The Power of Moments: Why Certain Experiences Have Extraordinary Impact
by Chip Heath
The New York Times bestselling authors of Switch and Made to Stick explore why certain brief experiences can jolt us and elevate us and change us—and how we can learn to create such extraordinary moments in our life and work.
Lighter: Let Go of the Past, Connect with the Present, and Expand The Future
by Yung Pueblo
In Lighter, yung pueblo reveals how we can all move forward in our healing, from learning self-compassion and letting go to becoming emotionally mature. This is a transformative guide to making our actions become more intentional, our decisions more compassionate, our thinking clearer and our future much brighter.
An Immense World
by Ed Young
The Pulitzer Prize–winning science writer explains the sensory perceptions and ways of communication used by a variety of animals.
Dare to Lead: Brave Work. Tough Conversations. Whole Hearts.
by Brené Brown
How do you cultivate braver, more daring leaders, and how do you embed the value of courage in your culture? In this new book, Brown uses research, stories, and examples to answer these questions in the no-BSstyle that millions of readers have come to expect and love.
DIY Solo Retreats: A Handbook for Creating Your Space, Setting an Intention, and Getting the Self-Care You Deserve
by S.A. Snyder
Need some quiet time to chill out and decompress? Do you wish you could find a soothing space to listen for answers to nagging questions, resolve an issue, or just get some quality time to pursue a long-held desire? If you feel like you need to reset and recharge your life, a personal retreat might just be what your heart and soul are asking for!
The 5 Second Rule: Transform Your Life, Work, and Confidence with Everyday Courage
by Mel Robbins
The 5 Second Rule is the secret to changing anything about your life. You can use the Rule and its countdown method to break any bad habit, interrupt self-doubt and negative self-talk, and push yourself to take the actions that will change your life.
Ten Tomatoes that Changed the World
by William Alexander
The tomato gets no respect. Never has. Stored in the dustbin of history for centuries, accused of being vile and poisonous, appropriated as wartime propaganda, subjected to being picked hard-green and gassed, even used as a projectile, the poor tomato is the Rodney Dangerfield of foods. Yet, the tomato is the most popular vegetable in America (and, in fact, the world). It holds a place in America’s soul like no other vegetable, and few other foods. Each summer, tomato festivals crop up across the country; John Denver had a hit single titled “homegrown Tomatoes;” and the Heinz tomato ketchup bottle, instantly recognizable, is in the Smithsonian. Author William Alexander is on a mission to get tomatoes the respect they deserve. Supported by meticulous research but told in a lively, accessible voice, Ten Tomatoes that Changed the World will seamlessly weave travel, history, humor, and a little adventure (and misadventure) to follow the tomato’s trail through history. A fascinating story complete with heroes, con artists, conquistadors and, no surprise, the Mafia, this book is a mouth-watering, informative, and entertaining guide to the good that has captured our hearts for generations.
The Keeper of Lost Things
by Ruth Hogan
A charming, clever, and quietly moving debut novel of of endless possibilities and joyful discoveries that explores the promises we make and break, losing and finding ourselves, the objects that hold magic and meaning for our lives, and the surprising connections that bind us.
Five Tuesdays in Winter
by Lily King
Told in the intimate voices of complex, endearing characters, Five Tuesdays in Winter intriguingly subverts expectations as it explores desire, loss, jolting violence, and the inexorable tug toward love at all costs. A reclusive bookseller begins to feel the discomfort of love again. Two college roommates have a devastating middle-aged reunion. A proud old man rages powerlessly in his granddaughter’s hospital room. A writer receives a visit from all the men who have tried to suppress her voice.
Forest Therapy: Seasonal Ways to Embrace Nature for a Happier You
by Sarah Ivens
Your practical guide to better health, stronger relationships, and a happier life–by reconnecting with nature.
The Book of Moods
by Lauren Martin
The Happiness Project meets So Sad Today in this “hilariously witty, unflinchingly honest” book from Words of Women founder Lauren Martin, as she contemplates the nature of negative emotions — and the insights that helped her to take control of her life.
Somewhere Sisters: A Story of Adoption, Identity, and the Meaning of Family
by Erika Hayasaki
An incredible, deeply reported story of identical twins Isabella and Hà, born in Viêt Nam and raised on opposite sides of the world, each knowing little about the other’s existence until they were reunited as teenagers, against all odds.
Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones
by James Clear
No matter your goals, Atomic Habits offers a proven framework for improving–every day. James Clear, one of the world’s leading experts on habit formation, reveals practical strategies that will teach you exactly how to form good habits, break bad ones, and master the tiny behaviors that lead to remarkable results.
Atlas of the Heart: Mapping Meaningful Connection and the Language of Human Experience
by Brené Brown
In Atlas of the Heart, Brown takes us on a journey through eighty-seven of the emotions and experiences that define what it means to be human. As she maps the necessary skills and an actionable framework for meaningful connection, she gives us the language and tools to access a universe of new choices and second chances—a universe where we can share and steward the stories of our bravest and most heartbreaking moments with one another in a way that builds connection.
The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma
by Bessel van der Kolk M.D.
Trauma is a fact of life. Veterans and their families deal with the painful aftermath of combat; one in five Americans has been molested; one in four grew up with alcoholics; one in three couples have engaged in physical violence. Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, one of the world’s foremost experts on trauma, has spent over three decades working with survivors. In The Body Keeps the Score, he uses recent scientific advances to show how trauma literally reshapes both body and brain, compromising sufferers’ capacities for pleasure, engagement, self-control, and trust. He explores innovative treatments—from neurofeedback and meditation to sports, drama, and yoga—that offer new paths to recovery by activating the brain’s natural neuroplasticity. Based on Dr. van der Kolk’s own research and that of other leading specialists, The Body Keeps the Score exposes the tremendous power of our relationships both to hurt and to heal—and offers new hope for reclaiming lives.
Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before?
by Dr. Julie Smith
Drawing on years of experience as a clinical psychologist, online sensation Dr Julie Smith provides the skills you need to navigate common life challenges and take charge of your emotional and mental health in her debut book.
Do Better
by Rachel Ricketts
Let’s face it: The brutality of 2020 has left a lot of us craving spiritual guidance. At the same time, we’ve also been through a racial reckoning that has led us to divest from beloved thought leaders, brands, and other erstwhile sources of solace. What’s a guru-seeking girl to do? Enter Rachel Ricketts’s ultimate how-to manual, subtitled Spiritual Activism for Fighting and Healing from White Supremacy, which tackles fighting against injustice while staying spiritually grounded. FYI, Mandy Moore and Elizabeth Gilbert are already fans.
Wild Tongues Can’t Be Tamed
Edited by Saraciea J. Fennell
With a standout roster of authors that includes Naima Coster, Elizabeth Acevedo, and Ingrid Rojas Contreras, Wild Tongues Can’t Be Tamed is the kind of anthology we’d gladly wait all year for. In fifteen works of poetry and essays—from tales of the supernatural to takedowns of anti-Blackness—this collection offers something for just about every kind of reader.
To Paradise
by Hanya Yanagihara
Yanagihara’s epic follow-up to 2015’s A Little Life tackles themes of pandemic, political repression and environmental crisis across three different timeframes and 700 pages in a wildly ambitious journey through the American experience.
No Hard Feelings: Emotions at Work and How They Help Us Succeed
by Liz Fosslien, Molly West Duffy
We all know what it’s like to feel overwhelmed with emotions at work – everything from jealousy to insecurity, anxiety to straight up panic – and there’s no field guide to coping with them well. But we also know that ignoring or suppressing what you feel hurts your health, happiness and productivity. This book will help you figure out how to express your emotions productively in order to be both happier and more effective at work. Drawing on behavioral economics and psychology, No Hard Feelings will show you how to bring your best self to work every day.
Lessons in Chemistry
by Bonnie Garmus
After a tumultuous series of events and a career as a chemist in a terribly sexist industry, Elizabeth Zott finds herself a single mother and the host of a beloved cooking show in the 1960s. There, she combines cooking and her love of chemistry to teach women revolutionary new cooking methods that dare them to change the status quo.
30 Things I Love About Myself
by Radhika Sanghani
“30 Things I Love About Myself” by Radhika Sanghani is a book for anyone who has ever found themselves in a spiral of self-loathing. For Nina Mistry, hitting rock bottom means spending her 30th birthday in a holding cell. The floundering freelance journalist lands there after breaking up with her fiancé and realizing she’ll now have to move in with her mom and older brother. But even as she reaches her lowest point, Nina resolves to find 30 reasons to fall in love with herself over the next year, leading to a heartwarming and funny journey about one woman’s radical quest to find self-acceptance.
Violeta
by Isabel Allende
Bestselling author Isabel Allende’s “Violeta” is a sweeping story of one woman’s long and extraordinary life. Born in 1920 South America, Violeta has only been alive a few weeks when the Spanish flu visits their shores. Thanks to her father, her family makes it through the pandemic unscathed, but there are more trials on the horizon, including the Great Depression, the rise of tyrants, first loves, terrible heartaches, and another much more modern pandemic. Spanning 100 years, this stunning novel will show you the history of our modern times through the story of one fascinating woman’s life.
South to America
by Imani Perry
South to America.” Perry argues that in order to understand America as a whole, you must first understand the idiosyncrasies and myriad of cultures that exist in the south. But first, the native Alabaman had to return home to delve into her roots and explore both the dark side of southern culture and the positive parts that are seldom appreciated by those who aren’t from the region. The end result is an essential cultural exploration that will ultimately help people better understand the complexities of this country we call home.
Giovanni’s Room
by New York Public Library and Jason Baumann
June 28, 2019 marked the fiftieth anniversary of the Stonewall uprising, which is considered the most significant event in the gay liberation movement, and the catalyst for the modern fight for LGBTQ rights in the United States. Drawing from the New York Public Library’s archives, The Stonewall Reader is a collection of first accounts, diaries, periodic literature, and articles from LGBTQ magazines and newspapers that documented both the years leading up to and the years following the riots.
Giovanni’s Room
by James Baldwin
James Baldwin’s groundbreaking novel about love and the fear of love, set among the bohemian bars and nightclubs of 1950s Paris. With sharp probing insight, Giovanni’s Room tells an impassioned, deeply moving story that lays bare the unspoken complexities of the human heart.
You Exist Too Much
by Zaina Arafet
Arafet’s protagonist, a 12-year-old Palestinian-American girl, is devastated when her mother responds to her expression of same-sex attraction with such vitriol. The novel that ensues is a study in the rejection and reclamation of shame, as it applies to the experience of an isolated young woman within layers of geographic marginalization.
The Stars and the Blackness Between Them
by Junauda Petrus
After her mother catches her with her secret girlfriend, Audre is sent from her home in Trinidad to live with her father in Minneapolis. In Minneapolis, Audre meets Mabel, her future classmate (and more) who is navigating her own sexual identity amidst uncertainty about her health.
The Great Believers
by Rebecca Makkai
Told in alternating perspectives, Makkai delves into the height of the 1980s AIDS epidemic as it was experienced in Chicago’s Boystown, before flashing forward to present day Paris, where the character who links both eras is looking for her MIA daughter.
This Time Tomorrow
by Emma Straub
On the eve of her 40th birthday, Alice’s life isn’t terrible. She likes her job, even if it isn’t exactly the one she expected. She’s happy with her apartment, her romantic status, her independence, and she adores her lifelong best friend. But her father is ailing, and it feels to her as if something is missing. When she wakes up the next morning she finds herself back in 1996, reliving her 16th birthday. But it isn’t just her adolescent body that shocks her, or seeing her high school crush, it’s her dad: the vital, charming, 40-something version of her father with whom she is reunited. Now armed with a new perspective on her own life and his, some past events take on new meaning. Is there anything that she would change if she could?
Eyes Wide Open
by Isaac Lidsky
In this New York Times bestseller, Isaac Lidsky draws on his experience of achieving immense success, joy, and fulfillment while losing his sight to a blinding disease to show us that it isn’t external circumstances, but how we perceive and respond to them, that governs our reality.
The Stationary Shop
by Marjan Kamali
A poignant, heartfelt new novel by the award-nominated author of Together Tea—extolled by the Wall Street Journal as a “moving tale of lost love” and by Shelf Awareness as “a powerful, heartbreaking story”—explores loss, reconciliation, and the quirks of fate.
Toxic Positivity: Keeping It Real in a World Obsessed with Being Happy
by Whitney Goodman
A powerful guide to owning our emotions—even the difficult ones—in order to show up authentically in the world, from the popular therapist behind the Instagram account @sitwithwhit.
You’d Be Home Now
by Kathleen Glasgow
The quiet one, the obedient one, the reliable one. Emmy has spent her life being told exactly who she is. Not strong-willed like her beautiful sister Maddie and not in rehab like her wild brother Joey. But when a tragic accident changes life in her small town forever, can Emmy keep up the act?
On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous
by Ocean Yuong
On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous is a letter from a son to a mother who cannot read. Written when the speaker, Little Dog, is in his late twenties, the letter unearths a family’s history that began before he was born — a history whose epicenter is rooted in Vietnam — and serves as a doorway into parts of his life his mother has never known, all of it leading to an unforgettable revelation. At once a witness to the fraught yet undeniable love between a single mother and her son, it is also a brutally honest exploration of race, class, and masculinity. Asking questions central to our American moment, immersed as we are in addiction, violence, and trauma, but undergirded by compassion and tenderness, On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous is as much about the power of telling one’s own story as it is about the obliterating silence of not being heard.
The Art of Choosing
by Sheena Iyengar
Every day we make choices. Coke or Pepsi? Save or spend? Stay or go? Whether mundane or life-altering, these choices define us and shape our lives. Sheena Iyengar asks the difficult questions about how and why we choose: Is the desire for choice innate or bound by culture? Why do we sometimes choose against our best interests? How much control do we really have over what we choose? Sheena Iyengar’s award-winning research reveals that the answers are surprising and profound. In our world of shifting political and cultural forces, technological revolution, and interconnected commerce, our decisions have far-reaching consequences. Use The Art of Choosing as your companion and guide for the many challenges ahead.
The Tower, the Zoo, and the Tortoise
by Julia Stuart
“Once upon a time there was a young psychiatrist called Hector who At its heart, The Tower, the Zoo, and the Tortoise is an honest and moving meditation on loss, the different ways people grieve, and moving beyond heartbreak to open oneself up to healing and love. Pick up this book and prepare to be immersed in the whimsical setting, surrounded by lovable characters and moved by their triumphs and tribulations. Who knew a visit to a famous prison could be such a delight!
Hector and the Search for Happiness
by Francois Lelord
“Once upon a time there was a young psychiatrist called Hector who was not very satisfied with himself. . . . And so he decided to take a trip around the world, and everywhere he went he would try to understand what made people happy or unhappy.”
The Comfort Book
by Matt Haig
A manual of reflections for an increasingly stressful world, othing is stronger than a small hope that doesn’t give up. The Comfort Book is a collection of little islands of hope, a gathering of consolations and stories that give us new ways of seeing ourselves and the world. Matt Haig’s mix of philosophy, memoir and self-reflection builds on the wisdom of philosophers and survivors through the ages, from Marcus Aurelius to Nellie Bly, from Emily Dickinson to James Baldwin. This is the book to pick up when you need the wisdom of a friend or the comfort of a hug, or just want to celebrate the messy miracle of being alive.
The Secret Lives of Color
by Kassia St. Clair
The Secret Lives of Color tells the unusual stories of seventy-five fascinating shades, dyes, and hues. From blonde to ginger, the brown that changed the way battles were fought to the white that protected against the plague, Picasso’s blue period to the charcoal on the cave walls at Lascaux, acid yellow to kelly green, and from scarlet women to imperial purple, these surprising stories run like a bright thread throughout history.
Find the Good: Unexpected Life Lessons From a Small Town Obituary Writer
by Heather Lende
As she was digging deep into the lives of community members, Heather Lende, the obituary writer for her tiny hometown newspaper in Haines, Alaska, began to notice something. Even the crustiest old Alaskan sourpuss who died in a one-room cabin always had Halloween candy for the neighborhood kids, and the eccentric owner of the seafood store who regularly warned her about government conspiracies knew how to be a true friend – his memorial service was packed. When Lende started intentionally seeking what was positive and true in people and situations in her own life she felt happier, and life seemed more meaningful, too.
The Murmur of Bees
by Sofía Segovia
From a beguiling voice in Mexican fiction comes an astonishing novel―her first to be translated into English―about a mysterious child with the power to change a family’s history in a country on the verge of revolution. Set against the backdrop of the Mexican Revolution and the devastating influenza of 1918, The Murmur of Bees captures both the fate of a country in flux and the destiny of one family that has put their love, faith, and future in the unbelievable.
Sorry I’m Late, I Didn’t Want to Come
by Jessica Pan
What would happen if a shy introvert lived like a gregarious extrovert for one year? If she knowingly and willingly put herself in perilous social situations that she’d normally avoid at all costs? Writer Jessica Pan intends to find out. With the help of various extrovert mentors, Jessica sets up a series of personal challenges (talk to strangers, perform stand-up comedy, host a dinner party, travel alone, make friends on the road, and much, much worse) to explore whether living like an extrovert can teach her lessons that might improve the quality of her life. Chronicling the author’s hilarious and painful year of misadventures, this book explores what happens when one introvert fights her natural tendencies, takes the plunge, and tries (and sometimes fails) to be a little bit braver.
Days of Wonder
by Keith Stuart
Once in a while, along comes a book that genuinely touches you. Days of Wonder is a bittersweet novel about a single dad and his daughter, Hannah, that made me laugh and cry in turn. Every year theatre manager, Tom, puts on a special performance for Hannah, who has a life-limiting heart condition, but as her health deteriorates and the theatre comes under threat from developers, the pressure is on him to pull off something very special. With a cast of wonderful, believable characters, this is magical story about love, hope and not giving in.
The Book of Delights
by Ross Gay
It’s exactly what it says it is: a book of delights. It’s comprised of essays of varying lengths written in the span of one year about things Ross Gay found joyous, especially the small things. The way a candy melts in your mouth, or the birds singing outside on a sunny day. It’s a nice reminder that while things may suck (and boy howdy do they suck right now) there’s still some good in the world, still some things to be happy about during the day, even if it’s just your cat curled up in your lap purring away, or your dog continually excited that they get to spend the day with you.
BLOOM: A Journey to Self-Love
by Lucy Mangan
This is one to help you fall asleep at night. Lucy Mangan has collected a bunch of soothing stories to help you decompress, from classics written by people like Oscar Wilde and Katherine Mansfield, to excerpts from childhood stories you grew up with like The Secret Garden and The Wind in the Willows, and even some poetry to round it out, so there’s bound to be something to make you feel better and bring your spirits up a little bit. If there’s any book on this list I recommend getting as an audiobook it’s this one, so you can just put on a pair of earbuds and maybe have some good dreams.
BLOOM: A Journey to Self-Love
by Brittany Travesté
Manifested from the seed of reflection, BLOOM is one woman’s restorative quest toward love-of the internal sort. Through bare as bones poems, narrative essays, and brief meditations, it proves to be healing for you, too, if you’ve ever looked upon yourself and cringed at the not so beautiful. BLOOM seeks release and acceptance.
All Along You Were Blooming
by Morgan Harper Nichols
All Along You Were Blooming is a striking collection of illustrated poetry and prose, inviting you to “stumble into the sunlight” and delight in the wild and boundless grace you’ve been given.
The Black Girl’s Guide to Self-Care: A 30-Day Self-Care Workbook
by Kristen D. Hemingway
The Black Girl’s Guide To Self-Care Workbook is designed to help women in general, and Black Women in particular, reclaim their time, their wellness and their joy.
The Miracle Morning
by Hal Elrod
What if you could miraculously wake up tomorrow and any or every area of your life was transformed? What would be different? Would you be happier? Healthier? More successful? In better shape? Would you have more energy? Less Stress? More Money? Better relationships? Which of your problems would be solved? What if I told you that there is a “not-so-obvious” secret that is guaranteed to transform any or literally every area of your life, faster than you ever thought possible? What if I told you it would only take 6 minutes a day? Enter The Miracle Morning.
Designing Your Life: How to Build A Well-Lived, Joyful Life
by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans
Bill Burnett and Dave Evans show us how design thinking can help us create a life that is both meaningful and fulfilling, regardless of who or where we are, what we do or have done for a living, or how young or old we are. The same design thinking responsible for amazing technology, products, and spaces can be used to design and build your career and your life, a life of fulfillment and joy, constantly creative and productive, one that always holds the possibility of surprise.
Manifest: 7 Steps to Living Your Best Life
by Roxie Nafousi
Written by self-development coach and ‘Queen of Manifesting’ Roxie Nafousi, this book is the essential guide to anyone and everyone wanting to feel more empowered in their lives. In just seven simple steps you can understand the true art of manifestation and create the life you have always dreamed of.
The Rules of Thinking
by Richard Templar
We all envy the natural thinkers of this world. They have the best ideas, make the smartest decisions, are open minded and never indecisive. Is there something they know that the rest of us don’t? Is it something we can all learn? The answer is a resounding yes. They know The Rules of Thinking.
101 Essays That Will Change The Way You Think
by Brianna Wiest
In her second compilation of published writing, Brianna Wiest explores pursuing purpose over passion, embracing negative thinking, seeing the wisdom in daily routine, and becoming aware of the cognitive biases that are creating the way you see your life. This book contains never before seen pieces as well as some of Brianna’s most popular essays, all of which just might leave you thinking: this idea changed my life.
Judgement Detox
by Gabrielle Bernstein
This best-selling new thought leader and speaker has come up with a six-step practice that involves replacing negative assessments of others (and yourself) with a sort of Buddhist lite acceptance. Meditation, a therapy called emotional freedom technique (in which you tap points on your body to re-train yourself toward positive thinking) and prayer add up to a strictly non-denominational, tricky at first but ultimately rewarding method of self-soothing—no credit cards or chardonnay needed.
Professional Troublemaker: the Fear-Fighting Manual
by Luvvie Ajayi Jones
There’s a strong chance you know Ajayi Jones from her witty Instagram, her previous New York Times bestseller or her incredible TED talk. Add to the list: her new book, professional troublemaker: the fear-fighter manual, slated to be released in March 2021. Ajayi Jones says, “it is the book that I believe I needed 10 years ago when I was afraid to call myself a writer. It’s the book that I need now. I usually like to write the books that I want to read…and I know that if it’s useful for me, somebody else will find value in it.”
Drop the Ball: Achieving More by Doing Less
by Tiffany Dufu
Do you ever feel so overwhelmed with day-to-day tasks that you’re tempted to just say “screw it” and take a sick day? Tiffany Dufu has been there—and she maintains women truly can have it all (a loving family, a high-power job, a gorgeous wardrobe and relaxing downtime included) by “dropping the ball” on things they don’t find enjoyable or don’t contribute to their larger purpose. So go ahead, let that laundry pile up on the bedroom floor. You have some very important yoga to do.
More Than Enough: Claiming Space for Who You Are
by Elaine Welteroth
In this part-manifesto, part-memoir, the revolutionary editor who infused social consciousness into the pages of Teen Vogue explores what it means to come into your own—on your own terms.
Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don’t
by Adam M. Grant
Think Again is a book about the benefit of doubt, and about how we can get better at embracing the unknown and the joy of being wrong.
The Comfort Book
by Matt Haig
The new uplifting book from Matt Haig, the New York Times bestselling author of The Midnight Library, for anyone in search of hope, looking for a path to a more meaningful life, or in need of a little encouragement.
Your Brain Is Always Listening: Tame the Hidden Dragons That Control Your Happiness, Habits, and Hang-Ups
by Daniel G. Amen, M.D.
New York Times bestselling author Dr. Daniel Amen equips you with powerful weapons to battle the inner dragons that are breathing fire on your brain, driving unhealthy behaviors, and robbing you of joy and contentment.
Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff…and It’s All Small Stuff: Simple Ways to Keep the Little Things From Taking Over Your Life
by Richard Carlson
Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff…and It’s All Small Stuff is a book that tells you how to keep from letting the little things in life drive you crazy. In thoughtful and insightful language, author Richard Carlson reveals ways to calm down in the midst of your incredibly hurried, stress-filled life.
The Positive Shift: Mastering to Improve Happiness, Health, and Longevity
by Catherine A. Sanderson, PhD
In The Positive Shift: Mastering Mindset to Improve Happiness, Health, and Longevity, Dr. Catherine Sanderson breaks down the science of thought and shows how our mindset—or thought pattern—exerts a substantial influence on our psychological and physical health. Most important, this book demonstrates how, no matter what our natural tendency, with practice we can make minor tweaks in our mindset that will improve the quality—and longevity—of our life.
I’m So Effing Tired: A Proven Plan to Beat Burnout, Boost Your Energy and Reclaim Your Life
by Amy Shah, M.D.
Are you feeling overwhelmed, overstressed, and overtired? If so, you’re not alone – and you don’t have to settle for feeling this way. Inspired by her personal wellness journey, Dr. Amy Shah has created this program so that you can regain your energy and reclaim your life. The key is tapping into the powerful energy trifecta: the complex, interconnected relationship between your gut, your immune system, and your hormones. Drawing on the latest science and her work helping thousands of clients, Dr. Shah explains how to transform your life by changing: what you eat, when you eat, and why you’re stressed.
Stories for Stressed Out Adults
by Lucy Mangan
Y’all, this is one to help you fall asleep at night. Lucy Mangan has collected a bunch of soothing stories to help you decompress, from classics written by people like Oscar Wilde and Katherine Mansfield, to excerpts from childhood stories you grew up with like The Secret Garden and The Wind in the Willows, and even some poetry to round it out, so there’s bound to be something to make you feel better and bring your spirits up a little bit.
Becoming Wise: An Inquiry into the Mystery and Art of Living
by Krista Tipper
Haven’t mastered this whole “life” thing yet? Fear not, young grasshopper. Because Peabody Award-winning and National Humanities Medalist Krista Tippett has, after having conversations about Big Questions with some of today’s most remarkable thinkers and theologians. This book consists of the most significant insights Tippett found.
Thinking, Fast and Slow
by Daniel Kahneman
Want to come to grips with error and prejudice and slow down your thinking? Then this is the book for you.
The Happiness Advantage
by Shawn Achor
If you’re struggling to get ahead at work, it’s first essential to consider how happy you are. This book is all about finding happiness to find success. Former Harvard University lecturer Achor uses research and case studies to explain how it’s possible to reframe your mindset to become more positive and therefore more powerful at work.
The Gift of Forgiveness
by Katherine Schwarzenegger Pratt
Struggle with forgiveness and letting go of the past? In this book Schwarzenegger Pratt reflects on her own experiences of learning to forgive and asks people who have suffered everything from kidnap to losing partners following murder on how they’re living with greater acceptance…
The Alter Ego Effect
by Todd Herman
It’s time to feel like a child again and use imagination and fun to become a better you. In this book, Herman examines the importance of finding your Heroic Self to improve life.
Declutter Your Mind
by S.J. Scott and Barrie Davenport
Negative thoughts are natural but, according to the authors of this book, should not negatively impact on life. Teaching habits, actions and mindsets to help clear the brain of overwhelming negativity, this book is essential for those who have had enough of worrying.
Speak Your Truth
by Fearne Cotton
Speak Your Truth dives into all the ways we learn to stay quiet for the wrong reasons, and explores how to find your voice, assert yourself and speak out with confidence
Tiny Habits: Why Sarting Small Makes Lasting Change Easy
by BJ Fogg, PhD
Silicon Valley expert BJ Fogg, who is a research psychologist and founder of the iconic Behaviour Design Lab at Stanford, has penned this book to teach you how to use a science-based approach to make simple but life-changing changes in your life.
Not a Life Coach
by James Smith
If the pandemic has proved anything, it’s the importance of taking back control of the most important things in your life, including your wellbeing. In this book, Smith guides you through how to find fulfilment and happiness, redefine your your goals and reset your mind to find success.
The 5am Club: Own Your Morning. Elevate Your Life.
By Robin Sharma
Fancy waking up at 5am before sunrise every day? Well, you might be tempted after reading this novel which is all about how to revolutionize your morning routine and improve productivity, health and mindset.
How To Do The Work
by Dr. Nicole LePera
In this book, clinical psychologist Dr LePera guides readers through the latest research from science and healing modalities, and teaches you how to avoid self-sabotaging behaviors in order to recreate their lives as they want them to be.
365 Questions, One Page per Day: A One Year Self-Discovery Journal
Instead of looking to others for advice and wisdom, this book let you take charge. Each lined page has one question and encourages you to take pen to paper and embark on a journey of self discovery and reflection.
Get your Sh*t Together
by Sarah Knight
Ignore the slightly tongue-in-cheek title for one moment, because this book will help you, once and for all, figure out how to leave your emails at the office and truly nail that work/life balance.
If In Doubt, Wash Your Hair: A Manual for Life
by Anya Hindmarch
Who better to learn about leading a better, more successful and fulfilling lift than fashion designer Anya Hindmarch. As a mother-of-five and internationally renowned entrepreneur, the designer is an ideal source of inspiration who offers practical tips on how to be a better you. And yes, it can sometimes be as simple as washing your hair.
The Chemistry of Calm: A Powerful, Drug-Free Plan to Quiet Your Fears and Overcome Your Anxiety
by Henry Emmons MD
Marrying Eastern techniques of meditation with traditional Western solutions of diet and exercise, celebrated psychiatrist Dr. Henry Emmons offers a proven plan to combat anxiety—without medication—that has helped tens of thousands gain inner peace and start enjoying life.
Make it Happen: Manifest the Life of Your Dreams
by Jordanna Levin
In this warm and witty book, Jordanna shares her personal experiences and struggles along with her foolproof equation for manifesting whatever you desire, from your dream job to a lasting relationship. Whether you’re a matter-of-fact skeptic or a somewhat hippie yoga-lover, Make It Happen will empower you to take ownership of your life and create anything you want.
The Strength in Our Scars
by Bianca Sparacino
“The Strength In Our Scars” tackles the gut-wrenching but relatable experiences of moving on, self-love, and ultimately learning to heal. In this book you will find peace, you will find a rock, you will find understanding, and you will find hope. Remember: Whatever is dark within you has also carved light into your soul. Whatever is lost within you has also brought you back home to yourself. Whatever is hurt within you is also healing you in ways you may not understand at that moment in time.
Working Hard, Hardly Working: How to achieve more, stress less and feel fulfilled
by Grace Beverley
In Working Hard, Hardly Working, entrepreneur and self-proclaimed ‘lazy workaholic’ Grace Beverley challenges this unrealistic and unnecessary split, and offers a fresh take on how to create your own balance, be more productive and feel fulfilled.
Good Vibes, Good Life: How Self-Love Is the Key to Unlocking Your Greatness
by Vex King
How can you learn to truly love yourself? How can you transform negative emotions into positive ones? Is it possible to find lasting happiness? In this book, Instagram guru Vex King answers all of these questions and more. Vex overcame adversity to become a source of hope for thousands of young people, and now draws from his personal experience and his intuitive wisdom to inspire you.
Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life…And Maybe the World
by Admiral William H. McRaven
On May 17, 2014, Admiral William H. McRaven addressed the graduating class of the University of Texas at Austin on their Commencement day. Taking inspiration from the university’s slogan, “What starts here changes the world,” he shared the ten principles he learned during Navy Seal training that helped him overcome challenges not only in his training and long Naval career, but also throughout his life; and he explained how anyone can use these basic lessons to change themselves-and the world-for the better.
The Power of Positive Energy
by Tanaaz Chubb
Positive energy creates positive outcomes. But how do you get the good vibes going? It all comes down to understanding and embracing the innate and energetic power of your soul. With the guidance of Tanaaz Chubb, creator of ForeverConscious.com, you will begin a journey that will give rise to an understanding of your soul’s energy and its connection to the Universal energy all around us.
The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations for Clarity, Effectiveness, and Serenity
by Ryan Holiday
Modern readers praise Stoic philosophy for its unique blend of practicality and wisdom. But it’s admittedly hard for the average reader to decipher the Dover Thrift edition of Marcus Aurelius’ work. The antiquated, needlessly formal language of most modern translations is stripped down in this book, revealing powerful aphorisms that cut straight to the heart of our day-to-day challenges.
The Defining Decade
by Meg Jay, PhD
Our “thirty-is-the-new-twenty” culture tells us that the twentysomething years don’t matter. Some say they are an extended adolescence. Others call them an emerging adulthood. But thirty is not the new twenty. In this enlightening book, Dr. Meg Jay reveals how many twentysomethings have been caught in a swirl of hype and misinformation that has trivialized what are actually the most defining years of adulthood.
Atomic Habits
by James Clear
No matter your goals, Atomic Habits offers a proven framework for improving–every day. James Clear, one of the world’s leading experts on habit formation, reveals practical strategies that will teach you exactly how to form good habits, break bad ones, and master the tiny behaviors that lead to remarkable results.
Deep Kindness
by Houston Kraft
Deep Kindness pairs anecdotes with actions that can make real change in our own lives, the lives of others, and throughout the world. Diving into the types of kindness the world needs most today, this book takes an honest look at the gap between our belief in kindness and our ability to practice it well—and shows us how to put intention into action.
Untamed
by Glennon Doyle
Soulful and uproarious, forceful, and tender, Untamed is both an intimate memoir and a galvanizing wake-up call. It is the story of how one woman learned that a responsible mother is not one who slowly dies for her children, but one who shows them how to fully live.
Happiness Becomes You: A Guide for Changing Your Life for Good
by Tina Turner
Happiness Becomes You is the memoir of singer Tina Turner. Described by the author as “a very personal book that focuses on the core themes of my life: hope, happiness, and faith,” it explores previously undisclosed details of Turner’s life including how she overcame severe obstacles to achieve happiness and success, and offers Turner’s advice on how readers can realize their own dreams
Think Link a Monk
by Jay Shetty
Think Like a Monk shows you how to clear the roadblocks to your potential by overcoming negative thoughts, accessing stillness, and creating true purpose. It can be challenging to apply the lessons of monks to busy lives
Joy at Work
by Marie Kondo
If you properly simplify and organize your work life once, you’ll never have to do it again.
Marie Kondo’s first book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying, sparked a new genre of publishing and became an international bestseller. Now, for the first time, you will be guided through the process of tidying up your work life.
13 Things Mentally Strong People Don’t Do
by Amy Morin
Master your mental strength—revolutionary new strategies that work for everyone from homemakers to soldiers and teachers to CEOs. From #1 (Don’t waste time feeling sorry for yourself) to #13 (Don’t expect immediate results), this is a great guide for facing the world around you more confidently.
10% Happier
by Dan Harris
After having a nationally televised panic attack, Dan Harris knew he had to make some changes. A lifelong nonbeliever, he found himself on a bizarre adventure involving a disgraced pastor, a mysterious self-help guru, and a gaggle of brain scientists. Eventually, Harris stumbled upon an effective way to rein in that voice, something he always assumed to be either impossible or useless: meditation, a tool that research suggests can do everything from lower your blood pressure to essentially rewire your brain.
The Marshmallow Test
by Walter Mischel
A child is presented with a marshmallow and given a choice: Eat this one now, or wait and enjoy two later. What will she do? And what are the implications for her behavior later in life? The world’s leading expert on self-control, Walter Mischel has proven that the ability to delay gratification is critical for a successful life, predicting higher SAT scores, better social and cognitive functioning, a healthier lifestyle and a greater sense of self-worth. But is willpower prewired, or can it be taught?
The Power Of Letting Go
by John Purkiss
When you let go, you live intuitively. Everything flows, because you are no longer attached to things being a certain way, to being a certain person or always being right. What a relief. The irony is that when you feel stuck in any area of your life – career, relationships, purpose, health or money – letting go can seem very hard. You cling on for dear life just at the moment you need to take the leap.
Emotional Detox
by Sherianna Boyle
Wellness expert Sherianna Boyle has created the revolutionary seven-step C.L.E.A.N.S.E. method to help you rid yourself of negativity, fear, worry, anger, and doubt and guide you back toward a natural, energized state of pure joy and acceptance. Learn how to Clear your pathways, Look inward, Emit positivity, Activate, Nourish, Surrender, and Ease your way into your best self and a happier and healthier life.
The Universe Always Has A Plan
by Matt Kahn
In this powerful work, spiritual teacher and intuitive Matt Kahn explores the 10 Golden Rules for emotional freedom-divinely curated and practical to the demands of everyday life. Infused into each rule is Matt’s loving, heart-centered perspective, to help guide you through your own profound spiritual transformation.
The Power Of Mental Discipline
by Ian Tuhovsky
Imagine your life as a blank slate. You can choose what you want it to look like. Like a video game, you can fill it with whatever you like! Every area – your health, wealth, relationships, family, status – you can design them all. Close your eyes and imagine the life of your dreams…
What does your dream look like? Whatever it is, it can be yours. Every day you can live the dream.
Girl, Wash Your Face
by Rachel Hollis
In this New York Times bestseller, Rachel Hollis, founder and CEO of TheChicSite.com, identifies 20 lies people tell themselves to hold themselves back. Using her own (messy) life as a test case, she shows how to stop saying things like “I’ll start tomorrow,” or “I’m a terrible writer” to live a more joyful and productive life.
Years of Yes
by Shonda Rimes
This poignant, intimate, and hilarious memoir explores Shonda’s life before her Year of Yes—from her nerdy, book-loving childhood to her devotion to creating television characters who reflected the world she saw around her. The book chronicles her life after her Year of Yes had begun—when Shonda forced herself out of the house and onto the stage; when she learned to explore, empower, applaud, and love her truest self. Yes.
Gmorning, Gnight
by Lin-Manuel Miranda
Sometimes you don’t need a mind-changing philosophy — you just need a fast pep talk. If that’s the case, you need Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda in your corner. The book’s origins are from Twitter: He started and ended each day with little bite-size affirmation. (Example: “Do NOT get stuck in the comments section of life today.”) He offers new insights in his book, but still easy to read in short bursts.
How To Be A Bawse
by Lilly Singh
Lilly Singh, actress, comedian, and creator of her Superwoman show on YouTube, offers her advice on success and shares what she learned on her way to internet superstardom. Her tips are both conventional (things like “say what you mean”) and unconventional (“be the dumbest person” in the room — that is, learn to learn from those who are smarter than you. There’s nothing wrong with that!).
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up
by Marie Kondo
Japanese cleaning consultant Marie Kondo takes tidying to a whole new level, promising that if you properly simplify and organize your home once, you’ll never have to do it again. Most methods advocate a room-by-room or little-by-little approach, which doom you to pick away at your piles of stuff forever. With detailed guidance for determining which items in your house “spark joy” (and which don’t), this international bestseller will help you clear your clutter and enjoy the unique magic of a tidy home—and the calm, motivated mindset it can inspire.
Outer Order, Inner Calm
by Gretchen Rubin
With 150 concrete clutter-clearing ideas, insights, strategies, and sometimes surprising tips, Gretchen tackles the key challenges of creating outer order by explaining how to ‘make choices’, ‘create order’, ‘know yourself’, ‘cultivate useful habits’ and, of course, how to ‘add beauty’. At home, at work, and in life, when we get our possessions under control, we can create a more serene environment. With a sense of fun, and a clear idea of what’s realistic for most people, Gretchen suggests dozens of manageable steps to help us achieve the lives we yearn for.
Presence
by Amy Cuddy
Everybody has moments when the jitters get the best of us. Amy Cuddy, Harvard Business School professor and social psychologist, shows how to get the best of those stressful situations without doing a lot of life-changing and soul-searching. Instead, she delves into research about how things like body language, posture, and other mind-body techniques can banish the butterflies from our stomachs.
Lightly
by Francine Jay
Getting a handle on your stuff is one thing, but what about shedding your life of your worries? Francine Jay talks about dumping the burden of more than just objects, going minimalist with respect to purchases, yes, but also stress and emotional baggage.
How Not To Die
by Michael Greger, MD
Nutritionist Michael Greger, M.D., delves into the 15 leading causes of death in this country, and then prescribes foods to eat and avoid if you’re at risk for those conditions. He also includes a checklist of 12 items we should all eat every day if we want to live forever. Or, at least as long as we can!
Deep Work
by Cal Newport
In this multitasking, Twitter-checking world, we’ve lost the art of sitting down and really concentrating. Cal Newport, Ph.D., a professor at Georgetown, outlines the benefit of really tuning out all distractions, and gives four rules to help re-wire yourself so you can deeply focus again. (Check now: How many browser tabs do you have open?)
Principles
by Ray Dalio
The book’s hundreds of practical lessons, which are built around his cornerstones of “radical truth” and “radical transparency,” include Dalio laying out the most effective ways for individuals and organizations to make decisions, approach challenges, and build strong teams. He also describes the innovative tools the firm uses to bring an idea meritocracy to life, such as creating “baseball cards” for all employees that distill their strengths and weaknesses, and employing computerized decision-making systems to make believability-weighted decisions.
The Little Book of Hygge
by Meik Wikiing
You’ve probably heard of the cozy Danish philosophy of hygge, but what exactly is it again, apart from being, well, cozy? And how do you achieve it at home in your chaotic, not-all-that-cozy life? Meik Wiking demystifies it all, showing how light, food and drink, and togetherness can make for a happier home.
Big Magic
by Elizabeth Gilbert
Elizabeth Gilbert is best known for writing Eat, Pray, Love, but you don’t have to go on a globe-spanning, pasta-binging trip to derive insights from her life. In this book, she delves into her own creative process, and explains how enchantment, permission, persistence, trust, and divinity can help people create, whether its writing a book or making art.
The Miracle Morning
by Hal Elrod
Hal Elrod is a published author, speaker, ultra-marathoner, podcast host, and cancer survivor, so you know he’s got more than a few achievements under his belt. Elrod swears he has the key to making mornings — and, therefore, lives — happier and more productive. But most outrageous of all: He says it only takes six minutes a day. In his book, he gives a blueprint to his morning ritual — including what to do if you like to snooze.
Rich Dad, Poor Dad
by Robert Kiyosaki
The book uses the contrast between two characters, “poor dad” and “rich dad,” to teach various financial principles. The primary takeaway is that those who aren’t good with their money and have less are that way because they work for money, whereas those who are good with their money amass more of it because they learn how to make money work for them. They’re generalities, but the lessons taught are no less valuable. If you want to improve your ability to manage your finances, Rich Dad, Poor Dad is the perfect package of enlightening knowledge and actionable instruction.
What to Say When You Talk to Yourself
by Dr. Shad Helmstetter
Each of us is programmed from birth on, and as much as 75% or more of our programming may be negative or working against us. Here, we learn how to erase and replace past mental programs with healthy, new programs that can be positively life-changing. Considered by many to be one of the most important and helpful personal growth books ever written.
Whatcha Gonna Do With That Duck? And Other Provocations
by Seth Godin
Getting your ducks in a row is a fine thing to do. But deciding what you are going to do with that duck is a far more important issue. Known for the daily burst of insight he provides every morning, rain or shine, via Seth’s Blog, the author wants us to stand up and do something remarkable, outside the standards of the industrial system that raised us.
Fooled By Randomness
by Nassim Nicholas Teleb
Set against the backdrop of the most conspicuous forum in which luck is mistaken for skill, the world of trading, this book is a captivating insight into one of the least understood factors of all our lives. In an entertaining narrative style, the author succeeds in tackling three major intellectual issues: the problem of induction, the survivorship biases, and our genetic unfitness to the modern word. Taleb uses stories and anecdotes to illustrate our overestimation of causality and the heuristics that make us view the world as far more explainable than it actually is.
Eat That Frog
by Brian Tracy
There’s an old saying that if the first thing you do each morning is eat a live frog, you’ll have the satisfaction of knowing you’re done with the worst thing you’ll have to do all day. There just isn’t enough time for everything on our to-do list – and there never will be. Successful people don’t try to do everything. They eat their frogs. For Tracy, eating a frog is a metaphor for tackling your most challenging task.