Summer is here! That means long days, warm nights, and hopefully, plenty of time spent by pools and on beaches. The heat can sometimes make it hard to stay focused and mentally engaged, but that’s when your brain needs to stay active the most. We have the perfect solution for you: summer reading. There’s nothing better for your brain than picking up a good book.
But in a world filled with incredible reads, how do you pick? We’re here for you. We put together a list with a fiction and non-fiction book specifically chosen to feed your inner brain animal.
If you haven’t taken our quiz yet, be sure to head over to mybrainanimal.com to discover your unique brain type. This quiz is designed to give you another set of tools to unlock your full potential for learning and personal growth. Even the morning hosts at Today Show Australia took the quiz! Check out their results below:
Curious what to read based on your brain animal strengths? What about what other brain animals are reading? All brain types will find value in exploring this entire list. Lean into your empathy, find your curiosity, embrace your instincts, and live a life filled with creativity.
THE AGILE CHEETAH
FICTION:
Red Rising by Pierce Brown
An epic adventure on Mars set far in the future. Society has changed. Humanity has conquered the solar system. But that society was built on lies. Darrow is a Red, a miner beneath the surface of Mars working to find the valuable resource to one day terraform the planet. But the Golds lie. Mars has already been terraformed. And Reds toil and the other Colors benefit. To free his people, Darrow has to become what he hates—a Gold.
This fast-paced, plot-driven series will keep your Cheetah mind engaged from the very first page. The story propels with a momentum of its own, helped along with sharp sentences, there’s nothing to distract or take our attention away. And with seven books, you can stay on Mars all summer long.
NON-FICTION:
Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
The mind has two systems. One is fast, intuitive, and emotional, and the other is slow, deliberate, logical. Most people rely on one system over the other, but to really harness the way you think, you have to embrace both. Told through a variety of examples capturing everything from the board room to your living room, Kahneman explains how these systems work, when they don’t, and why both are important to make better decisions.
As a Cheetah, you already know which one you rely on more. But learning how to balance your instincts with careful logical deduction will only make your decisions better. And because Kahneman includes how blending these two thinking systems benefits your life both professionally and personally, it’s the perfect book to digest while you learn to appreciate a lazy summer afternoon.
THE WISE OWL
FICTION:
The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton
Evelyn Hardcastle will die at 11 p.m. every night until you find the killer. Every morning, you wake up in a different body to obtain clues as you try and solve the crime. You can’t leave until you find the killer. You have eight days in eight bodies. And if you don’t figure out who murdered Evelyn in time, the process starts all over. To make everything worse, there are two others trying to do the exact same thing. And only one of you will be allowed to leave. Let’s begin.
This Agatha Christie meets Clue meets Groundhog’s Day novel will keep you logical brain engaged while you try and figure out what’s really happening. The twists are inventive, the turns are surprising, and the plot delightful. It’s a clever murder mystery your Owl brain won’t be able to stop thinking about.
NON-FICTION:
A Curious Mind: The Secret to a Bigger Life by Brian Grazer & Charles Fishman
Academy Award-winning producer Brian Grazer and acclaimed journalist Charles Fishman want you to embrace your curiosity and see what you discover. Every week, for decades, Brian Grazer has a “curiosity conversation” with an accomplished stranger. These conversations with everyone from executives to spies, scientists to spiritual leaders have helped spark ideas for multiple award-winning shows and movies like A Beautiful Mind, 24, Arrested Development, and more. A funny, insightful, and thoroughly entertaining look at how embracing your curiosity can open doors, generate ideas, and improve your life.
As an Owl, you’re naturally curious. But you tend to go inward with your research. Grazer and Fishman encourage you to reach out and connect with others in order to really see how living a life of curiosity can take you. Read while you’re lounging on the beach and spark up a curiosity conversation with a stranger. You never know where that conversation will take you.
THE CREATIVE DOLPHIN
FICTION:
The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty
It takes talent to be a con woman. That’s how Nahri survives the streets of Cairo. Palm readings, healings, fortunes. It’s all sleight of hand and careful truths. But when she accidentally summons a djinn warrior, her life turns upside down. He takes her to Daevabad, the mythical City of Brass, a city that Nahri is somehow bound to. It’s going to take all her street smarts and then some if she wants to survive the deadly courts and complicated politics. Nahri never believed in magic before. But if she wants to survive, she has to embrace her lost heritage with no one except a wayward prince and fickle djinn to help her.
The City of Brass is a sweeping epic fantasy that will delight all of your Dolphin creativity. The sights, the sounds, and the world is lush and immersive, captivating all five of your senses in nearly every scene. It’s magical, romantic, and completely addictive. Perfect for long summer nights.
NON-FICTION:
The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin
Legendary music producer Rick Rubin stood out from the producer crowd for one reason: he knew how to get the most out of every artist that walked into his studio. His goal wasn’t about creating one sound or one album. It was to help the artist transcend their self-imposed limitations and create music from their soul. And the results speak for themselves. Over the years, he’s spent a lot of time thinking about creativity. What it is. Where it comes from. To him, creativity isn’t an output. It’s the artists relationship with the world around them. Everyone has creativity inside them. This is how he believes anyone can find theirs.
You’re already creative. But sometimes that creativity means you live in a different world, and that can make it hard to connect. Rick Rubin wants to show you how to take your creativity to new levels. When you see how he draws creative performance out of others, you can see how to use your creative strengths to not just connect with others, but make creativity a path everyone in your life.
THE EMPATHETIC ELEPHANT
FICTION:
The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune
Linus Baker likes his quiet life. He lives with his devious cat in a tiny house. As a Case Worker for the Department in Charge of Magical Youth he feels like he is doing some good over-seeing the well-being of magical children in government sanctioned homes. But when he’s called into Extremely Upper Management and assigned a highly classified case, all his beliefs will be put to the test. Marsyas Island has six of the most dangerous and classified children in existence. As Linus gets to know the children and their caretaker, the handsome and mysterious Arthur Parnassus, he realizes the island isn’t the only secret Extremely Upper Management is keeping. To do his job, Linus has to destroy a home. To protect this children, he may possibly destroy the world.
If a perfect book exists for your empathic nature, it’s this one. Told with stunning care, Klune draws you into the heart of these characters. Through layers of emotion and an imaginative story, this book reveals the profound truth of what it means to be human and how connection, love, and acceptance are the greatest strengths we have.
NON-FICTION:
The Promise of a Pencil by Adam Braun
Adam Braun never dreamed he’d be building schools. He was working at a hedge fund and was well on his way to a lucrative Wall Street career. But a chance encounter with a little boy in India changed his entire trajectory. With only $25, Braun launched an organization that built over 200 schools at the time of publication, a number that has now grown to over 500. With insights from village chiefs and business leaders and behind-the-scenes insight, this is the journey of how one man made his life a story worth telling—and how you can too.
Your Empathetic nature already is in tune with how powerful purpose can be. But finding your own can be tough, and helping others to the same is even tougher. Told with personal anecdotes and sprinkled with thoughtful and helpful tools, this book will feel like you’ve spent the day with an old friend. It will leave you feeling inspired and energized to make this a summer of kindness.
TAKE THE QUIZ
Are you ready to uncover your brain type? Find out if you embody the agility of the Cheetah, the wisdom of the Owl, the creativity of the Dolphin, and the empathy of the Elephant. Take the quiz at mybrainanimal.com and unlock the power of your remarkable mind.
