Transformative Books to Shift Your Mindset

Any book can transform how you see the world, see yourself, or see others. It doesn’t matter if it is fiction, a memoir, a collection of stories, or a self-help guide, transformative books are there to act as a catalysis for change and growth in the reader. 

Oftentimes people reach for transformative books when they are looking to improve some aspect of themselves. They may be looking for guidance or comfort during difficult times. They may want to build resilience for when they take on new challenges. Perhaps they could be looking for a bit of wisdom to guide their path forward.
 

Then there are the books that spark creativity, foster empathy and understanding, and offer a new perspective that readers can stumble upon. These books don’t necessarily announce themselves as transformative, but the effect is still the same. Who knows what a memoir can teach you about other people’s lives? Can a novel change how you view regret.

Grab your glass of wine, grab your book club, grab your favorite chair, and dive into these truly transformative books. Each one is paired with a set of discussion questions to consider as you read. 

entertain, teach, and help shift your mindset.

The Book of Alchemy: A Creative Practice for an Inspired Life

by Suleika Jaouad

AN NPR BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR

From the time she was young, Suleika Jaouad has kept a journal. She's used it to mark life's biggest occasions and to weather its most ferocious storms. Journaling has buoyed her through illness, heartbreak, and the deepest uncertainty. And she is not alone: for so many people, keeping a journal is an essential tool for navigating both the personal peaks and valleys and the collective challenges of modern life. More than ever, we need a space for puzzling through.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

1. Did The Book of Alchemy ignite or reignite reflection and creativity?
2. Which of the 10 themes explored in the book did you feel was most relevant? Do you have a story you can share that relates to that theme?
3. A major motif in the book is transformation, hence “Alchemy.” What other motifs did you find across the different stories?
4. If you had to choose to create a daily practice and commit to it for at least 100 days, what would you choose and what creative medium would you use?

The Goodbye Process: Stories

by Mary Jones

A National Bestseller!

Longlisted for the PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize for Debut Short Story Collection

What happens when you are forced to let go of the things you love the most? What are you left with?

In this stunning debut short story collection, Mary Jones uses her distinctive voice to examine the painful and sometimes surreal ways we say goodbye. The stories--which range from tender and heartbreaking to unsettling and darkly funny--are connected by the central theme of letting go.

A woman camps out on the porch of an ex-lover who has barricaded himself inside; a preteen girl caught shoplifting lands in grave danger; a man hires a professional mourner to ensure his wife's funeral is a success. Time and again, Jones's characters find themselves facing the ends of things: relationships, health, and innocence.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

1. Which of the stories from The Goodbye Process speak most to you and in what ways? Is it also the story that you enjoyed the most?
2. How would you categorize the different types of goodbyes mentioned in this book? Are there any you can empathize with more than others?
3. What is the most memorable or most beautiful goodbye you’ve experienced in your own life?
4. How have these stories changed how you see your past goodbyes? What about how you will approach new ones?

Feel-Good Productivity: How to Do More of What Matters to You

by Ali Abdaal

The secret to productivity isn't discipline. It's joy.

We think that productivity is all about hard work. That the road to success is lined with endless frustration and toil. But what if there's another way?

Dr Ali Abdaal - the world's most-followed productivity expert - has uncovered an easier and happier path to success. Drawing on decades of psychological research, he has found that the secret to productivity and success isn't grind - it's feeling good. If you can make your work feel good, then productivity takes care of itself.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

1. Has Feel-Good Productivity changed your views on hard work and hustle culture?
2. Which of these strategies are you looking forward to trying? What do you hope to achieve?
3. How has your thoughts and opinions on procrastination changed after reading?
4. Which of the three Ps - play, power, and people - do you currently lean on the most and which one do you need to better develop?

Becoming

by Michelle Obama

Now in paperback--the intimate, powerful, and inspiring memoir by the former First Lady of the United States, featuring a new introduction by Michelle Obama, a letter from the author to her younger self, and a book club guide with 20 discussion questions and a 5-question Q&A

In a life filled with meaning and accomplishment, Michelle Obama has emerged as one of the most iconic and compelling women of our era. As First Lady of the United States of America--the first African American to serve in that role--she helped create the most welcoming and inclusive White House in history, while also establishing herself as a powerful advocate for women and girls in the U.S. and around the world, dramatically changing the ways that families pursue healthier and more active lives, and standing with her husband as he led America through some of its most harrowing moments. Along the way, she showed us a few dance moves, crushed Carpool Karaoke, and raised two down-to-earth daughters under an unforgiving media glare.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

1. The beginning of the books has an unexpected beginning. Why do you think she chose to start her memoir that way? What do you think it was that she wanted to convey to readers?
2. If you could ask Michelle Obama one question after reading her book, what would it be?
3. The book discusses a lot of difficult topics that are often seen as taboo to talk about openly, such as marriage counseling and infertility. What are your thoughts on how Michelle Obama discusses her experience with these issues? 
4. At the end of the book, she says that she’s “never been a fan of politics,” which is clear throughout the book. Did this surprise you to learn? Why do you think she feels this way?

The Midnight Library

by Matt Haig

The #1 New York Times bestselling WORLDWIDE phenomenon 

Winner of the Goodreads Choice Award for Fiction A Good Morning America Book Club Pick Independent (London) Ten Best Books of the Year

Somewhere out beyond the edge of the universe there is a library that contains an infinite number of books, each one the story of another reality. One tells the story of your life as it is, along with another book for the other life you could have lived if you had made a different choice at any point in your life. While we all wonder how our lives might have been, what if you had the chance to go to the library and see for yourself? Would any of these other lives truly be better?

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

1. The Midnight Library is different for everyone who enters. What do you think yours would be and who would be there?
2. Consider the Book of Regrets. Do you think that by imagining how our lives might have turned out differently, regrets fade away or do we learn to live with them?
3. Do you think you could live as an alternate version of yourself? Would you want to? Do you think the current version of yourself would seem appealing to alternate you?
4. This story uses books as literal portals. Do you think the role of books in the Midnight Library is similar to the role of books in your real life?

Untamed: Reese's Book Club

by Glennon Doyle

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - OVER THREE MILLION COPIES SOLD! "Packed with incredible insight about what it means to be a woman today."--Reese Witherspoon (Reese's Book Club Pick)

This is how you find yourself.

There is a voice of longing inside each woman. We strive so mightily to be good: good partners, daughters, mothers, employees, and friends. We hope all this striving will make us feel alive. Instead, it leaves us feeling weary, stuck, overwhelmed, and underwhelmed. We look at our lives and wonder: Wasn't it all supposed to be more beautiful than this? We quickly silence that question, telling ourselves to be grateful, hiding our discontent--even from ourselves.

For many years, Glennon Doyle denied her own discontent. Then, while speaking at a conference, she looked at a woman across the room and fell instantly in love. Three words flooded her mind: There She Is. At first, Glennon assumed these words came to her from on high. But she soon realized they had come to her from within. This was her own voice--the one she had buried beneath decades of numbing addictions, cultural conditioning, and institutional allegiances. This was the voice of the girl she had been before the world told her who to be. Glennon decided to quit abandoning herself and to instead abandon the world's expectations of her. She quit being good so she could be free. She quit pleasing and started living.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

1. Throughout the book, Glennon consistently returns to the image of water and metaphors of fluidity. Why do you think water imagery is important in this book? What do you think she means by “stay fluid”?
2. “We forgot how to know when we learned how to please.” Does this statement feel true to you? Do you ever find yourself ignoring your instincts just to please others or society?
3. Throughout the book, Glennon returns to stories or ideas again and again. What new perspective does she bring to these stories when she returns to them?
4. Glennon writes, “to live a life of her own, each woman must answer: What do I love? What makes me come alive? What is beauty to me and how do I take time to fill up with it?” Consider those questions. How would you answer them?