Now that summer is in full swing I have been trying to find new books to add to my summer reading list. For some reason when the days seem longer and the weather is beautiful it puts me in a reading mood. Anyone else? Nothing better than a picnic in the park with a good book.

A few of these on the list I have read before but loved so much I re-read them and wanted to make sure you had knocked them off your list. If you have anything that I missed and recommend please let me know. I am doing a fair amount of traveling soon and would love to add more.

When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi : I first heard about Paul through family friends who had trained with his wife and then read his essay in the New York Times. When I heard a book was being released I signed up for the pre order and have read it more than twice since. Although it’s a heavy tale of a neurosurgeon who is diagnosed with Stage IV lung cancer right before his training ends and right after he has a daughter I couldn’t recommend it more. Brace yourself to feel much differently about life.

The Girls : A Novel by Emma Cline : I have been hearing about this book from everyone and will porbably dive into it this week. It’s a story set in the 1960’s about a girl who finds herself into a new group of friends with some very unusual habits.

I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai : I’m embarrassed to say I never made time to read this book before and am excited to dive into her story.

Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert : Another one I keep hearing about from friends and seeing quotes pulled from. My favorite quote I have seen pop up thus far is “We all spend our twenties and thirties trying so hard to be perfect, because we’re so worried about what people will think of us…But you won’t be completely free until you reach your sixties and seventies, when you finally realize this liberating truth – nobody was ever thinking about you , anyhow.” I mean, genius!

The Career Code by Hilary Kerr & Katherine Power : An advice book on building an empire from the women that run Who What Wear? Yes, please.

Any books you haven’t been able to put down? Hope you are surviving this insane heat and staying indoors today!