September 21st marked the last official day of summer. I’d say my summer reading was a success! I met my 1st goal of 10 books by September 1st and came close to reaching my bonus goal of 12 books by September 21st (I made it halfway through both of the last 2 books). I’d say that’s very good considering how busy my summer has been, mainly with wedding planning. I also highly enjoyed and benefited from every book on my list, minus just 1 (which I will tell you in my list).

So if you’re looking for some more good reads this season, let me tell you about the books (both nonfiction & fiction!) I read this summer.

This post originally appeared on Anna’s 1st blog, Annamotion.

Anna Reel is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Nonfiction

Overrated by Eugene Cho

I bought this book while in college and unfortunately didn’t have time for it until after I graduated. It was killing me to wait to read it! When I finally got to it (which was ASAP after graduation!), it didn’t let me down.

The tagline for the book is “Are we more in love with the idea of changing the world than actually changing the world?”

This book will smack you across the face and make you analyze your own motives. I recommend this book to anyone who doesn’t want to just like a page on Facebook, but is ready to take action in a way that will truly bring about positive change.

Here are a few of my favorite quotes:

• “Yet I think our wealth of resources and opportunities lends itself to this theory that we may be part of the most overrated generation in human history–because we have access to so much data, info, resources, modes of communication…but we end up doing so little.”
• “We all love justice…until there’s a cost.”
• “If something matters to us, we must invest in it.”
• “Actions speak louder than words. The best way to become a better storyteller is to simply live a more honest, deep, and faithful life.”
• “There’s such a painful irony when people pursue justice…unjustly.”
• “Is it possible that we’re doing justice and creating an unhealthy dependency? It is possible that we’re doing justice and making ourselves out to be Western saviors or heroes? Is it possible that we’re doing justice by exploiting the poor and not extending dignity?”
• “…having a good heart is not enough. It’s not enough when our actions affect the lives of others…especially people who are already vulnerable.”

Essentialism by Greg McKeown

Check out this post: 3 Lessons from Essentialism.

Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert

I bought up this book because I heard so many great reviews for it; however, I personally think it was a waste of money. It’s a book I might’ve wanted to borrow from the library and read once just because of some of its good moments of encouragement, but I think it is wacky, fluffy, and overrated. I would not recommend it. There are much more helpful and inspiring books on creativity than this.

However, here are just a few good quotes we can benefit from:

• “Living in this manner–continually and stubbornly bringing forth the jewels that are hidden within you–is a fine art, in and of itself.”
• “Creative living is a path for the brave…when courage dies, creativity dies with it.”
• “Your fear will always be triggered by your creativity, because creativity asks you to enter into realms of uncertain outcomes, and fear hates uncertain outcomes.”
• “You can support other people in their creative efforts, acknowledging the truth that there’s plenty of room for everyone.”

The 5 Love Languages (Singles Edition) by Gary Chapman

Check out this post: Book Review: The 5 Love Languages.

The Definitive Book of Body Language by Allan and Barbara Pease

Being an INFJ who often picks up on the subtlest of body language, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I learned from this book! The book teachers how to gain power, show submissiveness, detect a lie, demonstrate openness and honesty, attract the opposite sex, understand what signals mean in different countries, and more! I took 3 pages of notes!

Here are just a few things I learned:

• “Just as a dog will expose its throat to show submission or surrender to the victor, humans use their palms to show that they are unarmed and therefore not a threat.” Open palms generally portrays honesty, whereas a hidden palm can potentially indicate a lie (especially if clustered with congruent dishonesty signals).
• There are 2 muscle groups used in a genuine smile: the zygomaticus major and the orbicularis oculi. The zygomaticus major can be controlled to fake a smile; however, the orbicularis oculi act independently, revealing true feelings. So look for the wrinkle lines beside the eyes to tell if a smile is genuine.
• We often naturally point our lead foot toward what we really want (i.e. a man may point his foot towards a woman he’s interested in or a person stuck in a boring conversation may point his foot toward the nearest exit).

Fiction

The Last Dragonslayer by Jasper Fforde

The following 3 books are a part of a series by Jasper Fforde–a series that my mother recommended to me. However, she forgot to mention that there’s a 4th book that has yet to be released (with no info on the internet about when/if it will come out)! It was a sad realization when book 3, The Eye of Zoltar, ended on a cliffhanger. I just wanted to warn you so you’re not disappointed like I was.

Aside from my hanging on to a hope that the 4th book will come out, I was surprised by how much I loved this series. I think the best word to describe it is “quirky.” There were numerous quips of dialogue that caught me off guard and had me laughing out loud (which I don’t do often while reading). Though fairly simple plots, it’s these moments of quirkiness you don’t see coming that keeps me reading on until late at night.

The Song of the Quarkbeast by Jasper Fforde

Compared to book 1, I found the plot to be not quite as interesting, but I still enjoyed this book! Fforde keeps the same quirkiness I loved from book 1.

The Eye of Zoltar by Jasper Fforde

I enjoyed this book more than book 2, but probably still less than book 1. And let me just warn you again–it ends on a big cliffhanger. I’m hoping the 4th book comes out! Until then, I’m going to look into other books by Jasper Fforde.

Entwined by Heather Dixon

I loved this book by Heather Dixon! I can’t believe I haven’t heard of her before! I enjoy her style of writing and personality that peeks through it. Entwined involves princesses, magic, and dancing in a retelling of the fairy tale “The Twelve Dancing Princesses.”

Illusionarium by Heather Dixon

My 1st steampunk novel! In all honesty, it took me a little longer to get into this one and I didn’t enjoy it quite as much as Entwined, but by the end it became a book definitely worth reading! Heather has quite the imagination and it is thought-provoking and entertaining to enter the world(s) she has created and moral situations that arise. You’ll be enveloped into this intriguing novel.

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

This book wasn’t originally on my to-read list, but my mom asked if I wanted to borrow it and I had seen trailers for the movie, which comes out on September 30th, so I thought I’d squeeze it in…and I’m so glad I did! Ransom Riggs takes real vintage photographs and incorporates them into his book in a unique and brilliant way I’ve never seen before. There are small pieces of the book that I do not care for, but overall this would be another top book I’d recommend.

Hollow City by Ransom Riggs

I’m halfway through this book, the 2nd of the Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children series. I will finish its review as soon as I finish the book. But for now–I’m enjoying it! I’m looking forward to seeing the movie now. I can already tell from the trailer that there are some big differences, but I’m interested to see what Tim Burton does with it!

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What are some of your favorite reads from this summer?

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