This summer, like all of you, I didn’t do much traveling due to the COVID19 pandemic. However, without the planning, prepping, and actually traveling, I had a ton of time to relax and enjoy doing something I love – reading books! I’ve been asked several times for reading recommendations, so I compiled this list of works that I read this summer. Some of these books are travel related, some aren’t. Hopefully, you find something that interests you. I’m going to try to put out a list every three months or so (one list for each season.) I’ll put the books I’m hoping to get to for the fall if you want to join me in reading them!
Disclaimer: This post contains Amazon affiliate links. By purchasing books through this post, you pay absolutely NO extra cost than what you would pay by shopping on Amazon on your own. However, I get a small commission from your purchase, again, at no extra cost to you.
1. Bury Me Standing
Author: Isabel Fonseca
Non-Fiction
Good if you like: society, culture
Following the civil unrest in our country, I have made it my mission to read more books written by and centering on people of color. Most do not realize that the Roma population, or as they are better known, gypsies, are largely people of color. This is after all, largely what makes them marginalized in much of the world. Roma gypsies were targeted during the Holocaust throughout The Second World War, but have been persecuted for hundreds of years prior and since.
Gypsies and their cultural traditions vary. Each country’s gypsy population has its own way of living, and even within a single country, there can be different tribes with varying living styles. Some facets remain steady across countries such as Roma language, superstitions, and beliefs regarding dress and gender roles. Gypsies were largely nomadic people until major government organizations banned the practice of nomadism. By forcing gypsy people to remain stationary, their livelihoods and careers were dismantled, putting them at a permanent disadvantage which echoed through decades to the present day. Their dark skin color and way of living often make gypsies a target for hate crimes.
If you take away anything from this post, let it be this: Unless you are actually from the gypsy population, STOP CALLING YOURSELF A GYPSY. To do so is to be completely ignorant and heartless about the traumas that this entire ethnic group has regularly faced for centuries.
Gypsies are among the most marginalized, tortured, scapegoated, and victimized groups in the world. There is not a single country (according to this ethnographic book) where this population is welcomed. Many live in squalor and poverty, banished to the unfavorable outskirts of the cities. They are often victims of violent, and at times, outright homicidal attacks. The researcher in this book lived among various gypsy populations and was able to have a look into their lives which have largely been under researched and overlooked.
2. Kinky Gazpacho: Life, Love, & Spain
Author: Lori L Tharps
Non-Fiction
Good if you like: culture, storytelling, history, travel books
This book is a memoir about the life and travels of Lori L Tharps. As a child, she was one of a handful of Black children in her Midwestern school and neighborhood. She did not think much about race until she got older, when her school hosted a day in which students were supposed to dress as someone from their ethnic background. This singular moment is a catalyst in which Lori examines what it means to her to be a Black woman. For some peers, she is quite obviously Black; however, for others, she is not Black enough because of her family’s behavior and socioeconomic status.
Lori is convinced that in order to find acceptance as a Black woman, she must look outside of her home country (the USA). She visits Morocco as a high school student, and it was fun to read about her expectations of the North African country and the behavior of the young men there towards her. Returning home, Lori falls in love with an idea of Spain and makes it her life’s mission to move there and find acceptance as a Black woman. Whether you are Black, white, or purple – Lori’s descriptions and details about Spain will have you clutching the book and flipping through the pages with delight. By the end, you’ll want to book a one-way travel ticket.
It’s an incredible for three reasons. One, for travelers, this book captures the essence of Spain SO perfectly. It really made me pine for my summer trip there and had me considering booking another one post COVID!
But, second, I’ve never had such a great time reading a book about the life and travels of someone who was a stranger to me shortly beforehand. Lori’s insights and ability to reflect on her life are brilliant. I connect much more with storytelling than I do facts and numbers. Through Lori’s story, I was able to get a glimpse into what it means to be a Black woman in an all-white town. An interesting insight because I grew up in a predominately white town. Last, she becomes a journalist right before our very eyes. Lori spends a third of the book investigating Spain’s history of the slave trade which seems to have disappeared completely from history books and historical records of the country.
3. Ayiti
Author: Roxane Gay
Fiction
Good if you like: culture, figurative language, creative writing, erotica
Ayiti is a comprised of series of short stories set throughout the Haitian Diaspora. I read this book in one day. Really, I’ve never read a book so quickly in my life. I have never been to Haiti, but it is so obvious as a reader that the running thread of Haitian culture is consistent and runs deep throughout each of these short stories. Just when I thought the next story couldn’t POSSIBLY get any better than the last – it fucking does. Some of these stories are straight-up erotica, but told in the most elegant and creative ways imaginable.
I cannot believe that Roxane Gay is not a part of the classic literary canon of our country. Her writing is definitely intellectual and creative, but approachable and fun for anyone to read. One of those most brilliant readers that I have come across in a very long time. I texted all of my teacher friends immediately after I finished this and begged them to buy the book. Roxanne Gay literally makes you feel and see life through the lens of her characters. You’ll find yourself lost in her world reading these stories!
4. Alexander Hamilton
Author: Ron Chernow
Non-Fiction
Good if you like: history, biographies, politics, thrillers
I was so blown away by the brilliance of the play, that I had to read the work which inspired it. I’ll be shocked if this is not the most interesting biography that you read in your life. While the size of the book is daunting, it reads exactly like a thriller novel. The life of Alexander Hamilton is so unbelievable, the events in his life so unfathomable, that it’s really hard to believe that one person could experience so much in the span of forty-some odd years.
I swear, you’ll put a bookmark in the pages from time to time, with your mouth open, and say, “bullshit!” after you hear some of the true things that this man has been through. Have you ever sat in an Irish pub with nowhere else to be, and listened to the bartender, in his strong Gaelic accent, tell you unbelievable tales about his life? This novel is exactly like that, but better.
5. The Checklist Manifesto
Author: Atul Gawande
Non-Fiction
Good if you like: productivity, self-improvement, society
Every year, around the world, thousands of earth-shattering, life-ending mistakes happen. Doctors inadvertently kill patients. Lawyers ruin the lives of their clients by omitting important information in contracts. The list goes on. The issue is not typically ignorance. In our global and technological world, as professionals, we’ve have more power and access to information than ever before – and that is exactly the problem. Professionals have so much information to remember and keep straight, that it is almost certain that there will be missteps and mistakes made.
The premise of this book is that top professionals, at the forefront of their careers, avoid making these mistakes by using checklists. Checklists can be an incredibly important and powerful tool in complex situations. As someone who wrote checklists in lieu of drawing pictures in kindergarten, I had to “check” this book out. I’m a type-A Capricorn, so I already knew the beauty and power of the checklist, but it was SO interesting to see the science and actual reasoning behind the success of having a step by step list.
Typically, we think that the most important function of a checklist is helping us remember to buy milk and orange juice. However, this book makes it clear that checklists can save money, time, and even – life. In an ICU setting, for instance, staff having a checklist on hand can quite literally be the difference between life or death for patients.
6. The Last Black Unicorn
Author: Tiffany Haddish
Nonfiction
Good if you like: comedy, biographies, hopeful stories
Tiffany Haddish is a young, Black, female, comedian who joined the circuit, and took it by storm, seemingly overnight. The Last Black Unicorn is her autobiography, and once you read about her life, you will find that she deserves every damn ounce of success that comes her way. Any tragedy that you can imagine, for the most part, Haddish has been through as an impressionable child. Foster care, poverty, instability at home, abuse, molestation, bullying, she saw it all.
With every single card in the world stacked against her – she became a lovable success. Haddish shares her life story in hopes of letting other young women know that they are not alone. As such, I have the utmost respect for her bravery, tenacity, and plan on using some of her books in my classroom this year. Let me be clear, this story is NOT a depressing one. Haddish, being the comedic genius that she is, tells her unbelievable tales through jokes that will have you hoping you don’t pee your pants in public. Note, you MUST listen to this via the audiobook. Hearing Haddish tell her story in her own hilarious voice and manner is part of the experience!
7. Ten Years a Nomad
Author: Matt Kepnes
Nonfiction
Good if you like: storytelling, travel books, cathartic tales
I really like Matt Kepnes. I really wish he would date my cousin, but that’s another story. Matt, if you’re reading this, please date my cousin! She’s a hot Italian who is intellectual, worldly, and creative! Email me for more info, Matt! But seriously, he’s an OG travel blogger from the early 2000s set.
As such, he had both the burden and joy of paving the way for the rest of us. Kepnes talks in detail about wanting to escape the 9-5 and looking for ways to travel full time. He describes the fear, doubt, and ridicule he got from just about every corner in his pursuit of doing what was (by nearly everyone around him) deemed to be insane. While Matt Kepnes is the protege for digital nomadism, plenty of people have quit their day jobs to travel the world since. So, why this particular travel book?
The world consists of travelers and non-travelers. If you’re anything like the average person, one – maybe two people in your circle is as serious a traveler as you are. That means, one maybe two people “gets it.” If you’re a travel addict, you know the “it” I’m referring to. The obsession, the constant need to be planning for, and actually traveling. The constant self questioning of, “Am I running away from the real world?” The feeling of being a Black sheep among friends and contemporaries who are making mortgage payments and paying for daycare while you’re buying your umpteenth plane ticket of the year.
Ultimately, Kepnes is the ideal travel friend, he knows exactly what lies in an explorer’s heart. He’s the kind of traveler you can riff with for hours over a few beers, and that is exactly what his book feels like – an enjoyable conversation with someone who is just as passionate about travel as you are.
8. What I Was Doing While You Were Breeding
Author: Kristin Newman
Nonfiction
Good if you like: comedy, storytelling, travel books, sex with strangers
The author of What I was Doing While You Were Breeding is a really strong woman and writer. With those kudos being given, it isn’t necessarily a ‘cerebral’ read, but a really fun one and you’ll zip through the pages at lightning speed. In this book, Newman accounts her most wild and self-indulgent travel exploits in both her 20s and 30s and trust when I tell you these stories are WILD. She discusses how at home she is pretty conventional, but when on the road she is more of a ‘slut’ and I think that is 150% the reason why you need to pick up this book.
Aside from smut, Newman discusses themes that most women in their mid 20s to mid 30s can relate to, including what it feels like when your friends drop off to get married and have kids while you still want to give your all to a career, yourself, or your travels. She is not bitter, arrogant, or immature in her views at all. If anything, I think that this memoir is a good reminder. We all in some ways probably want at least a piece of what we see other women having. The woman with a spouse, kids, and house probably wants more freedom. The woman with more freedom who solo travels around the world and writes popular books probably still dreams of having her own family. This book underscores the importance and bravery of staying true to your course – the one that makes you happy.
9. There’s No Such Thing as Bad Weather: A Scandinavian Mom’s Secrets for Raising Healthy, Resilient, and Confident Kids
Author: Linda Keson McGurk
Nonfiction
Good if you like: nature, parenting books, storytelling, culture, society
Are you obsessed with Scandinavia like I am? Whether you are a parent or not, this is a must-read! Not just a parenting book, but a glimpse into the way how people in the northern part of the world live. McGurk is a parent with two daughters who moved from Sweden to the USA in college. She draws a contrast between her childhood and the way children are raised in the US. In Scandinavia, children are allowed to build with construction tools, toboggan in the snow down big hills during recess, and swing and jump through trees without supervision. Compare this to the US, where most kids play video games and stare at their phones for the majority of the day.
One day, an event in her life allows her to move with her girls back to Sweden for six months. There she raises them follow Scandinavian culture. One of the biggest components of this manner of parenting is the importance of being in nature every single day. This is the premise of the entire novel. Scandinavian kids play in the sleet, rain, blistering sun, and heavy snow, and according to the incredibly impressive array of data that she includes – are all the better for it.
This book will have you examining your values as a parent or just as an individual and will make you excited to travel and get out into nature everyday, and even, maybe, sign your little one up for forest school! Beyond this, her descriptions of Sweden and Scandinavia are super detailed and this is an interesting account of how people in this part of the world live in general. Overall, this book is light, airy, and fun to read – very much a cup of hygge in a book!
10. White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism
Author: Robin DeAngelo
Nonfiction
Good if you like: society, history, politics, human rights issues
This book is probably one of the most important that I have ever read. I think it’s one of the most important books that any sentient human can read. Let me start by saying, the title is abrasive as fuck. I’m fully aware that the title alone will scare a lot of people away from even entertaining the possibility of reading this book. However, the book is not attacking in the way that the title might suggest.
The most important thing that I learned from this book is that while all humans carry bias, racism is a systemic issue. That is to say, since the dawn of our country – there have been systems put in place to oppress certain groups of people, namely Black people, from advancing in our society. As a teacher, I felt a deep responsibility to educate myself on how to recognize my role in this system and help dismantle it.
One of the most interesting pieces of this book was my realization that I almost never have to consider the color of my skin. As a white woman, I am pretty much welcome everywhere and I see myself reflected everywhere. People who are Black nearly always have to consider their skin color and behavior in social situations.
If you have been having a hard time making sense of the current racial climate in the United States, this book is a really good place to start. Lastly, as I said previously, it’s not attacking or mocking. It’s really just informative and straight forward.
11. If I Had Your Face
Author: Frances Cha
Fiction
Good if you like: culture, society
This book came at the recommendation of Adventurous Kate and was just incredible. The story focuses on the interwoven lives of four women living in Seoul. South Korean culture is woven into the plot through descriptions of getting drunk from soju, impossibly high beauty standards, K-Pop, and Korean fried chicken. As a reader, the imagery combined with the grit and harshness of the lives these women lead, you really get a sense for the setting. If you need a story to follow a typical plot line, this might not be for you, but nevertheless, beyond that it’s a fantastic book, and has me dreaming about traveling to South Korea.
Outliers: Books That Do Not Fit Neatly Into This List
12. The Lotus Still Blooms: Sacred Buddhist Teachings for the Western Mind
Author: Joan M Gattuso
Nonfiction
Good if you like: spirituality, meditation, mysticism, self-help/improvement, mindfulness
This book is an outlier because it is not my first time reading it. In fact, it is my third time reading this book. This is a really important work for people looking to deepen their spiritual growth and practice. What drew me to this book is that the author is of two faiths. Gattuso adheres to both Christian and Buddhist religion and embraces the spiritual elements of both. She teaches her audience how to do the same and to bring mindfulness and meditation on a beginning level to the lives of people who want more peace in their lives.
This summer, I read a chapter of this book every morning before I started my day. I’m so impressed with how much more I am able to be thoughtful in my speech, thoughts, and actions. It’s a remarkable feat to have accomplished, and it’s in large part because of this book which is part of my must-have spiritual reading.
13. The Last Madam
Author: Christine Wiltz
Non Fiction
Good if you like: sex, New Orleans, memoirs, good books
Technically, I read this book in the winter, BUT I never got to do a proper write up on it. This is THE fucking book. Out of every book on this list, it is my favorite. You MUST read this book. Norma Wallace is the most famous madame to ever have operated in New Orleans, Louisiana. This book is a biography of her life, and it totally and completely sucks you in! The details are so gritty, raw, and vivid that you feel like you are on the streets of the Big Easy in its most sinister days. Follow Wallace as a teenage prostitute at the turn of the century, all the way to the 1970s where she still gives the Feds a run for their money as a senior citizen. Norma Wallace was glamorous, flirtatious, and fashion-forward until the very end.
I loved one particular scene in her life during the Roaring 20s when the police raided her brothel regularly. Norma would put out a wooden plank that could stretch all the way to the window of the brothel across the street. The women who worked for her would scurry across the plank, high above the city, and pull the plank into the neighboring building just in time for Norma to open the door and talk to the cops! Norma Wallace is perhaps THE most badass and intriguing woman to have ever lived in New Orleans!
Dusty Shelf:
The dusty shelf is the literature graveyard so to speak. It is full of books that for one reason or several, I could not finish – no matter how hard I tried! Sorry to say, these books just didn’t do it for me.
The Way of the Shaman: This book wasn’t inherently bad at all – it just…wouldn’t end. I’m really interested in mysticism and Shamanism, and this book came recommended to me as the number one book on those topics. This book is a tad outdated published in the 1980s. It’s much more academic than creative or interesting. It’s one of those books where I found myself counting how many pages until the chapter would end.
I found the premise of this book to be interesting because it claims to teach the average reader how to engage in shamanic healing without the use of mind-altering substances. It does – if you’re willing to endure a bajillion pages of history beforehand. Today’s reader has a goldfish mind, and I’m one of those people. I found myself saying, “just get to the fucking point” way too often for this to rank as one of my top summer reads.
Embarrassment of Mangoes: Imagine thinking that you were about to be reading an exhilarating travel story, only to open your book and realize that it’s a manual with all of the smallest parts of an airplane and the function of each one. That is exactly the feeling that I got from this book. The beginning held a glimmer of promise, but it was a mirage. Technical, nuanced, jargon details about the mechanics of operating a sailboat fill every page of the first few chapters. I’ve never sailed. I have no interest in sailing. This book fails at luring in the average reader, who, you know, might not have an obsessive interest in sailing.
I don’t doubt that Vanderhoof’s experience in sailing was incredible. However, as I said, it was so technical and specific, much more like reading a manual than a story. There wasn’t a deep character, intriguing setting, or unique story line of which to anchor myself. My feelings? Just having experienced something cool doesn’t necessarily mean you need to write a book about it.
What’s on my fall reading list?
I tried to pick some “spooky” read because it’s not a genre I normally delve into, and plus…HALLOWEEN! Let’s see how many we can get through together by December 1st.
Mexican Gothic
Umami
Ties That Tether
Cobble Hill: A Novel
When No One Is Watching
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