Book Recommendations from Best Mom Ideas

Over the last couple of weeks I have shared the benefits of parents making time to read (CLICK HERE), how parents can find time to read (CLICK HERE), and how to pick the right book to read (CLICK HERE). Now I would like to share some books that I have read and enjoyed, and thought you might like as well.

We all have different tastes in books, so please take into consideration that all of these books might not be a good fit for your particular interests or goals when it comes to reading. These are books that I have personally read and enjoyed. I am sharing them with you in case you need a good book to read as you begin or are on your reading journey. I intend to add more books to this list as I discover other books I enjoy.

Please feel free to add books you have read and enjoyed in the comments below. I am always looking for a good book, as I know many of my readers are too.

I put these titles in alphabetical order:

Beyond Tuesday Morning by Karen Kingsbury-This is the second book in the series. This is a fictional story about a widow from 9/11 who is still grieving, but with the help of her husband’s memories, she is opening herself to finding love again. It’s a book you don’t want to put down!

Brain Rules for Baby by John Medina-I’m a nerd and like to learn about how the brain develops and forms especially in childhood. This is a very interesting book that takes you through brain development from conception to age 5. Medina helps explain what scientists know about the brain during early childhood, and what parents should do to optimize it to raise a happy, independent adult.

Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins-This book is such an inspiring life story of David Goggins. (Note: There is a lot of cussing in this book because that is the way he talks, but if you can get past that you will be inspired.) He faced every nightmare you can imagine as a child, but pulled himself through to become a Navy SEAL, Army Ranger, Air Force Tactical Air Controller, and set records in many endurance races. Throughout the book, he teaches how to push past fear and pain and weaknesses to reach your full potential.

David and Goliath by Malcolm Gladwell-Malcolm Gladwell is a wonderful writer who shares the story of David and Goliath. The odds were stacked against David, but Malcolm makes us think about all the obstacles and disadvantages David had might’ve actually been advantages. He shares other stories like this about how disadvantages might really be someones advantage and advantages might be a disadvantage. It’s a great book to make you think about what your advantages in life are!

The Energy Bus by Jon Gordon-This is a fun and easy read! Gordon shares 10 secrets to positive thinking that can lead to a more successful life at home and at work. He does this through a fun story of a guy whose life continues to fall apart, but he meets a very enthusiastic, wise bus driver who shares her secrets with him on each ride.

Girl, Stop Apologizing by Rachel Hollis-This is a fun book to read! It’s like you are talking to your best friend. Rachel is going through every excuse you might use to not chase your dream, sharing personal stories of when she used the excuse, and telling you it is not an excuse. Although, I don’t agree with each excuse she talks about I do find this book inspiring and a great read.

Girl, Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis-This is Rachel’s first book. There is a lot of humor intertwined throughout his book. Rachel uses practical strategies that she used to move past the lies that held her, and hold many women, back from living a joy-filled life to inspire other women to reach their full potential.

Glow 15 by Naomi Whittel-I’ve watched a few interviews with Naomi and was in awe of her beautiful skin, so I decided to read her book to figure out how to get such radiant skin. I don’t follow the program in the book, but I did find many of the recommendations helpful and used them to tweak my own diet, sleep routine, and beauty habits to have more energy, glowing skin, and feel healthier. I liked learning how autophagy works and how to use it to benefit my life.

Glow Kids by Nicholas Kardaras-I highly recommend this book especially when we, as parents, are faced with the pressure to provide our children with technology. This book talks about the effects that screen-time has on developing brains…it’s not good. Kardaras shares some frightening, yet eye-opening, stories of children and the effects that screen-time had on them.

His Brain, Her Brain by Walt Larimore, MD and Barb Larimore-This is a really fun and educational read. Husband and wife teamed up to write this book. Walt explains how a male and female brain works, and then Barb comes in and puts his explanation in layman’s terms. This book really helped me understand my husband and myself better, like why I push the air brake in the passenger sit when he’s driving (women’s brain have different depth perception than men). But what was most profound when reading this was how much more I understand how my children think.  

I Will Teach You to Be Rich by Ramit Sethi-This book is not like most financial books that tell you how not to spend your money in order to save. Ramit gives financial advice on how to save your money and earn more money while spending your money on the things you love. He is a very down to earth guy that wants you to enjoy life now not just when you retire, but he helps explain how to save and spend so that you can live well now and in retirement.

One Tuesday Morning by Karen Kingsbury-This is the first book in the fictional series. It is a great romance story that commemorates the tragedy and heroes of 9/11. It’s a real tear-jerker, but who doesn’t need a good cry every now and then. I don’t want to give away too many details, but you should read it!

Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell-Malcolm Gladwell is such an amazing writer. He takes us on a journey through the lives of the best and brightest people and asks why are they successful. You’ll be surprised that it’s not that they are necessarily smarter than the average person. He is every good at considering every angle of their lives to see how they became successful. Such a great read!

The Self-Driven Child by Ned Johnson and Dr. William Stixrud-Bill is a neuropsychologist and Ned is an elite tutor. They work together to help stressed and unmotivated children turn their lives around. This book teaches parents about how to do the same for their child by giving children back control of their lives, but not giving up authority. They use real life examples to teach parents how to foster a self-motivated child.

Screamfree Parenting by Hal Edward Runkel-The title is a poor choice, but the content is excellent! This book is really about taking the focus off of controlling your children and their behavior, and instead learning to pause, calm yourself, and then respond to hopefully raise independent thinkers. When you remain calm, you are able to connect better with your kids to build respectful relationships that help reduce the stresses of parenting. Hal shares personal experiences, reflection questions, and writes like you are talking with a friend, so it’s an easy read that could benefit any family.

Smart Parenting, Smarter Kids by Dr. David Walsh- This book is talks about how connection, exercise, sleep, and nutrition all work together help form a bright child. Dr. Walsh talks about how to maximize the our parenting to develop a happy, healthy and smart child even when faced with unique challenges.

Sometimes You Win, Sometimes You Learn by John Maxwell-If you are just getting started on a road to personal growth then this is a good book to help get you in the correct mindset. Maxwell talks about how to losses into gains. He shares steps to win even when faced with problems and failures.

Teaching Kids to Think by Darlene Sweetland, PHD and Ron Stolberg, PHD-This book helped me realize that children today are raised on the bases that they can get answers or things instantly (instant gratification), and I was just enabling my children with this instant gratification instead of making them think and solve problems themselves. This book discusses five parent traps that many parents fall into—I think I fell into more than one. The Drs. talk about practical ways to avoid falling into these traps to raise kids that eventually become self-directed adults.

Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes-My guilty pleasure used to be watching Grey’s Anatomy or Station 19—both written by Shonda Rhimes, so I got this book to read for pleasure, but it actually turned out to be a very eye-opening read for me. It helped me to find confidence in myself and my choices. And it encouraged me to start saying “YES” more. It’s a very fun read, but will also teach you along the way.

You Are the Placebo by Dr. Joe Dispenza-It’s crazy what you can control with just your mind. This book shares stories of how people have healed themselves or even killed themselves based on believing a diagnosis they received. Dr. Joe shares how we can use this evidence to help us transform our mind to become a powerful tool to help us grow.

I will continue to add to this list as I read and discover new books that I enjoy! Please feel free to share any good books that you have read.