Have you heard the quote by Charles Jones….” We will be the same person in five years that we are today except for two things: the people we meet and the books we read.”? I believe this totally. More than we even realize…those we spend time with change us, influence, us, impact us. You know what the great thing is about books? We can totally choose what books we read. We can take recommendations from others that have read books. We can choose what we want to read about. We can read with a buddy and share what we learn. If we start a book and it is just not clicking, we can even stop reading it. We can control what we read and how books make us who we are. I know books have sure changed me and the way I view life over the last few years. When I read a book…I READ it. I underline, make notes…it can take me awhile to finish one. :/But that’s okay…I always walk away with something that I keep tucked away in my head and heart.

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Do you read? We do and we wanted to share a few of our summer reads. We all brought in books we are reading and voted on who wants to read what. Below are our top four picks!

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Karen is reading “My Foot is Too Big for the Glass Slipper” by Gabrielle Reece. Here is what Karen has to day about this read…

Gabrielle Reece has one overarching message in her book: “You’re life is not going to be a fairy-tale so suck it up and get over it.” She covers so much of practical life in her book–marriage, fitness, eating habits, parenting, getting older. She says none of these areas of our lives will be easy: you’ll have to give good effort at having a thriving marriage, you’ll sweat in order to stay fit, you’ll have to be consistent with your kids and sometimes feel like you say no more than yes, and you’ll have to get older but you can do so without harshly critiquing each new line. I felt like every chapter gave me a new idea with how to approach life, though I didn’t agree with every idea of hers.

But what did I particularly like? I loved how she allows her kids just one hour of electronics a day. Her mantra is “Kids need to go outside and play for hours on end everyday.” Is it an easy rule for her to enforce? No, her kids sometimes yell,  “But I just want my electronics” when she tells them they have to go outside. I also love how she leads a workout training group with women from ages 17 to 70. They are a close group of women in her Hawaiian home town that sweat together regardless of their age. Also commented upon is the Internet and I have come to admire her husband Laird Hamilton, not because he is a champion surfer (though he rides crazy huge waves)but because he rarely ever reads what is online. Gabrielle says he doesn’t look, doesn’t know, and doesn’t care what goes on online. She stresses we just need to unplug and live in the natural world. One excerpt from her I liked a lot…”If you were stuck sitting next to someone on an airplane who spewed at you the kid of stuff you surf online, you’d think you’d entered a level of Dante’s hell. You’d be telling friends about the bore you got stuck next to on your flight to Atlanta. A few years ago the idea of watching slides of someone’s vacation to Greece was only marginally more appealing than a tax audit; now, bizarrely, it’s become gripping.” Gabrielle writes in an engaging, conversational tone. She was a supermodel, a professional beach volleyball player, but she is also a down-to-earth wife and mother.

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I am currently reading “The Magic of Thinking Big” by David Schwartz. This book talks about HOW MUCH we limit ourselves just because of what we think about ourselves, fears we may have, and insecurities….all things that are not based on TRUTH…but we let them control us. The author talks about taking the positive spin on life instead of the negative spin. About taking steps forward. He says that nobody is born with confidence…but it is something that is learned and acquired. He talks about the value of relationships and getting to know others…truly being interested in those around us. Valuing others and showing appreciation. That we NEED others….in a good, healthy way. Everything in this book resonated with me. And it is an easy read….entertaining and fun. Looking for a motivational read? This will do the trick!

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Kathleen is reading “Crazy Love” by Francis Chan. Kathleen’s thought in this great book…

What is life about? Is it about you? About me? We often live like it really is about ourselves. But it’s not. In the big scheme of life, we are a small grain of sand on the world’s largest beach. Yet the One who made the sand and the ocean and sky loves us. How incomprehensible. Do you love Him? Do you really love Him? Like you love your husband…your children…your friends…your life? When you truly understand who you are, and who God is, and if you truly understand His love for you, I don’t believe your response can be anything but real love for Him. And that real love requires action.  Read “Crazy Love” by Francis Chan to find out more! :)

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I just finished “Love Does” by Bob Goff. Such a great book! Such a fun, entertaining, and such a inspirational read. Profound too! He talks about LOVE being ACTION. Turning the normal into whimsy and adventure. Live out our faith in a simple and real way. This book is full of real life stories that are humorous and profound! It is a book that would be great to read together even as a family. Need a fun summer read? Get this one!!

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Have you read any of these books? What did you love about them? If none of these books, what are you reading this summer??