Every new year fills us with unbridled hopes, grand plans, and big dreams. It is an opportunity for reinvention: to become the best version of ourselves and achieve all our innumerable goals. To help you kick-start the year, we’ve compiled a list of books guaranteed to keep you driven through the new year and change your life for the better. Whether you’re looking to bolster your professional skills, expand your intellectual horizons, or improve your life in general, we’ve got you covered!
Books for your mind
Gather some inspiration from these engaging and thought-provoking stories.
Becoming by Michelle Obama
This deeply personal memoir by America’s former First Lady continues to dominate the charts worldwide a month after its release. Becoming is much like Obama herself, eloquent, graceful and incredibly relatable. With refreshing honesty, Obama weaves a compelling narrative about her life – from her roots as a young girl in Chicago to one of the most influential women in the world. This is the story of a remarkable woman who has defied all expectations and will inspire you to do the same.
21 Lessons for The 21st Century by Yuval Noah Harari
In a world where a wealth of information is at our fingertips, clarity of thought seems to be more out of reach than ever. Best known for his debut, Sapiens, renowned historian Yuval Harari possesses the unique ability to break down the most complex topics until it reads like common sense. He raises important questions we should be asking ourselves about our future as a species and offers profound and insightful musings on politics, religion, technology, war, and much more. While it may not be a book you can read in one sitting, it will certainly leave you reflecting over it long after you’ve finished.
Educated by Tara Westover
Declared as one of the best books of 2018, Educated chronicles the life of Tara Westover, an American author whose first brush with formal education was at the age of seventeen. Born to a survivalist family in the wilderness of Idaho Westover grew up isolated from society, preparing for the end of the world. The harrowing account of her upbringing and her journey to receive an education is a testament to her grit and strength.
Books for your career
Climb that corporate ladder using tips and tricks from these handy guides!
The Myth of Being A Nice Girl: Achieving A Career You Love Without Becoming A Person You Hate by Fran Hauser
Raise your hand if you’ve been told that you’re too nice. You, me, and countless other women have been told that to succeed professionally, we have to ‘toughen up.’ Well, author Fran Hauser is here to prove that stereotype wrong.
Through a series of charming anecdotes, The Myth of A Nice Girl offers empowering lessons and actionable steps that will help you succeed with grace and humility, in both your career as well as your personal life. The future is female and here, kindness can finally be synonymous with strength.
The Magic of Thinking Big by David Schwartz
At 60 years old, The Magic of Thinking Big continues to be one of the most popular motivational books of all time. While there is no shortage of self-help books today, few of them manage to leave as lasting an impression. Schwartz stresses on one important thought – keep thinking and think big. The book talks about how the right mindset can lead to great success and offers several helpful pointers to help change your own thought patterns. Schwartz may have written this book for a bygone era, but its principles have certainly withstood the test of time.
Ask A Manager: How to Navigate Clueless Colleagues, Lunch-Stealing Bosses and Other Tricky Situations at Work by Alison Green
Bright-eyed college graduates and fresh working professionals, this one is for you. Alison Green spent ten years writing an advice column on how to handle tricky situations at work before compiling her wisdom and experience into a helpful guide. This book is filled with practical and straightforward advice (along with a few entertaining tales) on how to deal with irksome co-workers and difficult bosses. You will not only learn to communicate effectively but also navigate your workplace with diplomacy and maturity.
Books for your soul
Learn to lead a more fulfilling and satisfying life with these powerful books.
Give A Sh*t: Do Good. Live Better. Save The Planet by Ashlee Piper
2018 has been a disastrous year for our planet. Wildfires, cyclones, tsunamis, droughts and famine have ravaged the Earth, and scientists have predicted alarming trends in climate change. It’s time for us to give back to our planet, and Ashlee Piper is here to guide you through it.
With easy (though sometimes profane) humour and absolutely no judgement or preaching, Piper urges readers to adopt a lifestyle that can have a huge positive impact on the environment.
Daring Greatly: How the Courage To Be Vulnerable Transforms The Way We Live, Love, Parent and Lead by Brené Brown
In the face of a challenging time, we are told to be brave. Be fearless. We lock away our worries and our qualms because that’s what courage is supposed to be. After twelve years of ground-breaking research, Dr Brene Brown argues that our vulnerability is what makes us stronger.
Brown alternates between hard research and personal anecdotes, but her voice is filled with warmth, compassion and humour. This book will force you to have an honest conversation about how you deal with your emotions, and help you evaluate your relationships in every aspect of life.
Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert
Over a decade ago, Elizabeth Gilbert inspired millions around the world to embark on their own spiritual journey with her bestselling memoir, Eat, Pray, Love. This time, she’s here to pull you out of your creative rut and jumpstart that project you’ve been daydreaming about. Cheerful, practical and uplifting, Big Magic encourages you to infuse your life with creativity, no matter what your profession, and start chasing your dreams.
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