Hi friends! I imagine many of you, like me, are still finishing up your holiday shopping, and what better present to give someone than the gift of insight, peace, joy, and healing? The seven books below are some of my recent favorites, and I’m sure they’d be a wonderful addition to your loved ones’ libraries—or your own!
All for Love: The Transformative Power of Holding Space by Matt Kahn
It makes my heart so happy to see that Matt Kahn’s All for Love is a #1 bestseller because I truly believe the world would be a better place if we could all see the world through his eyes and act from that place of wise, loving awareness. And I so appreciate how he shares his own story with unflinching vulnerability while empowering us all to be a source of comfort and healing to each other.
It’s not easy to navigate relationships with wounded people when we, ourselves, are also wounded. Matt offers a powerful blueprint for compassionate connection so we can all offer ourselves—and each other—the kindness, respect, and validation we need to heal and thrive.
Good Inside: A Guide to Becoming the Parent You Want to Be by Becky Kennedy
Dr. Becky’s book is, hands-down, the best parenting book I’ve ever read. As a huge proponent of positive parenting, I love the focus on remembering our kids’ basic goodness—even as their behavior may be challenging—and the reminder to see our own goodness as we face our many triggers and imperfections as people and parents.
Whether you have young children, like me (one and three!), boundary-pushing teens, or kids of any age in between, Good Inside can help you raise resilient, confident, emotionally healthy children, leading with connection, empathy, and respect.
Making Great Relationships: Simple Practices for Solving Conflicts, Building Connections, and Fostering Love by Rick Hanson
This one isn’t actually on sale yet, but it’s available for pre-order, with two wonderful bonus gifts, and as a huge Rick Hanson fan I had to add it to the list! You might already be familiar with Rick’s work and his truly life-changing resources related to positive brain change.
Grounded in brain science and clinical psychology, his latest book offers fifty simple yet powerful practices to help you handle conflicts, repair misunderstandings, get treated better, deepen a romantic partnership, be at peace with others, and give the love that you have in your heart.
Our Book of Awesome: A Celebration of the Small Joys That Bring Us Together by Neil Pasricha
I remember when Neil Pasricha first started the blog 1000 Awesome Things. Like many of us, I couldn’t get enough of his infectious appreciation for the little things that many of us take for granted. Every post was a reminder that life is full of opportunities for joy disguised as ordinary moments.
Neil has an amazing talent for finding the good and beauty in pretty much anything, and this latest book is a wonderful addition to his collection. With comments, letters, and submissions from readers around the world, this one not only reminds us that life is pretty awesome, but that people are pretty awesome too.
Remember: A Little Book of Courage, Comfort, and Hope by Paul Boynton
I’ve recently discovered Paul Boynton’s work and connected with him personally, and I’m now a diehard fan and supporter. He’s not only a talented and inspiring writer but also a lovely and genuinely kind human being.
His latest book Remember: A Little Book of Courage, Comfort, and Hope perfectly reflects his authentic spirit and positive outlook. It’s relatable, inspiring, and encouraging, and it’s easily digestible, with short passages to help you start or end your day feeling calm and optimistic. If you’re looking for life-changing wisdom and gentle reassurance to keep your spirits lifted, Paul Boynton has you covered.
Trusting the Gold: Uncovering Your Natural Goodness by Tara Brach
It’s not always easy to believe in our own goodness, or other people’s. It feels more natural to judge ourselves harshly and live cynically guarded, with a sense of separation.
Psychologist and meditation teacher Tara Brach has an amazing gift for helping us all see the gold in humanity so we can find the immense peace and healing that live on the other side of shame and judgment. With vulnerability, humility, and humor—and beautiful illustrations—Trusting the Gold is a much-needed reminder that we all need and deserve compassion, and we’re all pure love at our core.
Tiny Buddha’s Inner Strength Journal, Lori Deschene (me!)
Excuse the shameless self-promotion, but I’m not just proud of my latest journal, I’m also confident it can help you feel more confident in your ability to handle whatever life throws at you. With prompts, challenges, and colorable quote pages, it’s a creative tool to help you access the part of you that’s stronger than whatever you’re going through.
You’ll identify the mental blocks that keep you down and stuck, develop greater emotional awareness so you’re no longer controlled by your feelings, establish healthy habits for your physical well-being, and find strength through spirituality—whatever that means for you personally.
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I hope you found something in the list above that spoke to you! And I’m excited to share that some of the authors are also contributors to the upcoming Tiny Buddha Best You, Best Life Bundle Sale (launching for ten days on January 2nd).
The sale will offer eighteen self-development offerings, mostly eCourses, for the price of one, to help you build a healthier, happier mind, increase your self-esteem, calm your nervous system, make peace with your body, develop emotional resilience, find your calling, and more!
To help build awareness for this exciting, time-limited package, I’m running a giveaway, from now through January 1st) offering a bundle (valued at $97) to five lucky winners—and a MacBook Air as a grand prize (to access all these life-changing resources). You can enter and learn ways to get extra entries here.
Happy holidays, friends!
