Spring is prime time for fresh goals. These business and self-help releases focus on clarity and momentum. Authors share practical tools and bold ideas. The tone is direct and actionable. If you are building something new, start here.
May 2026 Self-Development New Release Books:
Body Electric: The Hidden Health Costs of the Digital Age and New Science to Reclaim Your Well-Being
by Manoush Zomorodi - Keith Diaz
From the award-winning journalist and NPR TED Radio Hour host comes a timely investigation into how screens and sitting are reshaping our bodies--and how a simple shift can change everything.
In today's world, a normal day means sitting in front of a screen for eight to ten hours. Meeting after meeting. Email after email. We leave our desks drained, overstimulated and unfocused, only to go home, sit down again, and scroll some more. The result? Headaches, back pain, restless sleep, and rising rates of preventable disease. We know technology is breaking us down--so why can't we break away? It's a question that Manoush Zomorodi has always wanted to answer.
As the host of the NPR's TED Radio Hour and Body Electric podcast, she has interviewed experts, conducted citizen experiments, and sought out research about how our digital lives are changing the way we think, learn, and feel. Now, in Body Electric, she presents an eye-opening investigation into the impact technology and sedentary living has had on our bodies and brains, from breath and eyesight to blood pressure, posture, and productivity, and shares what science (and tens of thousands of participants in a groundbreaking study with Columbia University Medical Center) have taught her--it's the small shifts, not the digital detoxes, that will make us healthier. And all we need is five minutes.
Filled with perspective-shifting data and real-life applications and tools, Body Electric is the next must-read for fans of Four Thousand Weeks and The Anxious Generation, and anyone else feeling trapped by their technology.
I Am Not a Robot: My Year Using AI to Do (Almost) Everything
by Joanna Stern
What happens when intelligent machines aren't just in our pockets but are also driving our cars, making our decisions, folding our laundry, and educating our kids?
You've heard the hype: AI will make us healthier, give every child a personalized tutor, run our businesses more efficiently, return hours of free time to our overworked brains, and make discoveries previously unimagined by humankind. The AI future is going to be unlike any other technological revolution. But what does that really mean? And will AI truly make life better?
To find out, award-winning journalist Joanna Stern surrendered her life to artificial intelligence for one year. The results are both hilarious and unsettling.
I Am Not a Robot is like a time machine trip to the very near future, where AI promises to be your doctor, chauffeur, teacher, masseuse, coworker, therapist, financial planner, chef, housekeeper, and even . . . romantic partner. Your colleague might be using ChatGPT to write emails at work, but Joanna used AI tools and robots to do household chores, to manage her health, and to transport her family on vacation. If there was a decision to make or a task to do, she let AI go first. Along the way, she conducted exclusive interviews with the tech leaders building this future, then reported back from the front lines as your funny, no-nonsense tour guide.
Of course, tech's sunny promises never tell the whole story, and that's what Joanna is here to share. Filled with illustrations and photographs, this book offers less hype, more clarity, and as little jargon as humanly (or robotically) possible. It's an AI guide for ordinary people--not the tech bros who tried to sell you a cruise to the metaverse or an NFT of a cartoon monkey.
This book is not the definitive story, because we're only a few years into the AI revolution. But after a year of living as a human lab rat, Joanna delivers one of the clearest--and funniest--pictures yet of what's really happening and what it means for you.
Walk: Rediscover the Most Natural Way to Boost Your Health and Longevity--One Step at a Time
by Courtney Conley - Milica McDowell
Discover the new rules of walking to increase your health, longevity, and overall wellbeing--from two go-to experts.
"A surprisingly interesting, thought-provoking, and practical read. Walk is about much more than counting your steps--it's about enriching your life. This book does for walking what Breath did for breathing." – Adam Grant, #1 New York Times bestselling author
Did you know ...
- Your risk of falls and overall longevity can be measured by your foot health
- Your walking speed can predict your overall health status and risk of early death
- Increasing your walking cadence has been shown to help reduce knee, hip, and lower back pain
- The number of daily optimal steps is not 10,000 (spoiler alert: it's fewer!)
What James Nestor did for breathing, Christopher McDougall and Mark Cucuzzella did for running, and Kelly and Juliet Starrett have done for mobility, founder of Gait Happens Dr. Courtney Conley and Dr. Milica McDowell do for walking.
Walking is as important to our health and longevity as sleep and proper breathing; it is the 6th vital sign. And yet we've almost engineered it out of our lives. Walk is an expert-driven, science-backed guide that not only underscores the power of movement to just about every aspect of our life, it restores walking to its rightful spot as one of the key pillars of health.
With the most up-to-date research, self-assessments, tips on choosing the best shoes for foot health, as well as easy movement snacks to help with low back pain and foot pain, and customizable programs to develop or enhance your own fitness, Walk is *the* definitive guide to optimizing wellness.
Creative Junk Journaling: How to Collect Everyday Keepsakes and Cherish Your Memories
by Natasha Ahmed
Embrace the scrappy side of creativity and turn your treasured junk into a charming book of memories.
If you're more interested in treasuring keepsakes than crafting them to perfection, the mindful practice of junk journaling is for you. In Creative Junk Journaling, Natasha Ahmed (@natashahmedx) shows you how to create your own less-polished scrapbook, transforming "junk" into playful works of art that capture moments big and small. Random objects--sticky notes, flower petals, ticket stubs, receipts, stickers, photos, and more--now have a place in your journal with this accessible and crafty how-to guide.
Follow guided prompts and crafts to craft your own junk journal, including advice on what items to gather, stickers to collect, paper to find, notebooks to use, digital software to try, and more. Creative Junk Journaling is not only an accessible guide for beginner crafters with materials to get started, but for expert crafters, it's an opportunity to discover new techniques, amazing crafts, inspiring prompts, and materials for your projects. Explore helpful tips and content, including:
- 20 inspiring junk-journal prompts, like travel memories, "What's In My Bag," and vision boards.
- 5 creative crafts to customize every day objects, such as phone cases and makeup tins.
- 2 sticker pages full of customized art by Natasha.
- 12 pages of collage images to cut out and paste into your junk journal.
- 9 pages of backing paper to use as backgrounds or frames for photos.
- A guide to digital journaling for those who don't collect everyday tokens but still want to collect memories.
As you immerse yourself in the process, free from judgment and the mind-numbing screen, you will discover a nurturing new way to unwind and express yourself. By taking time to slow down, look around you, and connect with your emotions, you can find and appreciate the small joys in everyday life. The pleasure of junk journaling lies in the act itself.
Enjoy a fresh take on journaling as you write down your thoughts and capture extraordinary memories with ordinary ephemera.
The Company We Keep: Friendship, Connection, and Redefining What It Means to Grow Together
by Alexandra Elle
"In a time of increasing loneliness, this book provides a steady guide, teaching us how to foster closeness, show up intentionally, and genuinely care for the people in our lives."--Nedra Glover Tawwab, author of Set Boundaries, Find Peace
From New York Times bestselling author Alexandra Elle comes a vulnerable exploration of the friendships that shape us, stretch us, and sometimes wound us. With her trademark wisdom and storytelling, Alex invites us not only to celebrate but to examine the relationships in our lives, from the ones that matter most to those we should re-evaluate.
This book offers hard-won wisdom on:
- Recognizing when people-pleasing and self-silencing have become a pattern.
- Understanding that honesty--while sometimes painful--is a bridge to real intimacy or necessary endings.
- Letting go of the belief that we earn love by shrinking ourselves.
- Honor the sacred friendships that restore and heal us.
The Company We Keep offers readers permission to evolve in their friendships and reminds us that the people we surround ourselves with are not only mirrors, but key companions on the lifelong journey of healing, self-trust, and belonging. Alex shares her unflinching journey of learning to stop abandoning herself in the name of loyalty, to take ownership of the energy she brought into relationships, and to tell the truth--even when it cost her comfort. The Company We Keep is not just about cultivating our most meaningful friendships--it's about becoming a better friend to ourselves first.
April Books:
Mutiny: The Rise and Revolt of the College-Educated Working Class
by Noam Scheiber
The story of a disillusioned generation that set out to reclaim its dignity and take on corporate America.
In recent years, young college grads have faced an alarming reality: crushing debt, unemployment, and jobs below their qualifications. They are frustrated that the time and money they invested in a degree have failed to bring about the opportunities they were promised.
The anger of this college-educated working class began to boil over during the Covid pandemic, when workers at companies like Apple and Starbucks shocked corporate America by voting to unionize. Not long after, the veteran New York Times reporter Noam Scheiber met Chaya Barrett, an astute college grad and eight-year Apple employee who had helped organize her coworkers at an Apple store near Baltimore.
While following Barrett and her cohort as their seemingly spontaneous rebellions spread far and wide--from college-educated workers at Apple stores and Starbucks cafés, through video-game studios, and even to Hollywood writers' rooms--Scheiber realized he was witnessing something deep and lasting. Mutiny is the revelatory account of a generation made confident by their historic educational achievements, only to become disillusioned when their degrees yielded far less than they were taught to expect.
With striking empathy, Scheiber paints a vivid portrait of this new working class while telling the dramatic story of its revolt against the status quo. He describes how recent developments like the proliferation of artificial intelligence and the war in Gaza have further fueled its discontent, and he explains why the college-educated working class will continue to demand change in the workplace, in cities like New York, and in national politics for years to come.
Self-Help from the Middle Ages: What the Seven Deadly Sins Can Teach Us about Living
by Peter Jones
In this charming journey into the past, a historian reveals medieval wisdom that can still guide us today
"One of the most compelling medieval history books I have ever read."
-Ian Mortimer, author of The Time Traveler's Guide to Medieval England
Peter Jones was teaching medieval history at a university in Siberia when his third icy winter there plunged him into a dark place. Luckily, he knew something few of us know-- that for all its reputation for darkness and superstition, the Middle Ages were the golden age of self-help. So he set out on a journey to explore the wisdom of medieval scholars, saints, and mystics, looking for an alternative path through the challenges of modern life.
Never in history, Jones marvels in Self-Help from the Middle Ages, has so much energy and talent gone into studying how the mind works as in the medieval centuries. Although today we think of the Seven Deadly Sins as a catalog of forbidden behavior, in the Middle Ages, at the height of their currency, they were a path to self-knowledge and self-forgiveness. Together, pride, envy, anger, sloth, greed, gluttony and lust were a psychological map that laid out seven basic patterns of thought, showing how our thinking can go astray and how we can find our way home.
In Self-Help from the Middle Ages, Jones explores each sin, searching the hellscapes of Hieronymous Bosch and Giotto, the intimate confessions of Dante and Margery Kempe, and the personal struggles of Francis of Assisi and Catherine of Siena. Along the way he discovers a treasure trove of lost truths about temptation, frustration, addiction, compulsion, burnout, rage, fear, anxiety, and grief that still pulse with life. With beautiful illustrations drawn from medieval art and literature, his book is a gift to all who love history and anyone who has ever sought wisdom from the past.
You've Changed: The Promise and Price of Self-Transformation
by Benoit Denizet-Lewis
"A blazingly smart, thoughtful, funny, and moving book about the endless hope--and the occasional limits--of human transformation." --Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love and All the Way to the River
From New York Times bestselling author Benoit Denizet-Lewis comes a timely, provocative, and deeply moving exploration of personal transformation in a period of roiling uncertainty. You've Changed investigates how we remake ourselves--and how identity, belief, and belonging shift in a world that won't stop doing the same.
We live in an age obsessed with reinvention. On Instagram, in recovery meetings, through name-change petitions, lifestyle pivots, deconversion blogs, and political conversion manifestos, we're surrounded by stories of radical personal change. But what does it really mean to shed an old skin--and why do some transformations inspire us while others raise our hackles?
Longtime New York Times Magazine writer Benoit Denizet-Lewis, known for his deeply reported and psychologically rich journalism, takes us on a freewheeling, wild-hearted journey into the mystery of human transformation. He introduces us to an unforgettable array of people in flux--including psychedelic reality benders, sexual and gender transitioners, ideological shapeshifters, seemingly reformed murderers, and an octogenarian grandmother trying to change her temperament ("Better late than never!" she says)--as well as those working to engineer change: psychologists, neuroscientists, name-change specialists, even his own father, a breath and meditation teacher who once wrote a newsletter about "the art and science of transformation." Intertwined with those portraits of change is the author's own reckoning--by turns painful, poignant, and hilarious--with his misfires and epiphanies.
You've Changed is a book for anyone who's ever tried to become someone new, fix what felt broken, drag someone else into changing, or wondered whether real transformation is anything more than a myth we sell ourselves. Denizet-Lewis shows us that profound, positive change is possible--and offers an unexpected, sometimes counterintuitive set of approaches to help us get there. But this is no compass for the dogmatic or the quick-fix brigade. Change, he shows us, is slippery, scary, beautiful, often politically fraught--and best tackled with humility riding shotgun, holding the map upside down.
Beyond Inheritance: Our Ever-Mutating Cells and a New Understanding of Health
by Roxanne Khamsi
"Constantly fascinating and impeccably reported...You won't look at yourself in the same way again." --Ed Yong, bestselling author of An Immense World and I Contain Multitudes
A captivating exploration of the remarkable ways our DNA mutates over the course of our lives, with radical implications for the future of medicine
Our DNA is the indispensable set of instructions that guides our growth and vitality. The common misconception is that this molecular blueprint stays the same throughout our lives. In reality, the genetic makeup of our cells is continuously mutating, from the moment we are conceived until our last breath. The hidden changes that amass in our genomes can have a huge influence on our health.
In this groundbreaking book, science writer Roxanne Khamsi describes our bodies as active landscapes of mutation. She reveals how the forces of Darwinian evolution operate within our own tissues. The effects can be devastating, such as when mutant blood cells outcompete their normal counterparts and increase the risk of heart attacks. But mutations can also make our bodies more resilient: Liver cells with genetic changes seem to cope better with excess calories. And immune cells with remixed DNA can make more effective antibodies against the microbes that threaten us.
By letting go of the antiquated idea that every cell in a body has the same exact DNA, we can usher in a whole new era of medicine, including better vaccines and treatments that outsmart cancer. Beyond Inheritance will open your eyes to the immense genetic diversity that exists within you and its incredible potential to shape your well-being.
The Edge of Space-Time: Particles, Poetry, and the Cosmic Dream Boogie
by Chanda Prescod-Weinstein
A fresh, charming, socially conscious tour of the mysteries of space-time, from the award-winning author of The Disordered Cosmos
"With this extraordinary book, Prescod-Weinstein cements her status as one of the most accomplished and important science writers of our time" --Ed Yong, author of An Immense World
In her highly acclaimed debut, distinguished cosmologist and particle physicist Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein shared with her audience an abiding sense of wonder at the cosmos, while imagining a world without the entrenched injustice that plagues her field. Now, in The Edge of Space-Time, she embraces that cosmic wonder, taking readers on a mind-altering journey to the boundaries of the universe, inviting us to spend time at the edge of what we know about space-time and about ourselves.
Guided by her conviction that for humanity to go forward we must know our cosmic past, and drawing on poetry and popular culture--from Langston Hughes, Queen Latifah, and Lewis Carroll, to Big K.R.I.T., Sun Ra, and Star Trek--Prescod-Weinstein renders accessible some of the most abstract concepts of theoretical physics to tell fascinating stories about the history and fundamental nature of our universe. Here we meet the quantum cat that is both dead and alive, learn the difference between dark matter and dark energy, explore the inner workings of black holes, and investigate the possibility of a unified theory of quantum gravity, following our guide out to the far reaches of the cosmic event horizon and down to the tiniest (and queerest) neutrino. Along the way, she calls on us to resist colonial approaches to space exploration and instead imagine a better path forward in our pursuit of humanity's undeniable connection with the stars.
Through Prescod-Weinstein's clear-eyed and unique perspective, and informed by her deep knowledge of postcolonial history and Black feminist thought, The Edge of Space-Time argues that physics is an essential way for everyone to look at the universe and presents a compelling case that "the edge" is a powerful vantage point from which to see the big picture.
How to Be Okay When Nothing Is Okay: Tips and Tricks That Kept Me Alive, Happy, and Creative in Spite of Myself
by Jenny Lawson
Warm, insightful, and witty, the first book of advice from New York Times bestselling author Jenny Lawson--aka the Bloggess
Jenny Lawson is full of contradictions. She's a celebrated author but battles self-doubt, paralysis, and anxiety. She's an award-winning humorist but struggles with treatment-resistant depression. The questions people most often ask her are, "How do you do it? How do you keep going even when it feels impossible? How do you keep creating?" This book is her answer.
In How to Be Okay When Nothing Is Okay, Jenny shares more than one hundred humorous, heartfelt, and genuine tools and tricks that she relies on to keep her going even when her brain isn't working properly due to depression, anxiety, and ADHD. She also offers tips to stay passionate and focused on creative endeavors, especially when everything around you is saying to give up.
With chapters like "Wash Your Brain More Than You Wash Your Bra" (sleep, you beautiful human), "Working on Easy Mode Is Still Working" (asking for accommodations is okay!), "Celebrate Good Times, Come On!" (make it a habit to celebrate the good things), and many more, How to Be Okay When Nothing Is Okay is a balm and companion, reminding us all that we are not alone. It's for anyone who struggles with self-doubt, guilt, motivation, and mental blocks and wants to rekindle their passion for creating. Funny, simple, empathetic, and full of hope, it will encourage you not to just survive but to find and curate joy in the face of difficult times.
March books:
Almost Reckless: A Creative and Pragmatic Approach to Taking Risks
by Amy Smilovic
"Almost Reckless is not just a book, it's a permission slip. It's about the courage it takes to step off the algorithm's path, the clarity that comes from defining your own principles, and the joy of building something that feels unmistakably yours." --Will Guidara, bestselling author of Unreasonable Hospitality
Amy Smilovic's cult fashion brand, Tibi, was a thriving $70 million business when she realized she was working toward someone else's idea of success. So she threw out the rulebook of how things should be done and went with her gut instead.
Today Tibi is more successful than ever, and all on Smilovic's groundbreaking entrepreneurial terms.
In Almost Reckless, she invites you to get comfortable with embracing smart risks in pursuit of your own vision. Sharing her story and drawing on her years of helping others identify their values and principles, Smilovic teaches you to hone your gut, and your trust in it.
With humor and practicality she coaches you in how to determine what success means to you, including:
- why you don't have to listen to the data guys
- why you should be a Creative Pragmatist
- why sticking to your principles isn't incompatible with success
- why work/life balance is bullshit
Almost Reckless is the essential blueprint for entrepreneurs, leaders, creatives, and anyone who wants a working life that feels aligned with who they truly are.
Jolted: Why We Quit, When to Stay, and Why It Matters
by Anthony Klotz
The new science of why we quit, whether we should, and how to make the right choices for our work and lives, by the organizational psychologist who predicted the Great Resignation
Most of us are just one event away from leaving our job. Conventional wisdom and lists of the "top reasons people quit their jobs" would have us believe that people quit when the toxic elements of their jobs grow too big or when they spot a better professional opportunity. But that's only half the story. In reality, quitting is often triggered by a single event, inside or outside our jobs, that stops us in our tracks and causes us to rethink our relationship with work.
These events are what organizational psychologist Anthony Klotz calls "jolts," and they are the most underacknowledged realities in our work lives today. Jolts represent pivotal moments in our careers, and yet all too often, we respond to them in ways that harm our well-being and success. In Jolted, Klotz breaks down the different types of jolts we encounter and provides a road map to help us navigate them in ways that improve, rather than derail, our pursuit of the good life through our work.
Parent Like a Millionaire (Without Being One): Outsmart Big Baby, Save on Childcare, and Secure Your Family's Financial Future
by Kristy Shen - Bryce Leung - Jl Collins
From two leaders of the FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early) movement, an essential guide to the finances of having and raising kids no matter the size of your budget
New parents are often stressed about their finances. Even Kristy Shen and Bryce Leung--who both retired at age 30 with over a million dollars in the bank--worried about the cost of becoming parents. Leaders of the FIRE (financial independence, retire early) movement, Kristy and Bryce may not be experts at parenting, but they are experts at saving.
In this book, they reveal how to:
- Make your money work harder than you do
- Avoid the pressure to buy baby gear you don't need
- Find your nest, optimize transportation, and hack childcare
- Go on unlimited family vacations
- Give your child a world-class education
Each chapter in this book is filled with money-saving tips--and more money means less stress, which leads to happier families. The financial advice in this book is tailored to help you reduce your stress so that your family can thrive.
The Secret Language of Work: Hyper-Helpful Scripts for Every Situation
by Erin McGoff
From the creator of AdviceWithErin, the definitive book on how to use the right words at work--so you can build the career you deserve
We've all been there: you're sweating, sitting in front of your laptop, and the interviewer on the screen says, "Tell me about yourself." You freeze. Is that even a question? What are they expecting from you? What do you say?
If that paragraph made your heart beat a little faster, TikTok star, career educator, and "the internet's big sister" Erin McGoff is here to help. In The Secret Language of Work, McGoff shares her best, customizable scripts for how to communicate in the professional world--word-for-word, exactly what to say during interviews, while negotiating salaries, when you need to set boundaries with co-workers, as you advocate for yourself, and in any sticky situation at the office. With McGoff's advice, you will master the unwritten rules of work speak that are key to career advancement.
Learning how to say the right words, in the right order, in the right way, at the right time, is an art that too few people are taught. Stellar communication is probably the most valuable skill you can possess--and once you know the secret language of work, you will be able to confidently tackle anything your sure-to-be outstanding career presents to you.
The Power of Real Optimism: A Practical, Science-Based Guide to Staying Resilient, Curious, and Open Even When Life Is Hard
by Deepika Chopra
Optimism isn't about pretending everything is fine. It's about staying open and flexible--especially when it's not. In this fresh, science-backed debut, professional psychologist and media expert Dr. Deepika Chopra shows us how to build the kind of optimism that can actually withstand real life.
We've been sold the idea that optimism is a mood, a mindset, or worse--just an inherent trait. But what if real optimism is something else entirely?
In The Power of Real Optimism, Dr. Deepika Chopra--known as The Optimism Doctor(R)--offers a radically different definition: optimism as a science, a skill, and a psychological muscle we can strengthen. Drawing from over a decade immersed in the science of resilience, emotional well-being, and cognitive psychology--as well as her work with clients, innovative workshops, and hallmark practices (think: evidence-based visualization, narrative reframing, her signature "self-worth work," and even color therapy)--Dr. Chopra offers a toolkit for navigating the chaos, uncertainty, and nuance of being human--without losing yourself to it.
Grounded, practical, and poetic in all the right ways, this book will challenge your relationship with hope, rewire how you recover from hard things, and invite you to stay soft without falling apart. With her blend of intimate storytelling, psychological insight, and tangible tools--including a 33-day Real Optimism Challenge--Dr. Chopra offers something far more enduring than a quick fix or fleeting affirmation. She invites us into a deeper, more resilient way of living--one where we can stay curious in the face of fear, open in the face of grief, and grounded even as the world wobbles beneath us.
Because real optimism doesn't deny the dark--it teaches us how to see in it.
The Supreme Gift: Love Is the Greatest Thing in the World
by Paulo Coelho - Margaret Jull Costa
Love is humankind's supreme gift. Paulo Coelho, the internationally bestselling author of The Alchemist, teaches us how to embrace it.
"I thought that I had already thought about everything you could think about Love when Henry Drummond's sermon fell into my hands. My life changed a lot from the moment I read the words in this book and tried to put his teaching into practice."--Paulo Coelho
What is love? In the 19th century, the young missionary Henry Drummond defined love as the culmination of nine elements:
He laid this out in his sermon, "The Greatest Thing in the World," which has become a classic and is, without doubt, one of the most beautiful texts ever written on love. Reflecting on this sermon and its subject, St. Paul's Letter to the Corinthians, the admired spiritual teacher Paulo Coelho, author of The Alchemist, a fable of following your dream and one of Oprah's "Best Self-Help Books of a Generation," brings us on his own journey of deepening his practice of Love.
Contrary to what we are used to hearing, the greatest treasure in the spiritual life is not faith, but love. No matter what your religious beliefs are, this feeling is, without doubt, the most rewarding way to live. In The Supreme Gift, Paulo Coelho adapts Henry Drummond's text, offering a real and powerful message that will help us incorporate love into our daily life and experience all its transformational power in our lives.
Freely adapted from the text by Henry Drummond
Related: If you enjoy books that promote reflection and self-growth, you may also enjoy our reading recommendations for The Hobbyist.