Not everyone has a fancy internship or exotic study opportunity abroad this summer. However, you should not take a summer at home for granted. Whether you are working to save up for college expenses, spending much-needed time with family, road-tripping or enjoying several Netflix series, there is no reason to feel like summer break has caused a pause in your intellectual and character development. It’s important to understand that every season in your life produces something meaningful, even the quiet ones. So give yourself a break from the internet and revisit your childhood source of travel, experience and entertainment: read as much as possible!

I am home for the summer, and recreational reading has proven to be an enormous pleasure. Three books in particular have increased my confidence, my capacity to cultivate healthy relationships, my knowledge, and my ability to receive grace in my relationship with God over a short period of time. Even with two months left in summer break, I feel primed for success! Here are three books that have developed me into a better person this summer:

1. "The Shack" by William Paul Young

This was the first book I read this summer. It was the first book I needed to read this summer. On the surface, it is about a man who endures tragedy and meets God in person, an encounter that revolutionizes his outlook on life. However, anyone who reads this book can’t help but welcome the message of unconditional love, forgiveness and grace. For me personally, I always struggled with my perception of God. I had trouble reconciling the image of Father, Creator and Spirit with someone who desires intimacy with people, namely me. William Paul Young simplifies the human’s role in relationships with God in the most truthful and beautiful way. I won’t give away the story, though. I will say that the story is likely to fill you with a self-esteem that makes you realize that all of your actions matter -- all of your kindnesses and acts of service contribute to a better future. Here is one of my favorite quotes from the book:

“...if anything matters then everything matters. Because you are important, everything you do is important. Every time you forgive, the universe changes; every time you reach out and touch a heart or a life, the world changes; with every kindness and service, seen or unseen, my purposes are accomplished and nothing will be the same again.”

― Wm. Paul Young, "The Shack"

2. "Outliers: The Story of Success" by Malcolm Gladwell

"Outliers" is a must-read. A book detailing the success stories of civilizations, demographics and individuals may sound like your typical self-help piece, meant to inspire the reader. While Malcolm Gladwell’s "Outliers" is undoubtedly inspiring, this book provided me with one the most educational experiences I’ve had all year. For so many different case studies Gladwell uses research methods to reveal that success is not the product of any singular effort, but it is caused by situational advantage, large amounts of preparation, and good luck. Reading "Outliers" will supply any reader with the type of intellectual stimulation one would ideally find in the classroom but doesn’t always have the pleasure of experiencing. Furthermore, the clarity Gladwell brings to the fact that every individual does not have equal access to opportunities and resources needed to be innovative and successful is enough to incite the reader to take action against the existing inequality.

“The lesson here is very simple. But it is striking how often it is overlooked. We are so caught in the myths of the best and the brightest and the self-made that we think outliers spring naturally from the earth. We look at the young Bill Gates and marvel that our world allowed that 13-year-old to become a fabulously successful entrepreneur. But that's the wrong lesson. Our world only allowed one 13-year-old unlimited access to a time-sharing terminal in 1968. If a million teenagers had been given the same opportunity, how many more Microsofts would we have today?”

― Malcolm Gladwell, "Outliers: The Story of Success"

3. "Traveling with Pomegranates" by Sue Monk Kidd and Ann Kidd Taylor

I have yet to finish this one, but this autobiographical story by both Sue Monk Kidd, the author of the book that became the film "Secret Life of Bees," and her daughter Ann Kidd Taylor is soul food from the very beginning. For any aspiring writer, her use of language and artful conveyance of her ideas is enough to stay captivated. Kidd and Taylor invite the reader along with them on a vivid sojourn to Greece, where they learn each other and the art of self-possession, among other things. "Traveling with Pomegranates" is especially perfect for college students, anyone going through a transitional period or anyone trying to figure out his or her purpose and identity. The authors impart so much wisdom concerning how to learn from painful experiences and weather the changes in life with grace.

“Maybe it was because I was far from home, far from my ordinary circumstances, and more or less alone for the first time in my life, feeling like I was on an awkward first date with myself. I’d known who I was with my ex-boyfriend. I’d invested years in the girlfriend role, in the ways of accommodation, being what I thought he wanted me to be, moon to his Jupiter, quietly organizing my psychological orbits around him. But in Greece, I existed in a kind of solitude, and in this quietness I realized I’d lost myself.”

-- Ann Kidd Taylor, "Traveling with Pomegranates"

Reading these books, among others, has turned what looked like a dull summer into a mind-sharpening experience. I know that the possibilities are endless when it comes to reading material. So, if you have any book recommendations, please comment and share!