3 Summer Reads to Inspire

Books that inspire us on the spiritual journey can be such a great resource.

Other than overflowing bookshelves at home, I have a Kindle and can be dangerous with it.  There are plenty of books to read on there which I can take on travel.

I found myself wanting to have at least a couple of physical books, paperbacks, that I could bend, get wet, read by the pool or on the deck and enjoy the experience.

Sometimes well read, underlined, messy books are the best!  Here are my 3 choices (for this month, anyway).

The first summer read to inspire – The Summerhouse, Jude Devereaux

At first take, this book may seem like a light read – but like many artfully created stories, it has a deeper side. The Summerhouse by Jude Deveraux is a coming of age story about three women who met ‘by accident’ when young, but somehow recognized that they were touchstones for each other’s lives.

Later on in life, they stage a reunion, and despite their own insecurities and fears about life failures, discover that each of their lives did not turn out the way they had wished, planned or discussed when they first met.

Tragedy, divorce, narcissism and living separate lives with a loved one all present themselves as themes in this book, which is an easy and quick vehicle to read – masterful writing.

The twist in the book is that the women, through a mystical turn of events, have opportunities to relive parts of their lives in order to change their futures.  (Told you it was deep).

The author skillfully twists new plotlines and new outcomes in detail in the book, giving us all the chance to relive these women’s younger lives from the perspective of an older, more experience feminine perspective, plus the benefit of hindsight.

As an Akashic Records reader, I found this concept enlightening, since I often read clients past lives in order to help understand present life repeating cycles, issues, and circumstances, which can be karmic.

Take The Summerhouse to the pool!  But make sure you apply sunscreen, you will be hooked, and will be there for a while.

The second summer read to inspire

I am two-thirds the way through this new classic from Nicholas Sparks, Two by Two, written from the perspective of a man, his daughter, and wife who go through a family breakup and divorce.

I picked this up because I love Nicholas Sparks two classic and thoughtful reads,  The Notebook, and The Choice, and this seemed like an interesting new turn in his writing.

Written from the perspective of a man who is sensitive and empathic, this story takes us on the journey of first love lost, second love turning narcissistic (I sense a new theme here amongst writers) and how the unraveling of a marriage affects everyone involved.

Nicholas Sparks writes an effortless and in-depth narrative about the nature of people, what individuals are like, and what each of the characters wants, giving us all an insight into the difficulties of parenting when the parents themselves are often still wounded children.

I was up reading this one until 2 am last night, so again, if you are going to read Two by Two, be prepared to be sat for a while!

The third summer read to inspire

My third choice, Spying on Whales: The Past, Present, and Future of Earth’s Most Awesome Creatures by Nick Pyenson, is not a paperback, but a hardback, and on its’ way in the mail right now.

I heard about this book on NPR radio and was immediately drawn into wanting to learn more about the subject matter because of the strong spiritual pull whales have on myself (and many of us, given all those whale videos on social media).

Nick Pyenson is a paleontologist who researches fossilized whales, as well as having spent some of his career following and observing whales in their natural environment.

Listening to Nick talk on NPR, I was drawn in by his skill at relaying the scientific information about whales in an entertaining and enlightening way.  Seeing whales in their natural environment is definitely on my bucket list!

The key piece of information that got me wanting to read this book, is that there is now scientific evidence that whales were once ‘cow-like’ mammals that lived on land, before returning to the ocean and evolving into their current state.

This fact really fired my imagination and made me want to read more.  So while I shan’t be taking Spying On Whales to the pool, I shall be reading through it when I need to cool off.

I hope you enjoyed my selections today, and that you will consider choosing one of these reads for yourself.  I’d also love to hear your summer reads to inspire.