81 Books Like Tiny Beautiful Things

A collection of myths, fairy tales, and folk stories about the wild woman archetype told and analyzed by Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estés.

The result is a powerful exploration of the female psyche and experience, of women’s power and knowing, of intuition, femininity, and the ways in which we can reconnect to that power within each of us.

A favorite quote: “There is no 'supposed to be' in bodies. The question is not size or shape or years of age, or even having two of everything, for some do not. But the wild issue is, does this body feel, does it have right connection to pleasure, to heart, to soul, to the wild? Does it have happiness, joy? Can it, in its own way move, dance, jiggle, sway, thrust? Nothing else matters.”

Read it, bought it for all my friends, and read it again.

Glennon’s writing style is so disarmingly honest, raw, and powerful that it brought me to tears with its authenticity and relatability.

Full of personal stories about being a mother, being gay, leaving a marriage, recovering from addiction, unpacking religion, and being a sensitive human in a hard, messy world, Glennon weaves healing with radical permission in the most beautiful ways.

Poignant and timeless, this book was a sensation when it came out and still hits home with every turn of the page.

A favorite quote: “My emotions. My intuition. My imagination. My courage. Those are the keys to freedom. Those are who we are. Will we be brave enough to unlock ourselves? Will we be brave enough to set ourselves free? Will we finally step out of our cages and say to ourselves, to our people, and to… show more.

Dr. Edith Eger, holocaust survivor, psychologist, and author of the best-selling memoir, The Choice, distills some of her biggest lessons into this incredible book.

A manual for finding freedom and healing, even after the unimaginable, Dr. Eger gives us a profound gift by asking us to look at our own thoughts, patterns, and behaviors that may cause suffering.

One of my favorite quotes: “What a beautiful reminder that the things that interrupt our lives, that stop us in our tracks, can also be catalysts for the emerging self, tools that show us a new way to be that endow us with new vision. This is why I say that in every crisis, there is a transition. Awful things happen, they hurt like hell. And these devastating experiences are also opportunities to regroup and decide what we want for our lives. When we choose to respond to what’s happened by… show more.

A short meditative passage to be read for every day of the year.

Brianna’s writing is soulful, inspired, and hits the bones like only the truth can. The perfect read for a huge life change or transition, especially divorce, this book is a divine guide. And while I love this one specifically for its daily inspirations and insight, all of Brianna’s books are incredible.

The book begins: “I hope that this is the year you change your life in only the way that you can, with the power only you have. I can’t do it for you. The words can’t do it for you. They can only encourage and guide you like an old friend, a message from far beyond and deep within.”

Eleanor Roosevelt’s wisdom is both practical and profound.

This book is full of life lessons I use every day. Her examples of how she handled difficulties and difficult people while balancing family and friends and leadership are inspiring to me as a woman. Her approach to lifelong learning and being fully human is one I think can benefit everyone to improve themselves personally and professionally. 

Great advice about living life and being strong and being happy and satisfied with your work and life from one of the greatest military leaders in American history. This guy led and commanded the mission to get Bin Laden!!!! He was and led NAVY SEALS for 37 years. This book is short and sweet and brilliant and beautiful and a great gift for yourself or anyone else! Brilliant and beautiful. 

This book literally changed my life and my relationships with myself and others forever. Before this book, I was living my life through the filters of my stories of right and wrong, how things ‘should’ be done, and doing my best to trust my instincts and intuition. I underestimated the power of words, including my words. I made assumptions about people and situations, and autopilot guided my path through the best and worst of challenges and opportunities.

This book, along with the Fifth Agreement, opened my mind to the human condition of subconscious programming. I read the book, listened to the book, and listened to the book while reading the book to deeply embrace the truths presented.

Thanks to all books published by the Ruiz family, which share the Toltec traditions with the world, I have found grace and compassion for the weight and impact of my own stories,… show more.

Stoic practice involves a series of techniques to ultimately improve the state of your mind. To do that effectively, it’s immensely helpful to understand the Stoic conception of how the mind works. Part II of The Stoic Life is my go-to reference for reviewing the basics of Stoic psychology, in addition to covering key principles of Stoic ethics in Part III of the book. These two concepts are essential to understand for modern Stoics, and Brennan does a masterful job of explaining them.

I love John Leland’s book because he shares his own experiences of personal change during the year he spent interviewing 6 Elders in New York City. I also enjoyed learning how people managed to survive and flourish in the midst of hardship, emotional and physical struggle, and external events they could not control.

The book is so well written that I felt as if I were in the room with Leland, listening to hard-won wisdom wrought from the elders’ lifetimes of experience. And I appreciated how Leland learned by comparing his own mid-life perspective with the late-life perspective of the New Yorkers he interviewed.

I came away feeling chastened by how hard life can be, but also feeling uplifted by these exemplars of human resilience and the power of love.        

This book isn’t just my favorite time-travel novel—it’s my favorite book, period.

If Back to the Future is the gold standard for time travel storytelling, Replay is its literary counterpart. (And the two were released just six months apart!)

Grimwood takes the classic time loop premise and twists it into a moving, mind-bending exploration of identity, regret, and second chances.

Ever since my first read, I’ve spent many sleepless nights spiraling through my own infinite “what ifs”—imagining how I might change my own life if given the chance to relive it, how far future knowledge could take me, and whether it would indeed make me happier. It’s a risky mental game, but Grimwood plays it masterfully in this brilliant, still-underrated gem.