I made a resolution at the beginning of last year to read at least one book a month. Through middle school and high school, I was the biggest fan of reading and usually went through multiple books a month, so I wanted to get back to my love of devouring a good book. I pretty much succeeded — aside from a month or two, but I read multiple books some months, so it evens out right? — and I want to keep it up in 2020.
I asked for a Kindle for Christmas so that I could maybe even work on increasing this goal to more than one book per month (I’m writing this in December, so here’s hoping that my Christmas wish came true, @mom!). One of the genres of books that I always enjoy when I read them, but just tend not to gravitate toward as much (just give me all the suspenseful thrillers, please), is the inspirational and self-help category.
In an effort to add more books like this to my list for the new year, I’ve researched and found 14 of the best inspirational books, both for myself and for all you fellow book-lovers out there looking for some life-changing motivation in 2020:
Know My Name: A Memoir
This is the deeply honest and moving memoir from Chanel Miller, who was known as Jane Doe when her victim impact statement went viral during the Brock Turner case. Miller reclaims both her name and her story to detail the problems in sexual assault cases and how she turned this experience into strength to live a fulfilling life. Although it’s not a self-help book in the traditional sense, it has the ability to change your outlook and inspire you to turn pain into strength.
The Alchemist
This classic novel recently had a resurgence with it’s 25-year anniversary. It tells the mystical story of a boy as he learns life lessons about hopes and dreams (that we could all use in our own lives).
The Happiness Project
A #1 New York Times Bestseller, The Happiness Project chronicles the author’s year-long journey to discovering true happiness. She reveals what she learned on her personal happiness project to be the secrets to living a happier life.
Everything Is Figureoutable
In this instant bestseller, Marie Forleo, a TV and podcast host, provides tangible steps for using your creativity to get through life’s tough decisions and obstacles and achieve your dreams.
Becoming
If you haven’t read this yet, what the heck are you doing?! It’s time to pick it up and read the beautiful story of how Michelle Obama become the icon that she is today — and become immediately inspired to be a boss woman like her.
Maybe You Should Talk to Someone
The reviews have been glowing since this book came out in the spring of 2019. The author of this unique story is a psychotherapist, and she takes us behind the scenes of her own practice, as well as the journey of seeing a therapist herself.
Educated: A Memoir
In Educated, Tara Westover tells her inspiring story of being born into a completely isolated survivalist family in the mountains. She then went on to take matters into her own hands and get herself into school and go on to study at Harvard and later get a PhD from Cambridge.
Stillness is the Key
Ryan Holiday outlines how to bring zen principles from ancient philosophies into everyday life and how they can help you move toward success and happiness.
She Said: Breaking the Sexual Harassment Story That Helped Ignite a Movement
She Said is the in-depth story of the sexual harassment case against Harvey Weinstein, which partially inspired the Me Too movement, written by the journalists who broke the story. There are detailed accounts of what they learned from their interviews with victims, and the strength they showed in coming forward.
