Benable — create shareable lists of things you recommend!
E.g., products you love, local businesses, travel recs - you can add anything to a Benable list!
My Ultimate 2026 Summer Reading Checklist
32
items We have been royalty since the start of time. This list is a tribute to that legacy, featuring transportive summer beach reads, hidden herstories, and powerful books on self-worth and resilience. These are the pages that remind us of our sacred value...
Sections
3
Hidden Herstories: Powerful Biographies & Historical Fiction about and by Women
Pack the Paradise: Elevated Beach Finds to go With your Books
Tides & Tales: Stories That Carry Me Away
Hidden Herstories: Powerful Biographies & Historical Fiction about and by Women
The remarkable stories of the women who shaped our world from the shadows. These pages pull back the curtain on history, biology, and legacy, celebrating the unsung heroines, trailblazers, and royal bloodlines whose voices and impact were kept hidden... ☀️ Want to elevate your beach reading experience? I've curated a complete companion guide featuring the ultimate beach comfort gear, high-end after-sun skincare, and hair-protecting crossover products here: benable.com/thecrookedcrown/3daa08a69d7757035e26
I wanted to include this because it represents something I never knew growing up: that princesses come in all colors. Seeing this representation is so powerful, and it serves as a beautiful reminder to the little one inside all of us who might have f...
The Other Princess: Novel of Queen Victoria's Goddaughter
The Vibe: A warm, funny and deeply touching coming-of-age story about a young British-Ghanaian woman navigating family duty, love and independence in Long. It has the lightness of a beach read but carries wonderful emotional weight.
Maame by Jessica George - Goodreads
The Vibe: A sweeping, magical story set between Cyprus and London, dealing with love, loss and cultural identity. It is incredibly lush and atmospheric-perfect for someone who want to be completely transported while sitting in a beach chair or by a pool.
The Island of Missing Trees: A Novel
I’ll be honest—I never really knew Viola Davis before this book, and for some reason, I had this assumption that everything she has achieved came easily to her. How could I have known? Reading her story was a powerful, humbling reminder that we never...
Finding Me: An Inspiring Story of Resilience
The Vibe: A vibrant, sultry romance set against a stunning Caribbean backdrop. It deals with a woman reclaiming her joy and passion after grief. It is the definition of a high-end beautifully written summer romance.
You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty
The Vibe: A modern classic looking at family, indentity, and the wildly different paths of twin Black sisters in the American South and California. It is a page-turner that sparks incredible reflection.
The Vanishing Half: A GMA Book Club Pick
I've read this more times than I can count. I always come away with an even more profound sense of what it mean to be a woman. Please read; do not watch the movie. This is A Breathtaking historical classic that gives powerful voice to Dinah, a minor character from the Book of Genesis. It deeply celebrates the ancient traditions, shared wisdom and unbreakable bonds of womanhood.
The Red Tent - Diamant, Anita: Books - Amazon.com
This is the first book I ever read that truly brought my deepest, unspoken thoughts to the surface and let me know, once and for all, that I wasn't alone. I was so young when I first picked it up—or at least it seems that way, given how much I’ve liv...
A Woman's Worth by Marianne Williamson
The Vibe: A sweeping, deeply evocative, and emotional novel centered on legacy, hidden truths, and the profound ties that bind generations together. As secrets from the past unravel, it explores what it truly means to belong and the resilience requir...
A Family Matter: A Read with Jenna Pick
Eve by Cat Bohannon This book isn’t just an evolutionary history; it’s an invitation to reclaim our narrative. It challenges so much of what we’ve been told about our origins, and it left me asking: If we are not Eve, then who are we? If we don't bel...
How The Female Body Drove 200 Million Years Evolution
The Vibe: An immersive and deeply moving piece of historical fiction that I highly recommend adding to the top of your summer TBR pile. It weaves a stunning, alternative historical narrative around a government program in 1875, exploring themes of si...
The Journals of May Dodd (One Thousand White Women 1)
The Vibe: A dark, seductive, and intensely atmospheric piece of historical fiction set in London during the early 1800s. It weaves a fascinating story of rebellion, secrets, and a group of young women using their wits to turn the tables on a society ...
Sedition
The Vibe: A deeply profound, mystical, and soul-stirring spiritual journey. This extraordinary book completely reclaims and honors the sacred legacy of Mary Magdalene, painting a breathtaking picture of her true power, wisdom, and pivotal role in his...
I Remember Union: The Story of Mary Magdalena
The Vibe: A timeless, haunting masterpiece that holds a truly nostalgic place in my heart. Having absolutely loved this book when I was younger, revisiting the windswept Yorkshire moors feels like stepping back into a powerful, familiar dream. The in...
Wuthering Heights (Wordsworth Classics)
The Vibe: A raw, beautifully messy, and deeply comforting collection of essays that holds an incredibly sacred place in my heart as the very first book I ever read by Anne Lamott. Her trademark honesty, brilliant wit, and unvarnished wisdom on faith,...
Traveling Mercies: Thoughts on Faith
The Vibe: A massive, sweeping epic that holds a truly complex and nostalgic place in my reading journey. While it is undeniably stereotypical and outdated in its historical lens, it remains an incredibly powerful, beautifully written story that I abs...
Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
The Vibe: An absolutely brilliant, deeply researched look into the incredible women who built the literal foundation of a nation from the shadows. We often look back and think we are so much better and more evolved than the mothers who birthed us, bu...
Founding Mothers: Remembering the Ladies
Entering the Castle is a powerful, contemporary guide for anyone ready to embark on an inward journey. I’ve been following Caroline Myss for years, and her work has been a constant companion through so many heartbreaks and "soulbreaks" in my life. Th...
Entering the Castle: Finding the Inner Path to God
Keep It Shut has been a deeply challenging but necessary read for me. For most of my life, I’ve operated under the assumption that silence equals weakness—that to be heard, I had to be loud. This book completely dismantled that misconception. It read...
Keep It Shut: What to Say, How to Say It
Reading Jamaica Kincaid is always a visceral experience, but The Autobiography of My Mother feels like a haunting meditation on lineage and loss. It forces you to sit with the most difficult, unanswerable question: Do we ever really know the woman—th...
The Autobiography of My Mother (FSG Classics)
Pack the Paradise: Elevated Beach Finds to go With your Books
We often forget our scalp and roots! This is lightweight, non-greasy, and protects your part and hair texture from sun damage while you're lost in a chapter!
(Re)setting Mineral Powder SPF 35 - Supergoop
Don't forget your scalp and roots! This is lightweight, non-greas, and protects your part and hair texture while you enjoy the sun and your book!
Scalp & Hair Mist SPF 30 - Sun Bum
The Ultimate holy-grail protection. It leaves a stunning, hydrated glow with absolutely zero white cast. It just feels like premium moisturizer
Black Girl Sunscreen SPF 30 - Moisturizing, No White Cast ...
A great Holy-Grail in skin protection! Zero white cast and feels like a luxury moisturizer.
Supergoop! New Unseen Sunscreen SPF 50
Love these while I'm reading on the beach or by the pool! These glasses are lightweight, fashionable, vintage in feel and block 100% of harmful UVA and UVB rays!
Small Retro Aviator Sunglasses - Amazon.com
A gorgeous, chic wide-brim hat is essential for keeping the glare off your book pages and shading your beautifully. I always feel special when I'm wearing this!
Wide Brim Ecuador Hat – Cuyana
So many choices! There is definitely one that goes with your current book of choice!
Foldable Sun Hats - Amazon.com
Spacious enough to effortlessly hold two thick books, your sunscreen, scrunchy hat, a water bottle, and a towel without feeling cluttered. A plus + add your initials to really make it feel special and yours.
Boat and Tote®, Open-Top - L.L.Bean
You could have a different tote for each book! So many cute choices here and a great price point!
Woven Tote Bags: Various Styles & Colors | Shop Now - Target
Because nothing ruins a good reading session faster than lukewarm water. This keeps your iced tea or water (or whatever) ice-cold for hours under the hot sun
Owala FreeSip Insulated Stainless Steel Bottle
Tides & Tales: Stories That Carry Me Away
These are the books I’m currently diving into this season. I’m sharing my honest, unfiltered opinions as I work my way through them—think of this as my ongoing summer reading journal, where I’m keeping track of what’s truly worth your time and what’s...
Ok, I'm not in love with this book yet, and maybe that's because it's deep right away. It's not a fairy tale or romance novel of yesteryear with Fabio Lanzoni on the cover! LOL but it is defintely drawing me in; I want to know what is happening, why ... It's saying things that I think we've all said in our heads before and felt too guilty to say out loud. This reaches deep. I like that!
A Day and a Night and a Day: Love Story
Anyone who knows me knows I typically have more than one book going at a time; my mood dictates which one I'll crack open. House of Gucci thankfully isn't just about the death of Maurizio Gucci but reminds us that he was a man from a family dynasty. This business rose from a small leather shop in Florance, to what is became the day Maurizio was gunned down. Being the Great granddaughter of a self made man from Pisa, Italy this book really told a tale as old as time, that many of us can relate to in terms of our past generations making something out of nothing, to give their heirs more than they had, onl...
The House of Gucci: A True Story of Murder, Madness ...