throughout the internet thanks to its one-of-a-kind characters and plot. Nora Stevens is a literary agent whose life seems to be focused solely on her job until she's persuaded by her sister to go on a trip to Sunshine Falls in North Carolina where she keeps bumping into Charlie Lastra, a bookish yet serious editor with whom she's had nothing but poor experiences. After a series of comical and unique coincidences, their meetings lead them to unravel stories about themselves that they weren't aware of.
When I got the book I honestly had no idea what it was about, I just saw everyone on the BookTok and Bookstagram communities was talking about it so I got it. It definitely didn't turn into one of my favorite books but it does have an interesting story, will give you good laughs, and make you experience an unusual POV.
3. The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin
"I set out to write a book about what to do to make a great work of art. Instead, it revealed itself to be a book on how to be." -Rick Rubin
Despite my significant interest in music and the music industry, I had no idea who Rick Rubin was until I came across this book on TikTok, if like me you're clueless here's a brief summary. Rick Rubin is an American record executive, record producer, co-founder of Def-Jam Recordings, founder of American Recordings, and former president of Columbia Records. The Creative Act is "a beautiful and generous course of study that illuminates the path of the artist as a road we all can follow. It distills the wisdom gleaned from a lifetime's work into a luminous reading experience that puts the power to create moments--and lifetimes--of exhilaration and transcendence within closer reach for all of us."
Let out your inner creativity with this heartwarming and inspiring asset by one of the most noticeable figures in the music field.
4. 1984 by George Orwell
"Big brother is watching you."
If you haven't yet, 1984 stands without a doubt as a must-read summer book. This dystopian novel is one where the dangers of a full-time surveilled society are portrayed perfectly, it's more than just a story, is a warning for the world to evade a point of no return where we no longer have our own thoughts, choices, and freedom overall and instead follow what the power says in a society that's monitored 24/7 by cameras, phones, screens, and even other citizens. This fiction masterpiece will open the eyes of those who have been unconscious of the real threat that an over-technologized deranged society can lead us to. While I read it I gasped so many times because there were events in the book that are already happening in real life, so if you decide to add this one to your TBR list please be conscious about your power and role to avoid a horrific society.
5. The Power Of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment by Eckhart Tolle
“Realize deeply that the present moment is all you have. Make the NOW the primary focus of your life.”
Another read that aims to be life-altering is The Power Of Now, which was first published in 1997. As its title says, Eckhart Tolle guides you throughout this book to "become connected to the indestructible essence of our Being". Although the journey can be challenging, Tolle makes sure to navigate the reader through this adventure with simple language and an easy question-and-answer format. The Power Of Now is said to be "one of those rare books with the power to create an experience in readers, one that can radically change their lives for the better". I currently have this title on my want-to-read list, because I've heard and read many good things about it, I'll let you know my thoughts on it once I check it off my list!
6. People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry
"I'll never belong anywhere like I belong with you."
Emily Henry ranks again as the book #6 on this list with People We Meet on Vacation, a friends-to-lovers story full of chemistry, fun, and of course, a thrilling summer vibe. The two main characters, Poppy and Alex are total opposites, she's wild and he wears khakis (kinda funny I know, but that's what the GoodReads description says); they became best friends since college and when Poppy moved out of their hometown to NYC they agreed that she'd come back every summer to spend one week together, that lasted a decade until they got into a fight and split ways, but then, she convinces Alex to reunite for a week like they used to, what could happen?
Also famous among social media readers, this chick-lit contemporary romance is described as a captivating slow-burn read ideal for the summer.
7. Break The Habit Of Being Yourself by Joe Dispenza
"We cannot create a new future, by holding on to the emotions of the past."
If you can't already tell, I'm a fan of self-development and spirituality books, which is why I had to include Break The Habit of Being Yourself. Dr. Dispenza is a prominent figure in the wellness, spirituality, and self-growth communities due to his revolutionary and cathartic teachings, chances are you may have watched something from him on YouTube, TikTok, or Instagram. I really loved this book because it gives you an easy way to dive into your conscious and subconscious thoughts and patterns so you can break them and start new ones based on the life you actually want and not the one you've been programmed to have. Break The Habit of Being Yourself combines quantum physics, biology, neuroscience, and genetics to give you the tools to make measurable changes in any area of your life and change any part of yourself that no longer serves you.