Winter Book Recommendations for Self-Starters

The grind don't stop

2024 is on the verge of ending and the start of 2025 isn't far behind. While there are many people who use this opportunity for reflecting on the year they had, Self-Starters take this time to grow. There's never been a better opportunity for broadening their horizon and planning their next professional goals. These winter books are just what you need to achieve the best 2025 you possibly can. From self-help and business titles to motivational books that will get you on the right track. Make 2025 your year with our picks for the best Self-Starter winter releases.

february new releases

Source Code: My Beginnings

by Bill Gates

The origin story of one of the most influential and transformative business leaders and philanthropists of the modern age

The business triumphs of Bill Gates are widely known: the twenty-year-old who dropped out of Harvard to start a software company that became an industry giant and changed the way the world works and lives; the billionaire many times over who turned his attention to philanthropic pursuits to address climate change, global health, and U.S. education.

Source Code is not about Microsoft or the Gates Foundation or the future of technology.

Afro Sheen: How I Revolutionized an Industry with the Golden Rule, from Soul Train to Wall Street

by George E Johnson - Hilary Beard

The inspiring and resilient story of George E. Johnson, creator of the iconic Afro Sheen and the first Black-owned company to be traded on Wall Street

You might already be familiar with Afro Sheen and Ultra Sheen, but have you heard of the man behind the company that produced these products? In Afro Sheen, George Ellis Johnson, the acclaimed self-made businessman, reveals his inspiring and captivating rise from humble beginnings to the top of the haircare industry.

At just twenty-seven years old, Johnson created the Johnson Products Company. JPC was the first Black-owned company to trade on a major stock exchange, became the financial sponsor of Soul Train, and was once considered the largest Black-owned manufacturing company in the world. At the height of its success, JPC was worth $37 million (over $225 million today).

In this coming-of-age story, Johnson uses the life skills and strong character built from working odd jobs as a teenager and practicing the Golden Rule to create a business that both nurtures and advances the Black community. Without a formal education, he filled a gap in the Black haircare industry and created a high-quality formula for straightening hair and the iconic Ultra Sheen and Afro Sheen products that supported Black people in expressing their authentic beauty. For decades, Johnson has been an inspiration to Black entrepreneurs, setting an example of Black wealth and providing a safe space for Black people to work.

Reading the Waves: A Memoir

by Lidia Yuknavitch

The frank and revealing memoir of a writer who draws from her own creativity to heal.

"I believe our bodies are carriers of experience," Lidia Yuknavitch writes in her provocative memoir Reading the Waves. “I mean to ask if there is a way to read my own past differently, using what I have learned from literature: how stories repeat and reverberate and release us from the tyranny of our mistakes, our traumas, and our confusions.”

Who Better Than You?: The Art of Healthy Arrogance & Dreaming Big

by Will Packer

The billion-dollar Hollywood producer provides a master mentorship by sharing secrets to success honed from working with the biggest stars in the world. As Kevin Hart says of working with Will Packer: "I became a student and learned from the way he was moving. The man helped me grow and gave me the knowledge."

Whether you're just starting out or ready to make a major move, Who Better Than You? is a wildly entertaining roadmap to being successful in an unpredictable world, featuring behind-the-scenes Hollywood lessons, empowering guidance, and indispensable encouragement.

From Stomp the Yard to Ride Along to Girls Trip and many more, Will Packer's films have collectively grossed more than $1 billion at the box office, with ten opening at number one! To outsiders, the unabashed confidence that has driven him since his college days--when he was trying to sell a micro-budget indie film--may look like arrogance. To Packer, that's just what it took to make it on his own terms.

With Who Better Than You?, Packer has created the success toolkit he wished he'd had back then, filled with illuminating and laugh-out-loud stories as well as practical advice, such as:

1. Be arrogant! The highest-achieving people have "healthy arrogance" Superior confidence not only in themselves and their abilities but also in their predestined success. You too can unlock this level of confidence.

2. Convince people your goals are essential and vital. It is crucial to assure others that your success benefits both you and them.

3. It's the work you put in when nobody's watching that makes everyone pay attention later. No single person on the planet is more deserving of achieving their wildest dreams than you. But it will never happen until you act accordingly in every aspect of your life.

Shift: Managing Your Emotions--So They Don't Manage You

by Ethan Kross

One of Oprah Daily's Best Self-Help Books for Personal Growth in 2025, Next Big Idea Club's Highly Anticipated Books, and Adam Grant's 10 New Books to Feed Your Mind

A myth-busting, science-based guide that addresses the timeless question of how to manage your emotional life using tools you already possess--from the bestselling author of Chatter.

Whether it's anxiety about going to the doctor, boiling rage when we're stuck in traffic, or devastation after a painful break-up, our lives are filled with situations that send us spiraling. But as difficult as our emotions can be, they are also a superpower. Far from being "good" or "bad," emotions are information. When they're activated in the right ways and at the right time, they function like an immune system, alerting us to our surroundings, telling us how to react to a situation, and helping us make the right choices.

Gentle: Rest More, Stress Less, and Live the Life You Actually Want

by Courtney Carver

From an expert on simplicity and minimalism, a collection of 30 practices to overcome chronic overwhelm, cultivate self-compassion, and find permission to do less-perfect for readers of Rest is Resistance and Wintering.

Being Gentle is about being grounded in self-compassion and a fierce commitment to less--becoming the Gentle You isn't about taking the easy road. Organized into three parts--Rest, Less, and Rise--Courtney Carver's Gentle provides simple challenges and practices that will help readers radically and gently shift their pace, headspace, and heart.

january new releases

Aflame: Learning from Silence

by Pico Iyer

From the bestselling author of The Art of Stillness, a revelatory exploration of the abiding clarity and calm to be found in quiet retreat

Pico Iyer has made more than one hundred retreats over the past three decades to a small Benedictine hermitage high above the sea in Big Sur, California. He's not a Christian--or a member of any religious group--but his life has been transformed by these periods of time spent in silence. That silence reminds him of what is essential and awakens a joy that nothing can efface. It's not just freedom from distraction and noise and rush: it's a reminder of some deeper truths he misplaced along the way.

The Art of Danish Living: How the World's Happiest People Find Joy at Work

by Meik Wiking

A beautiful, research-backed guide on how to work like the happiest people in the world, the Danes. From the author of the million-copy bestseller The Little Book of Hygge.

Based on a new study from the Happiness Research Institute, Meik Wiking reveals the main factors that build happiness at work--purpose, trust, relationships, balance, and more--to show how we can reduce stress, increase productivity, and find fulfillment, both in and out of work.

Go Higher: Five Practices for Purpose, Success, and Inner Peace

by Big Sean Big Sean - Jay Shetty

Multi-platinum artist, entrepreneur, and philanthropist, Big Sean shares his five key practices for- inner work and self-acceptance in this interactive guidebook on maintaining daily mental wellness.

Sean Anderson, better known as Big Sean, has reached incredible levels of success in his music career. And while, from the outside, his life looks like a collection of enviable achievements, in truth, he has experienced the highest highs and the lowest lows that come with anxiety and depression.

At the age of eighteen, Sean decided to forgo college to sign with Kanye West's record label.

Money for Couples: No More Stress. No More Fights. Just a 10-Step Plan to Create Your Rich Life Together.

by Ramit Sethi

From the bestselling author of I Will Teach You to Be Rich, go from financial frustration to joy with the the aid of this book about navigating money while in a relationship.

Personal finance juggernaut Ramit Sethi's program addresses the most common money issues in relationships without using boring budgets or restricting plans.

Open When: A Companion for Life's Twists & Turns

by Julie Smith

Clinical psychologist and bestselling author Dr. Julie Smith (@drjulie) returns with this highly anticipated handbook full of "break in case of emergency" advice for dealing with mental health challenges in the moment they occur.

In this essential guide, Dr. Julie teaches her millions of readers and clients how to navigate life's toughest occurrences while they're happening, rather than moments or years after the fact. What if we can learn to harness our emotions and stay present so we can process and choose how to respond to a situation?

Talk: The Science of Conversation and the Art of Being Ourselves

by Alison Wood Brooks

A groundbreaking book that reveals the hidden architecture of our conversations and how even small improvements can have a profound impact on our relationships in work and life--from a celebrated Harvard Business School professor and leading expert on the psychology of conversation.

"Alison Wood Brooks brings to life the science of conversation, in which she is a world expert, with the utmost warmth, empathy, and joy."--Angela Duckworth, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Grit

All of us can struggle with difficult conversations, but we're often not very good at the easy ones either. Though we do it all the time, Harvard professor Alison Wood Brooks argues that conversation is one of the most complex, demanding, and delicate of all human tasks, rife with possibilities for misinterpretation and misunderstanding. And yet conversations can also be a source of great joy, each one offering an opportunity to express who we are and learn who others are--to feel connected, loved, and alive.

In Talk, Brooks shows why conversing a little more effectively can make a big difference in the quality of our close personal relationships as well as our professional success. Drawing on the new science of conversation, Brooks distills lessons that show how we can better understand, learn from, and delight each other. The key is her TALK Maxims:

Topics: Choose topics and manage them well
Asking: Ask more questions
Levity: Use humor to keep conversations fizzy
Kindness: Prioritize their partners conversational needs

What If You Are the Answer?: And 26 Other Questions That Just Might Change Your Life

by Rachel Hollis

Life isn't always easy. We get tripped up, knocked down, and start to question ourselves. But as #1 New York Times bestselling author Rachel Hollis learned, sometimes it's not answers you need - what helps most are questions. And the best questions can change everything.

Good questions make us think, teach us about ourselves, and if we're honest in our replies, they can reveal the answers we've been searching for. In What If YOU Are the Answer?, Rachel Hollis shares the transformative questions that have helped her heal, grow, and thrive, even when life throws its hardest punches.

december new releases

The Sustainability Class: How to Take Back Our Future from Lifestyle Environmentalists

by Vijay Kolinjivadi - Aaron Vansintjan

An original argument that environmental sustainability has been co-opted by the urban elite, along with examples from around the world of ways we can save our planet

A sustainability apartheid is emerging. More than ever, urban residents want to be green, yet to cater to their interests, a green-tech service economy has sprung up, co-opting well-intentioned concerns over sustainability to sell a resource-heavy and exclusive "lifestyle environmentalism." This has made cities more unsustainable and inaccessible to the working class.

From Venice Beach, Los Angeles, to Neom in Saudi Arabia and beyond, the authors explore with biting humor how investors around the world are rushing to capitalize on going green. By contrast, real-world examples of movements for housing and food production, transport, and waste management demonstrate how ordinary people around the world are building a more ecological future by working together, against all odds. In doing so, they show us how sustainability can be reclaimed for everyone. Sustainability isn't about vibes and superficial green facades. It's about building people power to reimagine the world.

The Enduring Enterprise: How Family Businesses Thrive in Turbulent Conditions

by Devin Deciantis - Ivan Lansberg

Family businesses thrive in some of the world's toughest environments, providing vital lessons for businesses everywhere.

The bulk of the world's growth in population and economic activity in the foreseeable future will be generated in the developing world. This is precisely where enterprising families dominate, operating very differently than their peers in more stable and affluent nations. These businesses not only survive but actually thrive in turbulent times, enduring wars, lawlessness, market failures, environmental disasters, and more. The world's most advanced economies will increasingly experience these types of structural shocks and chronic uncertainties in the years ahead. The question is, what can they do about it?

The Entrepreneurial Mindset Advantage: The Hidden Logic That Unleashes Human Potential

by Gary G Schoeniger

Learning how to think like an entrepreneur can make a big difference in our lives.

We're all familiar with the stories of iconic entrepreneurs like Steve Jobs, Jeff Bezos, and Elon Musk. Yet when we look beyond the headlines and the hype to explore the mindset of everyday entrepreneurs, a hidden logic begins to emerge--one that can empower ordinary people to accomplish extraordinary things.

Matchmaker Matchmaker: Find Me a Love That Lasts

by Aleeza Ben Shalom

In her paradigm-shifting book, Aleeza Ben Shalom, dating coach and Netflix star, will guide readers through her highly original perspective on dating, revealing the surprising ways in which a person's dating habits directly influence their chances of finding lasting love. With her unique blend of wisdom and humor, Aleeza debunks widespread societal myths about love, inviting readers to reframe how they approach the practice of dating. Each chapter introduces the reader to a specific methodology while also sharing select clients' stories to show the theory in practice. Helpful tools, including checklists, rules, reminders, tips, hacks, and frequently asked questions, are included throughout.

Simply Science

by DK DK

Understanding science has never been easier.

Combining bold graphics with easy-to-understand text, Simply Science is the perfect introduction for those who are short on time but hungry for knowledge.

The book covers not only the core sciences--physics, biology, and chemistry--but also Earth science and astronomy. Assuming no previous scientific knowledge, it covers more than 100 cornerstone ideas, ranging from photosynthesis to chemical reactions, the laws of motion, and the general theory of relativity. Pared-back entries each focus on a single concept and use a combination of clear text and simple graphics to explain it as directly and concisely as possible.

Whether you are studying science in school or college, or simply want a jargon-free overview of the subject, this essential guide is packed with everything you need to understand the basics of science quickly and easily.

This Beautiful Day: Daily Wisdom from Mister Rogers

by Fred Rogers - Levar Burton

From everyone's favorite neighbor, a collection of heartwarming reflections to help you make each day a truly beautiful day.

This Beautiful Day gathers the most trusted advice and insight from Fred Rogers into 365 daily reflections. Every page is an invitation to generosity, compassion, and joy, infused with Fred's warm voice, his dearly loved work on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, and his timeless insight, all of which have shaped the lives of countless children and adults.

With advice on everything from navigating transitions to nurturing community, This Beautiful Day is a kind reminder from a beloved neighbor that, "you don't have to be anything more than who you are right now."

This Beautiful Day is part of The Day by Day series, a collection of books designed to help readers infuse the rhythms of their lives with meaning and intention.

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