The holidays are coming and if you are like me you are still wondering what to get for friends and family. A good book will never go out of style. If you have a friend that needs to work a little bit more on her confidence then I have the book for you. Or if your father in law is trying to get in shape for the new year I have a great recommendation for how he can establish the habits necessary to get moving in a new direction. Or maybe, secretly you are getting a little bored with your job. Then my first recommendation is perfect for you. Whoever you are shopping for there is a book on this list that they would love to have. Happy shopping!

1. The Work, Searching for a Life that Matters by Wes Moore

This is the autobiography of Wes Moore who is a Rhodes Scholar, graduate of Johns Hopkins University and he also served in the war in Afghanistan. It is about how to live a life that matters. One of my favourite quotes in the book is from an anthropologist named David Graeber who said that: “huge swathes of people in Europe and North America in particular, spend their entire working lives performing tasks they secretly believe do not really need to be performed”. I know that I have felt this way in the past and I am sure that you have too.

The book takes you along Moore’s journey to find meaningful work and it can help you do that as well.

Buy it here.

2. Getting There, A Book of Mentors by Gillian Zoe Segal

This book shares tidbits of the life stories of several widely successful people including Warren Buffet, Anderson Cooper, Michael Bloomberg and Sara Blakely. The book includes short profiles of each of these individuals including information on how they built their successful careers, how they dealt with self doubt and adversity as they were climbing the ladder as well as their advice for others. The book dispels the notion that highly successful people have a smooth ascent to the top.

One of my favourite quotes from this book is from Warren Buffet who said: “one of the best things you can do in life is to surround yourself with people who are better than you are. High-grade people. You will end up behaving more like them, and they, in turn, will get it back from you. It’s like a planetary system. If you hang around with people who behave worse than you, pretty soon you’ll start being pulled in that direction. That’s just the way it seems to work. Who you choose to associate with matters.”

Buy it here

3. The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin

This book is about how we can live happier lives. Over the course of a year Rubin outlines the specific projects she undertakes each month in order to cultivate happiness. In one month she focuses on reducing clutter. In another month she focuses on making three new friends. Since Rubin’s research showed that challenge and novelty are key elements of happiness as a way to challenge herself she decided to start a blog.

Her book offers many examples of things you can do to be happier. One of my favourite quotes from this book is “act the way [you] want to feel”.

Buy it here

4. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

This book is about a young boy who travels away from his home in search of a hidden treasure that is supposed to make him a rich man. Along the way the boy is tested many times as he struggles to fulfill what is described in the book as his personal legend. If you need any inspiration to follow your heart and go after your dreams this book is for you.

One of my favourite quotes in this book is: “when you want something all the universe conspires in helping you achieve it.”

Buy it here

5. The Moment of Lift by Melinda Gates

Melinda Gates believes that if we can help lift up all women we will change the world. But as she discusses in this book there are a lot of forces pushing women down today. The book discusses many of the challenges facing women particularly in the poorest regions of the world including a lack of contraception, deep poverty, a lack of education and a lack of equality.

Gates tells the stories of these women. For example while in India, Gates asks a woman if she wants to have more children. The woman responds: “the truth is no, I don’t want to have any more kids. We’re very poor. My husband works hard, but we are extremely poor. I don’t know how I’m going to feed this child. I have no hopes for educating him. In fact I have no hopes for this child’s future at all.” “The only hope I have for this child’s future is if you’ll take him home with you.”

The book provides a sobering wakeup call about how much work needs to be done to empower women. It also discusses the work that the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation is doing to advance women’s causes.

One of my favourite quotes in this book is when Gates writes: ”when one person tells me a harsh truth, I can be sure that she’s speaking for others who aren’t as bold. It makes me pay better attention, and then I realize that others have been saying the same thing all along, just more softly. I haven’t heard it because I haven’t really been listening.”

Buy it here.

6. Leadership in Turbulent Times by Doris Kearns Goodwin

This book traces the life stories of four former US Presidents: Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Lyndon B. Johnson. The book starts in their childhood and discusses all of their major life events including how and when they became President. It discusses the adversity each President faced on their path to success. For example, Franklin D. Roosevelt suffered from polio but that did not stop him from pursuing his dream of becoming President. I found their stories inspiring and a reminder of what is possible with some faith, hard work and resilience.

One of my favourite quotes from this book is: "[Theodore Roosevelt] questioned if leadership success could be obtained by attaching oneself to a series of titled positions. If a person focused too much on a future that could not be controlled, he would become, Roosevelt acknowledged, too ‘careful, calculating, cautious in word and act'. Thereafter, [Roosevelt] would jettison long-term career calculations and focus simply on whatever job opportunity came his way.”

Buy it here.

7. The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg

This book is about how if you can change your habits you can change your entire life. According to Duhigg if you want to lose weight, for example, you should create new habits that promote weight loss such as going for a run as soon as you wake up every morning and then rewarding yourself with a smoothie later in the day. Over time the brain gets used to this routine and your behavior becomes more automatic.

According to research, rewards (within reason) are important because they crowd out the temptation to drop the routine. It sounds easier said than done but the book provides detailed guidance on the key parts of a routine that you need to establish to create a habit that sticks.

My favourite quote in the book is: “when a habit emerges, the brain stops fully participating in decision making. It stops working so hard or diverts focus to other tasks.”

Buy it here.

8. The Confidence Code: The Science and Art of Self-Assurance - What Women Should Know is by Katty Kay and Claire Shipman

People often think you are either born with or without confidence. But this book proves that thinking wrong. There are many ways you can increase your confidence. While this book is targeted at women anyone can benefit from its advice. The book contains a number of practical strategies for increasing your confidence including strategies for how to leave your comfort zone, minimize negative thoughts and how not to take things personally.

One of my favourite quotes from this book is “success correlates more closely with confidence than it does with competence.”

Buy it here

9. Grit, The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth

This book is about the secret to outstanding achievement. The secret is not talent but a special blend of passion and persistence which Duckworth calls “grit”. The people that are most successful are unusually resilient and hardworking. Even if they have to do things that are boring, frustrating, or even painful, they would never dream of giving up, their passion is enduring. The book provides many strategies for achieving enduring success and contains a grit scale which you can use to measure your or your team's grittiness.

One of my favourite quotes from this book is: “someone twice as talented but half as hardworking as another person might reach the same level of skill but still produce dramatically less over time…the striver who equals the person who is a natural in skill by working harder will, in the long run, accomplish more.”

Buy it here.

10. Mindset, The New Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck

Dweck writes about the two types of mindsets that exist within people: the fixed mindset and the growth mindset. People with a fixed mindset believe that if they have failed at something (i.e. a project at work or they didn’t get a job that they wanted) they will never achieve their goals. With a growth mindset failure doesn’t define you. It’s a problem to be faced, dealt with, and learned from. If you are struggling to achieve a personal or professional goal or learn something new this book can get you moving in the right direction.

One of my favourite quotes from the book is: "in the fixed mindset, everything is about the outcome. If you fail – or if you’re not the best – it’s all been wasted. The growth mindset allows people to value what they’re doing regardless of the outcome. They’re tackling problems, charting new courses, working on important issues."

Buy it here.

11. Shoe Dog by Phil Knight

Knight chronicles how he started what we know today as the Nike empire by borrowing $50 from his dad. The mission of his company when it launched in 1964 was to: import high-quality, low-cost running shoes from Japan. Knight believed that Japanese shoe brands could penetrate the US market and be priced to undercut Adidas resulting in a profitable venture. Knight began by selling Japanese branded shoes from the trunk of his car. In the first year of his business he made $8,000. That pales in comparison to the billions in annual sales that Nike now generates. The book is an inspiring story of how to turn a great idea into a global business.

One of my favourite quotes in this book is from Knight who said: "the world is made up of crazy ideas. History is one long processional of crazy ideas. The things I loved most – books, sports, democracy, free enterprise -started as crazy ideas" .

Buy it here

12. The Laws of Human Nature by Robert by Greene

This book provides deep insight into what motivates the actions of the people around us. Since business is really about people this book can provide you with more insight into the why behind the actions of your colleagues, customers and even yourself. It’s a great book to read if you are interested in getting better at managing and dealing with people. Instead of approaching challenging situations in the same old ways read this book and you will be surprised by how much you learn about human nature and how you can turn that knowledge into more successful relationships.

One of my favourite quotes in this book is: “the greatest danger you face is your general assumption that you really understand people and that you can quickly judge and categorize them. Instead, you must begin with the assumption that you are ignorant and that you have natural biases that will make you judge people incorrectly.”

Buy it here

Looking for a Holiday Gift? Here are 12 Timeless Book Recommendations