Summer Reading 2017 Book Reviews

This Summer I became newly committed to making personal projects and reading a priority by working more downtime into my schedule. This effort has really paid off, and below is my Summer Reading 2017 Book Reviews Round up. I mixed a little business and self-help with thrillers and light beach reads.

When I was trapped in the Nantucket airport for an entire day this Summer, I came across this book. I love a good mystery, and this intense story line was a great way to pass the time in my helpless situation.

New parents Anne and Marco Conti attend a dinner party next door with their neighbors and decide to leave their new baby daughter at home asleep. They’re just right next door, and plan to check on her every half hour. What could possibly happen? When they arrive home, the front door is wide open, and their baby, Cora, is missing. Suspicion immediately falls on the parents with many twists in turns as the story unravels.

The book started off with tremendous suspense, and I was immediately taken in with the story. However, nearly half way through the book, it became obvious what had happened. I’m not sure if that was the author’s intention, but I found the story lost the intrigue it began with so strongly. The final twist at the end was shocking, but in my opinion unnecessary.

I’m so thankful to have found this book! I’ve felt so many times that my desire to pursue a creative career has been a curse, but this book has really changed my perspective. Elizabeth Gilbert, best known for Eat, Pray, Love, writes with such uncensored honesty about living a creative life. She doesn’t sugar coat the difficulties of making creativity a career, and, instead, suggests to not force your art to make money for you. While the author appears to be an overnight success, she talks in depth about her struggles to get published and all of the odd jobs she worked to support her creative dreams. I was able to easily relate to nearly everything she discussed, and found her outlook refreshing and helpful.

This book has helped me to rediscover my desire to not only be creative, but to enjoy the process of being creative. A must read for any creative entrepreneur.

I’m a notoriously slow reader, but I devoured this book in less than a week. I’m a huge true crime addict, and find psychopaths and narcissists fascinating. Although this book is not a true crime book, one of the main characters was one of the worst examples of psychopathy I could ever have imagined.

Jack and Grace are a picture perfect couple living in a beautiful home with substantial wealth. They live a life full of spectacular dinner parties and luxurious vacations. Jack is doting and attentive, Grace is elegant, loving, and tends to her disabled sister. The couple is inseparable and Grace is never seen alone without her admiring husband in attendance. No one could ever guess what’s actually going on behind the doors of this high security home with metal shutters on the windows.

I don’t want to give anymore details away of this psychological thriller, but it’s an absolute must read if you enjoy mystery, suspense, and good versus evil.

This was one of my favorite reads from the Summer! Grace Hammond returns to her hometown to stay with her parents after an unfortunate ceiling collapse in her New York City Apartment, a breakup with her boyfriend, and a job loss. When it rains it pours, but this series of hard knocks turns out to be a journey of self discovery complete with a love triangle and an intricate restoration of her sister’s vintage Schwinn. There’s something for everyone in this lovely story set in a quaint New England town.

I was hesitant to hop on the #Girlboss bandwagon since feminist manifestos aren’t really my cup of tea. This book is so much more than a girl power pep rally. Sophia Amoruso is an unexpected entrepreneur. She hated school, hated rules, and hated following societal norms. She would regularly dumpster dive for food, shoplifted, and suddenly when a friend asked her to shoplift a Macbook from the Apple Store, she was horrified to realize she’d gained a reputation as a thief.

Starting an eBay store selling vintage clothing, Sophia dedicated herself to her brand, Nasty Gal, and worked tirelessly to build an incredible empire rather than continue to be a thief. With no background in business and a high school drop out, she went into great detail about how she learned everything there is to know about starting your own business. I love unconventional paths to success, and she definitely breaks the mold when it comes to entrepreneurship. Unfortunately, Nasty Gal has gone through a tough time. In the forward of the new edition of the book I have, Sophia honestly talks about the struggle, where things went wrong, and the unsure future of the company. Throughout the book I found her insight and ability to work hard and fix problems extremely powerful.

My husband and I have been in our new house for almost two years. I was horrified when we went to clean our basement and had boxes, furniture, and yard tools everywhere! How did this space get so out of control? Why do I keep putting things I’m not sure if I need or want in the basement and continue contributing to the messy disaster? I’m a very organized person, but I still can’t find anything. My piles of denial keep getting larger. These are the issues I’ve been struggling with since we moved in, and this book has helped to answer these questions and create a plan of attack.

The author is ruthless in her elimination of clutter, and I don’t think I have it in me to be as dedicated as her. However, her methods of eliminating clutter and organizing belongings is pure genius. I can’t wait to try out her techniques on our house this Fall and celebrate with a giant garage sale!

What’s been on your Summer reading list this year? I’d love to hear your favorites in the comments below. I’m always on the hunt for a great new book!