In high school, one of my best friends said that I would read anything that was put in front of me, which was such a true statement I still remember it. I struggle to not look at TV or movie subtitles when they’re on the screen (even if it’s something I can very easily understand), I actively miss the days of reading the backs of cereal boxes in the morning, and I quit a creativity course in anger when one of the exercises was to not read for a week.
So it’s probably not very surprising that I read (and re-read) a lot of books. And I love telling anyone and everyone about my favorite books. In fact, I love talking about books so much that I have been cutoff from interrupting Andrew’s and my nightly reading time by telling Andrew anecdotes from the books I’m reading because I’ve gotten carried away on too many occasions.
Out of all of the books I’ve read, there are a few that really stand out as among the most impactful and interesting, some of which I hope you will enjoy as well!
Buy Yourself the F*cking Lilies by Tara Schuster
- If It Had a Netflix Genre: Humorous self-help and empowerment
- Super Quick Description: In this book, Tara Schuster describes her troubled upbringing, her depression and anxiety in adulthood, and how the steps she took to reparent herself led to improved mental health and self-worth. This book is hilarious, relatable, touching, insightful, and jam-packed with advice that many of us can easily implement.
- How It Impacted Me: Tara has so many great recommendations, but among them are to start a regular journaling practice, map out your dreams, and treat yourself in small, meaningful ways regularly (hence, buy yourself the f*cking lilies). It inspired me to get back into journaling each morning and to give myself space to dream about the future (often in my journal). This practice helped me realize I needed more creativity in my life, leading me to start this blog and work on writing kids’ books for my nieces and nephews. I’ve recommended this book so many times and every person who has read it has loved it.
Glow in the F*cking Dark by Tara Schuster
- If It Had a Weirdly Specific Netflix Genre: Memoir meets guide to personal growth
- Super Quick Description: After Buy Yourself the F*cking Lilies, Tara Schuster found herself much healthier mentally, but with that growth came an increasing awareness that she had repressed demons that got at the core of her anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation. A major job loss triggered these demons in a massive way and required deeper self-exploration. This is sort of the darker sequel to Buy Yourself the F*cking Lilies, that will have you soul-searching on a deeper and even more meaningful level.
- How It Impacted Me: This book just came out, so time will tell how it impacts me in the long-term. However, I love this book’s discussion of setting boundaries, meditation, planning for the future you want, and how to approach suicidal ideation with loved ones.
Stolen Focus: Why You Can’t Pay Attention by Johann Hari
- If It Had a Weirdly Specific Netflix Genre: Eye-opening nonfiction that will have you rethinking everything
- Super Quick Description: Stolen Focus outlines fascinating research about how none of us can focus–in studies, adults focus on tasks for an average of 2 minutes before getting distracted, for kids it’s 30 seconds! Social media apps are partly to blame and given that they were designed to be addictive (they’re based after slot machines!), it’s no surprise they’ve had such a big impact on our attention. Hari also outlines the impact of our lack of attention on our mental and physical health (no coincidence that ADD and ADHD diagnoses have skyrocketed) and what we can do about it.
- How It Impacted Me: One of the things this book discusses is how it takes us about 15 minutes to get back to a task after we’re distracted. I am now much more intentional about when and whether I take breaks and silence my phone if I need dedicated time on something. I have also limited my social media use to particular times of day (or, you know, when I’m really bored at work). And it will make me think more critically about early education options for my kids when they come along *knock on wood.*
Atlas of the Heart by Brene Brown
- If It Had a Weirdly Specific Netflix Genre: Wise teacher guides reader through the tangled forest that is having emotions
- Super Quick Description: In Atlas of the Heart, Brene Brown outlines each major emotion and how we tend to view and experience it. This book is great for people who are trying to be less reactive emotionally and for those of us (all of us, right?) who want to better understand the anxiety, sadness, anger, etc. we experience.
- How It Impacted Me: This book felt like a free therapy session. There are so many great insights, but one that has stayed with me is that anxiety results from the feeling that you can’t handle something. When I’m anxious, I now consider whether I’m anxious about something I can’t handle. Usually it’s something that hasn’t happened and I could totally handle it if it did. There are tons of helpful nuggets like this that may be useful for you as well.
Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before by Julie Smith
- If It Had a Weirdly Specific Netflix Genre: Accessible guide to mental health and emotions
- Super Quick Description: Julie Smith is a former therapist and in this book she talks about key lessons and advice from her time as a therapist, specifically focusing on advice that caused her clients to respond with, “Why has nobody told me this before!?” I found myself reacting that way to many of the chapters.
- How It Impacted Me: The book discusses common cognitive pitfalls and one that really resonated with me was the idea of catastrophizing: for example, seeing an article on skin cancer and then going into a doom spiral about how you might have skin cancer (just me?) It helped me learn how to label my experiences in a way that let me put them in perspective. If you ever feel anxious, depressed, etc. it is also filled with tons of helpful tools to accept and move past those emotions.
Happy Runner by David and Megan Roche
- If It Had a Weirdly Specific Netflix Genre: Inspirational Athletics Mixed with a Hefty Dose of Research and Practical Insights
- Super Quick Description: If you are a runner you need this book. It is a hilarious, insightful, compassionate book about running and how to train in a way that is sustainable and fun and that just might make you faster.
- How It Impacted Me: I read this book whenever I’m feeling unmotivated to run and it always makes me feel better. It tears down the assumption many people have that to get faster you have to spend most of your time running faster, using research on running and physical fitness. Its insights have made me a faster, better runner and I credit this book with helping me qualify for the Boston Marathon (if you’re interested in learning more about my marathon training, see my post on all my tips and tricks).
I Will Teach You to Be Rich by Ramit Sethi
- If It Had a Weirdly Specific Netflix Genre: Impactful personal finance for those who think personal finance is boring and/or confusing
- Super Quick Description: If you are new (or even not so new) to personal finance, this is a must read. Ramit’s main thesis is that you need to be clear on what your rich life looks like and then build your finances around that. It teaches accessible, fun, and effective lessons in how to budget, save, invest, improve your credit score and more. Plus, Ramit Sethi’s interest in automation means that, with a little upfront work, you can save yourself many hours in managing your finances down the road.
- How It Impacted Me: This book gave me the confidence and know-how to invest more of my money. It also taught me to use my values to guide my saving and spending and to not have guilt over spending that supports my values. I have recommended this book and given it as a gift and everyone who has read it has gotten something helpful from it. You might also notice I mention it frequently in my posts on personal finance.
The Power of Fun: How to Feel Alive Again by Catherine Price
- If It Had a Weirdly Specific Netflix Genre: Insightful, practical, and fun(!) non-fiction for anyone who can’t remember the last time they had fun
- Super Quick Description: Catherine Price makes the argument that most of us don’t know how to have fun anymore and it shows–both in our mental health and in our relationships. She defines fun (that doesn’t sound fun, but it is!), shows what fun isn’t (something can be enjoyable but not fun, like watching TV or Instagram scrolling), describes why having fun is super important, and provides guidance into how we can have more fun in our lives.
- How It Impacted Me: Because of this book, I set up regular hangouts with friends and family members, started exploring new hobbies, and planned trips. Sure enough, I had a lot of fun doing it and am a happier person for it.
Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art by James Nestor
- If It Had a Weirdly Specific Netflix Genre: Non-fiction that you didn’t know you needed but you do
- Super Quick Description: Before reading this book, I had no idea how important our breath is for our health–our blood pressure, mood, predisposition to illness, and more. James Nestor describes the evolutionary changes that have led us humans to go astray in terms of our breathing practices (our ability to talk is partly to blame for choking and asthma!) and how we can breathe in ways that are better for our mental and physical health.
- How It Impacted Me: Thanks to this book, I pretty much only breathe out of my nose and I spend more time doing breathing practices. Since then, I haven’t gotten sick once and my running has improved. Coincidence? Maybe! Maybe not!
Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don’t Know by Adam Grant
- If It Had a Weirdly Specific Netflix Genre: Non-fiction that will have you rethinking everything you thought you knew (yes, Stolen Focus and Think Again have the same genre)
- Super Quick Description: Adam Grant is an incredible author and researcher in general, but this book is something else. He describes how we tend to jump to conclusions and often do not think critically about our blind spots and assumptions. He describes many individuals who have done an excellent job of interrogating their assumptions and thinking more critically. You’ll learn how a Black man successfully got a record number of KKK members to defect, how a firefighter survived a wildfire while many of his companions did not, and more.
- How It Impacted Me: I tend to work very quickly and can often default on my assumptions about how things work or should be done. I can also be pretty judgmental about people I perceive to have different morals from myself. This book has helped me reevaluate my assumptions and think more carefully before jumping to conclusions.
The Book of Delights: Essays by Ross Gay
- If It Had a Weirdly Specific Netflix Genre: Feel-good reading that will immediately put you in a better mood
- Super Quick Description: In this book, Ross Gay writes a chapter a day about something mundane that delights him–a beautiful lavender scarf, two people sharing the load of a grocery bag on their walk home, peeing his pants. It’s beautiful, touching, funny, and yes, delightful.
- How It Impacted Me: I dare anyone to not read this and feel more hopeful and more inspired by and aware of the everyday beauty they encounter.
Cringeworthy: A Theory of Awkwardness by Melissa Dahl
- If It Had a Weirdly Specific Netflix Genre: Funny, interesting reading for anyone who has ever felt awkward
- Super Quick Description: As someone who regularly feels very awkward and unsure of how to navigate social situations, this book was incredibly funny and relatable to read. Dahl describes the research on awkwardness and how researchers advise we react in awkward situations. Plus it has one of the best covers ever.
- How It Impacted Me: There is one study from this book that I think about on an almost weekly basis. Have you ever seen someone you’re meeting from a distance and wonder how you should react? At what point do you wave? How long do you make eye contact? When do you say something!? Turns out, there’s a study that found that the least awkward approach is to acknowledge the person when you first see them and then break eye contact until you’re about 30 feet away. At that point you can reacknowledge with eye contact and a verbal greeting. Does that sound too in the weeds? Well maybe you’re not awkward and this book isn’t for you, but I think it’s gold and use that strategy all the time, feeling a little less awkward when I do so.
I hope this list has given you some fun ideas for books to read. Do you have any books that have been especially impactful for you? I’d love to hear them! I’d also love to know if you end up reading any of these books (or have read them before). Let me know in the comments! And if you enjoyed this or any other content, I’d love for you to like, subscribe, or share.