5 Powerful Summer Reading Books To Make You Happier

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Summer is around the corner! Here come the sun and lazy days laying on a blanket with a good book.

Are you as excited as I am?

I love to go to the beach or a park after work and read. I’m really considering getting a hammock this year so I can spend hours relaxing in my backyard 😀

Anyway, all of this is to say that between the National Independent Bookstore day and my addiction of buying beautiful books, I already have everything I will read this summer to improve my life.

As you will see, I am in a phase to learn as much as possible about happiness 🙂

How I Selected These Books

As you know, I find it hard to read non-fiction books. This is why I usually get the audiobook version instead.

It’s just that I love going on adventures after a long day at work, my latest obsession is The Raven Boys series by Maggie Stiefvater. I love a good mix of action and romance, which is far from what you find in self-help books.

So this is what I’m looking for in a non-fiction book:

• Big fonts and easy to read: I need to enjoy the experience and not squint my eyes.
• Small paragraphs: they usually go straight to the point
• Colors: non-fiction black and white books are too serious for me to relax and have a good time
• Drawing and graphs: it makes it easier to understand the idea and it’s a good way to have a break between the heavy knowledge

Reading for me is all about the experience, having a good time and unwinding from a stressful or busy day. 

My Summer 2017 Reading list

Let’s get started, here are the beautiful self-help books I bought to read this summer.

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The Little Book of Hygge: Danish Secrets to Happy Living

Author: Meik Wiking

What it’s about:

Do you want to find out why Danes are so happy? In The Little Book of Hygge Meik Wiking, who is the CEO of the Happiness Research Institute in Copenhagen and spent years studying happiness, shares everything they know about hygge. You will learn how to set up your home, the power of lights, socialization, clothes, … It’s a really deep guide to add comfort and happiness into your life!

Why I selected this book:

I’ve looked at it every time I went to a bookstore since it came out in January. It’s a small hardcover book. The layout inside is so nice and has a lot of cute drawings. It’s a very beautiful book and really easy to read. Trust me you won’t be disappointed!

Get The Little Book of Hygge
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Designing Your Life: How to Build a Well-Lived, Joyful Life

Authors: Bill Burnett & Dave Evans

What it’s about:

Designing Your Life will help you find and create the life you want. From friendship, job, health and more. You will learn how to apply designers’ thinking into your life.

Why I selected this book:

I am currently in a phase where I want to change my life to become happier. This is why this book called to me as soon as I saw it. I love that most chapters end with an actionable plan named Try Stuff. Plus when I opened it, it was full of graphs and looked easy to read 🙂

Get Designing Your Life
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Happy Pretty Messy: Cultivating Beauty and Bravery When Life Gets Tough

Author: Natalie Wise

What it’s about:

Happy Pretty Messy is full of tips and inspiration to be happier in your everyday life, from self-care to creating a community.

Why I selected this book:

It’s a beautiful book. Really, you need to hold it to see the quality of the paper, the colorful drawings, etc. But then I loved browsing through it. A lot of the topics are really interesting especially calibrating one’s inner self, home arts,  and community.

Get Happy Pretty Messy
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Happiness the Mindful Way

Author: Ken A. Verni Psy.D.

What it’s about:

Happiness: The Mindful Way is a practical step-by-step guide to help focus the mind, improve performance, and be happy. It was created to guide the reader in their own journey. You will learn how different meditation techniques can reduce your anxiety, and distance yourself from damaging emotions.

Why I selected this book:

This book is full of useful information presented in a very easy way to read like infographics, questionnaires, and more. Every page has its own design to help you get the main idea really easily.

Get Happiness the Mindful Way
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The Little Pocket Book of Mindfulness: Don’t dwell on the past or worry about the future, simply BE in the present with mindfulness meditations

Author: Anna Black

What it’s about:

The Little Pocket Book of Mindfulness is an amazing book that will show you how to be mindful in your everyday life. You will learn how to be in the present and enjoy the little things when you are doing the dishes, sitting, commuting, and more.

Why I selected this book:

First, I love how this book is made. It’s small, with cut drawings everywhere and has straight to the point chapters. But what I like the most is that every point comes with an actionable exercise to easily implement what you’ve learned!

Get Happiness the Mindful Way

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Bonus

I’ve already read this book and highly recommend it!
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Calm

Author: Michael Acton Smith

What it’s about:

Calm is an amazing book that will show you how to living in the now and practice meditation. You can read my full review of Calm here.

Why I selected this book:

This was one of the first books I’ve read after being diagnosed with anxiety and depression. It taught me how to slow down and focus on the now. It’s full of tips that you can easily apply to your life.

Get Calm
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Further Reading

• The Best Audiobooks That Will Change Your Life
• The Best Tools To Improve Your Life And Be Happier
• Book Review: Calm, Learn How to Calm Your Mind
• Book Review: The Joy of Less by Francine Jay
• 6 Things you Need to be Motivated to Workout

Over To You

What are you reading this summer? Share your favorite books in the comments!