SOH’s Seasonal Book Club: Summer

Suprise!! You get three books this time! I decided one book just wasn’t enough. These books are all very different, but do carry some common threads – Let’s see if you can pick up on them! Ya’ll are gonna love em.

1. Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

Summer Vibes: Travel + Exploring

You’ve probably heard of this book and maybe even seen the movie with the ever charming Julia Roberts, but if you haven’t actually read the book, it’s a must. Gilbert is an incredible writer and story teller (and conversationalist for that matter too).

Eat Pray Love is about Gilbert’s journey of finding herself. It’s split into 3 sections with 36 stories each. The three sections, Eat, Pray and Love are correlated to her travels in three different countries: Italy, India and Indonesia.

It’s an inspiring story where she trades her routine life (her safe life), yet unsatisfying life, for a journey to explore her soul. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry and you’ll definitely get the travel bug.

What I Love Most About Eat Pray Love

What I love most about this book, or really, what I love most about Elizabeth Gilbert, is how unapologetically she is herself. It shines through on the pages and somewhere along the way, through her courage to honor herself, you feel as though she’s personally given you permission to honor your true self.

I think we all seek that freedom. The freedom to be ourselves. The freedom to… be.

It takes tremendous self-love to reflect so deeply and to make choices that make us feel vulnerable. And I think it’s this common human desire we have, to be ourselves and to know ourselves, that makes this read so relatable even if you aren’t planning on picking up your whole life and traveling across the world.

2. You are a Badass by Jen Sincero

Summer Vibes: Sunny Energy

Ugh, I love this book. Like so much. It’s one of those books I finished in a couple of days. This book gleams with wisdom, truth and the occasional swear word all to help you live your best life and I’m here for it.

I read this book over a year ago and while writing this post I decided to look up Sincero’s Zodiac sign, because I had a strong feeling that this book was written by a Leo and I was right!

And seriously, it all makes since because this book harnesses all that sunny Leo energy – it’s bold, charismatic and encourages you to shine your f-ing light… because, wait for it, you. are. a. badass. Not just Jen Sincero, not just me, not just the girls you admire on Instagram… You are a badass. Let me say it again. YOU are a BADASS.

What You’ll Find in this Book

This book covers things like why you are the way you are (hello subconscious!), what you can do about it and how to embrace your awesomeness. She’s also a big advocate of gratitude and she’s the reason I started a gratitude practice in my morning ritual. Thanks Jen.

But seriously, read this book because you’ll feel like you’re on fire (in a good way) and you’ll be inspired to live the life you’ve dreamed of living. No playing small here!

The Sun and Her Flowers by Rupi Kaur

Summer Vibes: Flowers + Growth

Ok we’re switching gears a little bit here, but I wanted to give you some variety. This is a book of poems with darling little doodles that will give you all the feels. It’s written in five sections: wilting, falling, rooting, rising and blooming.

Wilting + Falling

Wilting and falling deal heavily with loss, grief, self-abandonment and trauma. She writes mostly of a romantic loss, but I think this book could be good for anyone dealing with loss, because the feelings of grief tend to be universal.

I love Kuar’s writing because its so real. I could see how someone reading the wilting and falling section for the first time could think this isn’t healthy behavior, this isn’t a good example, but this isn’t meant to be a guide of how to deal with grief, it’s just her feelings. That’s also what makes it so powerful though. It’s raw and exposed.

We’ve all been in the throws of grief that makes us a little unstable, a little unhealthy and normally we try to hide it. We paint our faces, go on with our lives and pretend we aren’t hurting as much as we are in an attempt to make others not feel uncomfortable. But this discourages human connection and makes grief so isolating. I think Rupi Kaur vulnerably puts her grief front and center, for all to see, in hopes that someone else might feel a little less alone and to normalize grief and loss as part of the human experience.

(Note: This book is very explicit in its writing on sexual trauma. It may be a trigger for people who have experienced any kind of trauma.)

Rooting, Rising + Blooming

So where are all those summer vibes I promised? Well, just like the seasons must pass through fall and winter to get to spring and summer, so does this book. Rooting, rising and blooming are definitely where more of those summery vibes come in, and while it’s my favorite part of the book, I find that it gets its context and depth from the earlier sections.

Here you’ll find poems that inspire you to love yourself, love your body, to honor your roots, to be present and to find the good in life. Plus the beauty and power she can pack into a 16 word poem is impressive (example page 91 – guess you’re gonna have to get the book ;).

But I will leave you with this one, because it’s one of my absolute favs:

So, did you pick up on the themes all these books have in common?

These three books all have an element of self-love and an attitude of you have the power to decide what you want to make of this life to them and I’m all about it. So, check out these books written by three awesome women and see how they each deliver their unique message on self-love and owning your life.

Cheers and in the words of Jen Sincero, “Love yourself because it’s the Holy Grail of happiness,”