I love to read. I often say that I don't have the time to read, but I seem to have plenty of time to scroll Facebook and Instagram. I've been working on spending more of my free time reading and less of it on social media. I am a non-fiction aficionado. OK, maybe not an aficionado, but let's just say I haven't read a fiction book in a long time. I tend to prefer to read real stories about real people.

My summer reading list is full of non-fiction books that I loved and would recommend to my friends. If you are an athlete, an entrepreneur or just looking to be inspired to live a better life, these books are for you. These aren't necessarily the newest books, just the ones that recently made the biggest impact on me. 

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5 BOOKS TO ADD TO YOUR SUMMER READING LIST

Shoe Dog, Phil Knight
A memoir by the creator of Nike

This book made me laugh, cry and cringe over and over again. It's the story of Phil Knight and how he created the Nike brand by first selling running shoes out of the trunk of his car at track meets long before the popular culture cared about running. This is both a cautionary tale and an inspirational message about becoming an entrepreneur. It's a rough road but, in Phil Knight's case, the payoff changed the world.

INSPIRED & UNSTOPPABLE, TAMA KIEVES
Wildly succeeding your life's work

I highlighted this whole book. There are more words highlighted than not. It's inspiring, funny and practical. Tama recounts her own struggles, self-doubt and roadblocks as she tells her success story. She brilliantly advises us how to overcome our own obstacles as we fulfil our dream of wildly succeeding in our life's work. 

HOW BAD DO YOU WANT IT?, MATT FITZGERALD
Mastering the psychology of mind over muscle

Read this book and then next time you're on the struggle bus at mile eleven during a half marathon (what? just me?) you can recall the stories of high level athletes who overcame so much worse. It's not just us mere mortals who suffer during endurance training and events, but the best of the best learn how to cultivate mental strength to reach their goals. Through the stories of failures and obstacles in this book we learn how to train our mind for success.

ANATOMY FOR RUNNERS, JAY DICHARRY
Unlocking your athletic potential for health, speed and injury prevention

If you read this blog, you probably have some interest in running, so I'd be remiss not include this fantastic book on anatomy for runners. Don't worry, it's a lot more interesting than your college anatomy class. It gets a little science-y at times (insert your own Jesse Pinkman joke here) but if you understand the basic science behind running, it gives you the foundation for injury-prevention. In fact, everything you need to know about staying safe as a runner is outlined in this book including a self-assessment and corrective exercises for muscle imbalances. A must read for any runner.

THE SUBTLE ART OF NOT GIVING A F***
A counterintuitive approach to living a good life

This is a rated PG blog. I'm not one of those bloggers who swears for effect, but I read this book this year and I wanted to include it in my reading list. (Sorry, Ma!). Even when I shared it on Instagram, I edited it for family-friendly viewing. I enjoyed Mark's point of view, which was essentially to really care about the things that matter and let everything else go, but I had another major takeaway. I realized as I was reading the chapters in this book, I had already read many of these stories on his blog. Wait? One can weave together blog posts they already wrote in order to write a book? Mind blown. Excuse me while I go write my own book. 

Have you read any of these books? Do you have any non-fiction suggestions for me? 

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Coach Lea