The ultimate summer reading list

Summer vacation time is almost here, which means it’s time to pack the best reads for some poolside reading. There’s nothing more relaxing then lounging in the sun (or in my case, in the shade, under a huge umbrella), with an icy cocktail and a book you cannot put down.

I curated this summer reading list list to offer a great variety of books and genres. Some will make you laugh, some might make you cry, and some of them are just so inspiring you will want to get back into work immediately.

Hope you’ll enjoy them.

Yuval Noah Harari: Sapiens – A brief history of humankind

This is one of my most recent reads – and it’s simply brilliant. It does not offer a chronological story of our last couple of million years, but instead concentrates on the most fundamental events, changes, and forces that shaped humankind. It’s thought-provoking, asks really interesting questions and generally presents our history in a perspective I’ve never previously thought about. And if you’re wondering whether you would really like to take a history book on your vacation – YES! It’s just as exciting and hard to put down as a good novel. It just happens to tell true stories.

David Nicholls: One Day

I usually really enjoy David Nicholls novels. They are fast and witty reads with unique plots and great characters. One Day covers the lives and relationship of the two protagonists, Dexter and Emma, spanning over 20 years. They meet on July 15, 1988 and each chapter catches up with them on the exact same day, only in a different year. It’s a unique concept that really works – their whole story, past and present, unfolds through the particular events of each anniversary. It’s a great read for contemporary fiction fans.

Celeste Ng: Everything I never told you

“Lydia is dead. But they don’t know this yet”. These are the opening sentences of Celeste Ng’s debut (and so far only) book that follows the mystery of the disappearance and death of teenager Lydia. On the surface, we see a seemingly perfect family with hard-working, loving parents, and popular, respectful, talented children. But as we progress, the cracks on that perfect shield become more and more obvious. It’s a gripping tale of a clash of cultures and generations, a tale of past life choices and their unforeseen consequences, a tale of secrets, lies, frustrations, achievements, and the American Dream. It’s probably one of the most emotionally powerful books I’ve read in recent years.

Jay Samit: Disrupt yourself

If you’re looking for a great motivational book, look no further. Jay Samit is one of the world’s most succesful digital media innovators. In Disrupt yourself, he gives valuable advice, based on his extensive knowledge and experience, on how to break out of the status quo and redefine ourselves and our skills to achieve our goals. Practical, inspirational, and really helpful for anyone who wants to take their personal brands, businesses, or careers to the next level.

Arnold Schwarzenegger: Total recall

This is the epitome of a great autobiography. Even if you don’t care for Terminator films or Arnold’s political career at all, you don’t want to miss his incredible life story. How he got from a small Austrian village to the top of Hollywood and the political ladder out of sheer determination and drive is truly amazing. I would have never imagined that out of everyone, Arnold Schwarzenegger will be the one to motivate me to dream big and work even harder for my goals, but this is exactly what happened.

Jenna Miscavige: Beyond Belief

Jenna Miscavige comes from a famous family. Or, infamous might be a better word for it. For those of you unfamilar with her heritage: she is the niece of current Scientology leader, David Miscavige. Nowadays, she is also one of the most ardent critics of Scientology. In her autobiography, she recounts what it was like to grow up in the “church”, what she had to go through in her “education”, how she started to see that something is really not right, and how she tried (and sometimes failed) to get out. I was never a fan of Scientology (to say the least), but her story went even beyond of what I imagined this organization was capable of. Gripping, harrowing, a true eye-opener.

Dave Eggers: The Circle

Don’t let the fact that the movie adaptation has just flopped tremendously at box offices and every posssible movie rating website deter you from reading this book. If you’re not familiar with the plot, it’s about a young woman who starts to work at her dream job, the most influential technology company in the world (kind of a Google/Facebook mix). Everything seems perfect – from the headquarters with world-class performers giving exclusive concerts, through the free organic cafeteria and fitness center, to the thousands of stylish, young geniuses working together. But of course at one point we start to get the feeling that not only is it far from a dream job, it might actually be the single biggest threat to the world as we know it.

I’ll be honest, it’s not the finest literary piece you’ll ever read. It’s a page-turner, for sure, but from an artistic point of view, I do have problems with the plot and the characters as well. However, it’s one of those books that just haunts you after you finish it. It’s full of current issues – the invasion of social media into our everydays, how a virtual world starts to distort our lives, personality and human interactions, and the ultimate question: where does this all lead? It presents a quite chilling dystopia, and will for sure make me reevaluate some of my online activities.

Robert Galbraith: The Cormoran Strike novels. Robert Galbraith is the pen name of J.K. Rowling, which is probably in itself a guarantee for a good book. So far three Cormoran Strike novels have been published – The Cuckoo’s Calling, The Silkworm, and Career of Evil. They are classic detective thrillers in a modern form – you’ll be absolutely hooked. Speed up, the fourth book is coming sometime this year.

Please share your own summer favorites, I’m still building my own 2017  summer reading list.

xx

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave