Scientists say (because of social media), the average human has the attention span of a gold fish.
Well, I have two words for them-
GLUG. GLUG.
I am the QUEEN of unfinished projects, movies, and even sentences.
Wait. What was I even talking about? Jk… But really.
Unlike my boyfriend, who absolutely HAS to finish what he’s started- even a movie that he finds is poop in the middle of it- I do not like to waste time.
So if I find it boring, or not serving me anymore- see ya! I leave it like I leave my job the second I clock out- on a Friday. No eye contact. So nobody asks me for stuff on the way out.
Sayonara, au revoir, peace!
You get the point.
When it comes to books, I’m the same way. I just wanna let you guys know how picky I am.
With that being said, here are the books that captured my ever-so-exclusive attention- from start to finish.
Note: they’re separated by categories. To buy the book, read reviews, or hear/read a sample, click on [Buy Here] underneath the picture.
- About: A funny nonfiction aimed at helping women overcome insecurities and living life fearlessly
- Why I love it: Rachel Hollis is known as the “Tony Robbins” for women- she is incredibly inspiring with her choice of words, personal life examples, and joyous humor. She ignites the fire inside women that allows them to live their life unapologetically. In fact, when I have a moment of doubt, I replay some chapters in her book to remind myself that I can do it. Love love love this book.
- About: Angela, a psychologist, shares new insights from her personal research on grit and interviews dozens of famous high achievers to unveil the secret of success.
- Why I love it: I’m not gonna lie, I grew up in a place where education was not even comparable to the education provided in America. So with certain aspects of my life, I created an excuse (from self doubt) that I just wasn’t smart enough to achieve certain things. In this book, she explains why talent and I.Q. is hardly a guarantor of success. Rather, other factors can be even more crucial such as identifying our passions and following through on our commitments.
- About: The author explains (perfectly) how our habits work- backed by science, research, and real-life stories.
- Why I love it: Did you know your brain has a capacity to make a certain amount of decisions per day? That’s why forming habits (lessening your decision making) ups your productivity. That’s what I learned in this book- “Your success is found in your daily routine.” This provides practical strategies and techniques to apply changes on an individual, organizations and even societies.
- About: The creator of Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal, and executive producer of How to Get Away with Murder and Catch, Shonda Rhimes made a promise to herself to “say yes” for an entire year, then reveals how it transformed her life.
- Why I love it: I really love her writing. She’s hilarious and entertaining. Although I’m not an introvert like her (who would have guessed this woman was introverted?!), this book taught me the importance of leaving my comfort zone. She tells her personal story about how she learned to explore, empower, applaud, and love her truest self.
- About: This book delivers a step-by-step program for increasing your Emotional Intelligence (EQ) via four, core EQ skills that enable you to achieve your fullest potential.
- Why I love it: (Quick read!) Emotional intelligence is defined as “the capacity to be aware of, control, and express one’s emotions, and to handle interpersonal relationships judiciously and empathetically.” I’m a pretty empathetic person as it is, but what I love about this book is that it gives you examples of how you can apply high E.Q. skills to not only romantic relationships, but also ones at your job. It gives you the tools to improve essentially any and every relationship you have- professional and personal.
- About: She started her first successful business at 20 years old and is currently the founder of the Female Entrepreneur Association (350,000 members worldwide). If you’re a creative and ambitious female entrepreneur, or are contemplating the entrepreneurial path- this book will provide the honest, realistic, and practical tools you need to follow your heart and bring your vision to life.
- Why I love it: She offers valuable guidance and powerful exercises to help you. It included the fears, overwhelm, confusion, and blocks that entrepreneurs face- all based on her personal, tried-and-tested experience.
- About: Known as the “Cinderella of Tech”, this book was written by the founder and CEO of NastyGal (a high school dropout) who launched the company while living in her step-aunt’s basement and working a minimum wage job. She eventually made Forbes’ Richest Self-Made Women list and made a whopping $300mill in the year of 2016 alone.
- Why I love it: Her writing is humorous and she’s from the Bay (ayyeeee!) Plus it’s a true rags-to-riches story. This book shows you that success is about trusting your instincts and following your gut, knowing which rules to follow and which to break.
- About: Refreshingly entertaining how-to guide of inspiring stories, sage advice, and easy exercises to help you identify and change the self-sabotaging beliefs and behaviors that stop you from getting what you want.
- Why I love it: Quick-chaptered, swear-friendly book (do you guys see the recurring theme of humor here?). I loved the language of it, super relateable to the millennial generation. This book will get you to understand why you are the way you are, how to love what you can’t change, and how to change what you don’t love.
- About: America’s leadership expert John C. Maxwell will teach you how to tap into your creative potential, develop shared ideas, and derive lessons from the past to better understand the future.
- Why I love it: Another quick read! He highlights the importance of your thoughts. And then states eleven keys to think more effectively, which’ll ultimately pave the way to personal success.
- About: New York Times bestselling guide to forming, maintaining, and even repairing meaningful romantic relationships.
- Why I love it: The chapters are only 1-2 pages each! It has almost every relationship problem you can ever think of. My boyfriend and I keep this within arms reach at the house. And in the case that we bump heads, we can quickly turn to a relateable chapter & see who’s in the wrong 😉
- About: Considered a “modern classic”, this book has helped millions of couples transform their relationships. It explains the different communication styles in men and women, their emotional needs, modes of behavior, and offers the secrets of communicating without conflicts.
- Why I love it: Before reading this book I truly asked myself, “Were women really meant to date men? We are SO different. HOW.” This book gave me multiple “aha!” moments- a lot of the information in it would’ve been helpful in past relationships, but hey! Never too late to start learning, right? 😉
- About: Psychotherapist and breakup expert Rachel Sussman reveals the secrets every woman needs to get her life back on track post-breakup. Drawing on hundreds of counseling sessions she’s conducted with women at all stages of recovery, Sussman developed a proven 3-phase process for healing from a breakup.
- Why I love it: I honestly owe this book, among a few other things, for the healing of my last breakup. Before reading this book I believed I was alone in how I was feeling, and that nobody would understand the pain I felt. This book not only gave me golden advice, but it truly gave me comfort at a dark time.
- About: Sally Miller interviewed 17 top bloggers across various niches. She examined their business strategies. Looked for common themes. Researched their backgrounds, habits, and characteristics.
- Why I love it: Short read! The results of this research are fascinating. While no two bloggers earn money in the exact same way, they do all share some common traits. I honestly owe the success of my blog (thus far) to this book.
- About: Laura covers the essential groundwork of discovering your niche, defining your content categories, choosing a blog name, selecting a platform, and creating a healthy and attainable blogging routine.
- Why I love it: Short read! I will note that she breezes through the chapters and scratches the surface on the to-do list for blogs, but it’s a great book to give you an overview. You’ll have to dig deeper via personal research to elaborate on the topics she gives you.
- About: In her memoir, Michelle Obama presents a deep reflection into the experiences that shaped her. She describes her triumphs and her disappointments, both public and private, telling her full story as she has lived it—in her own words and on her own terms.
- Why I love it: I would say I’m biased, butttt- this book was the fastest selling book Amazon has ever had on its site… EVER. It has 5 stars from 14,500 user-ratings as well. I thought I adored Michelle before this, but man… hearing her story- beautifully told at that- made me fall more in love with her. Must-read!
How did I read so many books this year you may ask? AUDIBLE.
By replacing music with audiobooks, I was able to finish one book every 2-3 weeks depending how busy I was. Audible is a game changer and I recommend it to everyone!
If you end up reading one of these books and finishing them- message me! I’d love to hear your thoughts.
If you loved this post, you’d love my [10 Things I Changed This Year that Improved My Life Post]
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