5 Books I’m Reading This Summer

With summer—and with it vacations—just around the corner, now’s a great time to think about what you’re reading if and when you’re taking time off. My summer’s going to be filled with all kinds of new and exciting changes at work (new responsibilities, new position with my current employer) and that will definitely going to impact what I read.

Here are a few books I’m planning to read this summer:

The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins

I don’t have tweens in the house and I typically don’t rush out to buy books that were the basis for blockbuster feature films, and yet here I am. It’s been a really long time since I’ve read a fiction book (probably about 2 years), so this gives me an opportunity to stretch myself and try new things.

So far I’m about a chapter and a half in and, aside from some pacing issues, it’s pretty good. Collins does a nice job of world-building. Looking forward to finishing (and hopefully enjoying).

The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable by Patrick Lencioni

Work culture is very important and with some of the changes going on with my job, building and maintaining a healthy culture within my team is going to be more important than ever.

Patrick Lencioni is one of the best speakers I’ve ever heard on the subject of leadership (he offered a great message at the Willow Creek Leadership Summit last year) and my supervisor greatly appreciates his work as well. I’m looking forward to seeing what I can learn from this one to help me be a better leader in my area.

The Reformers and Puritans as Spiritual Mentors by Michael Haykin

I love (imagine multiple “o”s there) biographies. There are few things better than learning and growing through the example of others, including our dead mentors. In this book, Haykin examines the lives of numerous Reformers and Puritans to give us “models of Christian conviction and living who can speak into our lives today.”

For those desiring to grow in their Christian character, the example of others is much needed and I’m looking forward to seeing what I learn through Haykin’s examination of Tyndale, Cranmer, Bunyan and several others.

Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World by Michael Hyatt

Michael Hyatt is another one of those go-to guys in the realm of business leadership. Super sharp guy. I’ve already listened to the audiobook, but I want to go back through this one and examine a number of the points I found helpful in greater detail and see what I can apply. So far, one of the standout nuggets for me has been his five reasons for why we settle for less than excellent:

1. We run out of time
2. We don’t have sufficient resources
3. We have insufficient experience
4. We acquiesce to the committee
5. We are afraid

While all are serious and no doubt we’ve all experienced one through four, the fifth is deadly to our pursuit of excellence. (But that’s a post for another time…)

The Work of Christ: What the Events of Jesus’ Life Mean for You by R.C. Sproul

One can rarely go wrong reading R.C. Sproul. He’s consistently thoughtful, helpful and careful in his approach to Scripture. I’ve got this sitting on my Kindle right now just waiting for me to dig in. This book focuses on the life and work of Christ—on showing us why, as essential as Christ’s payment for our sins is, it isn’t enough. His death is half of His work. “If Jesus had only paid for our sins, He would have succeeded only in taking us back to square one,” Sproul writes in his introduction. We need His life of perfect obedience as well. Really looking forward to seeing where Sproul goes with this.

So that’s a glimpse into my summer reading—what are you planning on reading?