If you want to change your lifestyle, change your habits. If you wish to change your perception of life, change the books you read in your free time. Every book has the power to positively or negatively impact your life, whether it is fiction or nonfiction. But there are always some best life-changing books that leave an unforgettable impression on our minds and life.
15 Best Life-Changing Books
Being an intense book-lover, I have read hundreds of books (both fiction and non-fiction) that inspired me in one or another way. But out of all the books I have read so far, here are the 15 most impactful books that I would like to recommend to everyone for positivity and productivity.
1. Best For Self-Discovery: The Alchemist
- Author: Paulo Coelho
- Pages: 208
- Genre: Reference
Overview:
Originally Published in 1988 in the Portuguese language, the book is truly a masterpiece by Paulo Coelho. It has garnered love from millions of people internationally after it was translated into English. The novel follows the inspiring journey of an Andalusian shepherd boy named Santiago, who travels to Spain in search of a worldly treasure.
But soon, the journey of finding treasure transforms into a journey of self-discovery when he starts listening to his heart and find the treasure within his choices. With millions of copies sold, The Alchemist is the not-to-miss best life-changing book that everyone must read.
Review:
The book needs no introduction as almost every person has heard about this book from one of their book-lover friend. But if you haven’t read this yet, you are missing something great and impactful.
Written in an engaging and simple way, the masterpiece will inspire you to enjoy the adventure of life and make your own choices to live life to the fullest.
2. Best For Positivity and Inner Peace: The Secret
- Author: Rhonda Byrne
- Pages:
- Genre:
Overview:
A life-changing international best-seller that has sold 30 million copies of its multiple editions. Based on the Law of Attraction principle, The Secret is a self-help book influenced by Wallace Wattles’ 1910 book, The Science of Getting Rich.
The book provides reliable validation of the power of this law and how you can achieve mental and inner peace by changing the way you think about things.
Review:
If you genuinely want to understand the impact of positive thinking and the law of attraction on your life, then nothing can explain it better than The Secret book.
It is one of the best life-changing books that describe the power of positive and negative thinking on your actions and thinking and provides life-changing stories of real-life people who have eliminated negativity from their lives after understanding the phenomenon.
3. Best For Decision-Making Skill: The Art of Thinking Clearly
- Author: Rolf Dobelli
- Pages: 384
- Genre: Medical Neuropsychology
Overview:
We all make many wrong decisions but never give much thought to the reason behind them. But The Art of Thinking Clearly will list out around 99 cognitive errors that we humans generally perform while making any decision.
Short and precise, this book is a perfect read to understand and transform your decision-making ability.
Review:
Based on International Writer Dobelli’s observations on most commonly occurred cognitive biases and fallacies, The art of thinking clearly is the best book to learn about critical thinking and errors human minds make.
It consists of small yet engaging chapters and allows you to broaden your thinking ability by avoiding these biases and fallacies.
4. Best For Self-Improvement: The Power of Habit
- Author: Charles Duhigg
- Pages: 416
- Genre: Business Processes & Infrastructure
Overview:
Written by an award-winning New York Times business reporter Charles Duhigg, The Power of Habit is the best life-changing book revealing the science behind the habits we make and their impact on our lives through various success and failure stories of famous real-life personalities like Martin Luther King, Owner of Starbucks, etc. in a most inspiring and engaging manner.
Review:
Behind our every habit, there is a science involved, and that is why every habit influences our lifestyle positively or negatively. The Power of Habit exceptionally helps you understand the secret pressure points involved in your habits and how you can transform your life to achieve success by just making a change in your habits.
5. Best For Living Meaningful Life: Man’s Search for Meaning
- Author: Viktor Frankl
- Pages: 192
- Genre: Popular Psychology Psychotherapy
Overview:
A fascinating and most-influential book on the purpose of life by Victor Frankl (sold 10 million copies already worldwide) where the author narrates his real-life survival story during his imprisonment in Auschwitz and other concentration camps for five years.
Frankl’s experiences in this novel highlight the man’s deepest desire to live and how one can find a purpose in his life in the most challenging circumstances.
Review:
Sometimes, when we listen or read about other people’s survival story, we find the purpose and inspiration of our life in their stories. Man’s Search For The Meaning book will exactly do the same thing for everyone who will read this book.
The book will change your perspective towards life and give you the positivity to face the most challenging situations in your life.
6. Best For Self Love: The Gifts of Imperfection
- Author: Brené Brown
- Pages: 160
- Genre: Creativity
Overview:
Not just an ordinary self-help book, but one of the Forbes’ top “5 best books to change your outlook on life.” The Gifts of Imperfection is honest storytelling by Brene Brown that explores the human psychology behind pattern hunting and the power of embracing your imperfections in a mesmerizing manner.
A realistic read on the concept of “Wholehearted Life” and how to confront your imperfections to lead a happy life.
Review:
In a world full of negativity, criticism, and fear, we often prefer to hide our imperfections or remain conscious of them, which led us to live a self-defeating life.
Realizing our self-worth and embracing our imperfections is not an easy task at all, and that is why this book is here to help you out to cultivate the feeling of self-worth through the concept of Wholehearted life.
7. Best For Spiritual Growth: The Road Less Travelled
- Author: M.Scott Peck
- Pages: 320
- Genre: Psychology & Counseling
Overview:
Highly influential novel by Psychiatrist Dr. M. Scott Peck on the harsh reality of life and how a person can reduce his sufferings through self-discovery and hard work.
Already sold more than 10 million copies worldwide, the novel is a classic piece of psychology, love, and spiritual development.
Review:
Extremely engaging and impactful, the book highlights the importance of relationships, hard work, and discipline in solving life’s challenging problems.
The Road Less Travelled is a much-needed piece for all those who are struggling to tackle real-life situations through professionalism, spiritual beliefs, and professionalism.
8. Best Book to Achieve Success: Think and Grow Rich
- Author: Napoleon Hill
- Pages: 132
- Genre: Business & Finance
Overview:
Written after 25 years of research on successful and most-economical personalities, Think and Grow Rich is the universally-recognized masterpiece by Napoleon Hill that revolves around the Mantra of Success and Personal Development.
The book will reveal some great mantras of success and how you can achieve everything you want just by following some simple rules of success in your life.
Review:
Truly informative and transformative, Think and Grow Rich is a must-read book for all those who want to achieve success and increase productivity.
The real-life stories of famous successful people will make you understand what it takes to build a successful career and how you can shape it by starting to think big.
9. Best For Self Improvement: 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
- Author: STEPHEN R COVEY
- Pages:
- Genre:
Overview:
Our choices decide what we are today and what we can become tomorrow. But not every choice we make is the right choice for our career.
Transformed the lives of millions of people, the best-selling novel 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven Covey consists of a list of those powerful seven habits that everyone needs to opt-in their life to transform their lives positively.
Review:
The book consists the relatable stories and content in an engaging and informative way to let people understand the importance of 7 powerful habits in their life and adapt them for a positive and successful life.
The book is inspirational and practical with no-nonsense to keep the readers engaged and motivated.
10. Best Self-Help Book: The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*CK
- Author: Mark Manson
- Pages: 304
- Genre: Self-Help & Psychology Humor
Overview:
In a world where everything, even advice, is sugar-coated, The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson teaches you how to not really care about the things that don’t matter to you and live your life on your own terms.
Filled with humorous and entertaining stories, the novel comes with a much-needed message that “You don’t need to be positive all time but just to give attention to things that really matter in your life.“
Review:
Not-so-philosophical but an immensely thought-provoking piece that doesn’t push you to stay positive all the time. Instead, it helps you give attention to the things that matter the most in your life to live a joyful and regret-free life on your own terms.
11. Best Business Book for Entrepreneurs: Zero to One
- Author: Blake Masters
- Pages: 224
- Genre: Business Entrepreneurship
Overview:
A classic masterpiece by renowned author Peter Thiel to help business owners, entrepreneurs, and individuals understand the importance of original ideas and monopoly to achieve success. Inspired by the journey of Bill Gates, Larry Page, etc.
Zero to One highlights how going from 1 to n will not lead you to create something remarkable. To do that, you must have to think from Zero to One.
Review:
Filled with refreshing ideas and inspirational stories, Zero to One is not just for entrepreneurs or business owners but also for all those seeking open-minded approaches.
The stories and ideas briefed by Peter Thiel will inspire you to think out of the box to achieve some great things in your life. A must-read, refreshing life-changing book that everyone must try.
12. A Ground-Breaking Book on Human Creation and History: Sapiens
- Author: Yuval Noah Harari
- Pages: 464
- Genre: General Anthropology
Overview:
Do you think that you know everything about Human Evolution and Creation right from the beginning?
Even if you feel so, then Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari will reveal some groundbreaking facts from history (started 1000 years ago) to enhance the understanding of what being “Human” actually means and what we want to become to encourage our future generations.
Review:
Using 27 photographs, six maps, and 25 illustrations, the renowned historian Yuval Noah Harari has integrated both history and science to create a provocative and insightful masterpiece on human creation, their behavior, and their revolution.
Those who want to understand human psychology and its origin can go for this book without any second thought.
13. Best For Personal Growth: How to Win Friends and Influence People
Overview:
Over 15 million copies sold worldwide, How to Win Friends and Influence People is the most-influential self-help book by Simple Country Boy Dale Carnegie to overcome the self-complex and insecurities a person has to socialize with other people and build a great life.
Review:
From the title, it might seem like the book is all about learning how to make new friends or attract people towards you. In reality, the book helps you develop your own personality and transform you from an introverted person to a confident leader for personal growth and development.
The book doesn’t tell you to follow certain rules to make new friends, but it helps you understand social interaction’s importance to kill your self-complex.
14. Best For Personal Finance: Rich Dad, Poor Dad
Overview:
Translated into multiple languages worldwide, Rich Dad Poor Dad is the best personal finance book by finance author Robert Kiyosaki based on his childhood experiences with his two dads- Poor Dad (his biological father) and Rich dad (father of his best friend).
The book comprises all the great learnings about success and money Robert learned from his two fathers that every parent and child must understand to succeed in life.
Review:
Written in a thought-provoking tone, the book teaches you to change your work & success mindset. Our whole life, we keep working for money, but ideally, we should let money work for ourselves, and for that, we need to invest in financial literacy.
15. Best Human Psychology: Influence
- Author: Robert B. Cialdini
- Pages: 336
- Genre: Marketing for Small Businesses
Overview:
Influencing people and protecting yourself from getting influenced by the wrong people is an art. You can learn this art from this classic psychological masterpiece by Robert B. Cialdini.
The book explains the psychology of why people say “yes” and how you can apply six psychological principles to influence people in your everyday life.
Review:
A fascinating and enlightening read for all those who want to understand the psychology behind influence and persuasion. The six principles of persuasion briefed by the author are thought-provoking and will surely transform your mindset and lifestyle.
Conclusion
Here we end with our complete list of best life-changing books after reading which your life won’t remain the same anymore. Usually, when people hear about self-help books or life-changing novels, they think that they will be boring or ineffective, but we can bet that you won’t feel the same with our recommendations mentioned above as all of them are super-impactful and engaging.
So, all the book-lovers out there, don’t forget to add these positive life-changing books to your “To Be Read (TBR)” list and be with us for the best book recommendations and updates.