Is there a better feeling than recommending a real good book to your friend?
Fast forward to a week or a month later. Your friend has not only read the book ytou recommended, but they LOVED IT. That is the feeling we are always looking for here at Career Contessa.
One of the best ways to learn is by reading. A great way to foster a life filled with continuous education is by flipping the pages of fiction and non-fiction books. Whether it's a children's picture book, a YA novel, a nonfiction tome, or a literary classic—each and every book has something to teach you.
Books have the power to lift you out of a funk, to transport you elsewhere, and to give you insights into a point-of-view you never would have experienced otherwise. Sometimes books are there just to give you a few laughs and forget about your own woes.
Whether you're looking to switch up careers, expand your education, or start a wine and book club, we have some sweet picks for you.
*If you buy something through our links, Career Contessa may earn an affiliate commission.
Books We Love
We love to read, so we thought we would start this article by introducing some of our favorite books throughout time. We used four criteria for this one. Here are some of the team's favorite books of all time—including the book we want to re-read, our favorite book we read over the past year, and the book we're looking forward to reading.
Aliya, Video Producer
- A book you'd like to re-read: Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
- Favorite book read in the last year: 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami
- A book you're looking forward to reading: Biased by Dr. Jennifer Eberhardt
- Favorite professional development book: Talking to Strangers by Malcolm Gladwell (Does that count as professional development?)
Caileen, Content Director
- A book you'd like to re-read: On Beauty by Zadie Smith
- Favorite book read in the last year: Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
- A book you're looking forward to reading: The Radium Girls by Kate Moore
- Favorite professional development book: The Fifth Trimester by Lauren Smith Brody
Lauren, Founder + CEO
- A book you'd like to re-read: Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
- Favorite book read in the last year: Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race by Renni Eddo-Lodge
- A book you're looking forward to reading: Work Your Money, Not Your Life by Roger Ma + Jennifer Ma
- Favorite professional development book: I have so many! The Likeability Trap by Alicia Menendez is excellent.
A Few Good Books That We Love
We originally wrote this article back in 2020, and created a list of books that got us through that year.
This year, we are continuing that trend by reading books that help us escape, inspire us, and motivate us to add even more books to our TBR (to be read) pile.
Here are some of our all-time favorite books.
- Power Moves by Lauren McGoodwin
- Leslie F*cking Jones by Leslie Jones (I'd highly recommend the audiobook, which is less like a book and more like hanging out with Leslie Jones for 16ish hours)
- Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
- Untamed by Glennon Doyle
- Atomic Habits by James Clear
- Weather by Jenny Offill
- The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
- The Late Americans by Brandon Taylor
- The Guest by Emma Cline (If you were obsessed with the Fyre Festival story and you love hearing about grifters, this is a must-read!)
- The Best of Me by David Sedaris
Books We Have Recommended (+ Still Recommend)
We have a pretty long history of loving books. We have written more than a few pieces on the best books—for a good perspective shift, to fix your finances, to inspire, to motivate, and just to read. We even had a summer book club one year! Here are some of our favorite book lists we have published over time.
- The 15 Career Books That Successful People Love
- The Workplace Fiction Books Every Woman Should Read
- 7 Must-Read Books Written by Women of Color That Are Changing the Conversation
- 7 Finance Books Written by Women to Devour This Summer
- 7 Motivational Career Memoirs to Read on Your Flight
- The 16 Most Inspiring Books for Women Leaders
- 11 Personal Finance Resources to Successfully Manage Your Money
- 11 Unexpected Books Every Millennial Woman Should Read for Her Career (and, You Know, Life)
- 5 Books to Boost Your Career Confidence
- Books Millennials in the Workplace Should Read to Find a Career They Love
- 16 Money Books You Need to Read
Books from The Career Contessa Podcast
A huge perk of hosting a podcast is meeting and talking to people you admire. On our podcast, we have already had the opportunity to speak with dozens of amazing, inspiring guests.
The best part? Many of them have shared their wisdom and experience in their own books. Here are a few books written by podcast guests we have featured on The Career Contessa Podcast.
- Power Moves: How Women Can Pivot, Reboot, and Build a Career of Purpose by Lauren McGoodwin
- Happy @ Work by Robyn L. Garrett
- Financial Feminist by Tori Dunlap
- 21 Days to Resilience by Dr. Zelana Montminy
- When She Makes More by Farnoosh Torabi
- The Big Life by Ann Shoket
- Leave Your Mark by Aliza Licht
- Expectation Hangover by Christine Hassler
- Seeking Serenity by Amanda Enayati
- Difference Works by Caroline Turner
- Work Wife by Erica Cerulo and Claire Mazur
- Imagine It Forward by Beth Comstock
- 168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think by Laura Vanderkam
- The Fifth Trimester by Laura Smith Brody
- Brave, Not Perfect by Reshma Saujani
- Imagine It Forward by Beth Comstock
- Get Money by Kristin Wong
- The Fifth Trimester by Lauren Smith Brody
- How to Skimm Your Life by Carly Zakin and Danielle Weisberg
- The Making of a Manager by Julie Zhou
- Dig Your Heels In by Joan Kuhl
- Bad With Money by Gaby Dunn
- No Hard Feelings by Liz Fosslien and Molly West Duffy
- Overwhelmed by Brigid Schulte
- Never Split The Difference by Chris Voss
- Outspoken by Veronica Rueckert
- Leap by Tess Vigeland
- Confidence Creator by Heather Monahan
- The Likeability Trap by Alicia Menendez
- Daily Rituals by Mason Currey
*We want to let you know that some of these links are affiliate links. That means when you purchase some of the items we listed, Career Contessa could earn a small commission at no cost to you. We only recommend items we know and love. Thank you for supporting the brands that help support Career Contessa.
