Summer Reading Round Up 2023

Posted: September 5, 2023

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I’ll be honest, I sat down to write this post and had a complete black hole in my memory of what I’ve read this summer. Mercury retrograde vibes :) 

Luckily, I am a Virgo rising, so, I did what anyone with my chart placements would, I consulted my handwritten ongoing list of all of the books I’ve read so far this year. (I keep it in my bullet journal.)

Here is a quick rundown of what I found interesting, because let’s be honest, not every book I read is interesting (to me). Though I do give props to every single person who has ever written, completed, and published a book.  As someone in a book editing process, I salute you all (even if your book didn’t resonate with me)!

Summer Reading 2023

Welcoming The Unwelcome by Pema Chodron - This was our book club book this summer and I got so much out of it. It’s been on my lists before, but reading this with a group, coupled with right timing, meant I read it all the way through on the fourth try. Sometimes books are like this for me, I read them when the time is right. This is a book for our times, as it talks about polarization and the underlying currents of our hearts and how that affects how we interact as a society. I thought it was well worth the read and would recommend it, even if you don’t know a thing about Buddhism. Her style of writing is very human and accessible.

How To Be Loving by Danielle LaPorte - She just has this way with words that lands with me. I think it’s all her Virgo speaking to mine. She believes in what she calls “word economy” and I really admire it and aspire to it. It means that she is clear, direct, concise and still compassionate in what she writes. This book is an accessible, spiritual life culmination of years of study in a neat package. Audio book is great too, narrated by Danielle. 

Divergent Mind by Jenara Nerenberg - This was a great primer for me into a topic that I knew surprisingly little about. A lot of it is new and emerging information, and I found it informative and a great start. The book speaks generally about neurodivergence, but on the whole, the book is focused on the female experience and how it differs from a lot of the literature and study out there. It also has an ongoing discussion about the DSM and some of its pitfalls and benefits around pathologizing. Recommend for anyone who feels like their brain works in its own universe (and those who love them).

What I’m Reading Right Now 

Real Life by Sharon Salzberg - This is another one that caught my eye that I know nothing about. I know of the author and her work, but this book I don’t know much about. So far it has been resonant, and I’m considering it for a future book club. 

The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin - I picked this one up randomly at a bookstore. YES! A real life bookstore! I know nothing about the book and picked it up at “random.” So far it’s about exactly what the title says it is about, and I am enjoying it immensely and synchronistically. 

Gold Rumi Translated by Haley Liza Gafori - A teacher I often study with read this translation of Rumi in a workshop I recently attended. I love what she read, so I picked it up. This is a very accessible translation. It’s only 83 pages long, so it’s practically pocket sized, great for your Rumi on the go needs. 

What I’m STILL reading 

The Myth of Normal by Gabor & Daniel Mate - I am reading this slow as molasses on purpose, one chapter at a time. I am reading and integrating at the same time. 

Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman - I started this one a while back and while I have enjoyed it and gotten a lot out of it, it is slow going. It has become a bit more dense than I was expecting, so I’ll have to take more time with it. It’s also quite existential. 

All the INFJ books I can find - This one is a joke and also not a joke. I have an ongoing reading habit of INFJ books. I’m not sure exactly what I’m looking for, but so far most of them spend too much time on what Myers-Briggs is. I want more of the nitty gritty, not the overview of the system and then a small snippet of how this type fits in. While I identify with what is said, I just always want a little bit more and a little bit deeper, which is basically the INFJ motto, I’ve realized now that I’ve written that. 

What was on your summer reading list? What interesting books have you been reading? Email me, let me know about it :)