Looking for a book that will make you see the world differently? It’s a tall order, but there are incredible reads that have that power.
By no means is this an exhaustive list, nor is it intended to be viewed as a roundup of “best books ever.” What follows is a considered roundup of powerful reads, from adored classics to insightful autobiographies, self-help guides and children’s favourites. Depending on the stage of life that you’re at and the goals you want to achieve, these books could have long-lasting resonance and life-changing impact.
A book to read to your baby: Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney and Anita Jeram
This much-cherished picture book tells the timeless tale of the tender bond between Big Nutbrown Hare and Little Brown Hare. Guess How Much I Love You is beautifully illustrated, has a lovely lasting message and inspires warm and fuzzy feelings in all who read it.
An enduring favourite that you’ll come back to long after your baby is out of baby grows.
A book to inspire little people to be who they want to be: Stories for Kids Who Dare to Be Different: True Tales of Amazing People Who Stood Up and Stood Out by Ben Brooks
This standout compilation of stories honours real-life heroes (both well-known and not so well known) who refused to conform to convention, followed their dreams and both challenged and changed the world for the better while doing so.
If you want to teach your children that age-old gender stereotypes are theirs to shatter, that diversity and inclusivity are to be celebrated and that it’s more than possible to overcome adversity and thrive while doing so, this is the book for you (and them).
A book that you should encourage your teen to read: To Kill a Mocking Birr by Harper Lee
Despite being written well over sixty years ago, Harper Lee’s subtle yet complex heart wrenching classic about growing up, racism and justice is as important a read today as it ever was.
If you haven’t read To Kill a Mocking Bird since you were at school, it is well worth returning to.
A book that will make parents of young children feel seen: Dummy: The Comedy and Chaos of Real-Life Parenting by Matt Coyne
There are plenty of parenting guides out there, more sleep manuals than sleep-deprived mums and dads know what to do with and enough weaning books to keep sweet potato sales soaring, but sometimes when you’re immersed in the chaotic, oft-baffling and of course wonderfully exhilarating world of young parenthood what you really need is a good laugh (and to know that you’re not the only one).
Filled with advice (a mix of the impractical and the insightful), hilarious anecdotes and heartfelt observations, this is a book to first devour then share with all your friends who are also riding the life-with-a-newborn/toddler storm.
A book that will have a positive and practical impact on your life: How to Cook Everything: 2000 Simple Recipes for Great Food by Mark Bittman
We all love restaurants, but the importance of having some sort of base knowledge of how to cook cannot be overestimated.
Not only is cooking from scratch largely healthier and cheaper than relying on convenience foods or take out, experts agree that families who regularly eat homecooked meals together tend to have stronger relationships and a better overall attitude towards food.
Cooking doesn’t come easy to all though, which is where a comprehensive, aimed-at-home-cooks tome like former New York Times columnist and food expert Mark Bittman’s comes in. As a reference book this one is indispensable, packed with straightforward advice and recipes that call for simple ingredients, basic techniques and minimal equipment.
A book that will make you a better leader: Leading by Alex Ferguson
Arguably the greatest manager in British football history, Alex Ferguson might be a divisive personality but he sure knows a thing or two about successfully leading a team. As direct and no-nonsense as you’d expect from the straight-talking Scot, Leading focuses on the key skills that Sir Alex identifies as fundamentally important to good leadership: teamwork, motivation, delegation and the ability to deal with failure among them.
While the majority of stories he draws upon to illustrate his points relate to football this book is about far more than sport, offering valuable lessons and practical, clear insights that can be applied to any leader in pretty much any profession.
A book that we should all read: We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Personal and powerful, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s acclaimed, eloquently argued short essay (adapted from the TED talk of the same name) offers a thoughtful, impactful exploration on the subject of gender equality, what it means to be a woman now and why, as the title asserts, we should all be feminists.
The author of the Orange Prize-winning novel Half of a Yellow Sun shares her arguments, real-life experiences and mandates for the future in such a concise, coherent, convincing fashion that the book cannot fail to resonate. And at just 52-pages long, there’s no reason why we all shouldn’t read and learn from it.
A book for when you’ve lost your reading spark: The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
If it’s been a while since you dipped your toes in literary waters and you need a book recommendation that will reignite (or even ignite) a love for reading, only a truly captivating, entirely unforgettable one will do.
Khaled Hosseini’s bestselling novel The Kite Runner tells a heartbreaking tale of friendship, betrayal and ultimately redemption and ticks all the right boxes here: artfully written yet still accessible to the average reader, face paced and utterly engaging from the start and at under 400 pages it isn’t offputtingly long either. Most importantly of all though, this is a brilliant book destined to leave readers at times thrilled and at others deeply moved.
A book that will streamline your life: The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo
If you’re yet to join the Marie Kondo-led cleaning up, clearing out revolution but have an inkling that your life would benefit from a certain amount of decluttering, it might be time to give The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up a read.
Kondo’s six-rule philosophy – trademarked as the KonMari Method – is not, as any Konvert will tell you, a quick-fix, quick-tidy solution. Instead, it’s a considered commitment to simplifying and organising your entire life, beginning by imagining your ideal lifestyle and discarding the physical items that are surplus to that – or to use one of Kondo’s most-repeated phrases those that don’t “spark joy”.
A book to help you get dressed: Get Changed: Finding the new you through fashion by Kat Farmer
Yes, we know you know exactly how to dress yourself. But for any person who has ever stood in front of any open wardrobe filled with clothes and found nothing to wear, or felt like somewhere along the way their own sense of self and as a result their personal style, had been lost, this warmly written, funny, insightful and above all hugely helpful manual is invaluable.
Written in an easy-to-devour fashion in the form of a recipe book (prep, ingredients, method)
Get Changed offers a step-by-step guide to assembling a wardrobe of clothes that make you feel good and promises to do a whole lot more for your self-esteem than just change the way you dress.
A standout autobiography: Becoming by Michelle Obama
Michelle Obama’s autobiography was always destined to be a best-seller – how could it not be when it offered insights into life married to an American president and how living in the White House really plays out.
While the book certainly does address those questions (spoiler: Michelle didn’t want Barack to run for president), Becoming is about much more than that and has a depth, intensity, intelligence and lasting impact that more than justifies the book sales (touching 15 million worldwide).
This is an honest, reflective, hugely resonating tale of overcoming adversity, dealing with racism, navigating both family and working life on an international stage, championing the rights of women around the world and inspiring millions of people to make changes to their life for the better.
A book that will make you consider the fragility of life and the importance of making every moment count: When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi
This raw yet illuminating, educational yet emotional, hugely poignant memoir powerfully documents the last 22-months of Dr. Paul Kalanithi’s life. Written as he was dying and just before he could qualify as a neurosurgeon (Kalanithi was in the final stages of his 10-year training when he was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer), When Breathe Becomes Air is a thoughtful, moving mediation on the fragility of life, the crushing certainty of death, the reversal of roles when a doctor becomes a patient and the importance of the things that bring true happiness – love, family, art, literature, fulfilling experiences.
