An occasional dollop of life improvement can be tasty in the summer — but eventually we just have to live life! These are books that could be labeled as “self-help” in the most positive sense of the phrase. Below are my suggestions for great summer reading for a better life, the fourth of my four favorite types of summer reading. I have found both of these books hugely useful to visit to over the years.

A Conversation with Fear by Mermer Blakeslee helps me get up my courage to downhill ski in the winter and tackle scary activities throughout the year. The book also give me the courage to sometimes say that I’m not going to do some activities. My friend Vanessa suggested this book, and I highly recommend it to people like me who aren’t adrenaline junkies but also want to push ourselves to do some scary-feeling things.
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The Art of Forgiveness, Lovingkindness, and Peace by Jack Kornfield is a lovely little book, full of wise, thoughtful, and gentle words from all over the world. My mother gave me this book, and I return to it often. A short reading often helps me take a deep breath and face life with a full and open heart.
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You can see my other recommendations in my blog post about my four favorite types of summer reading.

Note: if you buy books from these links, I will receive a small payment from Amazon or Powell’s. This helps cover the cost of this website. Thanks!

These books are good for us and help balance the richness of other summer reading. My learning for work books may not match yours, but they’re both books that you may find intriguing! Below are my suggestions for great summer reading for work, the third of my four favorite types of summer reading.

The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right by Atul Gawande is an excellent book for thinking about the role and importance of checklists. I love making lists, and I love crossing things off a list. But I hadn’t thought much about the different kinds of lists (or the history of lists) until I read this book. Gawande uses fascinating real-life stories to help illuminate and clarify the strengths and weaknesses of different kinds of lists, as well as how their usage has evolved. I highly recommend this book to anyone who uses lists, particularly for recurring activities. And it’s fun to read too!
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Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott makes me laugh and helps me be a better writer! I have read this book straight through a couple of times, and I also like to read individual chapters. Lamott provides specific, concrete advice with wonderful stories about writing. It’s great for writers (professional and otherwise), but also just an interesting and funny book if you are interested in the craft of writing.
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You can see my other recommendations in my blog post about my four favorite types of summer reading.

Note: if you buy books from these links, I will receive a small payment from Amazon or Powell’s. This helps cover the cost of this website. Thanks!