Every year is the same story. After finding the best swimsuit that will burst your summer, you are still wondering what to read. You might have started a summer music streaming playlist but you missed the latest book launches. Reading during holidays is a great thing to do. It is proved that children who read during holidays have better results at school and it is a great therapy for adults. While reading, your brain summarizes what happened in the past month and organize it. It is a sort of meditation that helps you move forward. Summer is also the perfect moment to relax by the sea, around a swimming pool or just under a tree. If you do not fall in the arms of Morpheus, you might want to escape to another reality by reading a good book. Here is my top 5 books you should read this summer.
1- One Biography: Becoming, By Michele Obama
Here are the memoirs of former United States first lady Michele Obama. If you did not read it yet, it is surely the biography you need this summer. In a life filled with meaning and accomplishment, Michelle Obama has emerged as one of the most iconic and compelling women of our era. As First Lady of the United States of America—the first African American to serve in that role—she helped create the most welcoming and inclusive White House in history. She also establishing herself as a powerful advocate for women and girls in the U.S. and around the world, dramatically changing the ways that families pursue healthier and more active lives, and standing with her husband as he led America through some of its most harrowing moments.
2- One Thriller: Blood Relations by Jonathan Mooore
Very often compared to Alfred Hitchcock, Jonathan Moore delivers a great thriller that will take your breath away almost on each page. The story is set in the heart of California most upper class, a group of billionnaires with more money thay they can spend. When Claire Gravesend is found dead, wearing a cocktail dress on top of a Roll-Royce, there is something really bad going on. First, the autopsy reveals round scars running down Claire’s spine, old marks Olivia won’t explain. Then, Crowe visits Claire’s Boston townhouse and has to fend off an armed intruder. Is it the Feds out for revenge? Or is this connected to the Gravesends? He leaves Boston afraid, but finds his way to Claire’s secret San Francisco pied-à-terre.
3- One Historical Book: Meditations by Marcus Aurelius
Translated by George Long, this book gathers some of the most inspiring reflections of Marcus Aurelius, Emperor of Rome. He was considered as one of the most intellectual and philosophical mind of his time and by far the wisest of all Roman Emperors. Called “the philosopher”, he was the last of the rulers traditionally known as The Five Good Emperors. His personal philosophical writings, now commonly known as Meditations, are a significant source of the modern understanding of ancient Stoic philosophy. While on campaign between 170 and 180, Marcus wrote his Meditations in Greek as a source for his own guidance and self-improvement. The original title of this work, if it had one, is unknown. ‘Meditations’ – as well as other titles including ‘To Himself’ – were adopted later. He had a logical mind and his notes were representative of Stoic philosophy and spirituality. Meditations is still revered as a literary monument to a government of service and duty. For hundreds of years, he influenced the most powerful men in the planet. Meditations talks about on how one is to exist in a world of chaos. It is as relevant today to those in power struggles over empires and boardrooms as it was when it was first recorded. It is definitely a book for everybody shelves.
4- One Fiction: A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms: A Song Of Ice And Fire By George R.R. Martin.
If you are a big fan of the tv series Game of Thrones (or not) you will like this story, a prequel to the plot pictured in the series. Taking place nearly a century before the events of A Game of Thrones, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms compiles the first three official prequel novellas to George R. R. Martin’s ongoing masterwork, A Song of Ice and Fire. These never-before-collected adventures recount an age when the Targaryen line still holds the Iron Throne, and the memory of the last dragon has not yet passed from living consciousness. With this book, you will surely escape from your day to day, and for a while be transported to another reality. George R.R. Martin style will maintain a certain tension page after page to please all the fans of the genre.
5- One First Novel: The Cactus By Sarah Haywood.
A first novel is always something important. It is the moment you discover a new author, a new style and it might be the beginning of a new passion between you, the reader, and the author. Sarah Haywood studied law and has worked as a solicitor, an advice worker and as an investigator of complaints about lawyers. The Cactus is her first novel. This is the story of a woman’s unconventional journey to finding love which for her means learning to embrace the unexpected. For Susan Green, messy emotions don’t fit into the equation of her perfectly ordered life. She has a flat that is ideal for one, a job that suits her passion for logic, and an “interpersonal arrangement” that provides cultural and other, more intimate, benefits. But suddenly confronted with the loss of her mother and the news that she is about to become a mother herself, Susan’s greatest fear is realized. She is losing control. Enter Rob, the dubious but well-meaning friend of her indolent brother. As Susan’s due date draws near and her dismantled world falls further into a tailspin, Susan finds an unlikely ally in Rob. She might have a chance at finding real love and learning to love herself, if only she can figure out how to let go.
I hope you will find your perfect book for these summer holidays. No matter if it is one of these or another one. The most important thing is to read. The more we read, the better we become.
Jose Amorim
Information sourced by the author for luxuryactivist.com. All content is copyrighted with no reproduction rights available. Images are for illustration purposes only.
