A really good book has the power to shape your worldview. Sometimes it changes it.

With change as the only constant in our lives, made evident by the events of the past year, I’ve compiled a list of intriguing books to accompany your summer reading. These books have kept me up at night, pouring through the pages because I just couldn’t put them down. The impact of these books will linger long after the last page.

I hope these books do the same or more for you to reinvigorate your mind, body, and soul.

*You’ll find me here with a summer read*

1 | The Phone Booth at the Edge of The World by Laura Imai Messina

Yui lost her mother and daughter in the tsunami that tore Japan apart on March 11, 2011. The story follows her evolution from repressing her pain, to acknowledging and understanding it, to finally facing her deepest fear.

Yui first hears about a phone booth others use to communicate with the dead and goes on the long drive from Tokyo to Otsuchi to find the phone booth located in Bell Gardia. It’s the first step towards conquering her fear of the ocean, and surprisingly, a step towards finding love again.

For me, it was a very interesting read because of how it illustrates the relationship we could have with our loved ones even after they have passed on. It was almost reassuring to read about how others maintain a connection, and how such a cherished relationship could exist infinitely and indefinitely. The flip side of it, which was also intriguing, is how Yui finds herself responsible for the feelings of her departed family.

This story of Yui navigating her grief is calm and reflective. You will feel her sense of loss, ponder the same questions she poses to herself, and realize that we are left digesting the ‘news’ and event of a person’s passing for years. Death is not a static event, but a process.

2 | A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith

You’ll smile and have ah-ha moments as you follow Francie through her discoveries as you view the world through her coming-of-age lenses. She’s at an age where she is learning about the social ladders of the world, the interactions between boys and girls, and much other life’s intricacies. Told from the perspective of the young girl, I found myself wondering how the author was able to so expertly capture the inner workings of the young mind.

Our heroine, Francie, shares her daily life musings with us throughout the book, whether it be her trek to earn pennies and nickels to buy candy, to her portrayal of old age; it’s open, raw, and honest. You follow along and recognize some of the realizations that Francie has been your own as you came of age.

3 | Red Notice by Bill Browder

I’ve always loved a good thriller, and this one combines two topics I could easily devour — business and thriller.

After graduating from Standford and getting a job in hedge fund investing, Bill Browder’s determination to follow a contrarian investment strategy to invest in arbitrage opportunities he discovered in Russia after the Soviet Union’s collapse paid off big; so big that his fund became the largest investment fund in Russia. Now, what happens when you become the largest moneymaker in a country? You can have the largest target on your back. In this case, it was the government targeting Bill. The most chilling part is, it wasn’t only about the money, Bill’s friends, colleagues, and family were drawn into the quickly widening spiral.

I felt my jaw drop during points of the book where my mind asked, “this couldn’t truly have happened, could it?” I found myself shaking my head at the inactions of others, who found Bill’s issues too far removed from their happy, perfectly lives in the west, and a distraction to their game of politics.

A real page-turner you won’t want to put down. I found myself staying up until 2 am on a work night powering through the pages determined to find out what happens next. Based on a true story of how a financier finds himself in Russia, as the country’s largest foreign investor no less, battling the surprising and corrupt ways of the government.

*Sunshine, cuddles and a good book? All the elements to a lovely weekend*

4 | The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles

The story takes place in Paris, 1939, during World War II. The heroine is young Odile Souchet. While on the surface this may appear to be the story of a young librarian trapped by the war as it expanded like a disease across the continent, the more minute details work artfully to shape and craft the story of her life; her day-to-day avoiding military road blockades to protect treasured books — for if we don’t have the knowledge of books, then what do we have? She struggles to simply live a life during the war, to keep her family and love life together.

The story is expertly interwoven through the past and the present timeline, delicately unveiling the rationale behind the actions of times past. As you dive deeper into Odile’s story page by page, you can’t help but feel at one with her emotions, whether it be for love, fear, regret or hope.

5 | The Alchemist by Paul Coelho

I read this book in one sitting on my flight from Canada to Japan. It was many years ago during my university years and I was on the flight to a one-year exchange to Osaka. I felt ready to discover everything I was capable of.

Even now, when I think back to this book, I can’t recall any of the words in the book, but I can recall how it made me feel. It was empowering. Some call it a self-help book(?) I refer to it as a story that was a good wake-up call to remind me of the importance of crafting a life I would want to lead.

The past year has had people thinking a lot about whether they are spending their time the way they really want to. The global pandemic made people reflect on the career they truly want to lead, the lifestyle they really want, and who and what matters the most.

This book is up there with Tuesdays with Morrie, and to me, carries an important life message, to treasure our time on earth and the people around us.