4 Books You Should Read This Summer

There’s a little challenge/incentive in this one for ya.

“A pair of sunglasses is on top of books by famous authors on a beach table.” by Link Hoang on Unsplash

Summer is a time when the world seems to slow down. Barbeques, cocktails, brunches galore.

But in my house growing up, summer was anything but a time to slow down. It was a time to pursue weekly craft projects, get in shape, and double down on learning about new things.

My mom used to give us $20 at the end of the summer if (and only if) we read the list of books she assigned to us, did our chores, and behaved well. That was a gift from the heavens — that $20. I bought a Supersoaker with it one year. I was psyched. Because previously no guns, including squirt guns, were allowed in the house.

This summer, I want to do something similar — to challenge you to learn about new things. No, I’m not going to buy you a Supersoaker (sorry).

But as a compromise…

I’ll donate $5 to a charity of choice for every person that reads the following books this summer and sends me an email (at bykateward@gmail.com) telling me about their favorite one, why they liked it so much, and a charity they want me to donate to. [Side note: if this goes wild, I’ll have to cap it at some level. Which I must admit would be AWESOME.]

Why not just donate a bunch of money now, you ask? For the same reason my mom didn’t just give me $20 at the beginning of the summer. Because I want you to be involved in this. Because I want to see my money go further. I want to maximize the amount of service this does.

I want you to have a reason, however small and seemingly insignificant, to pick up a book that might change your mind or your life.

Here are the books:

1. Essentialism by Greg McKeown — about simplifying your life down to the important things.
2. Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed — a smattering of some of the best-ever captured life-advice.
3. Meditations by Marcus Aurelius — a glimpse into Stoicism, also called “the guide to the good life.”
4. The Untethered Soul by Michael Singer — about how we can learn to process pain and the world around us to free ourselves from the confines of our minds.

[Bonus if you’re in your 20s: The Defining Decade by Meg Jay]

Whether you choose to participate in this or not, I hope you make the time for yourself this summer to read (on the beach, on airplanes, by the pool):

1. Books that interest you or expand your worldview.
2. Books that help you build a tactical understanding of something that you can immediately apply.

Imagine if you just read one book a week, how much better off would you be? And how much better off would the people around you be?

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