My Reading List
Something my community has asked me for is an online home for all my book recommendations – so I am happy to oblige with this comprehensive list of my absolute favourite reads.
From business to spirituality, from organisation to relationships… there’s something here for you.
I add to the page when I come across another book I love, so feel free to check back in often.
Happy reading!
Lorraine x
Autobiography and Memoir
Breakthrough – Marina Go
Operating Instructions – Anne Lamott
Becoming – Michelle Obama
Business Strategy and Sales
Good to Great – Jim Collins
Read it for: A comprehensive, but very readable, guide to what takes a company from decent to amazing. Some of the key factors might surprise you and it’s packed with great case studies and examples.
Competing on Internet Time – Michael A. Cusumano and David B. Yoffie
Read it for: An insight into how to grow a business on ‘internet time’ (i.e. really quickly).
How to Win at the Sport of Business – Mark Cuban
Read it for: An absolutely no-bullshit guide to successful business. Also funny and motivating as hell.
The Ultimate Sales Machine – Chet Holmes
Read it for: A step-by-step guide to smashing your sales targets from one of Tony Robbins’ sales gurus.
David and Goliath – Malcolm Gladwell
Read it for: A heartening read that shows it is possible for small businesses to take on the big giants of industry.
Joan of Arc – Mark Twain
Read it for: A lesson in belief and courage
The Five Dysfunctions of a Team – Patrick Lencioni
Read it for: A compact overview of how people come together in teams, and the essential foundations that leaders must ensure are in place to have a happy and productive team dynamic.
Feminism and Social Issues
How To Be A Woman – Caitlin Moran
The Wife Drought – Annabel Crabb
Lean In – Sheryl Sandberg
Fed Up: Emotional labor, women, and the way forward – Gemma Hartley
A Woman’s Worth – Marianne Williamson
It Takes a Village – Hillary Rodham Clinton
Daily Rituals: Women at work – Mason Currey
Read it for: Fascinating insights into the working days of creative women spanning three centuries.
Untamed: Stop pleasing, start living – Glennon Doyle
Read it for: A searing reframe on people-pleasing, and striking out in the direction of the life we want to live.
Finance
The Richest Man in Babylon – George Samuel Clason
Read it for: A powerful series of lessons on being financially successful, told via a series of parables.
Money: Master the game – Tony Robbins
Read it for: An empowering, no-nonsense guide to what you need to know about money – how to make it, keep it, and not be scared by it.
Rich Dad Poor Dad – Robert Kiyosaki
Read it for: A map on financial success, and a clear lesson on what not to do if you want to attract significant money into your life.
Life Strategy
The Miracle Morning – Hal Elrod
The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up – Marie Kondo
Get Remarkably Organised – Lorraine Murphy
Read it for: My tried and tested approach to GSD (Getting Shit Done) – this is me in my organisational happy place! Get Remarkably Organised is also available as an audiobook.
Becoming Supernatural: How common people are doing the uncommon – Joe Dispenza
Read it for: How we can upgrade our energy to align with more possibility and potential in our lives.
Wintering: The power of rest and retreat in difficult times – Katherine May
Read it for: A comforting, wide-ranging read on the idea of retreating, and why it’s a fundamental part of our natural cycle.
Winging It – Emma Isaacs
Mastering Your Mean Girl – Melissa Ambrosini
Outliers – Malcolm Gladwell
Mindset
Unlimited Power – Tony Robbins
Read it for: A mind-blowing summary of Tony’s key lessons in achieving personal power and fulfilment.
Think and Grow Rich – Napoleon Hill
Read it for: The blueprint to having a successful life. The original (and I would argue best) personal development guide.
What I Know for Sure – Oprah Winfrey
Read it for: A goldmine in wisdom, guidance and common sense. I pick this up for yet another re-read when I’m feeling overwhelmed and/or stressed.
You Can Heal Your Life – Louise Hay
Read it for: An introduction to Louise’s philosophy, and how affirmations hold the key to healing our past trauma, and finding wellness and happiness.
Heal Your Body: The mental causes for physical illness and the metaphysical way to overcome them – Louise Hay
Read it for: A detailed breakdown of the physical symptoms we experience, and what the underlying mental/emotional causes are. (A mini version of this book is included at the end of You Can Heal Your Life.)
Quiet – Susan Cain
Read it for: A survivor’s guide to introverts.
Loving What Is: Four questions that can change your life – Byron Katie
Read it for: A breakdown of Katie’s legendary approach to ‘doing The Work’. I find her exercises to be very helpful in dealing with a painful issue with a person or situation.
Untrue: Why nearly everything we believe about women and lust and infidelity is untrue – Wednesday Martin
Read it for: An investigation into lust, and Wednesday’s own explorations into opening her sexual horizons.
The Happiness Project – Gretchen Rubin
Read it for: An interesting and fun exploration of what makes us happy. Gretchen committed to being happy for a year and shares her insights in this book.
Thrive – Arianna Huffington
Read it for: A recipe to a successful and happy life, across four pillars: wellbeing, wisdom, wonder and giving.
Flow – Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
Read it for: An exploration of what it means to be in a ‘flow state’, and how to get there more often.
Making Habits, Breaking Habits – Jeremy Dean
Read it for: An investigation of how habits come about.
The Power of Habit – Charles Duhigg
Read it for: A scientific breakdown of how we form – and maintain – habits.
The Sleep Revolution – Arianna Huffington
Read it for: A powerful campaign for why we need more sleep in our lives, and tips on how to get more.
The Willpower Instinct – Kelly McGonigal
Read it for: An understanding of how willpower works, and how we can master it more in our lives.
Braving the Wilderness: The quest for true belonging and the courage to stand alone – Brené Brown
Read it for: An understanding of what belonging means in today’s world, and how we can bravely discover our own truth.
Comparisonitis: How to stop comparing yourself to others and be genuinely happy – Melissa Ambrosini
Read it for: A solution-oriented approach to minimising the impact of ‘comparisonitis’ on your happiness.
The Midnight Library – Matt Haig
Read it for: A paradigm-shifting philosophical perspective on regrets in our lives. This is the only fiction book on this list – that’s how powerful I found this novel to be!
Motivation
Do the Work: Overcome resistance and get out of your own way – Steven Pressfield
Read it for: A massive kick up the ass if you tend to procrastinate on getting tasks started and completed.
The 4-Hour Workweek – Timothy Ferriss
Read it for: A glimpse into the inner workings of Tim’s fascinating and highly efficient life, plus many laughs!
#Girlboss – Sophia Amoruso
Read it for: The secrets behind Sophia’s success in building the Nasty Gal online fashion empire.
Girl, Wash Your Face: Stop believing the lies about who you are so you can become who you were meant to be – Rachel Hollis
Read it for: A motivating account of Rachel’s own life, and her greatest life lessons.
The 10X Rule – Grant Cardone
Read it for: Tips on how to supersize your goals.
You Learn by Living – Eleanor Roosevelt
Read it for: An incredible resource for overcoming challenges and getting shit done that is just as valuable and relevant today as it was when she wrote it in 1960.
Chicken Soup for the Entrepreneur’s Soul – Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Dahlynn McKowen, John and Elizabeth Gardner, and Tom Hill
Read it for: A dose of hope when you’re having a shitty ‘why am I doing this anyway?’ day. The short stories are easy to dip in and out of.
Die Empty – Todd Henry
Read it for: A motivating read on how we can be our most brilliant every day, and avoid the stagnation that comes with knowing we’re not operating at our full potential.
Pregnancy & Birth
Beautiful Babies – Kristen Michaelis
Guide to Childbirth – Ina May
The Down to Earth Birth Book – Jenny Blyth
The Impatient Woman’s Guide To Getting Pregnant – Jean Twenge
Productivity
The Checklist Manifesto – Atul Gawande
Read it for: A fascinating study on how the humble checklist can improve efficiency and reduce mistakes dramatically.
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People – Stephen R. Covey
Read it for: A seven-step guide to smashing your to-do list. This is a productivity bible.
The Now Habit – Neil Fiore
Read it for: A deeper understanding of why we procrastinate, especially how fear feeds procrastination.
The Power of Less – Leo Babauta
Read it for: Genius tips on simplifying your life so you can get more done in less time – and feel happier.
Eat That Frog! – Brian Tracy
Read it for: A guide to getting the difficult/shitty tasks done first every day, probably the biggest productivity hack of all time.
Get Your Sh*t Together – Sarah Knight
Read it for: A frank, absolutely hilarious guide to getting your life sorted. Sarah is like your wise but bad-ass BFF who only has your best interests in mind.
Relationships
Beyond Mars and Venus: Relationship skills for today’s complex world – John Gray
Read it for: A guide to navigating modern relationships, and a deep dive into the world of masculine and feminine energy.
Everything I Know About Love – Dolly Alderton
The 5 Love Languages – Gary Chapman
Read it for: A guide to understanding your partner, understanding yourself and helping your romantic relationship flourish. I firmly believe that someone’s love language carries through to their working style as well.
Dear Lover: A woman’s guide to men, sex, and love’s deepest bliss – David Deida
Read it for: An insight into what women really want from their men.
Carry On Warrior – Glennon Doyle
Getting the Love You Want: A guide for couples – Harville Hendrix and Helen LaKelly Hunt
Read it for: An understanding of how our romantic relationships have the ability to heal us.
Open Wide: A radically real guide to deep love, rocking relationships and soulful sex – Melissa Ambrosini
Read it for: A far-reaching overview to relationships, energy and mindset.
The Way of the Superior Man: A spiritual guide to mastering the challenges of women, work, and sexual desire – David Deida
Read it for: A manual to modern day masculinity and a guide to heterosexual relationships.
Fair Play: A game-changing solution for when you have too much to do (and more life to live) – Eve Rodsky
Read it for: A briefing on the impact of the mental load, and a genius approach to democratising the ‘thinking’ with our partners.
Spirituality
Angels in My Hair – Lorna Byrne
Read it for: An honest and very personal account of Lorna’s experience with angels.
Conversations with God – Neale Donald Walsch
Read it for: A new paradigm on how we traditionally see God. The book offers an alternative perspective, and is also surprisingly funny (God has a kickass sense of humour!)
A Return to Love – Marianne Williamson
Read it for: An easily navigated summary of the enormous A Course in Miracles – helping us to live a heart-centred and connected life.
The Power of Now – Eckhart Tolle
Read it for: A manifesto on living in the moment. This is one of Oprah’s favourite books.
The Alchemist – Paulo Coelho
Read it for: A powerful lesson in how to tap into divine/universal energy to create the life you want.
