I loved to read when I was little and devoured books any chance I got. Picking my favorite spot in the kitchen on the floor, stretched out under my mother’s workspace. It was a bit dark but private to read undisturbed. My favorite books had, of course, a hero and stories from faraway lands that seemed so exotic and different than the life I was leading. I grew up in the country, helping farmers work the fields or racing down the street with my best friend on our scooters.
For a few years, I put my books aside and found more pleasure in exploring the world. This changed again as I had kids. You guessed right: “What to Expect When You’re Expecting” was one of the books on my reading list.
Prolong Summer Joy With My Reading Picks
My kids grew, and I focused more on my business, and I developed a hunger for business-related books that showed me how to grow my business. I love what I do, and it’s hard to pull myself away from work, but I found a new way to devour my favorite novels.
My new found passion is listening to books instead of reading an actual book or from an electronic device. I was surprised by how many books I was able to enjoy this summer. In no specific order, here is my summer reading list, review, and summary for each book.
Share your summer reading with me too!
Love your day,
Heike
My any-time of the year reading list!
By V.C. Chickering
V.C. was also a guest on my podcast and shared her story. You can listen here.
This was a racy and sexy book sharing the 50 years of a WASPy family from New New Jersey. The story has many characters, and it’s a little confusing at first to separate them. As each scandal unraveled, you had to smirk and wonder what on earth are they going to do now to solve the next dilemma. This book “tells” what others might think. (This was the only actual book I read)
By Taylor Jenkins Reid
This was an unexpected find, and I loved it. Based on the true story of the rise and fall of the rock band The Six in the 70s. Daisy is a strung-out rich kid who’s bored and ignored by her family. Daisy sneaks out at night and goes to Jazz clubs, drinks, and smokes rather than going to school. She is beautiful, a gifted singer, and a free spirit. But the rock and roll scene takes a toll on her, particularly when she meets The Six. Billy, the band leader, meets Daisy, and the spark ignites to make one of the greatest albums of that time. I found one of their songs on YouTube. I loved that each character had their individual voice on the audio.
By Lisa Wingate
I could not put my earbuds down for this book. Based on one of America’s most notorious real-life scandals in which Georgia Tann kidnaps kids from low-income families and sells them to wealthy families. This is the story of Rill and her four siblings stolen from their family’s shanty boat on the Mississippi River. Made believe that they will return home soon, they have to undergo unbelievable cruelty, loss, heartbreak, and triumph in the end.
By Brian Freeman
This is a slow-moving but captivating mystery. The story of a small town and the secrets that everybody keeps is unraveled by the death of a kid named Jeremiah. As the deputy, Shelby Lake, named after the nearby lake, herself an abandoned baby, is the one who must solve the mystery around Jeremiah’s death. A secret that might be buried under the deep snow forever.
By Taylor Jenkins Reid
It’s a short book but so worth it. Writing to a stranger you never met and telling him that your husband has an affair with his wife takes guts. This story is told through letters in which two strangers are comforting each other and sharing the painful details of the affair.
By Elizabeth Gilbert
I have never used this word for any book, but City of Girls is salacious! The story is set in New York City theater during the 1940s with glamour, sex, and adventure of a young woman discovering herself. Raised by affluent parents, Vivian is bursting to leave the boring home of her parents. She is sent to her Aunt Peg, who owns a crumbling midtown theater called the Lily Playhouse. Viv experiences the cosmopolitan theater life of New York, and it turns her life upside down. At eighty-nine, she is finally telling her story, and I love it.
I hope you enjoyed my summer reading list and might share some of your favorites by responding to this email.