Robin Sharma’s The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari, originally published in 1999, is a self-help book that fits snugly into the “business fable” pool of literature, which includes books containing motivational advice intended primarily to assist people in their careers or to improve specific aspects of the workplace, like management culture. This book tells the story of Julian Mantle, a workaholic lawyer who leaves his career to go on a journey of discovery in India... Read The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari Summary

“The Moral Bucket List” is an essay by David Brooks first published in the New York Times Op-Ed Section on April 11, 2015. Born in Toronto and raised in New York, Brooks is a prominent cultural journalist, political analyst, and book author. Since 2003, he has written a twice-weekly column for the New York Times, and since 2004, he has been a political analyst for PBS NewsHour. “The Moral Bucket List” is an adapted excerpt... Read The Moral Bucket List Summary

In The Mountain Is You: Transforming Self-Sabotage Into Self-Mastery, noted writer and emotional intelligence thought leader Brianna Wiest tackles the psychological barriers that often hinder individuals from realizing their full potential. Originally published in 2020, this work falls under the genre of self-help and personal development, with a particular focus on overcoming self-destructive habits to attain emotional well-being and self-mastery. The book has garnered considerable acclaim for its insights into the journey from self-sabotage to... Read The Mountain Is You Summary

The Myth of Normal is a 2022 work of psychology, medicine, and social critique by Gabor Maté, a Canadian Hungarian author and physician, co-authored with Maté's son, Daniel. The book investigates why Western nations have seen a rise in health problems, such as diabetes and auto-immune diseases, despite the vast resources invested in their healthcare systems. Maté addresses this question by looking at the nature of Western culture, medicine, and childcare. He argues that the... Read The Myth of Normal Summary

The New One Minute Manager (Scribd digital edition) is a business manager’s leadership guide. Though originally published as a best seller in 1982, the authors—Ken Blanchard, PhD and Spencer Johnson, MD—released an updated version of the text for contemporary times in 2015, incorporating philosophies that reflect modern trends and techniques for today’s business leadership. Considered influential figures in business and management, the co-authors wrote the story as a fictional parable (a short and simple tale... Read The New One Minute Manager Summary

The Next Day: Transitions, Change, and Moving Forward by Melinda French Gates is a memoir and self-help guide published by Flatiron Books in 2025. French Gates brings extensive expertise to this exploration of life transitions through her roles as a global philanthropist, businesswoman, and advocate for women and girls who has led efforts to create social change, including co-chairing the Gates Foundation for more than two decades and founding Pivotal Ventures in 2015. The memoir... Read The Next Day Summary

The Obesity Code: Unlocking the Secrets of Weight Loss is a work of nonfiction by Dr. Jason Fung, a Canadian nephrologist and expert in intermittent fasting. Founder of The Fasting Method, Fung argues that intermittent fasting, combined with a diet low in refined carbohydrates and high in natural fats, combats obesity and obesity-related diseases, notably, type 2 diabetes. Drawing on decades of clinical experience and secondary research, Fung debunks deeply engrained myths surrounding obesity, presenting... Read The Obesity Code Summary

The Obstacle Is the Way: The Timeless Art of Turning Trials Into Triumph (2014) is a self-help book by American author Ryan Holiday. Holiday identifies three aspects of confronting obstacles: “Perception,” “Action,” and “Will.” Weaving Stoic philosophy with historical and contemporary anecdotes, Holiday argues that people can turn obstacles into opportunities by changing their perceptions of their problems. Holiday points to role models such as former American president and general Dwight D. Eisenhower, American aviator... Read The Obstacle is the Way Summary

Gary Keller’s nonfiction book The ONE Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results (2012) conveys Keller’s business, life principles, and advice on goal setting, prioritization, focusing, and discovering purpose. As the founder and chairman of the board of the global real estate corporation Keller Williams Realty, Inc., Keller has devoted much time and attention to distilling principles for professional success, personal well-being, and overall fulfillment. He co-authored the book, along with others, with Jay... Read The One Thing Summary

The Other Side of Change: Who We Become When Life Makes Other Plans (2026), Maya Shankar’s work of popular psychology and personal development, explores how individuals adapt to abrupt, unwanted changes. Utilizing her background as a cognitive scientist and podcast host, the book includes reported real-life experiences and behavioral science concepts to examine identity change, grief, uncertainty, rumination, attachment, self-compassion, and meaning-making. It is written for a general audience and specifically for those interested in... Read The Other Side of Change Summary

The Oz Principle: Getting Results Through Individual and Organizational Accountability (1994) by Craig Hickman, Tom Smith, and Roger Connors is a self-help guide to accountability as a strategy for getting results at the workplace. The book is especially geared toward business leaders, but it also has appeal for employees at all levels at any organization. The authors often extend their arguments into the realm of popular culture. As the title suggests, the authors integrate themes... Read The Oz Principle Summary

The Paradox of Choice: Why More is Less: How the Culture of Abundance Robs Us of Satisfaction (2004) is a nonfiction book by American psychologist Barry Schwartz. Schwartz argues that modern Americans are facing a “choice overload” in everything from clothing and grocery items to deeper decisions about work, romance, and identity. Rather than liberating Americans from their constraints, this myriad of options burdens them with time-consuming analysis, regret, self-doubt, and social comparison, and even... Read The Paradox of Choice Summary

The Personal MBA: Master the Art of Business, by Josh Kaufman, is a comprehensive guide to mastering essential business principles without the need for a formal master’s of business administration. First published in 2010, the book speaks to entrepreneurs, professionals, and independent learners seeking practical, experience-based mastery of how businesses work. Kaufman distills the fundamentals of management, marketing, systems, and psychology into a unified framework for understanding value creation and organizational success. He challenges the... Read The Personal MBA Summary

The Person You Mean to Be: How Good People Fight Bias is a work of nonfiction by Dolly Chugh, an award-winning social psychologist and management professor at New York University’s Stern School of Business. Interweaving stories and science, Chugh redefines what it means to be a good person, focusing not on the binary categories “good” and “bad” but instead on being “good-ish,” or receptive to learning. Grounded in scholarship, while using accessible language, voice, and... Read The Person You Mean to Be Summary

The Pivot Year: 365 Days to Become the Person You Want to Be by Brianna Wiest is a paradigm-shifting guide designed to help individuals navigate personal transformation over a year. Published in 2023, Wiest opens her book with the line, “I hope this year you change your life” (p. 0). Through 365 meditations, the book encourages readers to bridge the gap between their current state and their aspirations, uncovering and connecting with their true selves. Wiest... Read The Pivot Year Summary

Charles Duhigg’s The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business investigates the science behind habit formation in the human brain. Drawing on corporate case studies and pioneering scientific experiments, Duhigg analyzes how individuals, organizations, and societies can use the knowledge of habit formation to change their behaviors. Published in 2012 by Random House, the nonfiction book has reached a broad public readership and landed on the New York Times... Read The Power of Habit Summary

In The Power of Moments: Why Certain Experiences Have an Extraordinary Impact, published in 2017, Chip Heath and Dan Heath demonstrate how specific experiences become “defining moments,” and describe how individuals and organizations can create more of those. Using evidence from the fields of education, healthcare, hospitality, and workplace settings, this book is designed for those in positions of leadership, educators, service professionals, and parents interested in developing practical methods to enhance motivation, loyalty, and... Read The Power of Moments Summary

The Power of Now is a 1997 spiritual self-help book by Eckhart Tolle. This work launched Tolle from obscurity to world fame, as it quickly became popular after its first printing by Namaste Publishing in Vancouver, BC. After being recommended by Oprah Winfrey, The Power of Now became a bestseller and has been published in 30 languages. Tolle explains how to attain contentment and enlightenment by quieting the noise of the thinking mind and the... Read The Power of Now Summary

The Power of One More: The Ultimate Guide to Happiness and Success by Ed Mylett is a self-help book published in 2022 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. The book is a combination of advice related to personal development, performance, and business. The “one more” philosophy is a mindset in which one always strives to put in additional effort on any given task, no matter how small. The one more philosophy also encompasses types of... Read The Power of One More Summary

The Power of Positive Leadership: How and Why Positive Leaders Transform Teams and Organizations and Change the World (2017) is a self-help book by best-selling author, speaker, and consultant Jon Gordon. The book provides a practical framework for leaders in all areas to inspire and motivate their organizations by cultivating a positive mindset. Through real-world examples and actionable strategies, Gordon demonstrates how positivity drives organizational success, resilience, and meaningful change in both leaders and their... Read The Power Of Positive Leadership Summary