Here are 100 books that The Power of Vulnerability fans have personally recommended if you like
The Power of Vulnerability.
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I had zero interest in creative writing until a remarkable family story gripped my heart 30 years ago and wouldn’t let go. Years later, I decided to jump in at the deep end and write this story as fiction, but I had a problem: I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. I worked hard to learn the craft of writing fiction, and my award-winning historical novel, Of White Ashes, was published five years later. These five books inspired and helped me to understand the essentials of writing and build my confidence. I hope they’re helpful to you as you bring the novel only you can write to life!
I love that Bird by Bird doesn’t read like a reference book.
Lamott’s words feel personal. The book is personal to me because my daughter gave me her college copy of Bird by Bird when I began my writing journey. Lamott’s plain, honest, and affirming words, like first drafts are “shitty” and “writing a first draft is very much like watching a Polaroid develop,” resonate with me. Bravo to Lamott for this great metaphor!
Writing can be solitary, but Lamott reminds us we’re not alone. So, I heeded her words. I joined the party and became an active literary citizen. It’s there that we writers find our people, supporters, and dear friends.
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • An essential volume for generations of writers young and old. The twenty-fifth anniversary edition of this modern classic will continue to spark creative minds for years to come. Anne Lamott is "a warm, generous, and hilarious guide through the writer’s world and its treacherous swamps" (Los Angeles Times).
“Superb writing advice…. Hilarious, helpful, and provocative.” —The New York Times Book Review
For a quarter century, more than a million readers—scribes and scribblers of all ages and abilities—have been inspired by Anne Lamott’s hilarious, big-hearted, homespun advice. Advice that begins with the simple words of wisdom…
Broken Boots, Redeemed Soul: A Veteran’s War with Sin and Salvation
by
Brian Lofton,
Broken Boots, Redeemed Soul: A Veteran’s War with Sin and Salvation, is a raw and faith-centered memoir about life after military service—and the internal battles many never see. Brian Lofton shares his journey through addiction, shame, identity loss, and spiritual distance, revealing how the hardest struggles often begin after…
Growing up, I used to say, “I like reading sad stories.” It was my way of coping as I grieved the loss of my father, learned about my mother’s mental illness, and shuttled back and forth between grandparents' homes. Now, my old sentiment of reading “sad stories” has transformed into enjoying books that dive into a mixture of psychology, self-help, memoir, and graphic memoir. It supports me and my interest to learn other people’s stories, gain perspective, and journey through life with a healthy mind, body, and spirit. I carry the love with me that I was raised with, so in life, I look through the lens of love.
I’ve read this book twice and I would read it again and again because it taught me so much about myself in relation to how I want to approach and understand love. It affirmed my feelings about love and gave me the language and tools to understand the dynamics of love in platonic relationships, familial relationships, or romantic relationships.
I enjoyed how Hooks discussed themes such as spirituality, values, trauma, and greed. I consider this book to be an essential read and one I will always go back to when exploring concepts of love.
"The word "love" is most often defined as a noun, yet...we would all love better if we used it as a verb," writes bell hooks as she comes out fighting and on fire in All About Love. Here, at her most provocative and intensely personal, the renowned scholar, cultural critic, and feminist skewers our view of love as romance. In its place she offers a proactive new ethic for a people and a society bereft with lovelessness. As bell hooks uses her incisive mind and razor-sharp pen to explore the question "What is love?" her answers strike at both the…
My name is Mechal Roe and I have loved creating fun and colorful art to inspire the inner child in all of us. I began my journey in children's print design and worked my way up to Clothing Designer. It was quite rewarding, and I learned so much. After, I left to create a children's book and toys to serve underrepresented youth. Creating the book was a form of introspection to move me along my heart's path. It was also a gift to those young ones who also struggle with understanding themselves in the world.
I recommend this book because it had a great influence on me as a young child. Moving through the world, particularly as a black woman, requires a great deal of self-reliance and resourcefulness. This book/essay speaks to universal truths that are often forgotten.
I found myself equipping my toolbox with quotes that have been relevant to my present day working life. I learned how to relate in a deeper way to myself and society while crafting a value system that, as I age, is allowed to become malleable.
Ralph Waldo Emerson's essays and poems on the transcendental movement in the United States became some of the most important literary pieces in American History. In this culmination of essays, Emerson takes the reader through different forms of philosophies that attempt to explain the world and man's purpose within it.
Heavily vested in the philosophy of transcendentalism, though not one to label himself a true follower of the movement, Emerson believed that spirituality and wholeness were central to the ways in which humans could place themselves within nature. Essays by Ralph Waldo Emerson is a collection of integral works…
My name is Mechal Roe and I have loved creating fun and colorful art to inspire the inner child in all of us. I began my journey in children's print design and worked my way up to Clothing Designer. It was quite rewarding, and I learned so much. After, I left to create a children's book and toys to serve underrepresented youth. Creating the book was a form of introspection to move me along my heart's path. It was also a gift to those young ones who also struggle with understanding themselves in the world.
I recommend these books because I believe seeking and finding never ends as we become adults. I find that I still seek jobs, seek friends, seek safety, seek shelter, and seek nourishment. These tasks are enjoyable when they are connected to my heart's path. It's a training of the brain that delights my inner child.
In addition, play is an important part of my adult life that has been difficult to materialize in the past few years. I have had to use all of my brain matter toward a conveyor belt of serious tasks, and it has been exhausting. Finding the missing piece, whether in my life, these books, or Wordle, gives me a much-needed dose of dopamine in a day filled with Saturnian energy.
1
author picked
I Spy
as one of their favorite books, and they share
why you should read it.
This book is for kids age
4,
5,
6, and
7.
What is this book about?
Search-and-find riddles paired with amazing photographs will captivate kids of all ages in the bestselling I Spy series.
Acclaimed I Spy creators Walter Wick and Jean Marzollo use everyday objects to enhance intellectual discovery. Readers can examine the different objects, solve the picture riddles, and become an I Spy detective!A perfect fit for STEAM curriculum.
When people ask what kind of books I like to read, I can’t answer with a genre. As a kid, I’d come home from the library with mysteries, Westerns, fantasies, non-fiction books, and comic books in the same stack. I’ve always liked books that introduce me to fun characters, take these characters on fantastical adventures, make me laugh at least a little, and leave me with a sense of hope and triumph. They can be anything from cheesy romcoms to dark thrillers to complicated biographies. This is reflected in my fantasy series, Thalia’s Musings, which has been praised for its realistic treatment of abuse and also compared to Friends.
This non-fiction book is probably the most categorically comedic on my list. Greenberg, a comedian, and Meinzer, a critic, are the hosts of a podcast called By the Book, in which every episode documents their attempt to follow a new self-help book to the letter for two weeks. After a few years of doing this, they co-wrote their own self-help book based on their experience and narrated the audio version. The result is insightful, irreverent, and hilarious.
A humorous and insightful look into what advice works, what doesn't, and what it means to transform yourself, by the co-hosts of the popular By the Book podcast.
In each episode of their podcast By the Book, Jolenta Greenberg and Kristen Meinzer take a deep dive into a different self-help book, following its specific instructions, rules, and advice to the letter. From diet and productivity to decorating to social interactions, they try it all, record themselves along the way, then share what they've learned with their devoted and growing audience of fans who tune in.
Denise Kiernan is a multiple New York Times bestselling author of narrative nonfiction books including The Girls of Atomic City, The Last Castle, and We Gather Together. Throughout her career as a journalist and an author, she has explored underrepresented stories and characters and the impact they have had on history. These stories of the unsung offer fresh perspectives on historical tales we think we already know. At the heart of many of Kiernan’s nonfiction explorations are women from a variety of different backgrounds and time periods. She has devoted her last three books to the history of Thanksgiving and gratitude, writing separate books for all ages.
This is a sweet picture book for kids that gets them thinking about the concept of gratitude in ways that they can understand.
Through the story of Betsy and her magic stone, they learn, for example, that there are lots of things in life to be grateful for, and sometimes the little happy moments are just as powerful as the big ones. As a picture book, it’s appropriate for children who are not reading on their own yet. Available as a hardcover, paperback, or audiobook.
Do you want to teach your children how to be grateful for the things they already have?
Little Betsy will learn that happiness is made up of simple things in life, both small and big. With the help of the magic stone, she will begin to feel gratitude for her parents, friends, and toys. But what happens when little Betsy forgets to use the magic of her stone? She will realize that the power of gratitude is hidden in her heart.
"Gratitude is my superpower" will teach your little ones to appreciate the warmth of home, time spent playing with…
Head, Heart, and Hands Listening in Coach Practice
by
Kymberly Dakin-Neal,
This NABA award-winning book explores intentional listening as an essential skill for adults, introducing the Head, Heart, and Hands Listening model to amplify effective listening in personal and professional interactions. It’s a vital resource for coaches, psychologists, HR professionals, teachers, counselors, salespeople and others who listen for a living. Listening…
I personally have struggled with weight, blood sugar, and blood pressure challenges while I was in my teens and twenties. It was through functional medicine and many of the strategies I share in my book that I was able to create a positive shift in my own health and support the health of my clients. In my education and subsequent research, the Vagus nerve always stuck out to me as a unique and underrepresented component of the health journey. My curiosity regarding human anatomy and physiology led me to this important and missing answer: enabling our bodies to enter a healing state and initiate the recovery of our health.
I loved that this book was full of practical tips and tools to support optimal performance and physiology. I have personally implemented many of these tools and continue to share many of them with my clients.
In my opinion, this is the most succinct and practical book for those who are looking to biohack or boost their productivity and show up daily to live a full and wonderful life.
The founder and CEO of Onnit, the mega lifestyle brand and one of the fastest growing companies in the country, teaches us how one single day of positive choices leads to a lifetime of concrete strategies for better living, optimal performance, and a stronger mind, body, and spirit.
Human optimization thought leader Aubrey Marcus's personal and professional mission rests on a single question: How can we get the most out of our body and mind on a daily basis?
Marcus answers that question in Own the Day, Own Your Life an empowering handbook that guides readers to optimize every moment…
I’m just an ordinary person who’s struggled with their own habits and compulsions. My fear and anxiety led me to read many self-help books over the last thirty-something years, and a lot of them helped me to firmly believe that if you start your day in the best way you can, then there’s no limit to the things that you can achieve!
Each of the books I’ve recommended has given me simple tools to help me do just that. Ultimately, I know they inspired me to create the Bad Habit Kicker system. I truly believe they can all help others optimize their lives and become the best versions of themselves!
In 2016, after my Mum passed away suddenly from lung cancer, I was in desperate need of a reset in my life. Fortunately for me, that’s when I came across this book.
The thing that’s so wonderful about it is that it’s a really simple system, which encourages you to start your day by spending time on just six easy activities - which you can remember by using the acronym S.A.V.E.R.S. What I found when I started doing The Miracle Morning every day was that it helped me to knock so much of my anxiety on the head that it then allowed me to be creative every day.
I can’t recommend this book highly enough. There’s a really vibrant community on Facebook where people share hints and tips on how to keep their practice going long-term and share their successes!
Start waking up to your full potential every single day with the updated and expanded edition of the groundbreaking book with more than 2 million copies sold.
Getting everything you want out of life isn't about doing more. It's about becoming more. Hal Elrod and The Miracle Morning have helped millions of people become the person they need to be to create the life they've always wanted. Now, it's your turn.
Hal's revolutionary S.A.V.E.R.S. method is a simple, effective step-by-step process to transform your life in as little as six minutes per day:
Silence: Reduce stress and…
I’m Mariah Avery, a clinic owner, adjunct professor, and Board Certified Behavior Analyst® (BCBA®). When I was a new BCBA I felt like I had been thrown out of the frying pan into the fire. Even worse, the fire kept judging me for not knowing things and telling me I didn’t work quickly enough. These books are, in part, what got me through that time and helped me back on my feet—I hope they do the same for you.
Sometimes, you need someone to yell at you (lovingly) through a book. Knight's no-nonsense guide is like a friend who calls you out and then hands you a to-do list, making life's chaos a lot more manageable—with a side of sass.
This book doesn't teach you how to be a behavior analyst, but it will teach you how to live a little better. I recommend it because it can help you manage your time and tasks effectively, which is crucial in the field of ABA. Please note that, as the title suggests, there is explicit language, and it may not be suitable for everyone.
A New York Times bestseller from the author of the bestselling book everyone is talking about, The Life-Changing Magic of Not Giving a F**k.
How to stop worrying about what you should do, so you can finish what you need to do and start doing what you want to do.
Ever find yourself snowed under at the office - or even just glued to the sofa - when you really want to get out (for once), get to the gym (at last), and get started on that daunting dream project you're always putting off? Or if you are confined to…
Are you tired of feeling tired? In a world that never stops, Drowning Lifeguards is a compassionate, down-to-earth guide for anyone struggling with exhaustion, burnout, or chronic fatigue.
Written by Ruth Hull, homoeopathic doctor, herbalist, counsellor, and author of five health-science textbooks, it offers a fresh, human approach to healing.…
I’ve been in the DEI trenches for over 20 years, and let me tell you, it's been one hell of a ride. As a Black woman navigating this shit show, I've seen it all—from clueless executives to well-meaning “allies” who can't get out of their own way. My passion? Calling out the bullshit and actually making DEI work. I've gone toe-to-toe with tech giants, founded Inclusology, and now I'm tackling a second PhD because I believe in the work, even at is most discouraging. DEI-ing is my no-holds-barred guide to creating real change. I’m all about busting AI bias and building DEI that sticks, not just some feel-good fluff.
This book had me saying, “Finally!” It taught me to let go of the nonsense and focus on what really matters. Mark Manson doesn’t hold back, and I appreciate that. This book is a reality check on how limited our time is—death is coming whether we like it or not—so we better start living right.
It’s not just a book; it’s a guide to cutting the crap and enjoying life before it’s too late.
New York Times Bestseller In this generation-defining self-help guide, a superstar blogger cuts through the crap to show us how to stop trying to be "positive" all the time so that we can truly become better, happier people. For decades, we've been told that positive thinking is the key to a happy, rich life. "F**k positivity," Mark Manson says. "Let's be honest, shit is f**ked and we have to live with it." In his wildly popular Internet blog, Manson doesn't sugarcoat or equivocate. He tells it like it is-a dose of raw, refreshing, honest truth that is sorely lacking today.…
