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Summer is my favorite time to read! The kids are home. Our schedule is slow and relaxed. We spend plenty of time by the pool and lazy afternoons in the hammock. It is a great time.
Our kids have participated in our local library's summer reading program since they were babies. A couple of years ago, I decided moms need a summer reading program too!
I started researching great books to read. I put books on hold at our local library. Suddenly, I was just as excited to go to the library every week with the kids!
I came home with a stack of books just for me. I found a new passion for reading. My kids saw me reading. My friends started asking me, "What should I read?"
So, if you need your own summer reading program, look no further! I have everything you need! I gathered 10 books for your own summer reading program. Browse and see what interests you.
Seven books are fiction. The last three are nonfiction. In my opinion, all ten would make excellent poolside reads!
Ready to read? Let's Go!
Louise is a single mom. She has a good job. She loves her son.
On a rare night out, she meets a great guy at a bar. They part after one kiss and she is thrilled her life has finally turned a corner.
Louise arrives at work on Monday to find out that guy, David, is her new boss. And he is married to Adele.
Louise accidentally becomes friends with Adele and David still has a thing for Louise. This story ends nothing like you think. It is full of twists and turns. It is like no other book I've read lately.
It's a page turner folks! A thriller about second chances and complicated relationships.
In 1930, Judge Joseph Crater steps into a cab in New York City and is never seen again.
Joseph Crater was a prominent judge in New York City. He was married to his faithful and fashionable wife, Stella. He employed a hard-working maid, Maria, and spent time with his showgirl mistress named Ritzi.
The day he goes missing unfolds through the eyes of each woman and reveals the stories of their lives. The ending was not what I expected and kept me guessing until the end. I could not put this book down.
Quinn Porter is a musician. He has lived his life on the road. He has married Belle twice and has tried his best to be a good father for their 11-year-old son. When his son suddenly dies, Quinn takes over his son's yard duty for a 104-year-old woman, Ona Vitkus. Quinn finds out that his son and Ona had a very special relationship. They were unexpected friends. Quinn and Ona discover that grief can bring two strangers together in a beautiful friendship.
Devon Knox is a gymnastics prodigy and Olympic hopeful. For her parents, Katie and Eric, no cost is too high to see their daughter reach the Olympics. They have leveraged everything they have to see Devon compete at the highest level possible. All seems to be going well until the unthinkable happens, the death of a man from their gym. The Knox family is turned upside down dealing with this shocking death.
Jenna Gray moves to a broken down cottage in a remote coastal town. She wants to forget a terrible car accident and the child she lost. The middle of this book will leave you in shock and have you on your toes until the end! Fans of Girl on the Train and Gone Girl will love this book. Fair Warning: this book deals with the death of a child and domestic violence.
This book has been talked about a lot lately and for good reason. If you haven't grabbed a copy, go get one! Scott Burroughs and a 4-year-old boy are the only survivors of a private jet that crashed into the ocean 16 minutes after take off. The boy is the only heir of a wealthy and powerful media mogul. The investigation into this strange crash takes all kinds of twists and turns. It is faced paced and will keep you guessing until the end.
Aubrey Hamilton's husband was declared dead 5 years after he went missing. It is has been a long 5 years for Aubrey dealing with her husband's strange disappearance. Aubrey has struggled to cope and move on. Her marriage seemed to be great on the outside. Or was it? What really happened to her husband? No One Knows is a thriller that will have you guessing until the end. I could not put this book down. Fans of The Girl on the Train or Gone Girl will love this book.
Laura Vanderkam, author of 168 Hours, collected hour-by-hour time sheets from women who make $100,000 a year or more. She found some fascinating things about the lives of these women. Contrary to popular belief, these high earning women worked less and slept more than you would think. They spent quality time with their spouses and kids. They worked out and maintained friendships. Laura includes their time logs in the book as well as tips and trick she has learned from these women.
In life, you can be unhappy or you can change things. And even if there are things you can't change, you can often change your mind-set and question assumptions that are making life less good than it could be.
I really enjoyed this book and resonated with much of it. The quote above is everything I am learning right now I as I am working more. It probably deserves a whole post itself! I think Laura hits all the right places in this book emphasizing that we probably can't have it all, but we can change the things we can control. Amen.
I'd been hearing rumblings about this book for some time. We finally grabbed the audiobook on a road trip and started listening to it.
The 12 week year urges readers to set quarterly rather than yearly goals. The theory is you are more motivated to crush your goals in smaller increments of time.
Often times yearly goals are made and set aside. Forgotten. But 12 week goals force us to stay focused and more productive.
This book is equal parts theory and practical advice. Many ideas were new to me and I'm excited to implement these things next quarter.
Head over here to sign up for the 12 Week Year newsletter. They have great freebies to help you set up a 12 week year.
Suffering, Flourishing, Authority, and Vulnerability. How to do we make sense of those things in our churches, our ministries, and our communities? How do we help others grow? How do I grow?
Andy Crouch explains that flourishing people are strong and weak. They travel down unexpected paths of both strong and weak circumstances. They do not inflict suffering on others in order to grasp for power. Instead they use the authority given to them to be vulnerable. They risk to help the weak.
We do great harm to one another when we inflict pain in order to get a certain response or result. This is not what strong leaders do. Strong leaders recognize their power and risk for the benefit of others. I cannot recommend this book enough.
Learn about the Cricut Scoring Wheel versus the Cricut Stylus. What is the Cricut Scoring combo wheel? How do you know when to use the Cricut scoring wheel? Can you use the Cricut scoring wheel with a Cricut Explore Air? And so much more!