This year I told myself I was finally going to get caught up on my reading list. I have friends that set goals for themselves to read two books a month for the year. I have yet to be able to match those goals but have vowed to chip away slowly at my book list little by little this year.
I joined a book club with a few of my STL Mom contributing writers, which, along with another book club of friends that I am in, got my reading off to a good start for the year. We read No One Ever Asked By Katie Ganshert, which was my favorite book so far this year. It is a fictional take on events that happened in the St. Louis area public school system. After that, I read another title that we considered, Such a Fun Age By Kiley Reid, and then our second book, Guest List by Lucy Foley and both were great reads that I would recommend for summer.
This summer, I plan to read a mix of fiction and non-fiction options. Below are the books I am most excited to dive into:
- When The Stars Go Dark By Paula McLain – This was my other book club’s pick for the month. I’m about halfway through already, and so far, I love it. It’s a thriller that mixes real-life missing person stories with the fictional one in the book. I can’t wait to see how it ends!
- Can’t Even: How Millennials Became the Burnout Generation By Anne Helen Petersen – As an older millennial, this book made me feel seen as soon as I read the description. In the book, Peterson describes how millennials have been a generation defined by work, the phenomenon of burnout, and what we can do to rise up against it.
- The Nightingale By Kristin Hannah– Probably the most recommended book on my list; it seems to be a favorite of everyone. I actually read another one of her books, The Great Alone, which I loved, so I am interested in seeing how this one stacks up.
- The Now Habit: A Strategic Program for Overcoming Procrastination and Enjoying Guilt-Free Play By Neil Fiore, PH.D.--As a lifelong serial procrastinator, this one has been on my list for a while.
- The Ensemble By Aja Gabel -The story of four young friends managing the cutthroat world of classical music and their relationships with each other. This seems like the perfect poolside read.
- Daisy Jones and The Six By Taylor Jenkins Reid -Another repeatedly recommended book. This tale of an iconic 1970’s rock band’s rise to stardom seems right up my alley.
- Maybe You Should Talk To Someone By Lori Gottlieb – A behind-the-scenes peek from both sides of the couch. Therapist Lori Gottlieb’s memoir on her life as a therapist, as a patient of therapy, and what we can all learn from it. Can’t wait to start this one!
- Radical Kindness: The Life-changing Power of Giving and Receiving By Angela Santomero – If this author’s name seems familiar, it’s because you’ve seen it at the end of every Daniel Tiger episode your child has ever watched. The beloved creator of Blues Clues and Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood and protégé of Fred Rogers explores the importance of kindness and how it can change your life. The book ties into the PBS special, “The Power of Radical Kindness.”
- The Rabbit Effect: Live Longer, Happier and Healthier With the Groundbreaking Science of Kindness By Kelli Harding, MD, MPH – Because the world could use a whole lot of kindness these days, this one also made the list.
- Fair Play: A Game-Changing Solution for When You Have Too Much To Do (And More Life To Live) By Eve Rodsky – I have heard a lot of good things about this one. It serves as a road map on how to get away from being the “shefault” and start to divvy up household responsibilities between parents.
Have you read any of these? What were your thoughts? Any other recommendations I should add to my list? Leave them in the comments below!
