Here are 83 books that Tales of Potential fans have personally recommended if you like
Tales of Potential.
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I’m a TedX and keynote speaker, leadership expert, and corporate facilitator. I’m also a repeat software founder and CEO. I work extensively with Fortune 1000 and hyperscale organizations to connect leadership and culture directly to organizational outcomes, as well as diversifying C-suites and corporate boardrooms. I’m passionate about guiding leaders to measurable outcomes and helping others learn from failure (yes, it happens to all of us!) Over the years, I’ve learned the key is understanding and embodying your own values so you can build resilience for yourself as an individual, your team, and your organization as a whole. I hope my list of recommended books helps you do just that!
For many entrepreneurs, Marie Forleo is practically a household name – for over a decade, she’s been coaching those souls brave enough to take the leap into business ownership.
As entrepreneurs will tell you, a huge part of success has to do with your mindset. In this book, Marie outlines a key strategy for training your brain to overcome uncertainty and actionable tips to overcome everyday challenges, both big and small.
"This book will change lives." --Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love
From the host of the award-winning MarieTV and The Marie Forleo Podcast, an indispensable handbook for becoming the creative force of your own life.
While most self-help books offer quick fixes, Everything is Figureoutable will retrain your brain to think more creatively and positively in the face of setbacks. In the words of Cheryl Strayed, it's "a must-read for anyone who wants to face their fears, fulfill their dreams, and find a better way forward."
It is April 1st, 2038. Day 60 of China's blockade of the rebel island of Taiwan.
The US government has agreed to provide Taiwan with a weapons system so advanced that it can disrupt the balance of power in the region. But what pilot would be crazy enough to run…
For over a decade, I’ve helped women shift from feeling uncertain or ashamed about money to building real wealth. As a first-generation immigrant who didn’t inherit wealth or insider knowledge, I had to confront my own excuses, fears, and limiting beliefs. The books on this list challenged me to think bigger, act bolder, and stay disciplined. I know firsthand that wealth-building isn’t just about numbers; it’s about belief and consistent action. As a Certified Financial Education Instructor (CFEI) and founder of Clever Girl Finance (recognized by the National Financial Educators Council), I’ve built my work around helping women turn that mindset into measurable financial results.
First of all, Jen Sincero’s voice is hilarious, down-to-earth, and completely refreshing.
She basically grabs you by the shoulders and tells you to stop messing around. I remember laughing out loud while reading this. What I love most is that she shares her own journey in an honest, testimony-style way, so it doesn't feel preachy. Instead, it feels relatable.
Her writing style is great in that it makes you see the small ways you may be downplaying your ambition or talking yourself out of bigger goals. It’s the perfect reality check when you need to stop doubting yourself and start confidently going after what you want.
YOU ARE A BADASS IS THE self-help BOOK FOR PEOPLE WHO DESPERATELY WANT TO IMPROVE THEIR LIVES BUT DON'T WANT TO GET BUSTED DOING IT. In this refreshingly entertaining how-to guide, bestselling author and world-traveling success coach, Jen Sincero, serves up 27 bitesized chapters full of hilariously inspiring stories, sage advice, easy exercises, and the occasional swear word, helping you to: Identify and change the self-sabotaging beliefs and behaviours that stop you from getting what you want, Create a life you totally love. And create it NOW, Make some damn money already. The kind you've never made before. By the…
I’ve spent my career helping leaders elevate the human experience for customers, employees, and shareholders. Along the way, I’ve written 13 bestselling books about clients like Starbucks and Mercedes-Benz and advised leaders across industries, from hospitality to healthcare. But beyond the C-suite, I’ve always been a student of leadership. I read widely and constantly to challenge my thinking and deepen my understanding. These five books have shaped how I lead, teach, and live. Each one offers something unexpected, timeless, or transformational—and I’m excited to share them with those who share a passion for what it means to lead well.
I was captivated by Indra Nooyi’s blend of fierce intellect and deep humanity. I couldn’t stop reflecting on how she navigated leadership without compromising authenticity or family.
Her story reminded me that grace and grit must coexist and that decisive leadership doesn’t require shedding your values at the boardroom door.
An intimate and powerful memoir by the trailblazing former CEO of PepsiCo
For a dozen years as one of the world’s most admired CEOs, Indra Nooyi redefined what it means to be an exceptional leader. The first woman of color and immigrant to run a Fortune 50 company — and one of the foremost strategic thinkers of our time — she transformed PepsiCo with a unique vision, a vigorous pursuit of excellence, and a deep sense of purpose. Now, in a rich memoir brimming with grace, grit, and good humor, My Life in Full…
Mia Lark is running out of options. There is only one way to change the score: the fantasy planet Revivium.
Armed with the powerful magic in the helm and the friendly AI, Hex that goes with it, Mia throws caution out the window. It’s time to find the main guildhall…
I’m a TedX and keynote speaker, leadership expert, and corporate facilitator. I’m also a repeat software founder and CEO. I work extensively with Fortune 1000 and hyperscale organizations to connect leadership and culture directly to organizational outcomes, as well as diversifying C-suites and corporate boardrooms. I’m passionate about guiding leaders to measurable outcomes and helping others learn from failure (yes, it happens to all of us!) Over the years, I’ve learned the key is understanding and embodying your own values so you can build resilience for yourself as an individual, your team, and your organization as a whole. I hope my list of recommended books helps you do just that!
We all need to have our conditioning challenged occasionally, and this book does exactly that.
It takes the idea that success is a straight line and turns it on its head. Rich Christiansen argues that the best goal setting isn’t linear. Instead, he encourages readers to literally zigzag to their goals. His book is important because it teaches leaders how to be nimble, flexible, and resilient.
The zigzag principle is simple, powerful, and offers a totally new way of approaching business (and life).
Have you ever set your sights on the top of a mountain and then started your ascent by heading straight through the trees and up the sheer cliffs? Or driven in your car to the other side of town-as the crow flies? Of course not! Because you instinctively know that, just as a river has to wend its way around obstacles, the best route is never actually a straight line!
In The Zigzag Principle, Rich Christiansen applies a foundational law of nature to business management, entrepreneurship, goal-setting, and life in general as he explores why…
I come from a large family, both immediate and extended. As a result, my writing often includes a spectrum of family relationships, from the functional to the toxic. Nurturing or gaslighting? Supportive or undermining? Fantasy is my genre of choice for playing with these dynamics because its otherworldliness creates a safe space to consider true-to-life patterns, including the default trust we grant to those closest to us, how quickly that crumbles when expectations fall short, and the echo effect our earliest interactions have upon the rest of our lives.
Everyone should have a favorite “Cinderella” story, and this fantasy romp is mine. Gingell turns the classic fairy tale upside down, maintaining its stepfamily-gone-wrong trope, but from an opposite angle. Ellen got her prince and her crown while her stepsisters Jane and Charlie received a life sentence in a magical prison. Only, she lied and schemed to do it, and now the pair of girls must plot their escape to clear their names.
I admire Jane’s quiet resolve and Charlie’s feral energy. Plus, any story with knockout lipstick earns some extra points from me.
Cinderella is married to The Prince, and the Evil Stepsisters are banished to a pocket dimension for their punishment and rehabilitation. It’s Happily Ever After.
Or is it?
Jane and Charlie have been imprisoned for two years now, serving a sentence especially chosen by their stepsister as justice for her sufferings. It seems that they’re the only two people in the world besides Ellen who know that Ellen’s “sufferings” were a carefully manipulative campaign to win a prince and a crown; the two stepsisters merely collateral damage.
But now, trouble is brewing at the castle: death threats, torn gowns, ruined…
I’m Deb Miller, a former Fortune 500 executive, marketing professor, and a woman who once believed in fairy tales—until life handed me a sword instead of a slipper. My memoir is all about rewriting the princess narrative and proving that modern-day warrior princesses don’t wait to be saved—they save themselves. I’ve spent my life balancing boardrooms and bedtime stories, raising three extraordinary children while fighting for my own happiness. I have a passion for stories that shatter outdated tropes and celebrate strong women who define their own happily ever afters.
This book unapologetically calls out the toxic myths we’ve been fed about love, relationships, and self-worth.
I found this book to be an empowering read that helps us break free from the ‘prince charming’ illusion and embrace a reality where we are our own rescuers. That’s my kind of book.
It's time to smash that glass slipper and find your own happily ever after!
The fairy-tale narrative is a poisoned apple of unrealistic expectations and impossible relationship goals. If you're sick of kissing frogs in search of Prince Charming, get ready to rescue your own love life from Cinderella Syndrome! Part self-help, part history lesson, Cinderella, You Bitch is the sassy, smart, and soulful guide that shows you how to:
Identify and release your own fairy-tale expectations Break the spell of old beliefs and patterns that hold you back from being your true self in—and out of—a relationship Rewrite your…
Winner of the 2024 New Mexico - Arizona Book Award.
In this deeply researched novel of America's most celebrated outlaw, Mark Warren sheds light on the human side of Billy the Kid and reveals the intimate stories of the lesser-known players in his legendary life of crime. Warren's fictional composer…
“Hope in dark places” has been the theme of my life, beginning at age 17 when my parents disowned me for my faith. I’ve walked through the “valley of the shadow of death” twice, battling cancer, and endured many other struggles, which everyone faces at some time in their lives. Reading Dragonsong by Anne McCaffrey as a teen gave me the courage to face the darkness, and so the characters in the stories I write and prefer to read do likewise.
When I first started reading this fantasy book club selection, I thought it would be a simple sort-of-like Cinderella tale and didn’t expect to be sucked into Leah’s story. My heart went out to her for all the ways she was unfairly treated and misunderstood, for I have known that pain. She was trying to save the royal family, and the queen exiled her!
The best part about this story is how brave and loyal Leah is, and how she doesn’t complain, even when she has good reason. I remember how difficult it was not to complain when I was a teen, so I especially appreciate the encouragement Leah gives without realizing it.
Only one person knows of the plot against the royal family and cares enough to try to stop it—the servant girl they banished.
Leah spends her days scrubbing floors, polishing silver, and meekly curtsying to nobility. Nothing distinguishes her from the other commoners serving at the palace, except her red hair.
And her secret friendship with Rafe, the Crown Prince of Imperia.
But Leah’s safe, ordinary world begins to splinter. Rafe’s parents announce his betrothal to a foreign princess, and she unearths a plot to overthrow the royal family. When she reports it without proof, her life shatters completely when…
I’m a science fiction and fantasy author with a love of fairytales. I enjoy genre-bending, genre-blending, and new takes on old stories. As a child, I had a book of fairytales illustrated with embroidered illustrations. In high school and college, when I had the opportunity, I always chose to read fairytales—I've even taken classes that exclusively explore fairytales. Now as an author, I’ve leaped feet first into fairytale retellings. My first series, Rove City, features fairytale retellings set in an intergalactic spaceship, and my second series is made up of collections of original fairytales. Next, I’m planning to take the original fairytales and turn them into my own retellings.
This fairytale retelling is set in a land recovering from war. Cinderella is a landowner, but due to her late father’s poor management of funds, her estate owes significant debts. When she meets Friedrich, an intriguing noble who belongs to the enemy who won the war, everything becomes much more complicated. This fairytale retelling is clever and interesting, with a very different feel than most Cinderella retellings. It is engaging and definitely worth a read.
Cinderella may be a duchess, but her life is in tatters.
Orphaned, destitute, and living in a country recovering from a hostile takeover, Cinderella is desperate to save her lands and servants. She is so determined that when terrible taxes are placed upon her, she dons servants’ clothes and works like a commoner. Unfortunately, her sacrifices aren’t enough, and she is given one season to pay off her debt.
All seems lost, until Cinderella is befriended by the debonair Colonel Friedrich—a member of the Erlauf military and a citizen of the oppressing country that rules her homeland.
Fantasy is my favorite genre, and honestly, I’m pretty deep in it. Not only do I read a lot of fantasy, I also write fantasy novels. I’ve been an active TTRPG player for the last few years, even creating and running a few campaigns. In addition, I wrote a one-shot campaign set in the world of my fantasy series, the Gifted Lands, which people can get for free when they sign up for my newsletter on my website. So it’s safe to say, I like fantasy. :) If you check out any of these books, let me know what you think of them!
From the songwriter who penned the hymn “Morning Has Broken” comes one of my most beloved books from childhood.
The Glass Slipper is a charming and fairly faithful retelling of Cinderella (meaning, there’s no “subversive fairy tale” elements here). But it makes sense — this book was published in 1946.
The Glass Slipper is a lovely, simple version of the Cinderella story, and through it all the power of hope and dreams shines through.
It was out of print for a few years, but readers, rejoice! It’s back in print! Definitely worth picking up a copy—and if you can get a used version, you can see the lovely illustrations that accompanied the book as well.
More than anything, Ella wants to go to the ball at the Royal Palace.
But Ella is the slave of the household, waiting on every wish and whim of her horrible stepsisters. They call her Cinderella for the ashes that cling to her face, hands and hair. How can Ella go to the Royal Palace?
Then, on the evening of the ball, something wonderful happens. Ella's Fairy Godmother comes to her rescue.
Ramon Ramirez’s Dog is a collection of essays written over the years about the adventures and misadventures, mostly outside but occasionally inside the diplomatic career of a U.S. ambassador. Common threads weaving the stories together are a desire for a life well-lived, balancing career with family and friends, keeping physically…
I love being cozy more than just about anything – that’s why I keep writing books set in boarding schools in the fall! My books are best served with a cup of tea and a purring kitten to get you through the sad bits – which, as we all know, just make romantic endings even more satisfying.
Anna writes cozy romantic fantasies that feel like getting a hug from your best friend.
A Cinderella retelling (we love a retelling!) in which our main character, Selah, has to travel the world to find a husband to save her family’s legacy, this book will have you giggling and gasping all the way to the end. And don’t worry – there is a sequel, The Boundless, and it’s just as good.
"Sparkles with beauty, intrigue, and romance."-Kiera Cass, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Selection series
Selah has waited her whole life for a happily ever after. As the only daughter of the leader of Potomac, she knows her duty is to find the perfect match.
But after an excruciatingly public rejection, Selah's stepmother suggests an unthinkable solution: Selah must set sail across the Atlantic to visit a series of potential suitors-and if she doesn't come home engaged, she shouldn't come home at all.
From the gardens of England to the fjords of Norge, Selah's quest will be the…
