Im a young adult whose transtitioning to adulthood, I figured I wanted to start a hobby of reading, preferebly before going to bed. If I remember correctly the last book I read was the Diary of a Wimpy kid when i was like 8 years old. I searched around and I think id like books on self improving or something that can give me information I can use for my future.
The only books I know are atomic habits because I see it alot on social media but I wanted to ask if there are any better reads that this book for a total newbie like me. Thanks
by Least-Tea3748
9 Comments
I highly recommend “10 Clues You Leave Online” – it’s a must for any young adult who is using the internet.
Maybe try starting with a memoir by someone you admire or in a field you’re interested in? When I’m in a reading slump I’ll listen to a memoir on audiobook (it’s often read aloud by the author) or I’ll find a fun graphic novel to read before bed!
If you get a little more specific I’ll try to suggest some books to you!
Sophies world by Jostein Gaarder. It’s fiction but also a crash course in philosophy
Start with an area you’re interested in esp if yiu’re a newbie. Reading a book can be mentally tiring if you’re not used to reading. There’re books for everything. If you write it here we can probably help you find books that touch on it!
In general, fantasy/scifi books are more action packed and appeal to the general public so maybe read some descriptions on the back of the book and choose one. You can start with Red Rising! It’s exciting and usually has mass appeal:)
**Algorithms to Live By by Brian Christian and Tom Griffiths**: some real life types of problems with insights to the solutions with computer science.
**Thinking in Bets by Annie Duke**: Our brain takes a lot of shortcuts that are useful in most cases, but can cause systematic errors in a modern complex world.
**Make it Stick by Peter C Brown**: This is about how to learn and how to teach others.
**Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss**: How to put yourself in the shoes of the other side in negotiations and find places to add value to the other side without sacrificing as much value yourself. Understanding other parties enables deals that are genuinely beneficial to all.
Atomic Habits has some good ideas and info. Definitely worth picking up if the subject matter interests you.
“Self-improvement” can span a lot of different things. Is there any particular way you’re looking to improve yourself? Productivity? Mental health? Relationships? Career? That can help people in making recommendations for you.
Short stories collections. You can read one story before going to sleep and you can skip those you don’t like, different from a novel and its long term reading commitment.
Ishmael by Daniel Quinn is life changing.
Not a self help book tho…it’s about understand the world around you. Very good book and necessary for a young adult. I read it in college and can’t give it enough praise. A “Eureka” moment went off in my brain when I read it
This may be a controversial position, but I don’t think you need to read self-help books to learn from books. I’m more of a fiction reader and have been my whole life and yet I feel like reading widely has given me a lot of perspectives on life that I wouldn’t have had if I weren’t a reader. It’s fine to read non-fiction and to look for things that might be directly useful, but I would also encourage you to explore because you might enjoy reading fiction more.