Spring’s Summer Reading List
We’re readers at Spring. There’s nothing we like better in the summer than pairing up a good book, the great outdoors, and a cool drink.
And let us be clear: we don’t sit around reading about money all day. That way lies madness (believe us). We want to read All The Things, and want you to do the same. So here are a few good books about money and your relationship to it to round out your summer reading list as a complement to all that delicious fiction* you’re going to read in the lazy days of August:
Personal Finance 101
Wealthing Like Rabbits, Robert R. Brown
If you’re looking for a solid personal finance 101 book that will also make you laugh out loud in public, this is it. (Read Krysten’s full review of Wealthing Like Rabbits here.)
The Value of Simple, John Robertson
Even if you never plan on managing your own portfolio, read this book. You’ll come away with a better understanding of why you’re investing, what to expect, and why simple is almost always better than complex. Plus, Robertson has developed a self-guided course that expands on The Value of Simple called Practical Index Investing for Canadians.
Your Relationship with Money
Worry Free Money, Shannon Lee Simmons
Although there are powerful tools and calculators included in this book, the first quarter identifies and dismantles the reasons money and spending are so entwined with our feelings of inadequacy, belonging, and success. (Read Sandi’s full review of Worry Free Money here.)
The Soul of Money, Lynne Twist
This isn’t a personal finance book: it’s a book about connecting with what is most important to you and using your money to support your best life. (Read Kathryn’s full review of The Soul of Money here.)
Happy Money, Elizabeth Dunn & Michael Norton
Evidence-based and sometimes even hilarious, this book walks you through the behavioural finance research into how to get the biggest happiness bang for your buck. (Watch for Julia’s full review soon)
Daring Greatly, Brene Brown
We know for a fact that the root of most people’s worries about money come from deep feelings of shame and scarcity. This book has nothing and everything to do with your relationship with money, and if you’ve never read any Brene Brown it’s going to be a life-changer. (Watch for Sandi’s full review soon)
*What Else We’re Reading (Not About Money)
Circling the Sun, Paula McLain
(Kathryn)
An historical fiction memoir; the story of an English child raised in Kenya by her father and the native Kipsigis tribe who share his estate. (Click here for the book review on goodreads.)
The Light Between Oceans, M. L. Stedman
(Kathryn)
The story of a lighthouse keeper and his wife in 1918 Australia who raise a baby that washed up onshore in a boat. (Click here for the book review on goodreads.)
Give and Take: A Revolutionary Approach to Success, Adam Grant
(Julia)
A very cool book with solid research on three different approaches to success in networking, collaboration, and leadership: takers, matchers, and givers. The short story is that givers win and are more successful both personally and professionally, despite what anecdotes tell us. (Click here for the book review on goodreads.)
Too Many Curses, A. Lee Martinez
(Julia)
A fun author who takes fantasy and mystical characters and places them in incredibly normal, everyday situations (hilarity ensues). This book is about a mythical creature who cleans a wizard’s castle and ends up creating an organized, effective, collaborative community out of the cursed artifacts and creatures in the castle. (Click here for the book review on goodreads.)
Noir, Christopher Moore
(Julia)
One of my favourite authors and humorists, Christopher Moore’s latest novel (I impatiently wait for each new one to arrive) takes his characters, set in 1947 San Francisco, on an adventure that somehow manages to be funny — and well researched — historical fiction with a romantic theme, that includes social commentary on racism, sexism, and the US military. There’s also life philosophies and aliens. (Click here for the book review on goodreads.)
The Sparrow, Mary Doria Russell
(Sandi)
I’d describe it as “Jesuits in space,” which isn’t anything I’d normally pick up on my own, but turns out it’s the most craftsmanlike narrative I’ve ever read. Every word is perfectly placed, and the story turns out so contrary to what the plot makes you think is going on that it’s deeply engaging to the very last page. (Click here for the book review on goodreads.)
Green Grass, Running Water, Thomas King
(Sandi)
It’s dark and hilarious and heartbreaking, and you have to read it. (Click here for the book review on goodreads.)
The Book of the New Sun, Gene Wolfe
(Krysten)
If you’re into sci fi and fantasy, give this series a read. Wolfe is famous for using unreliable narrators, so keep an eye out for inconsistencies. Incredibly well-written, these books reward careful reading and invite re-reading multiple times. (Click here for the book review on goodreads.)
Originally published at springplans.ca on July 17, 2018.
