Top 5 Books For Bummer Summer 2021
Books that you won’t struggle to read.
A great book should leave you with many experiences, and slightly exhausted at the end. You live several lives while reading. — William Styron
I read as a kid to escape. Diving into another world was like my safe place. Now reading as an adult, there is nothing better than sitting in a cozy coffee shop or on my front porch reading. From self-help to the classics. I love them all. This summer I read a ton of books. Because lets face it, 2021 has been a shit show. If you aren't an avid reader, don't worry, these books will pull you in.
Over the last few years I have read more books than I have in my whole life. As an adult I can appreciate the lessons and emotions like never before. I realized that most of the stories I once thought were romantic and about love.. are not. With that in mind I actually started to reread a bunch of my favorites. I recently reread Harry Potter and sobbed like a baby! Snape did love Lily with everything he had didn't he?
I put a list together of books I love. These books cleared my mind from any other crazy thoughts that were going on at the time. I could sit and tune out everything bad. If you struggle with ADD and Anxiety like I do, its hard to sit and read. So I found books that pulled me in, that kept my attention all the way through.
1.) If You Tell: A True Story of Murder, Family Secrets, and the Unbreakable Bond of Sisterhood By Gregg Olsen
TRUE CRIME
The emotions I felt while reading this were immense. Its so well written that I couldn't get to the end fast enough. The question I kept asking myself the whole book was “How can a mother be so evil?”. This story follows the children of a master manipulator. A Killer. The terrifying reality that the abuse these kids suffered could go on for so long is sickening. In the end, this is a story of survivors. A story of how two sisters risked everything to save another.
“Their parents had killed multiple people. They’d done the most cruel and vile things anyone could do to another person. And so much of it had happened right before their eyes.” ― Gregg Olsen, If You Tell: A True Story of Murder, Family Secrets, and the Unbreakable Bond of Sisterhood
2.) Adultery By Paulo Coelho
FICTION
Let me start by saying, I LOVE Paulo Coelho. This book isn't the usual type of writing you see from him and I love it. I finished this book in one day. I couldn’t get enough. This proactive novel will have you questioning everything. It pulls at your darkest fears in marriage. A Mother, a Wife, everything she could ever need. Questioning if living every day the same over and over, is enough. Her need for more gets the best of her.
“Today I am a woman torn between the terror that everything might change and the equal terror that everything might carry on exactly the same for the rest of my days.” ― Paulo Coelho, quote from Adultery
3.) Everything Is Horrible and Wonderful: A Tragicomic Memoir of Genius, Heroin, Love, and Loss By Stephanie Wittels Wachs
MEMOIR
Stephanie’s ability to relay a tragic story, in such a light hearted way, is amazing. I have never felt closer to a writer than I did with this book. The struggle of loving and loosing an addict is conveyed with the love of a sister. She is able relate her brother to an addict beautifully. Her brother, Harris, was a writer for The Sarah Silverman Program and Parks and Recreation.
“You were my little brother. Were or are? Past or present? It still says you’re my brother on Facebook. But you’re no longer here to be my brother. So, am I still a sister? Is sister a verb or a noun? Is it something you have to actively do to be one, or do you keep the title once the other half is gone?” ― Stephanie Wittels Wach, Everything is Horrible and Wonderful: A Tragicomic Memoir of Genius, Heroin, Love, and Loss
4.)The Secrets You Keep By Kate White
FICTION
Talk about a thriller. This book will have questioning if you know the person sleeping next to you. The story is about a murder, and woman who has no idea who her husband is. Twist and turns keep you wondering about who the killer is. As a Crime Junkie I have a tendency to first assume the husband. So when I started this book I thought I had it figured out. Boy was I wrong. The final twist in this book is a game changer.
“Suspenseful, twisty and sharply observed, Kate White’s clever psychological thriller lures us into the life of vulnerable narrator Bryn whose marriage is not what she thought it was. The uncertainty develops as the stakes ramp up ever higher, and I was holding my breath as I turned the last few pages.” — Gilly Macmillan, New York Times bestselling author of What She Knew
5.) Unfu*k Yourself: Get Out of Your Head and into Your Life By Gary John Bishop
SELF-HELP
You know the self help books that dont help? Like the ones that tell you to be happy and enjoy life? Yeah this aint it. This book will call you out on your bullshit. “If you have ever felt personally victimized by this book raise your hand” (raises my hand). Gary John Bishop does a phenomenal job of opening your eyes to your toxic behavior.
“you must first accept that while there are things that have happened in your life that you had no say in, you are 100 percent responsible for what you do with your life in the aftermath of those events. Always, every time, no excuses.” ― Gary John Bishop, Unfu*k Yourself: Get Out of Your Head and into Your Life
I hope you find these books a good as I did. As always, be nice to each other and stay buzzed.