Updated June 16, 2017
I’m currently rereading 168 Hours and Salt Sugar Fat, and the books on my summer list, see below.
These 5 books are must-reads that I would recommend to anyone and everyone. I am a better, deeper person for having read each of them, and I’m hoping to reread all of them within the next 6-9 months, and maybe reread sections and post on them even sooner, because I know I just scratched the surface, because I’ll notice and see things I didn’t see before, and because I’m excited to share them with you.
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168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think
Laura Vanderkam
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When I read 168 Hours for the first time, it changed how I think about time, and the choices I have as a mom. I read it in 2012 while I was working part time from home with two small children and it has ever since been my guiding framework for how I think about time management, priorities, work-life balance, and what kind of commitments I can fit into my life. Laura convinced me I could keep working while raising my kids and I’m so glad I did. If I had made a different decision back then I would not have seen the personal and professional growth that I’ve been able to experience over the past 5 years, even alongside having two more children.
Wild at Heart: Discovering the Secret of a Man’s Soul
John Eldredge
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When I read Wild At Heart, it changed my marriage. Actually I read it before I got married, but I’m so glad I did because it changed how I view men and marriage and prepared me for raising boys. It’s on my reread list as my boys get older, and as my husband and I move into the next season of life with older children and more opportunities to pursue adventure and be wild at heart.
Shiny Objects: Why We Spend Money We Don’t Have in Search of Happiness We Can’t Buy
James A. Roberts
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Shiny Objects started me on a long profound journey of thinking differently about possessions, our consumer-based society, and how we use our resources of money, time and energy. This is on my current reread list, particularly the next time I do another spending freeze. If you want some concrete reasons for practicing contentment, check out this book. It will change the way you view possessions and relationships and the affect they have on each other.
Salt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us
Michael Moss
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My eyes were opened to the dangers of processed food for the first time when I read Salt Sugar Fat. I have since read other similar books, but this one stands out. Reading it will educate you about the industry and cause you to consider intelligently the messages you receive about what to buy. We must take responsibility and be intentional about what we bring home and feed our families. Just because someone is selling it to you does not mean it is good for your family.
American Mania: When More is Not Enough
Peter C. Whybrow, M.D.
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In American Mania, he sheds light on our collective feeling of being overworked and dissatisfied in an environment full of affluence and opportunity, using scientific insight into the biology of the brain, and the genetics of the migrant temperament. This book really helped me understand myself in a new way, and has intriguing implications for how we think, and for how we parent our children. I recently explored in a post how it helps us explain, what is the appeal of something new.
Runners Up:
Start with Why by Simon Sinek, In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan, and Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen
More Lists
I’m linking up with Modern Mrs Darcy’s Quick Lit June 2017 where you can read more lists for summer 2017.
This summer I’m working through the 3 books on my Summer 2017 Reading List, and These 8 Books I Had Picked to Read Next.
Alicia Eichmann