My TBR list is lonnnnng. Like “stacks of books all over my office” long. I tend to take a serendipitous approach to reading, pulling my next book based on mood or interests in the moment.
This summer though, I want to read with more intention. There are specific books I’m reading as I develop the Mavennry set of programs and (gulp) start to write my first book.
Some of these books I know I’ll gut or read “fractally” (where I’ll use the Table of Contents or introduction to guide me to specific parts of the book), but most I’ll read all the way through.
I keep quotes and notes in Readwise for future reference in my writing; they’ve also added an AI “query your quotes” feature that makes it easy for me to find the references I need.
Storytelling Frameworks
Great storytelling is one of the big antidotes to A.I., and I want to work on improving my storytelling skills this year, as well as how to use better scaffolding and structure to increase story impact.
I’m also interested in developing stronger narrative non-fiction, which might switch up the “What—So What—Now What” structure that I tend to use as a default.
Summer books:
- The Heroine’s Journey – Maureen Murdock
- Stories Sell – Matthew Dicks
- Science of Storytelling – Will Storr
- Very Good Copy – Eddie Shleyner
If you’re looking to improve your storytelling skills, here are a few others I’ve read in the past year and highly recommend:
- Story Is A State of Mind – Sarah Selencky
Go Deeper with Voice & Writing Technique
I’ve been building new skills in writing voice strategies and mapping through my training at Brand Voice Academy, and I’d like to continue with more reading this summer to uderstand the specific elements of voice to activate for greater interest, engagement, and authority.
Summer books:
- Steering the Craft – Ursula K. Le Guin
- Meander, Spiral, Explode – Jane Alison
- Voice First – Sonja Huber
Creating Conditions for Creativity
What are the conditions for consistently great writing? How can I avoid the peaks and valleys of writing work? Are there different routines I need to add for more pitching and publishing? I was also introduced to permaculture and drawing from nature’s ecosystems in a spring workshop with Marie Poulin, which is why you see permaculture books on the list.
Summer reading:
- The Milkwood Permaculture Living Handbook, Kirsten Bradley
- Regenerative Design for Changemakers – Abrah Dresdale
- The Book of Alchemy – Souleika Jaouad
- True and False Magic – Phil Stutz
- The Business of Writing – Jane Friedman
Self-Expression for People with Chronic Illness & Neurodiversity
Is writing and creative work more difficult for people with invisible illnesses? What’s needed to support and nurture their creative work?
Summer reading:
- The Tools – Phil Stutz & Barry Michels
- IFS Workbook – Richard C. Schwartz
- Beyond Anxiety – Martha Beck
- Embracing Uncertainty (for creatives) – Margaret Heffernan
Future/Time Permitting :
- Something in the Woods Loves You – Jarod K. Anderson (re-read; I loved this book)
- The Answer is In The Wound – Kelly Sundburg
- The Great Work of Your Life – Stephen Cope
- No Bad Parts – Richard C. Schwartz
Women, Work & Expanding Impact
Are there additional elements to pull into supporting writing and creative work for women? Are there new opportunities in the changing landscape of leadership, uncertainty, and economic challenges for women? And, what feels increasingly urgent—how can we be more bold when the planet needs us most?
Summer reading:
- When We’re In Charge: The Next Generation’s Guide to Leadership – Amanda Litman
- No Straight Road Takes You There – Rebecca Solnit
- Portable Feminist Reader – Roxane Gay (editor) – I keep dipping into it; I want to keep reading and re-reading parts of it for the next year
- Burn It Down – Dancyger (Ed.) – I have wanted to read this for ages!
Future/time permitting:
- Workforce Ecosystems – Altman, Kirov, Schwartz, Jones
- The Regenerative Business – Carol Sanford
- Dare to Un-Lead: The Art of Relational Leadership in a Fragmented World – Celine Schillinger
Summer “Fun” Reads
I couple of these I’ve read and it’s already been a great summer of reading! I’ll probably pick up a few others along the way, but here are the ones I’m prioritizing this summer:
- Flashlight – Susan Choi (amazing)
- Katabasis – R.F. Kuang
- My Friends – Fredrik Backman (similar to A Little Life; I cried when I finished it at 5 am)
- Show Don’t Tell – Curtis Sittenfeld (short stories and bit uneven for me; DNF but loved a couple of the early stories)
- Atmosphere – Taylor Jenkins Reid (good story; not quite as “beachy” as some of her others)
- The Snow Child – Eowyn Ivey (beautiful, magical)
- The Original Daughter – Jemmimah Wei
- The Unworthy – Augustine Bazterrica
- How to Be Old – Lyn Slater
- The Editor – Sara B. Franklin
Summer technically runs until Sept 20, so I *think* I can get through this list! You can follow my writing journal on StoryGraph if you’re interested in my reviews as I go.
DM me on IG and tell me what you’re reading this summer!
