10 books that altered how I think
self-help that helped this self
👋🏼👋🏼👋🏼 Hi! Long story short: I’m a bestselling novelist who started investigating how to build a life in August 2024, because despite my supposed dream career I wasn’t ~vibing~ in the way I wanted to be. I felt like something was missing? Unpicking what it takes to build a life (like, a good one) led me to taking a job in a high school, just to see. Turns out books light up my brain but pastoral work with teenagers feeds my soul, so now I might be in the middle of a career change. I don’t know. I’m currently studying children and young people’s mental health, whilst also promoting my latest rom-com Love at First Sight. Apparently I contain multitudes. Don’t we all?
I’m proud to say that Grazia magazine once declared that I am a ‘general all-round-speaker of what-is-in-our-heads’, Stylist said my honesty and voice are unique, I was Marie Claire’s #BreakFree from Fear Ambassador many moons ago, and I’m a ‘Happiness Expert’ according to The Independent. I’m almost 40, a solo parent by choice, and I truly believe on going all in on the adventure of your own life. Knowing all this means you’re all caught up. WELCOME!!
I believe that humans are born storytellers. We pass knowledge from generation to generation through our stories; first drawn on the walls of caves, and then oral histories around a campfire, and now written. Lucky us! To access so much knowledge this way! No (wo)man is an island; we all need others to hold the torch that will show us the way (and then it will be our turn to hold the torch, and so on, and so on, until we have guided each other home.) The way I think is a product of every book I have ever read, but it is these 10 that I’d recommend for a paradigm shift or little brain refresh. These are the ones that have left the biggest impact, the ones I come back to year after year…
The Firestarter Sessions by Danielle LaPorte - the first time I encountered the notion of deliberately designing a life that leads with how you want to feel. I first read this when I was about 26, and it still holds up as clear-headed, heart-led advice on you being you and me being me.
Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman - I’ve already written about this, but long story short: woah, what a call to arms to identify like, three things to care about so you can pie off all the rest! Plus, this landed at the right time for me in terms of: you do not have to have the biggest, shiniest career. You can “waste” your life on the simple things, refuse to optimise your time to get the “most” out of it. I’m currently reading the follow up, Meditation for Mortals. Not as life-changing (for me), but I am thrilled to be on the “stop trying to complete your to-do list” train. Toot, toot!
Untamed by Glennon Doyle - I adore stories of women older than me who are shedding the “shoulds” and growing into their power. I’m learning all the ways I have sanded away my edges in adulthood, and enjoying their re-emergence: all because of the examples we have who are going first.
Self-Care for Winter by Suzy Reading - I wrote about this last year when I realised I was dreading the onset of the colder months. It had honestly never occurred to me that I could actively prepare my home and my mindset for the shift in seasons! Crazy, huh?! When June 1st hit I started thinking about how I want my summer to feel, based on the things I considered after reading this. There are ways to maximise our comfort for all seasons.