Book Club: Summer Reading

It's been quite some time since I've done one of my reading list compilations. And, truth be told, it's because I haven't spent much time with my ole library as of late. But all it took was a few beach days over this past weekend to realize those summer days are calling for books galor, and my Amazon shopping cart is now overflowing with summer reads for my favorite season of the year. As always, I'm scouring the Faith-Based, Self-Help, Professional Creatives, and Life-Loving reads for my personal list:

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1. Up first, Love Does by Bob Geoff: This has been on my list basically all of 2013. It seems every single person I know is directing this hopeless romantic/optimistic mind to this book by Geoff because, why yes I would like to "discover a secretly incredible life in an ordinary world." Geoff, who has been credited to becoming a legend of perseverance, accredits all his impact on one thing: love. And not just love as an emotion. Love as a verb. 
2. And switching direction slightly, ole Dad sent this one my way for a little research I'm doing: By Invitation Only: How We Built Gilt and Changed the Way Millions Shopped. A story of the entrepreneurs that got creative and made their dream a career. Sign me up (no pun intended).
3. I'm currently flipping through Blog, Inc. Written by the creator of Oh Joy!, Joy Cho outlines what takes a successful blog from musings to must-read. The first few chapters are hardly worth a skim if you've already created an online space, but the real good stuff arises towards the end.
4. Monkey Mind: A Memoir of Anxiety. I realize this seems like a strange addition to the list. But after reading a few reviews on it in different places, I found myself relating to the author a bit. Daniel Smith gives a super personal account of his struggle with anxiety and how the smallest decisions "between BBQ sauce or ketchup" caused anxiety to take over—but how he finally conquered his own fears and broke away. I admit to going through a stage in life recently where I was so terrified of making the wrong decision that my mind would freeze and I couldn't absorb anything around me—life would minimize to white noise. Monkey Mind is the tale of a sometimes crippling disease told in a comical way and the smallest steps the author took to overcome.
5. Tout Sweet: Hanging Up My High Heels for a New Life in France. Sometimes you need a good lighthearted beach/pool read, and most know that I have an affinity for the French lifestyle. Enter this book that just so happens to merge the two. The true story of fashion editor Karen Wheeler, who leaves London when her boyfriend leaves her and hangs up her Manolos for a French cottage in rural central-western France. Pour me a class of champagne with this read, s'il vous plait. 

Amy I leaving off something I should absolutely be reading? Let me know!

Daily gratitude: Passions of professional and personal proportions. 

xoxo