Summer Reading List

For many reasons, summer lends itself to more time for reading. Longer days, more time outside, road trips and vacations, the list goes on and on. I love summer for a hundred reasons and this is one of them. Here are my current favorites:

Bread and Wine – Shauna Niequist

I recently discovered Shauna Niequist this year thanks to recommendations of a few friends and I can honestly say that she is my current favorite author. Love both her writing style and her outlook on life. She feels like a kindred spirit to many of my friends, myself included, and we hope to someday gather people around our tables to foster relationships and community the way she so artfully does. 

The Meaning of Marriage –Tim Keller

Hands down, my favorite book written on marriage. I read this book thanks to a recommendation from our pre-engagement class, and I read it cover to cover when we were engaged last summer. It’s dense and I ate it up. It shifted my entire mindset of what the purpose of marriage is, and it has enriched my marriage for the better. If you are looking for one book on marriage, read this one.

Cold Tangerines - Shauna Niequist

The first book of Shauna’s that I read, and what initially hooked me to read all three of her books. She writes a collection of short essays that are witty, easy to read, meaningful, and entertaining. A perfect summer read.

Bittersweet - Shauna Niequist

Another excellent book of Shauna Niequist's, and possibly my favorite of the three. In this one she talks openly about loss, change, and disappointment. A good gift for a friend going through a hard season.

The Nesting Place - Myquillyn Smith

My current read and current obsession. The subtitle is “It doesn’t have to be perfect to be beautiful” which is such a great motto for both housekeeping and life. This book is about creating a meaningful and inviting home, instead of attempting to decorate to perfection. As both a design enthusiast and imperfection lover myself, I am hooked. Looking forward to reading the rest of this one.

Marriage Rebranded - Tyler Ward 

We meet together regularly with a group of 5 couples, and we are all just started reading this book. We've heard great things about it and are expecting good discussions.

Molly Moon's Homemade Ice Cream - Molly Moon Neitzel

Just for fun and because I'm on a major ice cream kick this summer. Good recipes and pretty photos for DIYing ice cream at home.

Darling Magazine - issue 8

This publication deserves it's own post really, but I have to highlight it here also. When I first discovered this magazine I posted to Instagram that it is "Hands down, the best new magazine on the market. Rich, inspiring content paired with beautiful images on thick, oversized pages celebrating modern femininity. A huge win and an instant favorite." And I still believe those words. An excellent, well designed magazine and such a far cry from traditional fashion magazines.

What's on your summer reading list? Share your favorites below!