15 Summer Must-Reads from the Wf1 Community

Summer is the perfect time for chilling out at the beach, or on a hammock with a tall glass of iced tea. But it wouldn’t be complete without just the right page-turner. We asked the truthteller community for your current summer reads, and you delivered! From thrillers to memoirs, self-help to poetic meditations on life and love, these are some of the books that members of our tribe are soaking up this summer. Any other ideas for what should be on our truthteller bookshelves this season? If so, let us know in the comments!

Love Warrior: A Memoir, by Glennon Doyle Melton

This moving, evocative memoir by bestselling author Glennon Doyle Melton is all about one woman’s journey toward reclaiming herself and her truth after her marriage caves in on itself. Be sure to check out Glennon’s Featured Truthteller interview here.

 

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, by Dr. Maya Angelou

This beautiful memoir captures the longing of lonely children, the brutality of racism, and the power of words and poetry to right the wrongs of the world. Dr. Maya Angelou’s debut memoir is a beloved American classic for good reason. Be sure to check out her Featured Truthteller interview here.

 

Perennials: A Novel, by Mandy Berman

Mandy Berman’s coming-of-age saga is all about the point where childhood ends and adulthood begins. It’s the perfect summer read, with everything from stories of summer camp, to growing pains, to the beauty of enduring female friendship.

 

The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho

In Paulo Coelho’s classic bestselling novel, a young shepherd boy named Santiago goes on a life-changing quest that teaches him the deep magic and mystery of the human heart.

 

Stars at Night: When Darkness Unfolds as Light, by Paula D’Arcy

This is Paula D’Arcy’s captivating true story: She is only 27 when a drunk driver kills her husband and young daughter. However, in the midst of her deep despair, she finds herself in the hands of a wisdom and love that surpasses understanding.

 

Same Beach, Next Year, by Dorothea Benton Frank

In Dorothea Benton Frank’s addictively charming and romantic read, two couples begin a friendship that transforms their lives over the course of 20 years.

 

Danube Defiance, by Jane Golden

This gripping mystery by Jane Golden features Jeni, a sleuth whose quest to uncover an ancient piece of stolen iconic art takes her through the antique markets of New Orleans’ French Quarter and across the ocean to the bustling cities of Eastern Europe.

 

Into the Water: A Novel, by Paula Hawkins

Paula Hawkins delivers a suspenseful, deeply satisfying read that’s all about the deceptiveness of emotion and memory, as well as the devastating ways the past can reach a long arm into the present.

 

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life, by Mark Manson

In this “anti-self-help guide,” popular blogger Mark Manson makes a case for how we need to stop being “positive” and start getting real so that we can discover true happiness.

 

Big Little Lies, by Liane Moriarty

Now a popular HBO miniseries, Liane Moriarty’s salacious and witty thriller is all about ex-husbands, second wives, mothers, daughters, scandals, and the big little lies we tell ourselves in order to survive.

 

Do Not Become Alarmed, by Maile Moy

Maile Meloy’s gorgeous thriller is about the protective force of innocence and the limits of parental power, as well as how quickly what we count on can fall away, and how crisis shifts our perceptions of what matters most.

 

Present Over Perfect: Leaving Behind Frantic for a Simpler, More Soulful Way of Living, by Shauna Niegist

In these pages, author Shauna Niegist invites readers to consider the landscape of their own lives, and what it might look like to leave behind the pressure to be perfect and begin the life-changing practice of simply being present.

 

The 5 Second Rule: Transform Your Life, Work, and Confidence with Everyday Courage, by Mel Robbins

Mel Robbins’ inspirational book teaches readers that it only takes five seconds to become confident, beat fear and uncertainty, stop worrying, and share their ideas with courage.

 

The Ministry of Utmost Happiness, by Arundhati Roy

In the dazzling follow-up to her international bestseller, The God of Small Things, Arundhati Roy takes readers on an intimate epic journey across the Indian subcontinent, from Old Delhi to the valleys of Kashmir, to places where war is peace and peace is war.

 

Strange the Dreamer, by Laini Taylor

In this breathtaking novel by award-winning fantasy author Laini Taylor, a young orphan named Lazlo is entranced by a blue-skinned goddess who appears in his dreams and leads him to a mythical world beyond anything he has ever known.

 

Plus, now is the perfect time to preorder a book for the fall. Wf1 founder Kelly McNelis’s upcoming book Your Messy Brilliance: 7 Tools for the Perfectly Imperfect Woman will be released this October! This groundbreaking book offers an engaging, customizable roadmap to the authentic you. It will guide you into the most important journey you will ever take as a woman: the journey back home to your messy brilliance…and your ultimate truth! Preorder your copy now.