Across the nation, students are putting away their books as the summer months settle in. If you’re a school-based healthcare professional, you might be celebrating too as you look forward to some much-needed R&R. Of course, if you’re anything like the driven and talented individuals we have here at Sunbelt Staffing, you’ll be on the hunt for ways to enrich your days and make the most of your time.
Over the next few weeks, we’ll track down local seminars, uncover online learning and provide a few suggestions for taking it easy as we dive into our summer blog series dedicated to you – our beloved school therapists and nurses! You did a great job this past year and now it’s time for someone else to process the paperwork and perform the evaluations. It’s time for us take care of you!
To kick things off, Sunbelt’s very own published author, Christy Trujillo, has gathered up a few books for you to add to your summer reading list and listed them below. Just like the children you help, we know everyone has different tastes so we asked her to cover a plethora of literary genres. We think she did a pretty good job. What about you?
Mystery/Suspense
‘Gone Girl’ by Gillian Flynn
If mystery, suspense and a little crazy are your kind of thing, then this book has got ‘you’ written all over it. This book is full of twists and turns! It takes a lot to catch me off guard – but this one did! Nick’s wife Amy has gone missing and he is the prime suspect. As passages from Amy’s diary are reveled, the nails on his coffin are hammered in one by one. There’s only one problem. Nick swears he didn’t do it. So who did?
From Goodreads: On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy Dunne’s fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick’s clever and beautiful wife disappears from their rented McMansion on the Mississippi River. Husband-of-the-Year Nick isn’t doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife’s head, but passages from Amy’s diary reveal the alpha-girl perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge. Under mounting pressure from the police and the media–as well as Amy’s fiercely doting parents–the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he’s definitely bitter–but is he really a killer?
Young Adult/Dystopian/Romance
The Selection Series’ by Kiera Cass
There are three books in this series and they have all been released, so none of that pesky waiting around for the sequel nonsense, which we all hate! A cross between The Bachelor and The Hunger Games, these books are a look at how life can be when we ignore a person’s past and focus on their future. These books are very YA, with the main characters all in their teens, but the message is timeless and the writing is lyrical. Team Maxon!
From Goodreads: For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape the life laid out for them since birth. To be swept up in a world of glittering gowns and priceless jewels. To live in a palace and compete for the heart of gorgeous Prince Maxon.
But for America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste below her. Leaving her home to enter a fierce competition for a crown she doesn’t want. Living in a palace that is constantly threatened by violent rebel attacks.
Then America meets Prince Maxon. Gradually, she starts to question all the plans she’s made for herself—and realizes that the life she’s always dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined.
Adult Romance
‘My Name Is Memory’ by Ann Brashares
Written in alternating points of view, this book revolves around one woman and one man’s journey through many lifetimes. The theme is reincarnation, so you’ll want to skip this one if that’s not a subject matter you’re interested in. But if you are, then you’ll fall in love with this book as many times as Daniel fell in love with Sophia. Lots of interesting and vivid stops in time just add to this book’s magical journey.
From Goodreads: Daniel has spent centuries falling in love with the same girl. Life after life, crossing continents and dynasties, he and Sophia (despite her changing name and form) have been drawn together-and he remembers it all. Daniel has “the memory”, the ability to recall past lives and recognize souls of those he’s previously known. It is a gift and a curse. For all the times that he and Sophia have been drawn together throughout history, they have also been torn painfully, fatally, apart.
Historical Fiction
‘The Historian’ by Elizabeth Kostova
While there is a supernatural element at play in this novel, it takes a back seat to the Eastern-European history and meticulous descriptions of the various landscapes and scenery. For a gal who’s never been out of her own country, I appreciated the descriptive writing here. Throw in a little Vlad the Impaler and a dash of the Carpathian Mountains and you’ll have me hooked every time.
From Goodreads: Late one night, exploring her father’s library, a young woman finds an ancient book and a cache of yellowing letters addressed ominously to ‘My dear and unfortunate successor’. Her discovery plunges her into a world she never dreamed of – a labyrinth where the secrets of her father’s past and her mother’s mysterious fate connect to an evil hidden in the depths of history.
Self-Help
‘The Introvert Advantage’ by Marti Olsen Lansey
A fresh and informative take on our physiology and how everything we do is affected by a temperament we were born with. Broken into chapters that can be read in any order, this book offers ways to cope with being introverted in an extroverted world. I’m painfully introverted and this book really helped me learn to accept myself and tap into my extroverted side.
From Goodreads: Do you “zone out” if too much is going on? Are you energized by spending time alone? In meetings, do you need to be asked for your opinions and ideas? Do you tend to notice details that other people miss? Is your ideal celebration a small get-together, rather than a big party? Do you often feel like a tortoise surrounded by hares? The good news is, you’re an introvert. The better news is that by celebrating the inner strengths and uniqueness of being an “innie” THE INTROVERT ADVANTAGE shows introverts, and the extroverts who love them, how to work with instead of against their temperament to enjoy a well-lived life.
Now that you’ve heard from us about a few great summer reads, we want to hear from you! What books are currently on your summer reading list?
In addition to writing proposals for Sunbelt Staffing, Christy Trujillo has published six novels including the multi-cultural Maldito Series and an adult romance under the pen name, Lee Ralaine. She currently resides in Jacksonville, FL with her husband, son, two black cats who seem to be very lucky and one tuxedo cat whose morning antics are more reliable than an alarm clock. You can find out more about Christy and her books at ChristyTrujillo.com.