The Definitive List of Books That Have Changed My Life

a.k.a. my emotional support library

There are books that change your day, and then there are books that change your life.

Some books make you laugh or cry or transport you to magical faraway lands, but every once in a while, a book comes along that feels like it was written just for you, like it knew exactly when to find you and exactly what to say.

We all move through seasons of life where we feel caught between who we’ve been and who we’re becoming, stretched between the safety of the familiar and the thrilling, sometimes terrifying, potential of what’s next. Becoming “her” — the next version of yourself — takes work, faith, and the willingness to grow through the unknown.

In these seasons, a handful of books have been my guides. They found me when I was burned out, unsure of my voice, curious about something deeper, or just searching for a bigger why. Maybe you’re standing at a threshold too, between something old and something new. If so, I hope this post knows to find you.

Some of these books made me feel seen. Others cracked something open in me that I didn’t even realize had been closed off. They’ve shaped the way I think, write, rest, and show up in the world. I come back to them again and again, and each time they say something I didn’t catch before.

If you’ve been looking for something to meet you where you are, I hope one of these books does exactly that. There’s no right order or perfect timing, just trust that you’ll know when it’s time to pick one up.

1. The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron

This book arrived in my life two years ago, and after ten years of writing solely for school or work, it helped urge me back toward my inner creative spirit. Cameron insists that creativity is not reserved for the chosen few but is a birthright we all possess. I think if you're a Substack reader, it's likely you've heard of morning pages, but if you haven’t, morning pages are a ritual of putting pen to paper each morning to write unfiltered, stream-of-consciousness writings that over time clear out mental cobwebs and self-doubt.

• When this book might be most useful: You might find yourself reaching for The Artist’s Way when that first spark of inspiration begins to fade under the weight of your daily routine, or when you feel a craving to explore something new: maybe painting, dancing, writing, a new creative business. It’s a perfect guide if your soul feels restless and yearns to break free of your old patterns.

• The best time of day to read it: In my own journey, I’ve discovered that reading The Artist’s Way works wonders in the evening or on a slow Sunday morning, when I can reflect on the day or the week and draw on what inspired me, what I learned about my creativity and creative blocks, and what to play up in my routine vs what to take out to continue honing my inner creative.

• For me personally: I credit this book with jumpstarting my journey as a content creator, and finding it is the reason I was able to rediscover my childhood love of writing and why I sit here writing this Substack today. Before discovering morning pages, I never kept a diary. But now, flipping through those old entries feels like peeking into a time capsule of my life. They capture everything: moments of burnout, echoes of old wounds, my excitement the morning after my engagement. Morning pages are more than just another creativity tool for me, they’ve become a ritual that’s so special to me I would even call it sacred, and one that continues to shape my writing and self-awareness.

2. When God Was a Woman by Merlin Stone

Stone takes us back to an ancestral memory most of the world has forgotten, a time before rigid hierarchies and for-profit structures dominated communities. The book feels like a reclaim-your-power kind of read, reminding us that strength didn’t always look like control or domination. There was a time when society was rooted in reverence for women’s intuition, softness, and natural leadership. It made me rethink everything I’d been taught about power in relation to femininity.

• When this book might be most useful: You’ll probably feel drawn to this book if you’re in a season of self-discovery or starting to question the conventional narratives on womanhood. If you’ve ever craved a version of spirituality that celebrates your intuition instead of brushing it off, this will hit home. It’s a reminder that there was a time when honoring the feminine wasn’t fringe, it was the foundation of thriving communities and spiritual life.

• The best time of day to read it: This is a book best read at night, leaving your imagination to roam free in a past that feels both ancient and nostalgic. Because it’s history, it also makes me a bit sleepy and helps quiet my mind before bed.

• For me personally: It helped me learn about how women were historically feminine and powerful, and made me aware of some of my internalized misogyny from growing up in a society that only ever taught me how to be masculine and powerful. It also encouraged me to make room in my routine to connect more deeply with my intuition. If military leaders once trusted women as oracles to guide their battle strategy, I can absolutely hone my inner guidance to serve myself and my family today.

3. Eastern Body, Western Mind by Anodea Judith

Sometimes the body carries stories the mind hasn’t caught up to yet. This book is perfect for anyone who senses there’s more to wellness than just a daily workout or surface-level self-help tips. Judith guides you through an exploration of the chakra system, blending Eastern wisdom with Western psychology. In each chapter, she invites us to see how emotional patterns can show up in our physical bodies, and how to unblock ourselves once we understand these hidden connections

• When this book might be most useful: Reach for this book when you’re craving a deeper look at the mind-body connection, especially if you’re going through a season of self-discovery or psycho-somatic healing. If you’ve been feeling stuck or out of balance, it’s a great blend of introspection and actionable guidance for your alignment journey.

• The best time of day to read it: There’s a soothing quality to the structure of the chapters (they’re very neatly laid out with diagrams and patient anecdotes) that pairs perfectly with a calm morning, I like to go back and reread it often as a part of my morning routine, reviewing sections on the particular chakras that are feeling “inflamed” that day. I recommend immersing yourself in it all at once on the first read, being incredibly aggressive with your highlighter and margin notes, and referencing them when you feel called to.

• For me personally: It helped me understand how my upbringing impacted my throat and root chakra, made me appreciate how whole and healthy my husband is, and made me open to pursuing alternative healing modalities like energy healing and fascial releases to remove stored trauma and subconscious beliefs in the body.

4. The Magic by Rhonda Byrne

This book reminds you that your thoughts and feelings actually matter — a lot. The Magic is a cozy invitation to explore how focusing on your dreams, gratitude, and trust can create ripples of change in your everyday life. Byrne’s message is simple yet uplifting, inviting us to consider that our beliefs and emotions hold the power to shape our reality, sparking hope that maybe, just maybe, the universe really is on our side.

• When this book might be most useful: You might turn to this book when you’re feeling stuck or in need of a positivity boost. If you’ve been caught in a loop of worry or doubt, this book nudges you to dream bigger and remember all the good things that could happen. It’s especially helpful for moments when you need a playful voice to remind you that your outlook matters more than you think, and that there’s magic in focusing on what we do want, rather than what we fear.

• The best time of day to read it: Mornings are perfect if you already enjoy gratitude journaling with your coffee, but it can also be a soothing nighttime read, letting you unwind and drift off with hopeful ideas swirling around. The most important thing is that you pick a time that feels peaceful because you really do need to be in a headspace where you can feel excited and grateful for things for it to work.

• For me personally: I love doing the gratitude exercises in a dedicated journal that I have, and I find they really change my outlook on life by day 3 of doing them consistently. Some of my best months in the past year were months where I was making time for the gratitude scripting every morning, they tend to make magical things happen, like actually! It’s gotten to the point where my husband asks me if I did my “morning spells” if things seem to go exceptionally well in our life that day.

5. The Four Hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss

What if you didn’t have to wait until retirement to start enjoying your life? That’s exactly the door this book opens. Ferriss breaks down how to escape the old-school “9 to 5 until we retire” mentality by being aggressively efficient with your time, honest with yourself about your priorities, and creating room to explore your dreams. By applying the 80/20 principle to life design, he helps you rejigger your life to account for the fact that 20% of our actions drive 80% of our results, and 20% of our troubles cause 80% of our stress. Even if you’re not looking to drop your day job, the book was an eye-opening read on how to approach productivity and the meaning of success.

• When this book might be most useful: Freedom begins the moment you stop glorifying business. If you’ve ever caught yourself thinking, “There has to be a better way,” Ferriss’ approach can be the wake up call you need. By focusing on the 20% that truly matters, you’ll start cutting away the fluff that leads to unnecessary stress. Turn to it whenever you’re ready to challenge the status quo and experiment with a more intentional pace of life.

• The best time of day to read it: This book pairs well with a clear morning mind, when your focus hasn’t yet been scattered by distractions. But it’s best read when you’re open to hearing the hard questions.

• For me personally: This book has helped me restructure my daily routines to focus on the things that really matter. It’s forced me to ask myself like: Am I being productive or just active? Am I inventing things to do to avoid the important? What do I dream of having? My ADHD can make me easy to distract — I tend to respond to texts as soon as I get them, check my email more often than is productive, take phone calls at all times of day, and all of these things are destructive to my flow state. I go through my highlighted sections often to refocus on the things that matter most to me and cut fat on things that are draining my energy.

I could add soooo many books to this list, but honestly this is the best starter pack, these are the ones I always come back to. They've helped me come back to myself, ask better questions, and make space for new, often uncomfortable, always rewarding, growth. If one of them is calling to you, trust that there’s something in its pages meant just for you.

Have you read any of these already? Or is there a book that totally changed your life? I’d love to hear!

Me shumë dashuri,

Leidi