Looking for books to read this summer? Here are 5 of our current favourite books.
1. Shoe Dog by Phil Knight
The book in a nutshell
Phil Knight is the man behind Nike, one of the most recognizable sports brands in the world. He had a belief that if everyone ran a few miles a day, the world would be a better place. He had a crazy idea and refused to stop until it was realised. In this book, his memoir, he takes us through the journey that created the just do it swoosh, importing running shoes and selling them at local track meets, the challenges he faced along the way, and ultimately creating his own shoes and Nike. Plus you’ll learn where the name Nike actually comes from.
Why You Should Read It
I knew I’d love the book from the first page. It’s one of those books that you want to devour in an afternoon; but don’t want to finish, because then it’s been read. If you own anything with a swoosh, especially if you’re a runner you’ll love this book, which shows not only how one of the biggest brands came to be but how much running culture and sports apparel have changed.
Favourite Quote
“When you run around an oval track or down an empty road, you have no real destination. It’s not that there’s no finish line, it’s that you define the finish line. Whatever pleasure or gains you derive from running, you must find them within. It’s all how you frame it, how you sell it to yourself.”
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2. Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell
The book in a nutshell
Malcolm Gladwell studies success from a perspective we never think of. Instead of focusing on intelligence, personality and ambition he looks at the world that surrounds the successful. Where they grew up, what they were exposed to, their cultures. How success is not a random occurrence. He draws similarities between the Beetles and Bill Gates, shows that where a pilot is born is as important as training when it comes to plane crashes and why the smartest man in the world is a man you’ve never heard of.
Why You Should Read it
For one, you can never go wrong with a Malcolm Gladwell book. Outliers was the first one of his books I picked up and immediately made me want to get every other one he has written. This book will change the way you look at success, and perhaps even the way you look at your life, choices and opportunities. Much like most of his books, his stories and theories will give you plenty food for thought and stick in your head for days after.
Favourite Quote
“I want to convince you that these kinds of personal explanations of success don’t work. People don’t rise from nothing….It is only by asking where they are from that we can unravel the logic behind who succeeds and who doesn’t”
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3. Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a world that can’s top talking by Susan Cain
The book in a nutshell
Susan Cain, a self-described introvert spent years studying introverts and this book is the result. She charts how extroversion became the ideal personality and how it’s permeated our culture. She delves into what makes introverts, the different types of introverts and how we should be celebrating those among us who are quieter instead of expecting them to change to fit an extrovert ideal. She also shares stories of introverts who have succeeded without changing who they are and how they cope in an extroverted world.
Why You Should Read it
If you’re an introvert, this book is an obvious choice. It’ll change the way you view extroverts and introverts and perhaps some of your introvert personality traits you deem as negatives. It’ll give you a deeper understanding of personality traits and what makes people tick. It’s incredibly well researched and sprinkled with stories from real people on how they have used their own introversion to their advantage. I found the book got better the deeper I got into it.
Favourite Quote
“The secret to life is to put yourself in the right lighting. For some, it’s a Broadway spotlight; for others, a lamplit desk. Use your natural powers — of persistence, concentration, and insight — to do work you love and work that matters. Solve problems. make art, think deeply.”
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4. Option B: Facing Adversity, Building Resilience and Finding Joy by Sheryl Sandberg and Adam Grant
The Book in a nutshell
After losing her husband suddenly, Sheryl Sandberg was forced to choose a life of Option B. In this book she shares her own personal moments from the moment Dave passed, to telling her children, grieving and finding a new normal. Along with her own story is research by her co-author Adam Grant on how people face adversity and challenges, how we’re able to rebuild when it seems impossible and how we can talk to people going through tragedies and build a more resilient life.
Why You Should Read It
Life isn’t a linear path and never turns out the way you plan for it. In some way or other most of us are or will have to turn to Option B and maybe even C, D, E. This books not only shows you that it’s possible, but it shows you how to talk to and be there for people in your life that are going through illness, death and hardships. It made me realise how much more I can do for those around me and how to be there for those going through hard times instead of being afraid to ask and offer.
Favourite Quote
“When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us.”
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5. It’s not yet dark by Simon Fitzmaurice
The book in a Nutshell
This is a memoir written by Simon Fitzmaurice, an Irish filmmaker and writer who was diagnosed with ALS. It’s a short book, written in short sentences and unlike any other memoir you’ll read. It takes you into his world of becoming a filmmaker, meeting his wife, having 5 kids and being diagnosed and living with ALS. His determination to live and really live despite not being able to move or talk comes through on every page.
Why You Should Read it
It’s a quick read you’ll inhale in a few short hours but a read that’ll leave a mark on you. He wrote this book using eye-gaze technology and his passion for living will inspire you to live and appreciate each moment and all the good there is in your life. It’ll also give you a better understanding of ALS and the people it affects – the same ALS that had everyone doing the ice bucket challenge
Favourite Quote
“I am not a tragedy. I neither want nor need pity. I am full of hope. The word hope and ALS do not go together in this country. Hope is not about looking for a cure to a disease. Hope is a way of living. We often think we are entitled to a long fruitful Coca-Cola life. But life is a privilege, not a right. I feel privileged to be alive. That’s hope.”
Get it here
What are you reading this summer?
