A Summer Reading List To Improve Your Finances And Life!

This summer reading list post contains affiliate links that help us grow Clever Girl Finance! Please see our disclosures for more information.

Taking a little break this summer for some rest and relaxation? Don't forget to pick up some books from our summer reading list to improve your finances and life.

It's not a tall order, you know, to say books can help you improve your life. Books certainly changed my life. It's because books expose me to history, facts, and hundreds of incredible stories. I feel closer to people when I'm reading.

Summer reading list

So, if you're ready for some change in your life, we have some good summer reads to inspire you to tackle your debt, start a side hustle, or become a better leader.

Take a look and pick a title to bring with you before you head to the beach this summer, or even for your staycation! But before we dive into our list of the best summer reads, let's discuss how reading can help you improve your life and finances.

How can reading books help improve your finances and life?

Whether you read for pleasure or you’re looking for personal or professional growth, books are incredible resources.

This is because books provide a gateway to cultures, ideas, and perspectives that help us understand ourselves and the world around us. Here are a couple of ways reading books helps improve your life and your finances:

Reading improves vocabulary and communications skills

Reading engages the mind. That's why it helps improve your vocabulary and communication skills. And knowing how to communicate effectively is important whether you want to improve your career or your life.

Reading boosts your imagination and improves creativity

Furthermore, reading books boosts imagination and improves creativity. Reading encourages you to explore different perspectives. Books help you build new thoughts, imagine new worlds, and form new opinions.

All of which are essential if you’re looking to adopt a new money mindset, build confidence to apply for a higher position, or start your own business.

So, here are some good summer reads to improve your finances and life, now you know the importance of reading books. Let’s go!

Summer reading list to help improve your finances

Whether you believe it or not, your beliefs about money impact how you create wealth in your life. Nowadays, there’s so much talk about changing your money mindset, but no one ever tells you how.

So, here are the best summer reads that show you the steps to take to improve your money mindset and finances.

Our Money Stories: A Six Week No B.S. Holistic Financial Wellness Plan by Eugenié George

Our Money Stories A Six Week No B.S. Holistic Financial Wellness Plan

In the book, “Our Money Stories,” Eugenie George helps you understand your current money story. You’ll learn how your personal history, ancestry, and the world play a role in how you make and spend money.

It talks about how laws and policies are designed to keep money in the hands of the powers that be. So, the old method of wealth building doesn’t work for women of color. 

If you’re a woman of color, you need this book on your summer reading list. Eugenie shares how you can build a financial wellness plan through weekly money practices and strategies for understanding your money story.

I Will Teach You to be Rich, Second Edition: No Guilt. No Excuses. No BS. Just a 6-Week Program That Works by Ramit Sethi

I will teach you to be rich

Ramit Sethi is a personal finance expert who’d been called a “wealth wizard” by Forbes and the “new guru on the block” by Fortune. “I Will Teach You to Be Rich” shows you how to build wealth easily and automatically.

You’ll get coaching on everything, including how to crush your debt and the exact words to use to negotiate a big raise at work. It’s one of the best money mindset books, be sure to add it to your summer reading list.

Get Good with Money: Ten Simple Steps to Becoming Financially Whole by Tiffany Aliche

Get good with money

Tiffany “The Budgetnista” Aliche is an award-winning personal financial educator. Through her company, Tiffany created a financial movement that has helped women all over the world transform the way they think about their finances. In “Get Good with Money,” she introduces the powerful approach of building wealth through financial wholeness.

You’ll discover a practical, achievable, and refreshing alternative to get-rich-quick schemes and complicated money management systems. This book is one of the best summer beach books that will change your money mindset for the better.

Clever Girl Finance: Ditch Debt, Save Money And Build Real Wealth by Bola Sokunbi

Clever girl finance book

Bola Sokunbi is, of course, the force behind Clever Girl Finance. “Clever Girl Finance: Ditch Debt, Save Money, Build Real Wealth” is Bola’s first book and the official Clever Girl’s guide to personal finances!

It’s a lighthearted, practical guide for women who are looking to take charge of their finances and change their lives. In the book, Bola draws from her personal experiences and shares the tools you’ll need to put yourself on the path to financial success.

Learn How Investing Works, Grow Your Money by Bola Sokunbi

Clever Girl Finance Investing Book

Bola believes that to build wealth, your money should be working for you. So, in her second book, “Learn How Investing Works, Grow Your Money,” she teaches you exactly how to start investing.

She discusses how to get started with modest funds and presents tried and true investing tips that have worked for her and so many others. This book is one of the best summer books that shows you how to invest like a pro.

Summer reading list to help you start a business

Do you have a business idea, but you’re too bogged down by self-doubt to bring it into reality?

Pick one or two titles from our list of the best summer beach books for inspiration and guidance to overcome that fear. The world is ready for what you have to offer! 

We Should All Be Millionaires: A Woman’s Guide to Earning More, Building Wealth, and Gaining Economic Power by Rachel Rodgers

We should all be millionaires

Ah, I love good summer reads that call out patriarchal nonsense. If you’re looking for financial advice that doesn’t make you feel bad about enjoying your morning latte, add “We Should All Be Millionaires” to your summer reading list.

In this book, Rachel Rodgers shares the lessons she’s learned both in her own journey to wealth and from guiding other women to millionaire status. You’ll discover a realistic, achievable, step-by-step way to build the financial security you need and deserve.

Be: A No-BS Guide to Increasing Your Self Worth and Net Worth by Simply Being Yourself by Jessica Zweig

Be Jessica Zweig

Want to learn how to connect with others and change lives with your brand? Add “Be: A No-BS Guide” to your summer beach books. Jessica Zweig, the author of this awesome book, is an entrepreneur, a personal branding expert, and the CEO of SimplyBe Agency.

She believes that your best strategy for business is service and generosity. And the essential ingredient to increasing engagement and impact is authenticity.

So, in this book, Jessica shares her secrets for building authenticity, service, and real connection to your winning brand. This tops our list of good summer reads because it gets you ready and pumped to take your business to the next level.

Don't Keep Your Day Job: How to Turn Your Passion into Your Career by Cathy Heller

Don't keep your day job book

Don't Keep Your Day Job” is full of wisdom, anecdotes, and practical suggestions. It shows you how to start your side hustle, find your people, and build a life you love.

You’ll hear how to find your purpose and turn your passion into profit from successful creative entrepreneurs like Jenna Fischer, Gretchen Rubin, and Jen Sincero.

The Side Hustle Guide: Build A Successful Side Hustle & Increase Your Income by Bola Sokunbi

Side Hustle Guide Book

The Side Hustle Guide” is another offering from our founder Bola Sokunbi. Pick up a copy for your summer beach books and get inspired to increase your income and build wealth.

It has all the information you need to build a profitable side hustle, even if you don’t know where to start. Bola also shares practical guides for establishing a strong foundation for your brand and how to grow it into a thriving business.

Boss Up!: This Ain’t Your Mama’s Business Book by Lindsay Teague Moreno

Boss up book

Boss Up!” is for you, mama, if you’re feeling guilty about wanting more. As women, we’re conditioned to be content with our lot. That’s why we feel bad when we have other ambitions aside from being a mother or wife.

Pick up a copy of Boss Up! for your summer beach books and overcome your fears and guilt to get your business ideas out in the world. You’ll also learn the business principles that helped Lindsay Teague Moreno build a multi-million dollar company.

Summer reading list to improve your career

Even though times are changing, it’s still difficult for women to navigate opportunities and hurdles in the workplace. So, lean for support from other women who’ve been there. Add these book titles to your summer reading list for career advice and inspiration. 

The Likeability Trap: How to Break Free and Succeed as You Are by Alicia Menendez

The likeability trap

The Likeability Trap” considers the prize women pay for taking on and giving in to the demand to be “nice.” Armed with extensive research and interviews, plus her own experience, Alicia Menendez proposes practical solutions for women to reimagine leadership.

Include this book to your summer reading list if you’re looking to improve your career. Aside from being inspiring, thoughtful, and funny, it empowers you to let go of the old rules of needing to be likable.

The Making of a Manager: What to Do When Everyone Looks to You by Julie Zhou

The making of a manager

The Making of a Manager” is the handbook you need to be the kind of manager you wish you had. You’ll appreciate it whether you're new to the job, a seasoned leader, or preparing to be a manager.

Julie Zhuo is one of Silicon Valley's top product design executives. She managed dozens of teams spanning tens to hundreds of people. This book covers Julie’s observations and insights of her experience as a rookie manager at the age of 25.

Power Moves: How Women Can Pivot, Reboot, and Build a Career of Purpose by Lauren McGoodwin

Power Moves

Power Moves” is one of the best summer books to read if you want to learn how to build a meaningful career on your terms. You’d also want to pick it up if you’re looking for information, guidance, and tools to help you take the next bold step without self-doubt and fear.

The author, Lauren McGoodwin, is also the founder of Career Contessa. Her website is an invaluable career resource because it focuses on the complex aspects of women’s careers.

The Fear Fighter Manual: Lessons from a Professional Troublemaker by Luvvie Ajayi Jones

The fear fighter manual

The Fear-Fighter Manual” will have you inspired and fired up to live boldly. You’ll be treated to the powerhouse wit, humor, and honesty of the one and only, Luvvie Ajayi Jones. You’ll be glad you added it to your summer reading list, I guarantee it.

In this book, Luvvie talks about what we must get right within ourselves before we can do the things that scare us. She invites readers to become professional troublemakers: people who are committed to not letting fear talk them out of the things they need to do or say. 

Everything is Figureoutable by Marie Forleo

Everything is figureoutable

Everything Is Figureoutable” is the book you want if you’re looking for a handbook on how to become the creative force of your own life. It will retrain your brain to think more creatively and positively in the face of setbacks.

Marie Forleo shares that “everything is figureoutable” is more than just a fun phrase to say. It’s also a philosophy of relentless optimism, a mindset, and a conviction.

Summer reading list for inspiration

Our best summer reads for inspiration will make you feel deeply and get motivated to grow. These stories are sometimes gut-wrenching but ultimately, hopeful and healing. Seriously, if you can, just read them all.

Untamed by Glennon Doyle

Untamed Glennon Doyle

Untamed” is Glennon Doyle’s memoir about her love story with US soccer star Abby Wambach. But more than that, it explores the joy and peace we discover when we stop striving to meet others’ expectations and start trusting the voice deep within us.

Join the over two million people who’ve read the book so far, pick up a copy now. It truly is one of the best summer reads to inspire you and show you how to be brave.

More Than Enough: Claiming Space for Who You Are (No Matter What They Say) by Elaine Welteroth

More Than Enough Book

More Than Enough” is Elaine's part memoir-part manifesto on what it means to come into your own – on your own terms. Elaine shares the lessons and struggles of being a barrier-breaker. This is one of the best summer books to read because it unpacks lessons on race, identity, and success through her own journey.

Elaine Welteroth is an award-winning journalist and a revolutionary editor who brought social consciousness into the pages of Teen Vogue. She’s also known for being the youngest Editor-in-Chief at a Condé Nast publication and the first Black beauty editor of Teen Vogue.

Somebody’s Daughter: A Memoir by Ashley C. Ford

Sombodys daughter

Somebody's Daughter” is Ashley C. Ford’s story of growing up a poor Black girl in Indiana with a loving but abusive mother and a father in prison. It’s a theme you’ve seen and heard a hundred times.

But in this book, you’ll find yourself, your mother, your sister, your aunt, and your grandmother. You’ll relate to Ashley if you’ve ever felt different, misunderstood, or lost. 

Although heart-wrenching, this book is ultimately positive – a story of resilience and reconciliation.

Unbound: My Story of Liberation and the Birth of the Me Too Movement by Tarana Burke

Unbound Tarana Burke

Tarana Burke is the founder and activist behind the "me too" movement and the book, “Unbound” is her story.

It’s a story showing her strength and perseverance to confront what happened to her and to heal. So she can bring healing to her community and to the world.

In this book, Tarana shares her work supporting and empowering Black and brown girls. So, it’s also a tale of possibility, empathy, power, and the leader we all have inside ourselves.

Choosing to Prosper: Triumphing Over Adversity, Breaking Out of Comfort Zones, and Achieving Dreams by Bola Sokunbi

Choosing to prosper book

Choosing to Prosper” is one of the best summer books to read if you struggle with imposter syndrome and lack confidence as a leader.

Whether you want to grow professionally or personally, you’ll find what you’re looking for in this book. Bola provides the tools you need to build confidence, find your voice, and live life on your own terms.

Curl up with a book from our summer reading list to improve your finances and life!

Sometimes books are just entertaining, but these titles are both entertaining and inspiring. So, pick up one or two titles for your summer reading list.

In this list, we have every title you need, whether you’re looking for motivation to improve your finances, change your mindset, or start your own business! Enjoy!

Scroll to Top