I know what you’re thinking, and no, self-help books that aren’t corny is not an oxymoron. They’re not all, like, “breathe in and harness the power of the universe and believe in yourself and everything you’ve ever wanted will be yours” or whatever B.S. The Secret espouses. There are actually a lot of books that can actually help you that also won’t bore you to death. I want to say here that my definition of “self-help” is pretty loose here. Is the book nonfiction? Does it teach some sort of lesson or aim to help people in some way? If yes, I’m calling it a self-help book. So here are some self-help books that aren’t corny.
‘The Spiritual Vixen’s Guide To An Unapologetic Life’ by Maureen Muldoon
I know the title is cheesey. I KNOW it sounds like something your mom might write when she’s a couple of glasses of wine in and feeling a little frisky. But stay with me here. There’s a reason this is on a list of self-help books that aren’t corny. This true story is about a woman whose husband leaves her for Miss Universe. Miss f*cking Universe. And I thought I had trust issues. Muldoon details her feelings of loss, anger, and denial in a funny and candid way, and her journey towards liberation is one you’ll be rooting for.
‘Making It In Manhattan’ by Caroline Vazzana
This is a quick must-read for anyone who’s trying to make it in fashion. Caroline Vazzana went from wannabe designer to intern to a fashion influencer, stylist, and editor. She’s legit been called the real-life Carrie Bradshaw. In her first book book, she’ll tell you how she did it, everything she wishes she did, plus how you too can reach your goals in the social media age.
‘When’s Happy Hour?’: Work Hard So You Can Hardly Work by The Betches
F*cking duhhhh. You know we couldn’t leave our own HILARIOUS career advice book off the list. If you’ve ever wondered if you can wear a crop top to the office, or if it’s okay to hook up with that hot guy in another department, you need to read our book. We’ll help you format your resume, not completely f*ck up your interview, and then not get fired once you do get the job. We’re like, such good friends. You should pre-order it, betch.
‘Everything’s Trash But It’s Okay’ by Phoebe Robinson
Um, wow, not cool that Phoebe literally stole my Hinge bio, but whatever. In all seriousness, Everything’s Trash is a series of essays on topics ranging from gender to dating to race and more. This dope queen tackles why feminism needs to be more intersectional and why dating in general is a dumpster fire (I paraphrase), but she also talks about personal sh*t like how she hid a ton of debt from her parents.
‘Belong: Find Your People, Create Community, and Live a More Connected Life’ by Radha Agrawal
Ever heard of Daybreaker? It’s a huge morning party—no alcohol—that takes place in 25 cities and a dozen college campuses around the world. You’ve probably seen it on Instagram. Anyway, the founder of Daybreaker wrote a book that’s all about finding yourself. With prompts, charts, quizzes, and more, you’ll discover what values are important to you and how to find people who share those values. If you can get past the unnecessarily long title, you’ll learn a lot from this book.
Images: Lucrezia Carnelos / Unsplash; Amazon (5)
