The Best Self-Help Books to Buy, According to Actual Readers
The Best Self-Help Books to Buy, According to Actual Readers
A lot of us are currently taking stock of our lives and trying to figure out how we can be the best versions of ourselves, especially in the midst of what experts are calling the Great Resignation. Experts at the Pew Research Center found that low pay, few opportunities for advancement and feeling under-appreciated or disrespected at work led a 20-year record number of employees to leave their jobs in 2021. But we know that career changes are far from the only things our society is looking to reimagine these days. Maybe you're trying to decide whether to move, if you want to bring kids into the world, figure out how to be more productive, get over an emotional stumble or recover from a breakup. There's a self-help book for that.
Because the best self-help books are the ones that really work, we crowdsourced favorites from GH staff, asked Goodreads to recommend the self-improvement books that most resonate with its readers, and included some favs from Seira Wilson, Senior Editor at Amazon Books. Whatever in your life needs a little reimagining right now, we're confident one of these great self-help books will help.
Becoming Better Grownups: Rediscovering What Matters and Remembering How to Fly by Brad Montague
Avery
amazon.com
$23.99
When most of us reach adulthood, we lose the sense of wonder and whimsy that make every day feel like an adventure. To create this playful, beautifully illustrated book, Montague took a "listening tour" of elementary schools, nursing homes and retirement communities (as well as a few wise folks in between those age ranges) to figure out what makes a good life.
Recommended by: GH staff
Roar: into the second half of your life (before it's too late) by Michael Clinton
amazon.com
$16.99
With inspiring stories of people who made major changes in what most of us think of as our twilight years, this book is a roadmap for the second half of your life. Clinton shares the journeys of successful game-changers and a path to ROAR: reimagine yourself, own who you are, act on what’s next and reassess your relationships.
Recommended by: GH staff
Grit by Angela Duckworth
Scribner
amazon.com
$9.88
If you're feeling bad about a lack of natural genius or familial advantages, researcher Angela Duckworth gives you reason to buck up. She's found that what she calls "grit," a combination of passion and perseverance, is more important than anything innate. She visits with high achievers, from Spelling Bee champions to CEOs, and shows how grit helped them get where they are.
Recommended by: Goodreads and Amazon
Year of Yes by Shonda Rimes
Simon & Schuster
amazon.com
$10.32
Most of us know Shonda Rhimes as the creator of hit shows like Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal and How to Get Away With Murder. But even if you're not in the TV biz, you can still get inspiration from her memoir, which chronicles a year where she vowed to say "yes!" to everything that scared her. Reading what Rhimes was able to accomplish will inspire you to attempt something you've been terrified to do, too.
Recommended by: Goodreads
Gmorning, Gnight! by Lin-Manuel Miranda
Random House
amazon.com
$12.05
Sometimes you don't need a mind-changing philosophy — you just need a fast pep talk. If that's the case, Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda is 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, easy-to-read insights in this thoughtful book.
Recommended by: Amazon
How to Be a Bawse by Lilly Singh
amazon.com
$32.70
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 ("say what you mean") and unconventional ("be the dumbest person in the room" — aka, learn from those who are smart than you).
Recommended by: Goodreads
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo
Ten Speed Press
amazon.com
$8.32
By now, you've no doubt heard of Marie Kondo and her super viral method of purging unnecessary items from your life and organizing what remains. When you're ready to have your house be the cleanest its ever been, her book will take you through all the types of stuff you've accumulated and tell you how to get a handle on it once and for all.
Recommended by: Goodreads
RELATED: What Is the KonMari Method? Here's How to Declutter the Marie Kondo Way
Outer Order, Inner Calm by Gretchen Rubin
Harmony
amazon.com
$11.50
If Marie Kondo's method doesn't work with your lifestyle, Gretchen Rubin has her own path to decluttering and organizing — including the helpful hint, "Everything looks better on a tray." Instead of telling you to nix everything, she offers easy solutions to common problems. Quick tip: Headphones always tangled? Get a headphone hanger.
Recommended by: Amazon
You Are a Badass at Making Money by Jen Sincero
Penguin Life
amazon.com
$8.25
Jen Sincero, life coach and author of You Are a Badass, wants to help women eliminate the obstacles that keep them from getting rich. And she should know: She admits she was once a poor freelance writer until she decided she wanted to make more money. "If my broke ass can do it," she writes, "you can do it, too, no matter how rickety or hopeless you may feel right now."
Recommended by: Goodreads
Presence by Amy Cuddy
Little, Brown Spark
amazon.com
$14.39
Everybody has moments when the jitters get the best of us. Harvard Business School professor and social psychologist Amy Cuddy shows readers 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.
Recommended by: Amazon
Lightly by Francine Jay
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
amazon.com
$13.97
Getting a handle on your stuff is one thing, but what about shedding your life of your worries? Francine Jay, author of The Joy of Less, talks about dumping the burden of more than just objects, going minimalist with respect to purchases, yes, but also stress and emotional baggage.
Recommended by: Amazon
How Not To Die by Michael Greger, MD
Flatiron Books
amazon.com
$14.50
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. (And who doesn't?)
Recommended by: Goodreads
Deep Work by Cal Newport
amazon.com
$15.00
In our multitasking, Twitter-scrolling world, we've lost the art of sitting down and really concentrating. Georgetown professor Cal Newport, Ph.D., 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? Yep, we thought s0).
Recommended by: Goodreads, GH staff
Creativity, Inc. by Ed Catmull
Random House
amazon.com
$13.69
People think of Pixar as a company that creates great art — and it is — but it's also a business. One of the co-founders of the animation studio goes into the company's nerve center to show how Pixar's leadership and management styles protect and nourish its creative output. Whether you're a Woody or a Buzz, you can learn something about heading up a team from Pixar's unique organizational structure.
Recommended by: Goodreads
Principles by Ray Dalio
Simon & Schuster
amazon.com
$16.29
Or, if you can't relate to the very creative way of Pixar's business management, Bridgewater Associates founder Ray Dalio offers a very different perspective on leadership. He offers a five-step process to getting what you want out of life, which involves systemizing everything to run like a machine — which can then be fine-tuned.
Recommended by: Amazon
Make Your Bed by Admiral William H. McRaven
Grand Central Publishing
amazon.com
$11.94
Inspired by the advice Admiral William H. McRaven gave in a graduation speech that went viral, this book reminds you that sometimes little things can have a big impact. This is one you'll want to reread whenever you need a boost.
Recommended by: Amazon, GH staff
The Little Book of Hygge by Meik Wikiing
William Morrow & Company
amazon.com
$13.79
You've probably heard of the cozy Danish philosophy of hygge, but what exactly is it, apart from being cozy? Meik Wiking demystifies it all, showing how light, food and drink and togetherness can make for a happier home, even if your life is a little chaotic.
Recommended by: Goodreads
RELATED: 11 Ways to Make Your Life More Hygge
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson
HarperLuxe
amazon.com
$14.00
There are some times when you just can't muster a positive attitude. For those times, there is blogger Mark Manson, who doesn't sugarcoat the truth or tell you to turn lemons into lemonade. Instead, he uses research-backed methods for finding better, more productive ways to endure the hard parts of life.
Recommended by: Goodreads, GH staff
'Big Magic' by Elizabeth Gilbert
Riverhead Books
amazon.com
$12.99
Elizabeth Gilbert is best known for writing Eat, Pray, Love, but you don't have to go on a globe-spanning, pasta-devouring 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 it's writing a book or making art.
Recommended by: Goodreads, GH staff
Tools of Titans by Tim Ferriss
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
amazon.com
$15.37
Tim Ferriss, famed productivity expert and author of The 4-Hour Work Week, has access to some pretty high-powered individuals for his podcast. In this book, he distills the insights from their hours-long interviews, tests their methods and advice at home and gives you actionable tips for how to incorporate their wisdom into your own life.
Recommended by: Goodreads
The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod
CreateSpace Classics
amazon.com
$19.95
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 offers a blueprint to his morning ritual — including what to do if you like to snooze.
Recommended by: Goodreads
Braving the Wilderness by Brené Brown
Random House
amazon.com
$12.97
Brené Brown, Ph.D., LMSW, the social scientist best known for the On Being Project (and the super popular podcast of the same name), trains her sensitive eye on our increasingly polarized world. From there, she examines what she calls "true belonging," and maps how to get there from lonely places "out in the wilderness."
Recommended by: Goodreads
Your Fully Charged Life by Meaghan B Murphy
amazon.com
$15.79
If you're feeling more "blah" than "yay" lately, you're not alone. It's been a tough few years for all of us, but Murphy (and the experts she consults along the way) has the recipe to inject a little joy into your everyday, no matter what your days look like. Go ahead and try to read this book without grinning to yourself, we dare you.
Recommended by: GH staff
If You Could Live Anywhere by Melody Warnick
amazon.com
$16.99
If your job went fully remote in 2020 and isn't ever going back to the office, you've got a whole new world in front of you. But if you can work from anywhere, how do you decide where you want to be? This insightful book will walk you through how to create a personal location strategy, taking stock of where fits you best, from all of the most important angles.
Recommended by: GH staff
Wild Problems: A Guide to the Decisions That Define Us by Russ Roberts
amazon.com
$27.00
Economist and host of the EconTalk podcast Roberts is used to breaking down problems using rational methods, but what do we do about "wild problems" that don't have a logical solution? We're talking things like marriage, having kids or making a career shift — all those big things that a pros and cons list alone won't cut. This book breaks down how some of the greats have made those tough choices, and how we can do the same.
Recommended by: GH staff
We asked Goodreads and Amazon to recommend the most popular self-improvement books that their self-improvement fans can't get enough of. Check the list here.