Hello Hello,
so here it comes. my long promised reading list. while I intended to publish this weeks ago, for you to have during your holiday and the hot months of the year, here in the northern hemisphere - life took ahold of me and with it, covid and other unpleasant interruptions and chances to turn inward. To be fair, Berlin turned into fall for most of July anyways.
But you know what? summer’s over when we say it is, and i’m inviting you to take the sensory-high season of summer into the rest of your year and all of its seasons.
What does that mean? so first of all: what does summer mean? for me, summer is a very physical time, a time that heightens our sensory experience of being in the body - the warmth, the increased flexibility of your muscles that comes with it, expanding you to wider ranges of mobility, the extra in energy, long days, short nights, the sweat on your skin, like salt on a rock, the vitality of ripe fruit, dripping, like your bikini does after hanging it on your balcony on the brink of sunset of a beach day. an invitation to bend, stretch and grow, while staying embodied and grounded in who you truly are.
an invitation for playfulness, exploration, elevating into new things learnt, and expanding into a fuller version of yourself. for me - summer is a full cup of sunshine colored orange juice.
this reading list is an invitation to take this sensation, the invitation to explore and stay flexible, into the rest of the year. don’t get me wrong - I think all seasons are neccessary - the rest and retreat is as important as the energetic activeness of summer. for me, winter is just a more mentally driven time. one that can sometimes get a little tangled up, when not complimented with embodiment. which is the sensation that I get from reading, a very grounded quality. one that I think we can harvest from, all year long.
These books are a collection of gems that remind me of summer, in no particular order. Readable any time you like.
#1 Hippie by Paulo Coelho
one of my favorite authors with an autobiographical story of traveling through half the globe on land in the 1970s. It’s fun and colorful, even gives off some of the currently so popular Barbie-vibes through its pink and neon yellow cover. a story of curious exploration, ups, downs, danger, luck, fear and love, can only be a good summer read in my eyes. I also always appreciate reading books from another decade.
coincidentally, I spotted Munich-based photographer Simon Lohmeyer following the same route on his current travels through the enchanting and bewildering lands of the Middle East. He actually wrote a book on living an amazing life of his own, that I haven’t read yet.
#2 Braving the Wilderness by Brené Brown
this is the book we’ve read on venusianpleasures Vol.1 and from what the participants are playing back to me - everyone a) loved it and b) cried at least once. which for me means, it’s moving you. I think summer is one of the most mutable seasons of all, you’re able to so expressively see the changes of flowers and trees growing and blooming and giving along their nectar to feed others. the insects or the eyes of the beholder. a story of collective emotions, of community, of standing for yourself, in the wilderness, that feels scary and lonely, yet actually unites you with what and who is true and authentic to you. inner growth guaranteed.
#3 Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert
i’ve read this one years ago and swallowed it - it’s fun and colorful, Liz Gilbert is an OG of an author and this one is about creative living beyond fear, which for me is one of the key qualities of an expansive summer season. feel the feels and do it anyways.
#4 Outline by Rachel Cusk
a story of a summer in Athens - while I don’t particularly resonate with the style of the author, I think the book is very aesthetically pleasing and I definitely went through some waves with it. it took me a time to get into it, then I couldn’t put it down for a bunch of pages. I like to follow my curiosity and see where it takes me, meaning, even though I don’t fully understand or resonate with something, doesn’t mean I can’t harvest something from it - sometimes the things that agitate us are exactly what we need to expand our own vision of self.
#5 Abschalten by Martin Suter
one of my favorite Swiss authors that writes in German language. “Abschalten” has made me laugh like no other book has. I’ve read it on the rocky beaches of the Croatian coast, hugging the clearest waters i’ve ever swam in. simple, easy to read and hard to put down.
There’s many other books I’ve had on rotation on my Japanese vintage living room table / stool / foot rest - much more of a book rest really, but these are the ones I’m curating for you for the summer list.
Curious to know what you’ve all been reading - always always feel free to share. <3
a warm, sunny hug,
Ray