Recommended Reading
I have made myself limit this list to a few favourites in each category, for if I didn’t, the list could grow very long! Reading is a source of great joy for me and here are a few of my personal favourites.
On Parenting
This classic book is written by two mom’s who share practical insights for improving communication and parenting skills. It is illustrated by comics, easy to read and one I can’t recommend strongly enough.
Are you feeling the pressure to ensure your kids do well? To enroll them in extra curricular activities so they don’t fall behind? Then this is the book for you! Packed full of information about how young children learn, this book can ease your mind about the need to push your child into academic or formalized learning. It offers many suggestions for activities to try with your children at home.
Colorosso highlights the difference between brick wall families, jelly fish families and back bone families in this practical manual for disciplining children. Her approach is humourous and easy to read and often find myself repeating her words – like “is this life threatening or morally threatening?
My latest favourite. Cohen highlights how children use play to process complex emotions and how parents can use play to build strong bonds with their children. A psychologist and play therapist, Cohen’s stories are inspiring and I have found his ideas relevant and applicable.
On Relationships
Difficult Conversations: How To Discuss What Matters Most. By Douglas Stone, Bruce Patton and Sheila Heen.
You know that sinking feeling you get in your stomach when your mind chews over “do I say something or not?” This book helps untangle those dreaded conversations. It looks at the three layers of a conversation, helps you manage strong emotions and identifies assumptions that might be keeping you stuck.
The Seven Principles For Making Marriage Work. by John Gottman Ph.D.
John Gottman studies marriage and is truly an expert on relationships. He can predict with 91% accuracy which couples will divorce and which will still be together in three years, just from watching a few minutes of a couples’ fight! His research astounds me and I would love to see this book mandatory reading for everyone.
The Triumphant Marriage: 100 Extremely Successful Couples Reveal Their Secrets. by Neil Clark Warren, Ph.D.
This book comes from a survey of 100 couples who are examples of healthy, successful marriages and it is refreshing in its focus on the positive rather than problems. In the beginning chapter, the author promises your marriage could become 10% better in the next year and his claim proved to be true for Julian and I. Warren draws on 30 years as a marriage counselor and he provides many practical ideas as well as inspiring examples.
Fierce Conversations: Achieving Success at Work and Life, One Conversation at a time. By Susan Scott.
This book is easy to read and has clear language that succinctly gets to the heart of powerful conversation. Scott highlights the power of being honest in our communication, and gives practical advice on overcoming barriers to meaningful communication.
On Life
Taming Your Gremlin: A Surprisingly Simple Method For Getting Out Of Your Own Way. by Rick Carson
The concept of our self defeating tendencies as “gremlins” is a helpful one and this book has many insightful activities. When we can think of our internal critic as a named character, it can make it easier to be clear about what is that characters chatter and your true feelings are.
Simple Abundance: A Day Book Of Comfort And Joy. by Sarah Ban Breathnach
With a page for each day of the year, this elegant book is full of new perspectives and is packed with tips for appreciating the beauty of the everyday. It is a great resource for busy moms who want something they can read in chunks, and support with being in the moment.
The Success Principles: How To Get From Where You Are To Where You Want To Be. By Jack Canfield with Janet Switzer.
This book is like an encyclopedia or Coles notes of the best self help literature out there. If you only have time to read one book, this would be the one. Its not the sort of book that needs to be read cover to cover, so don’t be intimidated by its size.
Fear The Fear And Do It Anyways. By Susan Jeffers
This book has been really life changing for me. Jeffers points out how often our fear of something is more crippling that the eventuality of it happening! All fears come down to believing we can’t handle something, she tells us. Another book I would love to see as mandatory reading for all!
The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. By Stephen R. Covey.
This book is a classic and if you have not already read it, please do! Covey’s ideas about a mission statement, the four quadrants of time management, the emotional bank account and more are classic resources.
Change or Die: The Three Keys to Change at Work and in Life. By Alan Deutschman
I had to squeeze this one in as it is so relevant to coaching. Deutschman explores heart patients, convicts and others who have successfully made and sustained dramatic changes. His keys to successful change will surprise you, and offer you new insights into how to support your own change.
On Money
Your Money Or Your Life. by Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin
How much are things really worth to you? How much do you really net from your job? This little volumes asks some really hard questions about the role money plays in our lives.
Secrets Of Six Figure Women. by Barbara Stanny
This book really opened my eyes to some of the assumptions and beliefs I was holding about money. In contrasting under-earners with six figure earners, Stanny illuminates the mindset needed to embrace abundance.
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