Here’s a list of books I love. They are all useful and distinctly readable. My copies of each of these have notes in the margins, and on the blank pages in the back, and everywhere in them!
I regularly recommend these books to clients and colleagues as helpful, inspiring, powerful reads. I encourage you to pick a title that looks interesting, meaningful, or exciting to you—then prioritize time to read. It’s worth your time.
Reading can help you be your best. Start now:
Ignite Your Mind With Research-Based Powerhouses
- Grit—Angela Duckworth
- Mindset—Carol S. Dweck, Ph.D.
Happiness Helpers
- 10% Happier—Dan Harris
- Hardwiring Happiness—Rick Hanson, Ph.D.
- The Happiness Advantage—Shawn Achor
- The Book of Joy—His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, with Douglas Abrams
For Better Relationships
- The 5 Love Languages—Gary Chapman
- Making Marriage Simple—Harville Hendrix, Ph.D., and Helen LaKelly Hunt, Ph.D.
- Attached—Amir Levine, M.D., and Rachel S.F. Heller, M.A.
- Anatomy of an Affair—Dave Carder
- True Love—Thich Nhat Hanh
Be Grateful & Get More Good Days
- A Good Day—Brother David Steindl-Rast and Louie Schwartzberg
- The Little Book of Gratitude—Dr. Robert A. Emmons
Overcome Perfectionism
- The Gifts of Imperfection—Brené Brown, Ph.D., L.M.S.W.
- Being Happy—Tal Ben-Shahar, Ph.D.
For Stellar Self-Care
- Say Good Night to Insomnia—Gregg D. Jacobs, Ph.D.
- Play—Stuart Brown, M.D.
- The Miracle Morning—Hal Elrod
Face Adversity & Thrive
- The Obstacle Is the Way—Ryan Holiday
- When Things Fall Apart—Pema Chödrön
- No Mud, No Lotus—Thich Nhat Hanh
Awesome Inspiration For Your Journey
- The Alchemist—Paulo Coelho
- The Four Agreements—Don Miguel Ruiz
- What I Know For Sure—Oprah Winfrey
- A Survival Guide for Life—Bear Grylls
- The Wizard of Us—Jean Houston
- Mastery—George Leonard
- The Last Lecture—Randy Pausch
- How Will You Measure Your Life?—Clayton M. Christensen, James Allworth, and Karen Dillon
For All The Authors & Creatives Out There (which I posit—includes everyone)
- Zen in the Art of Writing—Ray Bradbury
- Bird by Bird—Anne Lamott
- The War of Art—Steven Pressfield
- You Are a Writer—Jeff Goins
- On Writing Well—William Zinsser (elevate your writing to a whole new level of excellence)
- The Artist’s Way—Julia Cameron
- The Book You Were Born to Write—Kelly Notaras
- Big Magic—Elizabeth Gilbert
- Do The Work—Steven Pressfield (*I have read this book countless times. My copy has endless rows of dog-eared pages. It’s literally what helped me finish the manuscript for my first book.)
My Top 5 Favorites
- Man’s Search for Meaning—Viktor Frankl
- Letters to a Young Poet—Rainer Maria Rilke
- This Is Water—David Foster Wallace
- 10 Secrets for Success and Inner Peace—Dr. Wayne W. Dyer
- Love—Leo Buscaglia
Additional Inspiration:
“You don’t have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them.”
—Ray Bradbury
“Think before you speak. Read before you think.”—Fran Lebowitz
“When I think of all the books still left for me to read, I am certain of further happiness.”
—Jules Renard
“A professional writer is an amateur who didn’t quit.”—Richard Bach
“Books are a form of political action. Books are knowledge. Books are reflection. Books change your mind.”—Toni Morrison
“No matter how busy you may think you are, you must find time for reading, or surrender yourself to self-chosen ignorance.”—Confucius
“Books are a uniquely portable magic.”—Stephen King
“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”—Dr. Seuss
“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”—Mary Oliver