TV-Free Summer & The First 5 Books to Read

Remember the days when summer rolled around and we subsequently rolled our eyes at our assigned summer reading lists? Well, this is nothing like that. I’ve made a rule for myself this summer: no television during the week. Although, there are a few loopholes:

1.    Watching The Daily Show does not count.

2.   Watching breaking news does not count.

3.   Major sports games also do not count.

With that said, I’ve compiled a list of books I’d like to read by the end of August. It’s an amalgamation of recommendations, topics that simply interest me and I wish I knew more about, and writers I want to emulate. Here are the first five.

Sapphires and Garlic 

by Ruth Reichl

Ruth Reichl is one of the most famous food critics ever. She's written for Gourmet, the New York Times, and the Los Angeles Times. The woman is an expert at describing food and dining experiences that bring the reader into the narrative along with her. 

The Happiness Project

by Gretchen Rubin

As a long time fan of Elizabeth Gilbert's Eat, Pray, Love it's a wonder I didn't come across this book sooner. It's been described as a mix between the Dalai Llama's The Art of Happiness and EPL-- a combination that makes me even more excited about this piece than its title.

The Stuff of Thought

by Steven Pinker

Ever wonder about the motivation behind our word choices? Pinker, a psycholinguist, examines how what words we choose tell us about the way we think.

In Other Words

C.J. Moore

In essence, this is a language lover's guide to words outside the realm of the English vocabulary. Different cultures have special and particular words for things we take sentences to describe. For example, amongst the people of Tierra del Fuego there exists a word, mamihlapinatapei, for the expressive, meaningful and romantic silence between two people. 

Freakonomics

by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubnet

This book was loaned to me months ago as a "must read." So far, the lender has been right about ever other book he's lent me (Outliers, Ahead of the Curve and What the Dog Saw) so I have no doubt I'll enjoy this oft-quoted work of economic nonfiction. It's actually number one on the list.






















Am I missing something? Is there a book I simply must read? If so, leave a comment! I'm always up for book suggestions.