Summer Reading Recommendations

I'm well on my way toward my 2023 Reading Challenge (11 books ahead of schedule!) and I've escaped into some great ones so far this year.

There's nothing yummier to me than a snapshot of a stack of books, so I'm sharing mine with you today in hopes that you'll reply 💌 and share yours.

Here's a roundup of 5 five-star books I've read so far this year, and 5 I have on my nightstand to dive into this summer.

Five ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star books I’ve read so far this year:

1. [Nonfiction] Wolfpack: How to Come Together, Unleash Our Power, and Change the Game - Abby Wambach

Wow, I'm late to the game on this book by soccer legend Abby Wambach, based on her 2018 commencement address at Barnard College. I listened to the audiobook, which is just over 1 hour long, and had to get a hard copy so I can truly take in and remember the leadership wisdom that has served her both on and off the field. This quick read packs a punch!

2. [Fiction] Georgie, All Along - Kate Clayborn

I’m a full-fledged lover of the contemporary romance genre, and Kate Clayborn is one of my favorite authors. This new release from earlier this year is about Georgie, who returns to her hometown after being let go from a job that she both happened into and dove into to the point where it took over her life. Who is she now without her work being the center of her identity? And also, it’s about love with a grumpy guy named Levi.

3. [Memoir] The Electricity of Every Living Thing - Katherine May

This memoir traces author Katherine May’s quest to hike the 630-mile South West Coast Pass in England as she grapples with a diagnosis of Asperger’s (now known as Autism Spectrum Disorder) as an adult. I echo Goodreads’ description as a “life-affirming exploration of wild landscapes, what it means to be different, and, above all, how we can learn to make peace within our unquiet minds.”

4. [Essays] Gift From the Sea - Anne Morrow Lindbergh

This book of essays is one that I've returned to time and again—and each time, it takes my breath away. It was written over 50 years ago by Anne Morrow Lindbergh, professional writer, mother of five, and wife of pilot Charles Lindbergh, as she embarked on a solo creative retreat on a small island. Her reflections on the themes of motherhood, womanhood, solitude, personal growth, and creative practice are timeless and relevant even all these years later.

5. [Nonfiction] The Coaching Habit: How to Say Less, Ask More and Change the Way You Lead Forever - Michael Bungay Stanier​

This short read teaches you seven key questions to weave a coaching approach into your leadership practice. The central idea is: Stay curious just a little longer. I love a book that shares a simple + powerful tool, and this one is gold. It's catapulted to one of my top recommendations on leadership! Also worth a listen: the author's conversation with Brené Brown.

Five Books On My Summer Reading List:

1. [Nonfiction] DEI Deconstructed: Your No-Nonsense Guide to Doing the Work and Doing It Right - Lily Zheng​

This is our June/July pick in the Compass Club Book Club, and I can't wait to gather together to talk it through. Lily Zheng is a leading voice in diversity, equity, and inclusion work—often saying the hard/unpopular things that need to be said. They are committed to moving beyond positive efforts into clear and measurable results, so I'm excited to see their pragmatic take on what actually effective DEI work looks like in action.

2. [Fiction] Lizzie Blake's Best Mistake - Mazey Eddings​

One of the most surprising and delightful (!!) elements of reading the contemporary romance genre for me is getting to widen my worldview. Each book allows me to step into the shoes of diverse characters—and lately I've particularly enjoyed seeking out neurodivergent stories. This story, written by a neurodivergent author, focuses on Lizzie who manages adult ADHD and RSD (Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria). What will happen when she happens to meet an Australian named Rake at a Philadelphia bar? I WONDER.

3. [Nonfiction] The Good Enough Job: Reclaiming Life from Work - Simone Stolzoff​

The author of this brand-new release has been making the podcast rounds, so I've gotten to hear bits and pieces of his thoughts on what it means to decouple your identity from your work. In his book, Stolzoff explores a question many of us have been grappling with over the past few years—What if work wasn't the be-all, end-all of my world?—and traces the origins of how work became so central to our identities in America.

4. [Nonfiction] Thanks for the Feedback: The Science & Art of Receiving Feedback Well - Douglas Stone and Sheila Heen​

I'm about to launch a new signature workshop on How to Receive Feedback Like a Pro, and this is a key resource. So many trainings focus on how to effectively give feedback—which is absolutely important—but we forget that as the receiver, we are half the equation. In this book, Stone and Heen share practical tools you can use to draw out the actionable feedback you need to grow—even (as they say right on the cover) if it's off-base, unfair, poorly delivered, and, frankly, you're not in the mood.

5. [Nonfiction] Rest is Resistance: A Manifesto - Tricia Hersey​

The name of this book alone earned it a top spot on my list. Author Tricia Hersey, aka the Nap Bishop of the Nap Ministry, explores rest as a tool for social justice and liberation. "Rooted in spiritual energy and centered in Black liberation, womanism, somatics, and Afrofuturism," this book pushes back on capitalism and white supremacy culture. What would it be like to live in a well-rested world? How can we unhook from the constant pressure to be productive?

So, yeah, I see some themes here: self-discovery, neurodivergence, questioning the tenets of capitalism that have become normalized in our culture, untangling our identities from our work, and leadership wisdom.

📚 What’s on your nightstand? Have you read any of these? I want to know what you’ve been reading, or what's coming up on your list. Hit reply and let me know! 💌 And feel free to find me over on Goodreads!