We may be midway through the summer already, but it’s not too late to squeeze in a little summer reading!  Whether you’ve read 20 books this summer or zero, these will be worth picking up to add 1 more to your list. We polled our internal team members to find out what their favorite recent reads have been and here’s what they said:

 

The Secret, by Rhonda Byrne

Submitted by Sara Lozano, Southwest Central Houston branch

The Secret is a self-help book by Rhonda Byrne that explains how the law of attraction, which states that positive energy attracts positive things into your life, governs your thinking and actions, and how you can use the power of positive thinking to achieve anything you can imagine. 4.6 out of 5 stars on Amazon!

 

 

Oona Out of Order, by Margarita Montimore

Submitted by Ashley Jordan, Dallas/Fort Worth branch.

It’s New Year’s Eve 1982, and Oona Lockhart has her whole life before her. At the stroke of midnight she will turn nineteen, and the year ahead promises to be one of consequence. As the countdown to the New Year begins, Oona faints and awakens thirty-two years in the future in her fifty-one-year-old body. Greeted by a friendly stranger in a beautiful house she’s told is her own, Oona learns that with each passing year she will leap to another age at random. And so begins Oona Out of Order. Surprising, magical, and heart-wrenching, Margarita Montimore has crafted an unforgettable story about the burdens of time, the endurance of love, and the power of family.

 

Papers and Journals: A Selection, by Soren Kierkegaard

Submitted by Christie Cox, Southeast Houston branch. Christie says one of her favorite lines was, “Life can only be understood by looking backward; but it must be lived looking forward.”

In his short life Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard (1814-1855) wrote over seven thousand pages of papers and journal entries, enough writing to fill an entire bookshelf. This Penguin collection organizes Kierkegaard’s journals into eight major phases of the philosopher’s life, from Kierkegaard’s early 20s to the last years of his life before he collapsed on the street at age 43. There is great insight and wisdom here. There is also wry humor and penetrating observations on 19th century European society and the ever-present existential challenges of human experience.

 

People We Meet on Vacation, by Emily Henry

Submitted by Ashley Jordan, Dallas/Fort Worth branch.

“Emily Henry is a STAR! Deeply emotional and starkly funny, People We Meet on Vacation cements Emily Henry as the Queen of Banter. Rom-com fans will swoon over this slow burn friends-to-lovers romance. Poppy and Alex are real and flawed and ultra-lovable, and their Summer Trips will scratch an itch for those of us who’ve missed traveling. A perfect summer read!” —Alexis Daria, bestselling author of You Had Me at Hola

 

 

Atomic Habits, by James Clear

Submitted by Cameron Hoelscher, Southwest Central Houston branch.

James Clear, a leading expert on habit formation, reveals practical strategies that teach how to form good habits, break bad ones, and master the tiny behaviors that lead to remarkable results.  Bad habits repeat themselves again and again not because you don’t want to change, but because you have the wrong system for change. Atomic Habits will reshape the way you think about progress and success, and give you the tools and strategies you need to transform your habits.

 

 

Making Numbers Count, by Chip Heath and Karla Starr

Submitted by Cindy Jennings, Corporate office.

Understanding numbers is essential—but humans aren’t built to understand them. Until recently, most languages had no words for numbers greater than five—anything from six to infinity was known as “lots.” While the numbers in our world have gotten increasingly complex, our brains are stuck in the past.

Whether you’re interested in global problems like climate change, running a tech firm or a farm, or just explaining how many Cokes you’d have to drink if you burned calories like a hummingbird, this book will help math-lovers and math-haters alike translate the numbers that animate our world.

 

Wool, by Hugh Howey

Submitted by Katie Sechrist, Corporate office.

The first book in this New York Times best-selling trilogy, Wool is the story of mankind clawing for survival. The world outside has grown toxic, the view of it limited, talk of it forbidden. The remnants of humanity live underground in a single silo. But there are always those who hope, who dream. These are the dangerous people, the residents who infect others with their optimism.

After the previous sheriff leaves the silo in a terrifying ritual, Juliette, a mechanic from the down deep, is suddenly and inexplicably promoted to the head of law enforcement. With newfound power and with little regard for the customs she is supposed to abide, Juliette uncovers hints of a sinister conspiracy.