My #Summer Reading List 2015

Yeah, who am I kidding? With only roughly 5 weeks left of summer, I have taken on something huge here. I don't get a lot of time to read in general. I get antsy at the pool and can't read more than a page at a time, whereas my mother could read an entire book during one pool session during my childhood (okay, maybe I exaggerate). But I have a varied list of books I want to read and then pass on to someone who can use them. I used to be a Book Hoarder but not anymore. I don't need Intelligent Clutter ... I like to take the lessons from the books and pass them on or sell them! Here are the 7 I am tackling this summer and I'll check back in with a post about each one later on.

1. Gratitude and Trust (Six Affirmations That Will Change Your Life) by Paul Williams and Tracey Jackson. My Aunt Cathy read this and loved it and passed it to my mom and I took it over before she could read it. So far I like the "shopping list of bad behavior" and basic principles of those in recovery from addictions like making amends.
2. Ask. by Ryan Levesque. I got this free from some online offer. I want to skim it for business advice. If you don't ask anyone to buy your product or sign up with your company because you are scared they will shun you or think you are a jerk, then you are in the wrong business. You have to ASK. I have lost business and potential team members because I assumed someone didn't want to join my company or buy my product ... and then another consultant grabbed them!
3. The Art of Significance by Dan Clark. I started reading this last summer and liked it so much I had a zillion sticky notes in it. It applies to business and life ... the level beyond success. So you get rich and successful ... then what? What do you do with that? Do you give back, do you maintain integrity or do you turn into a narcissistic, stingy wiener?
4. Homeschooling: Take a Deep Breath -- You Can Do This! by Terrie Lynn Bittner. This is a 28-chapter wonder that seems like it's going to cover a LOT of homeschool ground. It's also full of resources.
5. Help for the Harried Homeschooler by Christine M. Field. This says it's a "practical guide to balancing your child's education with the rest of your life." Enough said.
6. The Three Big Questions for a Frantic Family by Patrick Lencioni. This is a quick read and I'm really into it so far but it's going to require a lot of homework. It applies business principles to running your family and makes a lot of sense so far!
7. Dream Lovers by Darin Dodd. This is the kind of book that I could read in a day back before I had kids running around distracting my brain. After we watched the movie Beyond the Sea about Bobby Darin's life, I had to seek out this book. I ordered it that night and checked my email hourly for shipping updates. So far I am not disappointed, but it's definitely a little bit depressing.
8. (not pictured) Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline, which came in from the library after this post. I think I'll return it since I got a free trial of Audible and that's the book I chose to listen to while I go on my walks. It'll make me walk longer, is the idea!

If you are a writer looking for something to add to your summer reading list, consider MY books, here, two of which are available as print books and all four in Kindle format ... AND YOU DON'T HAVE TO OWN A KINDLE TO GET THEM!