Books Every 30+ Woman Should Read

Some of us read books simply to escape and forget about our reality. Sometimes, that’s exactly what we need. But here’s the thing. Those are the books you’re less likely to remember reading. Because they tend to validate your existing thoughts and beliefs without adding anything new. But the best books to read in your 30s are the ones that ignite controversy.

These books make you take pauses between pages. They offer several opportunities for “aha” moments. They get inside your head and leave you thinking and inspired. They’re perfect for those of you who are seeking guidance in the wisdom of, well, better people.

And let’s face it. You’re busy and constantly distracted. And since you’re taking the time to actually sit down and read, you might as well read something that stays in your mind and forces you to take action in some way.

There’s no such thing as a bad book. Each one teaches you something. But some are more practical than others as they help you get closer to the best version of yourself. For that, below are the best books for women in their 30s.

1. Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol S. Dweck

This is about the most important aspect of your life; change! The book presents two different mindsets, a fixed mindset, and a growth mindset. It shows the characteristics of people with each mindset and their tendencies in all matters of life. Soon enough, you’ll find out which mindset you have. After that, the book teaches you how to stop sabotaging your growth.

Consider this your new bible. Once you fully internalize it, you’ll have a pretty good understanding of what’s holding you back in your career and your relationships. If you genuinely feel like you need a change and don’t know where to start, this book will hold your hand through the whole process.

“The passion for stretching yourself and sticking to it, even (or especially) when it’s not going well, is the hallmark of the growth mindset. This is the mindset that allows people to thrive during some of the most challenging times in their lives.”

2. Sum: Forty Tales From The Afterlives by David Eagleman

In case you’re not familiar, the author of this book is no other than the hot neuroscientist David Eagleman. He’s most known for his book ‘Incognito The Secret Lives of The Brain’, his outstanding TED Talk, and his accidental movement ‘Possibilianism’. This book, however, is the first of its kind among his works.

This is fiction. But it’s not about witches or ghouls. It’s a thought-provoking compilation of scenarios regarding the afterlife. This is the book you want to read all curled up under a warm blanket. Each story gives you a chance to take a step back and look at your own life differently. The book manages to leave you feeling grateful to be alive.

“The missing crowds make you lonely. You begin to complain about all the people you could be meeting. But no one listens or sympathizes with you because this is precisely what you chose when you were alive.”

3. Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman

This holds a mirror to your actions and the mechanisms behind your decision-making process. From trivial choices to life-changing ones, you’ll find out about your cognitive biases and how they can cloud your judgment.

The book will help you get to know yourself by holding a magnifying glass on both your intuitive actions and supposedly well-thought-out ones. It’ll increase your self-awareness, and teach you how to take control of your life. You’ll learn how to make better choices by finding out what’s responsible for the whole process.

“A reliable way to make people believe in falsehoods is frequent repetition. Because familiarity is not easily distinguished from truth. Authoritarian institutions and marketers have always known this fact.”

4. The 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman

You’ve probably either heard about this book or already read it. Either way, the term ‘love language’ is actually deeper than it sounds. Personally, it completely changed the way I think about my relationships both socially and romantically.

The book teaches you to better communicate with your partner, understand where they and you come from, and why some people show their love differently than others. It’s full of insights that might even end up salvaging your relationship.

“I am amazed by how many individuals mess up every new day with yesterday. They insist on bringing into today the failures of yesterday and in so doing, they pollute a potentially wonderful day.”

5. Atomic Habits by James Clear

I’m sure you’ve realized that we become more self-aware as we get older. I, for one, self-analyze all the time and think about the distance between who I am now and who I wish to be. Oftentimes, I feel guilty about not doing what I’m supposed to do to become better, healthier, or whatever. And I get stuck in a loop completely frozen.

If you want to make changes in your life, whatever they may be, and you’re seriously struggling to find the energy or motivation to do so, this book will teach you how. It has actionable tips with examples that assure you that you can change starting today. And it all starts with a tiny habit.

“All big things come from small beginnings. The seed of every habit is a single, tiny decision. But as that decision is repeated, a habit sprouts and grows stronger. Roots entrench themselves and branches grow. The task of breaking a bad habit is like uprooting a powerful oak within us. And the task of building a good habit is like cultivating a delicate flower one day at a time.”

So these are the books I recommend for women in their 30s seeking growth and inspiration. You have your own preference for the genre of the books you like to read. You can always go back to timeless classics, which are guaranteed to add value.

But these must-read books are, in my opinion, incredibly helpful for us millennials or whatever they call us these days to improve mentally, grow emotionally, and get ahead in life. On a side note, here is our round-up of our favorite podcasts for women in their 30s if you don’t have the time to sit down for a book.

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