My list begins with Rebecca by Daphne DuMaurier. It’s been over 20 years since I read this classic, and I was so excited when my book group picked it up for our summer book. It’s classified as a mystery but has a touch of romance as well.

Rated as one of PBS’s great American Top 100 reads, DeMaurier takes readers to the isolated gray stone mansion of Manderly where Mrs. de Winter slowly uncovers the mystery of her predecessor — Rebecca — the first Mrs. de Winter. It’s captivating and is sure to keep you guessing all the way until the end.

Next, is a book that came highly recommended by a friend. A Nobel Masquerade is a Regency novel by Kristi Ann Hunter. The first of a three-part series, this book focuses on the story of Miranda who wishes to be free of the confines of propriety and society. She is quickly approaching the age of spinsterhood and sees a shortage of desirable suitors when she suddenly finds two men who have captured her attention. One who is off limits because of his station and another who she has never met.

While I don’t expect this to be a terribly deep book, I always enjoy some light fluff in the summer. If the first is as good as expected I will be adding the other three from the Hawthorne House series to my list.

I just finished the Ivy Hill series by Julie Klassen and it did not disappoint. The first in the series is The Innkeeper of Ivy Hill — Where Jane Bell a recent widow inherits her husband’s inn.

Through the course of the three novels, you become connected to the women who live in the quaint village of Ivy Hill. They each have their own struggles, but together they support in a way most women can appreciate and relate to on a personal level. I loved all three in the trilogy.

The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom has long been on my must-read list. My sister gave me this book for my birthday and so this will be the summer I finally get to read it!

This non-fiction depicts the remarkable story of Corrie ten Boom who was a WWII heroine of the resistance and eventual survivor of Hitler’s concentration camps.

Who doesn’t need to learn how to have more by doing less. Sounds like a dream, right?

I first learned about Do Less by Kate Northrup on one of my favorite podcasts where she was interviewed. I loved listening to her, her ideas made sense, and I am so excited to jump into this self-help book. Be sure to keep an eye open for up and coming content all related to Kate’s fabulous approach to time and energy management for busy moms.

I think we can all relate to having a few habits we’d like to create as well as a couple we’d like to break.

Author James Clear took his life experiences and experimental research to identify how we can best fulfill our potential by creating habits and routines with “explosive” results. Atomic Habits became a New York Times bestseller because of the easy, and actionable way Clear teaches what life has taught him about tiny changes making remarkable results.

What is the one thing that scares you to death? Studying fear is one of my fascinations. It can protect us from danger, but it also can be the thing keeping us from creating a life we love.

Ruth Soukup’s book Do It Scared addresses what she has found to be four Fear Archetype’s. She helps her readers identify which fear is holding them back and then works through principles of courage to help each of us implement strategies to overcome these obstacles.

Earlier this spring I was able to see Gretchen Rubin live! It was like a concert for book geeks:) I went with a couple of friends and thoroughly enjoyed listening to Gretchen speak about happiness, life in general, and her new book: Outer Order|Inner Calm.

Gretchen Rubin is known as the happiness guru because of her one year journey in writing the Happiness Project. Her latest book looks at how our happiness is affected by clutter and disorganization. Her discovery is all about control and how when we have command of our environment we feel more in control of our lives.

Free to Focus is the latest of Michael Hyatt’s books. Michael has become known as one of the experts in time management and productivity. He went from the hustle and bustle of being a CEO for a major publishing company to owning his own business based on what he learned in the business world.

I’ve read Platform: Getting Noticed in a Noisy World where he shared straightforward guidance on creating a meaningful online platform. Free to Focus promises to be packed with actionable steps to achieve greater productivity and balanced life.

Many of you might know I teach a scripture study class to high school students in the mornings. This next fall we will be studying the New Testament and so part of my best books list includes content to prepare for next semester.

The first book on this short list includes one by a favorite author and speaker — John Bytheway. Pigs, Pearls, and Prodigals discuss thirty different parables from the New Testament in greater detail. The few chapters I’ve read include the actual text, with the cultural and historical background to add depth and meaning to the words.

The final book on my summer reading list is Making Sense of the New Testament by Richard Neitzel Holzapfel and Thomas A. Wayment. This is an amazing reference book I’ve been using in tandem with my study of the New Testament.

It contains the most current expertise in historical, cultural, and linguistic background of the New Testament. If you want to take your scripture study to the next level, try reading with this as a guide.