Inspiring Books to Read Before the Summer’s Over!

As the summer starts to wind down it’s time to shift your beach reading gear into the inspirational genre – it’s almost Fall and a new season means new possibilities!

#Girlboss

Sophia Amoruso is the Founder of Nasty Gal, a fashion empire established out of L.A. Sophia was a petty thief and her first item sold online was actually a stolen book. After nearly dying of sheer boredom while working a day job (at the front desk of Academy of Art, what what SF!) she started up an eBay shop selling vintage clothing. Follow her on her journey from listlessly wandering through life to mega success in #Girlboss. Sophia started from the bottom now she’s here!

Gospel According to Coco Chanel

Although her name is synonymous with luxury, Coco Chanel’s start to life was anything but luxurious. Coco was actually born Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel to an unmarried mother who worked as a laundry woman in a poorhouse – a past she lied about vehemently her entire life. Chanel began her brand by selling straw boater hats. In fact the classic quilted handbag Chanel is now known for didn’t even make its debut until February of 1955 (hence the name of the famous bag: 2.55) The Gospel According to Coco Chanel chronicles her life not only from rags to riches, but also delivers tongue-in-cheek life lessons about business and love.

Eat, Pray, Love

For some reason this seems to be a controversial one to put on the list. Every time I mention Eat, Pray, Love I get a series of eye rolls from all participants in the conversation. Maybe it’s because some women find Elizabeth Gilbert’s story unrealistic or even irresponsible (the basic gist is she divorces her husband and travels to Italy, India, and Bali to discover the arts of pleasure, devotion, and balance). I personally think this is the best beach read that has legs beyond summer – it’s light, it’s airy, it’s inspiring, and it totally makes me feel like the Italian sun is kissing my cheeks as I’m reading.

The Antidote

Equally as informative as it is inspiring, the Antidote is almost like a self help book for people who don’t want or need any help. Do you ever find yourself questioning what happiness really is? What it really means to be happy? Here you’ll get a quick lesson on the history of happiness (way back to the Greeks) and what happiness means to our society today. This book totally changed my perspective on what it means to be happy.

What books are you currently reading?

xoxo Blonde