Books That Are Changing My World: June '18 Edition

Reading has been my favorite thing in the world to do since I was three years old, memorizing all of the words to my favorite Dr. Seuss. There’s no better way to spend an evening (or a morning or an afternoon) than curled up with a book and some tea (or coffee, or wine, or an entire bottle of wine, whatever).

Seeing as I don’t really hide my love affair with reading, I get a lot of friends asking for book recommendations. And I figured I might as well start sharing my favorites here too! This month, I couldn’t get enough of:

Puddin’ by Julie Moore

I know, I know, this book is for teens. But there’s something about the main character of this story that I couldn’t get enough of! She was so sweet, positive, and determined to live life on her own terms that she became an inspiration to me. I would re-read this book in a heartbeat, and recommend it to anyone looking for a light and uplifting summer read.

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi

One of my friends gave this to me after she devoured it on a trip down to North Carolina, and my gosh, I am so glad she did. This book follows the lineage of an Asante woman from the 18th century to present day. It begins with the stories of two sisters, one of whom is married to an Englishman involved in the African slave trade, the other sold into that same trade. Each chapter follows the life of a different family member in a different time period, which at times made the book slow for me to get through (I wanted more of each of their stories!), but turned out to be masterfully executed. This book is required reading for any (probably white) person who operates under the belief that “slavery was a long time ago, they need to get over it.”

Girl, Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis

This is one of those books that was circulating through social media, so I figured I needed to give it a try. And I’m glad I did! This is a nonfiction book, broken up into chapters that each demystify a “lie” Hollis once believed about herself, her relationships, her business, and her life. It’s cute, full of inspirational advice, and while not exactly life-changing, it was fun to read and made me want to get to work on my own goals.

Other books I enjoyed this month:

Come Matter Here, by Hannah Brencher

How to Fall in Love with Anyone, by Mandy Len Catron

Fierce Kingdom, by Gin Phillips