A List of Books That May Change Your Life
While I am not big on goal-setting, this year I wanted to reach a point where I read 2-3 books per week. That’s where I am now When I posted this on my social channels, the feedback generally consisted of the following: “how the hell do you have time for that many books?” and “what do you read?” I will start by answering the latter. I genuinely believe that the people who say they don’t like to read or have a difficult time focusing on reading, just haven’t found the right book. If you’re not a reader, jumping into this world isn’t about getting the #1 bestseller on the NYT list and forcing yourself to read it because thousands of other people are. You have to read books on the topics that you like. Recently, I’ve been downright obsessed with learning about the human mind, the way our brains work, how & why we think the way that we do, attachment styles, etc. What I learn not only supports the decisions I make in my daily life but also in my interpersonal relationships and in my travels. Because I am so interested in these topics, I look forward to reading about them and I benefit from every book in the same way that I do, for example, from consistently working out. This leads me to my next point: time. There is really no such thing as not having enough time. One might argue that time doesn’t exist, but that’s a conversation for another day. The only things that you don’t have time for, are the ones that you don’t prioritize. Think about that, because it goes for everything in your life. I read every day because I made a habit out of it and now it is part of my daily routine, like brushing my teeth or drinking coffee in the morning. The more interesting the book, the more time I will spend reading and the key is to make it a habit. You don’t have to spend hours a day reading and you don’t have to read 2-3 books per week. Start by allocating 15-30 minutes of your day or if you’re more goal-oriented, read 30-50 pages per day (for example). Measurable goals help you get into flow and make the activity more enjoyable (if you don’t know about flow, I recommended a book on it below!) Regardless of the method, the more consistent you’ll be, the quicker it will become a part of your routine. The final point I’d like to make is that it’s OK if you don’t finish a book! If you gave it a fair chance and it’s not bringing you pleasure: drop it. Pick up another one. When it’s the right book, I promise you’ll want to finish it and that always feels like an accomplishment in itself. The books on my list are split up into categories … see if there is one that interests you more than the rest. The list is also relatively short because I know that having too many choices can feel discouraging. I picked some of the top books I read or re-read recently that I really enjoyed and gained a lot from. For some of them, you will see a difficulty level in parenthesis. If you found a book you love from this list, please leave a comment or send me an email to let me know! Likewise, if you want to recommend a book that left an impact, drop it in a comment! Self Development, Self Discovery, and Mastering Your Mind Untethered Soul by Michael A. Singer Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself by Joe Dispenza – he also has a great show called “Rewired” Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi Reality Transurfing by Vadim Zeland (difficult) The Road Back to You by Ian Morgan Cron Lighter by Yung Pueblo (easy) The Mountain is You by Brianna Wiest (easy) 101 Essays that will Change the way you Think by Brianna Wiest How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie Note: I believe that some books will only speak to you when the time is right. Some self-development topics (ie. how quantum physics and the human mind connect) did not appeal to me in the past at all. Now, it’s a topic I am deeply interested in. If something isn’t making sense to you and you gave it a fair chance – that’s ok Maybe in the future, it will. Don’t force it. Non Fiction that will move you & teach you (story format) Getting There by Gillian Zoe Segal (easy) Getting There by Gillian Zoe Segal (easy) Blowing My Cover by Lindsay Moran Fallout by Lesley Blume Operation Overflight by Francis Gary Powers Evicted by Matthew Desmond The Abu Dhabi Bar Mitzvah by Adam Valen Levinson Gaddafi’s Harem by Annick Cojean Page-turning Fiction The Art of Hearing Heartbeats by Jan-Philipp Sendker A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini Adrenaline (The Sam Capra Series) by Jeff Abbott I am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes Business & Beyond Launch by Jeff Walker Marketing Made Simple by Donald Miller Business Made Simple by Donald Miller The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert T. Kiyosaki The Culture Map by Erin Meyer Profit First by Mike Michalowicz Note: I read almost everything exclusively on my Kindle Fire tablet (which is on sale now). I still love print books but on the Kindle, it’s very easy to highlight and take notes. I have a long list of excerpts from every book that I read and it’s just a lot more practical on the tablet. I recommend highlighting or making notes of the things that resonate with you and coming back to them from time to time. This is not an exhaustive list by any means and if you’re interested in more recommendations you can find a longer list here that was submitted to me by my readers and followers. This post contains affiliate links and [at no extra cost to you] if you click on the links in this post, I may receive a small $ share. Thank you for your support if you use my links!
A list of page-turning books that will keep you up at night!
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard someone tell me “I don’t like to read … I can’t finish a book … It’s hard for me to focus … I prefer listening or watching … I am a visual learner.” In fact, I felt this way at some point also. Particularly around the time when I was a student in high school and the books on the mandatory reading lists simply didn’t resonate with me. As a kid, I always enjoyed reading [and writing] but once I felt forced into reading – I convinced myself that reading was just not my thing. “I am a visual learner” was particularly the cool thing to say. The reality is it’s not that you don’t like to read or that you can’t focus … you just haven’t found the right book. And when I hear the same narrative from “visual learners,” I quote J.K. Rowling: If you don’t like to read, you haven’t found the right book. Think about your absolute favorite hobby, your favorite celebrity, or sport. Something you are really passionate about at a given point in time. You know, the kind of thing that would make you impulsively buy anything associated with it. I am willing to bet money that if I gave you a well-written book about it – you’d read it! Anyway, I won’t spend too much time convincing you because since you are here … you are probably a reader already. The reader in me was re-born in college when I was reading during my commutes and during my breaks. I was reading a lot. So much so that I was even learning and practicing speed reading. And I was reading so much because I was reading the things that I wanted to read. I recently asked my audience to recommend page-turning books as I am always expanding my own library. As much as I love reading informative, non-fiction books … I also love reading to get away from reality. To enter another dimension. To “live in someone else’s shoes.” Here are some of my favorite page-turners that I finished in less than 3 days. I already posted my list of must-reads for your next flight so make sure to save those, too. And on the bottom of this page, you will also find a long list of recommendations from my readers and followers. If you’d like to recommend another book – please leave a comment! Elona’s page-turning book recommendations for April 2021: Evicted by Matthew Desmond Religion for Atheists by Alain de Botton I am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes The Art of Hearing Heartbeats by Jan-Philipp Sendker Page-turning books recommended by fellow readers: The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris Scythe by Neal Shusterman Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson Dear America, Notes of an Undocumented Citizen by Jose Antonio Vargas The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein The Shoemakers Wife by Adriana Trigiani It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover Becoming Michelle Obama Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson Mystic’s Musings by y Sadhguru The Girl with the Louding Voice by Abi Daré The Celestine Prophecy by James Redfield Ugly Love Collen Hoover The Geography of Bliss by Eric Weiner The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy The Namesake by Adrienne Young Verity by Colleen Hoover Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen Unfinished by Priyanka Chopra Jonas Mill River Recluse by Darcie Chan Midnight Library by Matt Haig Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides The Spy and the Traitor by Ben Macintyre The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz 1984 by George Orwell A Long Petal of the Sea by Isabel Allende Educated by Tara Westover The Archer by Paulo Coelho Children of Blood snd Bone by Tomi Adeyemi The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk M.D. The Why Cafe by John Strelecky Conscious Capitalism by Rajendra Sisodia Conscious Leadership by John Mackey, Steve Mcintosh, Carter Phipps This post contains affiliate links and [at no extra cost to you] if you click on the links in this post, I may receive a small $ share. Thank you for your support if you use my links!