Last May, I wrote about my 30 Before 30 list and shared some things from that list I would love to have accomplished before I turn thirty years old. Now, as a 22-year old with a good chunk of the list completed and others that will get checked off in the near future (for example, being a bridesmaid in my best friend’s wedding in October!), I’m looking at the list feeling confident that I will be able to accomplish it by thirty.
One of the items on the list is titled “read 15 books that impact my life”. This went on my list with the goal of encouraging me to read more books that don’t simply keep me entertained, but really challenge me to grow. Over the past few years, I’ve read so many incredible books, and I have put four books so far on my list that count towards those fifteen books. As we head towards prime book-reading time as pool and vacation season quickly approach, I wanted to share these books with you to give my top book recommendations. Now, I read a lot of books, so these are some of the best of the best that have really impacted me for the better!
The Gifts of Imperfection by Brene Brown
As you’ll have definitely noticed if you follow me on Instagram, I absolutely adore Brene Brown. I own every one of her books and one day hope to hear her speak life in person. While I have read all of her books and love them each in their own way, my personal favorite is The Gifts of Imperfection, which I felt that I especially related to. Brene is a shame researcher, which #1 is incredibly interesting in and of itself, but her research leads her to discuss shame and vulnerability in ways that I had never thought about before. The Gifts of Imperfection really taught me the value in not always “having it all together”, which is such an important lesson to learn. This book truly helped me understand “I am enough” and how to be vulnerable even if I’m not perfect and what that looks like. I personally am not one for a lot of fluff when it comes to books in the self-improvement category, so I mean it when I say that Brene is the real deal and can bring data, stories, and other factual elements to the table through her writing.
Carry On, Warrior by Glennon Doyle Melton
This book was a complete game-changer for me personally. After reading Glennon’s blog, Momastery for quite awhile, I decided it was time to dig into her book as well. Glennon really wants us to be brave and kind, let go of the idea of perfection, and acknowledge that the hard things in life are…actually hard, instead of sugar-coating everything. Her humor just gets me and it’s one of those books you can smile at, laugh with, and even maybe tear up with, too.
Half the Sky:Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide by Nicholas Kristof
If you’ve been following along for a while, you’ll know how important economic development, especially for women, is to me. This is the root issue that I aim to work towards in my career in life. Half the Sky was a book I actually read for the first time during my senior year of high school and it shed so much light on an issue I was desperate to learn everything about. Kristof tackles the severe human rights violation that is ongoing in our world today – the oppression of women and girls in the developing world. The way the book is set up takes you on a journey around the globe to different experiences and countries, all while building the framework of what kinds of struggles women face around the world in today’s day and age. Usually, books like this paint a picture and then leave me upset since the research was there, but there weren’t any real world solutions or hope given. Kristoff gives actual ways that these situations can improve, which was incredibly refreshing for this realm of books, and he helped me see that the key to economic progress lies in unleashing women’s potential. They make clear how so many people have helped to do just that, and how we can each do our part. Unleashing women into the formal economy globally is not only the right thing to do; it’s also the best strategy for fighting poverty.
Becoming Wise: An Inquiry Into the Art and Mystery of Living by Krista Tippett
Originally, I found out about Krista from her podcast, “On Being” where I discovered just how wise and encouraging she was. Then, Megan gave me this book one year for my birthday. To be honest, it sat on my shelf for awhile because I didn’t know much about it, I had a lot of other things to read at the time, and it just took me awhile to get to. However, once I did, I couldn’t put this book down. I wrote and highlighted through the book to no end, and continued to read and reread chapters. Krista really focuses on how we interact with ourselves, each other, and the universe. Krista brings us on a personal journey with her on a mature, honest perspective on what wisdom is, where it comes from, and what it can mean for us. Through this book, I learned how important it is to listen – listen to myself, to my heart, to those around me, and to those who I disagree with. There is so much wisdom to be found simply by listening, and I am on a mission to continue listening as much as possible.
Honorable mentions I’m not counting towards the 15 books, but still are incredible books…
- Love Does by Bob Goff
- You are a Badass by Jen Sincero
- You are a Badass at Making Money also by Jen Sincero
- Poor Economics by Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo
Do you have any books that you would recommend? Please (please!!) leave a comment below with your book recommendations because I’m constantly on the search for books to expand my way of thinking, teach me something new, or just simply shake things up. I have a few books I’m either in the process of reading or just finished that I believe will ultimately go on my “15 Books” list, but for now, I really wanted to keep it to four books for this post.
Happy summer reading!
Much love,
Olivia