A Cozy Summer Reading List

This summer is…. Weird. There, I said it.

Not that I ever have extravagant, exciting summer plans… But it feels odd that those things aren’t even an option.

No bars, concerts, festivals or house parties.

2020 is the summer of chill.
And CHILL is synonymous with cozy.
And COZY is synonymous with books.
And BOOKS that revolve around happiness, comfort and joy seem like something we all need right now.

So I present to you a Cozy Summer Reading List:

You may have noticed that this reading list correlates a little bit with my last post “Summer Hygge Challenge” where I challenged you to do things like “Run through a sprinkler” and “Read about something unfamiliar” (see what I did there, that’s kind of like, foreshadowing).

You didn’t think I’d tell you to read about something unfamiliar and then NOT give you my list of faves, did you?

Here’s some info on the books, so you can gauge if you want to spend time reading them or not:

1) The Little Book of Hygge:
“Danish secrets to happy living”. Denmark is one of the happiest countries in the world, and the author of this book literally runs a company called the Happiness Research Institute (dude knows a little bit about happiness).
Read this book if: You love getting cozy, you love fall & winter, you like to find little things that bring you joy, you like hot drinks and warm socks and things like that.

2) Business for Bohemians:
“Live well, make money”. The author of this book has done multiple things throughout his life such as writing articles for popular magazines, running a book store / cafe, and most recently, creating an online learning establishments for adults. The most important thing to know about him is that he does NOT want to work for the man.
Read this book if: You want to learn more about business, you want to start your own company, you want to do these things un-traditionally, you hate working for people, you want to learn the nitty gritty of running a business the way that YOU want to run it, and still have time for life and fun.

3) The Little Book of Lykke:
“Secrets of the world’s happiest people”. Do I really need to say more? No? I will anyway. While the Danes are the happiest people on the planet, happiness isn’t exclusively Danish; cultures around the world have their own unique approaches to leading a contented, fulfilled life.
Read this book if: You like being happy, and finding new ways to be happier, you enjoy learning about other cultures and what brings them contentment, you want to feel inspired.

4) The Art of Making Memories:
“How to Create and Remember Happy Moments”. Do you ever try to think back to some of the best times in your life, only for the memory to be incredibly fuzzy? You know that summer 2013 was one of the best of your life but you can’t even remember why… This incredible book talks about ways to make your memories more… well, memorable. So you can look back fondly and clearly.
Read this book if: You want to remember important things in your life, you have issues with clear memory, you want to recall stories from your life to share with your children and grandchildren one day, you like being happy.

5) Ikigai:
“The Japanese secret to a long and happy life”. According to the Japanese, everyone has an ikigai—a reason for living. And according to the residents of the Japanese village with the world’s longest-living people, finding it is the key to a happier and longer life. You could call Ikigai your passion, your niche, or your dream… but whatever you call it, FINDING it and practicing it every day is what Ikigai is all about.
Read this book if: You want to reassure yourself that finding your passion is important, you want to learn how to live a longer happier life, you enjoy staying busy, you love learning about other cultures.

All 5 of these books have changed my life. Not in some grand, earth shattering way. They just made me slow down and think about the way I spend my time, the things I do, the people I spend time with, and the things I spend my energy on.

They have all taught me how to live a more intentional life.

I hope you read one (or 5) and get all the joy and benefits from them that I know you will.

Please post on your Instagram or Instagram story if you read any of these, and tag me: @lo.ponder I would love to see who ends up reading these amazing books.