That gorgeous, lazy, hazy, read-till-the-last-light-fades feeling of summer is upon us.
It inspired me back to my book shelves where all my friends live. The ones who have made the journey with us every time we’ve moved. Which has been quite a lot. And no matter how much the boxing them up and unpacking them all might drive us crazy, I’m still a books-with-real-pages fan all the way.
So here’s what I’m grabbing to shove in a pool bag, or travel suitcase, or diaper bag any time I head out the door this summer. Maybe something will strike your fancy too.
In no particular order – my 23 Summer Reads (some for the 1st others for the 21st time):
Oh how I chuckled my way through this slice of awesomeness about parenting FIVE boys! How Do You Tuck In a Superhero?: And Other Delightful Mysteries of Raising Boys by Rachel Balducci will echo all the crazy you’ve heard yourself say – like no, you can’t lock your brother in the fridge. It will sympathize with the fear that some kid, some day will “fly” off the roof and understands the profound love language that a Costo size pack of hot dogs can speak into a boy’s heart.
::
Some days we feel less like super heroes and more like we’ve met our Kryptonite and it’s that pair of cool blue eyes staring out from four-year-old obstinacy. This is the book to get you through. Devotions for Sacred Parenting: A Year of Weekly Devotions for Parents is what I grab off my nightstand when I need to be reminded parenting is supposed to hard. It’s supposed to be growing me into a better version of myself and not just figuring out ways to keep all 3 kids in bed come 9pm. Parenting is a lifetime of unlearning the habits of self and learning the habits of the Father God.
::
I start to get nervous about Mondays on Sunday nights. I call it the Sunday night blues. The layers of expectation and laundry can eat us alive before the week even begins. This year, leading (in)courage’s first worldwide meetup of women called (in)RL I battled fear on a daily basis. This honest and ultimately brave book by my friend Angie Smith, What Women Fear: Walking in Faith that Transforms, changed how I think about success and failure and helped me breathe through months of Mondays leading up to (in)RL.
::
For those days when you lock yourself in the bathroom just so you can have five minutes in peace and quiet to check email on your phone. Seriously, my friend Kristen knows crazy. She pretty much wrote the book on being *that* family. You know the ones. Don’t Make Me Come Up There!: Quiet Moments for Busy Momswill make you feel like finally there’s another mom who understands. And can laugh with you, encourage you and maybe bring over a cup of sweet tea too.
::
If you’ve got spring cleaning fever – this is the book for you! Organized Simplicity: The Clutter-Free Approach to Intentional Living is an easy peasy checklist to each room of the house and all kinds of other nooks and crannies of life that Tsh from Simple Mom helps you sort through. You can jump into any chapter and make the book work for you. User friendly, encouraging and simple. Win-win-win. The only thing that would make it better is if Tsh would come over and do all the spring cleaning for me!
::
Did you ever think that parenting is as much about teaching you as it is about teaching your children? Sacred Parenting: How Raising Children Shapes Our Souls
is the most beautiful book on the art and sacrifice of parenting I’ve read. I keep re-reading it. Here is the challenge that we are meant to feel bent, exhausted, stripped of ourselves and empty. That it’s not a mistake. It’s an on-purpose gift to parents. Those who learn what sacrifice looks like from Jesus’ perspective – often at 2am while someone is up with a tummy bug.
::
The first parenting book in three kids that hasn’t made me made me want to throw it out the window. I raved about Spirit-Led Parenting: From Fear to Freedom in Baby’s First Year over here. If you’re a new mom and feel like motherhood is a test you’re failing – seriously, please read this book. On giving up what “they” say and embracing a gentler way.
::
Before there was Stuff Christians Like there was Adrian Plass. The funniest Christian satire written from the perspective of woefully inept Adrian – I’ve owned this book for decades. Anytime I need to remember to laugh at myself and love the messy Church for all its foibles and follies I read this. The Sacred Diary of Adrian Plass, Aged 37 3/4 is good medicine for any cynical Christian’s soul.
::
I read this the first time when my first born was only nine months old. I’ve come back to it many times since. How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk is chock full of practical examples of what it looks like when kids and parents hit a communication speed bump {or a whole parking lot full of them}. Nothing has been as practical as this book for understanding how kids think. And how I sound to my kids. Wonderful, helpful, funny, encouraging advice with loads of examples here.
::
That book you want to write? That blog you want to start? That art show you want to have? This short, practical book might just be the pep talk you need to get you there. The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles talks you through the “excuses” we sometimes let get in the way of our dream. Read, then go – do that thing you’re being pulled toward.
::
The Internet has created an even playing field for all of us. Suit up. We need your voice. And we need leaders. This piece of social media smarts from egghead extraordinaire, Seth Godin, Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us
is a must read for anyone who has a voice they want to turn into a megaphone and megaphone they want to convert to a platform.
::
Fair warning: this book might spoil your summer. It may give you an itch to try that thing you’ve been putting off as crazy. Kisses from Katie: A Story of Relentless Love and Redemption
is a book about a 21-year-old girl who loved her life as a popular high school senior and left it because she felt an itch. Yea, you know the one. And she ended up in Uganda mama to 12 adopted kids. Yea, you read that right. Craziness – don’t say I didn’t warn you. Hot dog this is a great read!
::
I’ve been a huge Wess Stafford fan since I heard him speak about the most painful and vulnerable memories of his childhood. Our Compassion International team all read Too Small to Ignore 
before we traveled to Guatemala. Wess is President of Compassion International. I’m half way through Just a Minute: In the Heart of a Child, One Moment … Can Last Forever
and it’s making me rethink moments with my kids I would have otherwise rushed through. A collection of stories from over 60 grown ups about a key moment in their childhood that changed the course of their story. Great reading for when you want to try out a new brand of waterproof mascara.
::
Remember the time I told you how I had a temper tantrum over some bratwursts? And then had to lead a Bible study? That Bible study was written by Jennie Allen who also wrote this book, Anything: The Prayer That Unlocked My God and My Soul
. Jennie’s the real deal. She wants her faith to make a difference in her everyday, pick up the groceries, car pool life. This book is the story of what happened when she said yes to God’s anything. Read at your own risk.
::
This book is by one of my dearest online friends, Emily who blogs at Chatting at the Sky. Grace for the Good Girl: Letting Go of the Try-Hard Life is for anyone who worries their faith journey is on the vanilla side. And have worked hard at making sure they live up to what they expect from themselves, forgetting that grace is for all of us. Also, it has one of my favorite book trailers of all time. And Emily’s hosting a book club this summer – so grab a copy and join them!
::
One of the most talked about books from 2011. Still on the NY Times best sellers list 18 months later. But what makes One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are special to me is that it’s by one of my best friends who happens to be a farmer’s wife, mom to 6 kids and exactly my age. It’s about what happens when you start to wish you had a different life. How the daily grind can grind the joy right out of you. And what Ann discovers when she starts a journey into the heart of loving the moment she’s in instead of wishing for anywhere else.
::
This is on my book shelf and waiting for a slow summer evening to dig into. Empty Promises: The Truth About You, Your Desires, and the Lies You’re Believing is by Nashville pastor and blogger Pete Wilson and a response to that hungry hole in our hearts that thinks if we had a bigger house, or Pottery Barn living rooms, or perfect kids we’d finally stop wishing for something else. Yea, so in other words this book was written for me. Looking forward to digging in.
::
This one intrigued me because Bob Goff is an attorney who finds time to write stories instead of just legal briefs. And since I had a brief stint in the legal field and find myself now tapping out life on a keyboard, I couldn’t resist. I’m only a few pages into Love Does: Discover a Secretly Incredible Life in an Ordinary World and enjoying the snapshot style of story telling – a person here, a moment there – the beautiful kaleidoscope of ordinary. And how nothing and no one is ordinary at all.
::
Did you know that Madeleine L’Engle spent nearly a decade getting rejection letters for A Wrinkle in Time? Most of them during what she calls “the tired 30s.” She is my hero because, like me, in A Circle of Quietshe worried about her lack of house keeping skills and inability to make a decent pie. She felt guilty for writing and yet couldn’t give it up. If you’re a mom to young ones who tries to juggle motherhood with another passion, this is the book for you. Encouragement, deep thinking on the nature of words all wrapped up in a grand sense of humor. One of my all time favorites.
::
OK so honestly I thought 7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess was going to be all naggy-naggy, preachy-preachy and painfully annoying. It was so not. Jen Hatmaker is like that hilarious girlfriend who tells it like it is and makes you laugh at yourself in the same sentence. She’s funny, she’s real and she wears only 7 articles of clothing for a whole month. Seriously – this is a read that’s good for the soul and the funny bone.
::
I got to write an endorsement for You’re Already Amazing: Embracing Who You Are, Becoming All God Created You to Be. I said, “When you’re wondering who you are and why you are, this book is like the good friend who takes you out to coffee to help figure it out. Holley understands all the expectations we heap on ourselves and shows us how to lay them down one by one in favor of the relationship God is inviting us into. It’s a welcome relief.” And I meant every word.
::
I’ve always had a crush on Twitter. I love how it gives everyone the same voice, the same access, the same microphone. And Twitter for Good: Change the World One Tweet at a Time is full of fascinating examples of how people have used that microphone to change the world. If you have no clue what Twitter is or how to use it this is a great starter kit. And if you’re wanting to stretch your Twitter legs, this will suggest new routes to take. It’s a fun and fascinating foray into the power of 140 characters.
::
Have you noticed how reading a book from start to finish is becoming harder and harder the more time you spend on the Internet? The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains is a snap shot of how we’re becoming new email/Tweets/Facebook notification junkies. It’s scary and fascinating at the same time. And one of the reasons I’m determined to read more books this summer!
OK, whew. Those are my picks – what are a few that you’ve got stuffed in beach bags, back packs and baskets this summer?
{Amazon affiliate links used.}
::
::
Have you ever read The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom? That’s a great one. Also Crazy Love by Francis Chan. Weird by Craig Groeschel. The Cause Within You by Matthew Barnett. Shepherding a Child’s Heart by Tedd Tripp. There’s more good ones obviously, but looks like you have enough. ;) You have a great list, btw. I’m gonna have to read a lot of these too!
Just finished Empty Promises. Fabulous. Blogging about it this week. Read Love Does several weeks ago. My FAVORITE book of the year. So funny. And real. And such heart. Still have What Women Fear on my microwave. Must.Read.This.Summer. :) Blessings!
This is a fabulous list. Along the lines of Seth Godin’s book, I’m also reading Michael Hyatt’s Platform. (You already have quite the platform, of course, but it’s a smart read.)
Your list is reminding me that I’ve got to get reading!
Kisses from Katie is the number one book I recommend anyone to read. Period. Hands down. Bar none!
Janelle
I have read many of those. I have a ridiculous addiction to books. I confess.
What women fear, You are already amazing, 7 ( LOVED), 1,000 gifts,
HA! Enjoy your reads while sitting in the sun!
I am also reading Townie, not sure I am enjoying that. Also the book by Matthew West–Your Story and I just finished Interrupted (Jen H).
Happy Reading!
Erm… You have a truck load more children than I do… WHERE DO YOU FIND THE TIME TO READ??? I need to know. It’s the sacrifice I made with ONE child! Help Me!!!
(Oh alright… it’s not that bad… but seriously… I listen to my books now because I only have time to kinda flash-read my bible in the mornings, so actual books, for entertainment, are so not happening.)
How do you do it????
Oh man, I will sacrifice sleep for books or movies :) I’m terrible about it. And it can make for grouchy mornings sometimes. But I need to feel like a person and I grew up in a house where books were holy and on occasion my mom took me out of school to see an “important” movie. So, suffice to say, we make the time for the things we can’t do without. For some people it’s crafting or cooking or decorating or gardening – you name it – for me it’s often books and writing.
I heard this all the time when my kids were little. I am an avid reader and have always made time for reading. I will give up scrapbooking, blowdrying my hair, wrinkle free clothes, etc. to have time to read.
But the real trick was making reading time part of our day. Not the reading time when I read to my kids, which I often did while they ate their lunches and dinners if daddy wasn’t home. (I know we are supposed to use meal times to talk but stay at home parents know we have spent all day talking so I chose to use that time to read my favorite chapter books. My boys have heard all the Ramona books, the Little House books, Roald Dahl and anything else that tickled my fancy starting when they were just preschoolers.) But I also set a time during our day when we all grabbed our own books, even before they could read they could look at pictures, and sit on the couch and read to ourselves. Mommy read her book for fun, while my boys read theirs. I now have boys that love books! They may not eat their vegetables but they love to read and I take a little pride in knowing I modeled that for them.
Great list. I’m right now reading “You’re Already Amazing” and I love it!
i keep hearing about (7) by jen hatmaker, so i guess i’m going to have to pick it up!
i always love a reading list!
I am going to look into the one by Madeline L’Engle. Thanks for the list!
It might be my number one pick from this list.
I am reading Harry Potter to my kids this summer. We have almost finished the first book, and it has taken less than 2 weeks. I am reading Eric Liddel in preparation for telling his story at some VBS’s, I am finishing up the Tapestry-the life of Francis and Edith Shaeffer. I am also reading a Ted Bell adventure novel. Did I mention that I love to read?=)
Oh what a wonderful and eclectic collection. I love it! I’m just finishing up reading the first Narnia book ever to my kids.
Great list! Added a few to my own reading list for the summer. Got me all excited…and then wishing I could escape to a beach for a week and read uninterrupted by the beach for a week. But I think my backyard will still do nicely. :) Thanks!
I apologize for that insanely redundant sentence. ;) Obviously my caffeine hasn’t kicked in. Maybe I really do need that beach…
Beach and books. Dreamy.
Here’s a few life-altering books my counseling and coaching clients are looking at this summer … see their reading carousel here –
http://www.creeksideministries.blogspot.com/2012/04/client-reading-carousel.html
Now some books on your list have become books on my list—thanks! And, happy reading!
Our bookshelves are remarkably similar friend. :)
I ordered Circle of Quiet – just what I need. :) Love you.
It was my number one life changing find this year. I’ve underlined practically the entire thing.
Thank you so much!!
I picked up the book “not a fan” by Kyle Idleman this weekend and it is amazing! I have been uneasy and unsettled about Christian churches and the attitude today of church on Sunday and live life how you want the rest of the week. This book teaches that Jesus wants followers, not fans who sit on the sidelines. I highly recommend it!
Oh my. I already own so many books that I haven’t read yet, but these are going on my to-buy list! :)
I used to make a habit of reading the entire Jan Karon “Mitford” series every summer. It was just my way of relaxing. I haven’t done that in a few years, but I do still read fiction only during the summer. I only read non-fiction during the school year. The reason? Because books suck me in, and with homeschooling 8 kids, I can NOT get sucked in during the school year!! LOL!! I don’t have my list made out for this summer yet, but I am planning to do the 90 Bible again for sure. It will be my second time this year, and I am excited about that!! I need to get to the library…love Amish fiction.
Great list!
But I have to be honest…reading the list above actually makes me feel really badly / bordering on self-pity, as I have no time in my day-to-day to breathe sometimes, or shower, or much else “for myself “, let alone read. I long to read. I miss reading. I wish I could pick even just one title on that list and make it a goal to (1) find time to order it and (2) read it in the coming month. Sigh.
How do you, Lisa-Jo, or how do any of the other moms-with-preschool-children manage to find time?
michelle (mom to four 5-and-under)
I get what you mean, Michelle. I’ve never been a very fast reader, so reading for pleasure seems to fall short behind the laundry, playing with the kids, cooking, cleaning, home-schooling, gardening, farming, canning, keeping the roadside stand full of nursery plants, and house projects…and oh, blogging, too. :) I have been reading 3 books with my Bible every morning (okay, every other morning but I TRY for every morning). It will take me a year or more to get through them b/c I only read a page or two (or paragraph, depending on the situations going on), but it does feel good to read SOMETHING! :) At night, it seems as soon as I pick up a book, my eyelids refuse to cooperate, and I wake up with the book on my chest. But someday, SOMEDAY, I will read again. Until then, blogs help me keep up and READING somebody else’s book list at least puts an idea of what’s what out there. :) I do so envy those who can sit and read. I’ll catch up when I’m old. :)
Oh my word wow- home-schooling, cooking, gardening, farming, canning – see, I don’t do any of those things – which frees up a lot of time for reading. You women are awesome. Don’t you dare feel stressed about not having time to read. We live the pleasures and loves that call to us. Live yours and love every minute!
Oh Michelle I so hear you. My secret is that I simply don’t do other things – like wash all the dishes or iron anything or vacuum on the days I’m loving on a good book. I read and it fills me up and when there’s only an hour or two after kids are all in bed, I use it in ways that I enjoy and not always in ways that I “should”. After all, I’m the grown up now, I get to decide :)
Thanks for this list! I appreciate the variety! Grace for the Good Girl is my first summer selection and I’m looking forward to the book club at Chatting at the Sky! I’m such a dig-in, underline it, mark the page reader I’ll be lucky to get through 2 or 3 by the time the leaves start changing :)
I love The Shallows — such a good book. In the same vein, Hamlet’s Blackberry is good, too.
I’m thinking you should stick I’m Outnumbered: One Mom’s Lessons in the Lively Art of Raising Boys in your bag! :0)
Ooooo adding that to the wish list now!
I have Love Does and Anything on my list. I just finished 7, loved it! And I am 20 pages out from finishing 1,000 gifts, I read it and savored it slowly.
I also have Platform by Michael Hyatt and Bird by Bird by Ann Lamott of my list.
I want to read Spirit Led parenting and I will be referring to your list as I build my list.
I have several of those on my to read list and just added several from your list to my amazon wish list! So thank you for the recommendation! I am reading Bringing up Girls by James Dobson as my husband reads Bringing up Boys. And I also have The Legacy Path – Discover Intentional Spiritual Parenting by Brian Haynes on my nightstand to read also. I lead a women’s Christian fiction book club at my church, so I have several fiction books on my list as well.
Many readers are asking when you read, and I made a pact with myself many years ago to read at least 5 pages each night. I don’t stop reading unless the page ends in 5, 0 or a chapter. That forces me to get through books, and many times even though I think I’m tired, I read much more. I almost always have a book with me though. I am a sponge – can’t get enough of reading! :)
What a great list! Definitely a few of those on my list, and some I should add I think.
Excellent list, my friend, and a number of those are on my to-read list for the summer, too. (And thanks for including my book!)
When will you be arriving to help me implement it, eh?
Great list! I think I’ll start with “Sacred Parenting.” Sounds like the gem or a book that my heart needs right now! Thanks!
Okay…ordered the study manual of Sacred Parenting instead of the actual book…typical me. But even the tid-bits in the study manual are gems! So I ventured into a Circle of Quiet and am in LOVE! Stumbled upon your recommendations at just the right time and am very grateful for these 2 books!
Ok, my reading list officially tripled. Thanks. I think. :)
Great list! I have many of these already on my nightstand. Finally reading The War of Art right now. So motivating! Can’t wait to read Love Does. I love Bob Goff and have been waiting for his book. I need to check out Circle of Quiet. Sounds amazing and I love her! Thanks for the recommendations!
How cool! I must post about my summer reading list soon (we don’t break for summer till July!). I have loved many of the books on your list (1000 gifts, Kisses From Katie, 7) and quite a few others are upcoming reads :)
Great list! I added “How to talk so kids will listen” to my Amazon list. It sounds like one I badly need to read…
I just finished Spirit-Led Parenting, and loved it. It basically put into words most of the things I changed with raising #2 compared to #1. I love how it talks about the things we learn about God and how we can grow more like Him through parenting. As I was reading it, I was also reminded of how grateful I’ve been for this blog and your example as a mother. God has used you to make me a gentler and more grateful mother, and that means more than I can say.
Oh thank you Amanda. God has used this blog to make me a better mother too. What I write here are often the lessons I’m learning with Him and writing them down helps them sink in all the way home ;)
I’ve just started reading A Circle of Quiet and it is absolutely charming. Thanks for the suggestions.
Oh I’m so glad you like it. I LOVED it! Felt like I’d met my soul sister or at least, someone I would have loved to chat with for hours over tea.
It’s so good to hear I’m not alone in my love for books (real books…despite the fact I’m posting this from a kindle!). It’s a problem for me too sometimes…I have such a stack to get through right now. I’ve had to quit buying any for awhile. I too grew up in a house where books were holy. Reading at meals was actually ok! To this day, I still like to read while I eat (if alone).
If I were going to buy some…I’d get The War of Art (I keep seeing it everywhere, so maybe I’ll make one exception!) and Anything…that looks awesome. (A few I’ve read already.)
I just finished Sacred Parenting and Kisses from katie last month. Both phenomenal! And there’s a couple of other good ones in there too. But I’ll be super impressed if you get through all of them. That’s quite a list. I have Crazy Love by Francis Chan on my list for the summer. I host a monthly link up of books the last Friday of each month. Come on over and check it out.
Love this. I’m a total wannabe reader, and confess that I haven’t read more than two books cover-to-cover per year since college — and maybe not even then. Thank you for sending this former reader turned busy mom back in the right direction. Summer kicked off here today with school letting out and the kids and I made our annual “daily summer schedule” (http://www.shewhodelights.blogspot.com). After finding this list of yours I’m especially thrilled that our summer days will include daily quiet reading time, as that means I have the time waiting for me (and I can actually lead by example!). Thanks so much.
Girl… don’t you have any reading-for-FUN books on that list? Just reading the descriptions made me tired. As a mom, the list is long of all the things I should be doing. Sometimes, I just need a break from that to enjoy a good story. (Kisses from Katie is the only one that may qualify, here.) Don’t you?
OK you made me laugh. Yes, true – I do have fiction fun reads aka brain candy in the mix as well. Maybe I need to do another post with my fiction favorites, eh?
Thanks for the great list!!
I am reading Catching Fire…of the Hunger Games trilogy. Terribly interesting. I am also doing a book/ Bible Study about Designing a Woman’s Life by Judith Couchman. It is stretching me as well as reading tons of information to prepare myself to lead and be the coordinator for a MOPS group here where I live, but I am so gonna add many of the ones you shared. :)
I’m totally adding “Kisses From Katie” to my library list. Thanks for the recommendation!
Also: Is it weird to only wear 7 articles of clothing for an entire month? Because that’s pretty much my wardrobe right now (at 8 weeks postpartum). ;)
Have you read “Too Small To Ignore: Why The Least of These Matters Most” by Wess Stafford (the President of Compassion International)? SUCH a good book – perhaps the best one that I’ve read in the past 5 years.
Love the new look!! Most of these are either on my to-read list or on my all-time favorites list. I think Anything is in my top 3 – such a fantastic read. A few of these will make my to-read a little longer. :) Some others on my read and loved list: Forgotten God by Francis Chan and A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller (on library’s waitlist for Miller’s first, Blue Like Jazz.) Also Don’t Make Me Count to Three by Ginger Plowman. So many more but I’ll stop. :) Love perusing others bookshelves. Thanks for a peek.
Wow, wonderful blog layout! How long have you been running a blog for?
you made running a blog look easy. The entire glance of your
website is fantastic, as neatly as the content material!