Are you looking for some great books to take with you to the beach or pool this summer? Or maybe the weather where you live is just TOO hot to go outside, so you need a nice, indoor activity to keep you busy while the kids play Minecraft. (Sigh!)

Either way, I’ve prepared a list of a few great books by some fabulous authors I know that are sure to grow your faith, feed your soul and encourage you. Use the links below and fill your Kindle now or (if you like a paper book you can hold in your hand) head on over to a local Christian bookstore and ask for these titles! (Note: this post contains affiliate links! You’ll be supporting the ministry of Compared to Who? if you buy through these links.)

Here it is–my summer reading list for Christian women:

For the woman wrestling her body image: Beautiful Lies by Jennifer Strickland 

Jennifer Strickland started modeling in her teens and led a life of globe-trotting and runway-strutting that most of us can’t even imagine. And, you know what she found out? Beauty left her empty. She knows all too well the despair women and girls experience by allowing the world to define them. To be honest, there aren’t many Christian body image books that I truly love. Most of them spend too much time trying to convince the reader that she’s beautiful instead of unmasking the lie that beauty doesn’t satisfy. This book does it! And, I hope you’ll check it out. (If this book sounds really appealing, you may also want to order Girl Perfect by Jennifer Strickland)

For the exhausted mom (of littles or babies) who just needs encouragement: Nourished by Becky Johnson & Rachel Randolph

There are seasons of your life when you just. need. to. survive. But, can you find your way out? Can you find a way to nourish yourself physically and spiritually and feel healthy again? I wrote a blog post about this refreshing book when it was released earlier this year. I think it’d be a super encouraging beach or pool front read!

For the woman who seeks a greater understanding of God’s great love for women: The Day I Met Jesus by Mary DeMuth and Frank Viola

Are you watching A.D. this season? Honestly, I enjoy fictionalized accounts of what life could have been like in Bible days. It gives me a much better grasp on the realities of the Bible and the characters found in its pages. This book, The Day I Met Jesus is like reading the diaries of five famous women from the New Testament. Their powerful stories will stir you in your understanding of Jesus’ compassion, love and great care for women. If you wrestle believing that God could really love you–in all your messiness–I’d encourage you to download a copy of this book this summer!

For the woman ready to take her walk with Christ to a deeper level: From Good to Grace, Letting Go of the Goodness Gospel by Christine Hoover 

This book resonated with me so much! For decades I believed that if I could just stay “good” than I was qualifying as a “good Christian.” Christine’s book encourages women to let go of our striving for “goodness” and to embrace God’s great grace in our lives. If you are tired of always trying to be better and work for approval, this book will show you how you are already accepted in God’s great grace and how to rest in that. Christine blogged for me on a topic in her book a few months ago if you want a preview of the book’s theme.

Is what you read important? Yes! I truly believe it is. In fact, I’d highly encourage you if you wrestle with body image to SCRAP your magazines and romance novels and fill your mind and soul with healthy words (and fewer awful images) this summer! I even recorded a little You Tube video on the importance of watching the media you consume, here.

Happy Reading!