Skip to content

Top Navigation

Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure
  • Trip Inspiration
  • Plan Your Trip
  • World's Best
  • Destination of the Year
  • A-List Travel Advisors
  • Cruises
  • Travel Tips
  • News
  • Food + Drink
  • Travel Accessories
  • Check-In

Profile Menu

Your Profile

Your Profile

  • Join Now
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Give a Gift Subscription
  • Help
  • Logout
Login
Subscribe
Pin FB

Explore Travel + Leisure

Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure
  • Explore

    Explore

    • World's Best

      The greatest islands, cities, hotels, cruise lines, airports, and more — as voted by you. Read More Next
    • The 50 Best Places to Travel in 2020

      Whether you're traveling solo or planning a family vacation, here are the 50 best places to visit in 2020. Read More Next
    • Let's Go Together Podcast

      Start listening to T+L's brand new podcast, Let's Go Together! Hosted by Kellee Edwards. Read More Next
  • Trip Inspiration

    Trip Inspiration

    • Trip Ideas
    • Weekend Getaways
    • Spring Travel
    • Summer Travel
    • Fall Travel
    • Winter Travel
    • Solo Travel
    • Romantic Getaways
    • Luxury Travel
    • Beach Vacations
    • Adventure Travel
    • Road Trips
    • Family Travel
    • National Parks
    • Holiday Travel
    • Travel Photography
    • Photo of the Day
    • Culture and Design
  • Plan Your Trip

    Plan Your Trip

    • Travel Guides
    • Flight Deals
    • Travel Deals
    • Ways to Save
    • Hotels + Resorts
    • Attractions
    • Amusement Parks
    • Disney Vacations
    • Festivals + Events
    • Airlines + Airports
    • Buses + Trains
    • Ground Transportation
  • World's Best

    World's Best

    • Top Hotels
    • Top Cities
    • Top Islands
    • Domestic Airlines
    • International Airlines
    • Tours
    • Safaris
    • All World's Best
  • Destination of the Year
  • A-List Travel Advisors
  • Cruises

    Cruises

    • Find A Cruise
    • Caribbean Cruises
    • River Cruises
    • European Cruises
    • All-Inclusive Cruises
    • Family Cruises
    • Alaskan Cruises
    • Disney Cruises
    • See All Cruise Vacations
  • Travel Tips

    Travel Tips

    • Travel Trends
    • Packing Tips
    • Points + Miles
    • Budgeting + Currency
    • Customs + Immigration
    • Responsible Travel
    • Travel Etiquette
    • Travel Warnings
    • Weather
    • Mobile Apps
    • See All Travel Tips
  • News

    News

    • Wellness
    • Celebrity Travel
    • Animals
    • Jobs
    • Offbeat
    • See All News
  • Food + Drink

    Food + Drink

    • Restaurants
    • Wine
    • Beer
    • Cocktails + Spirits
    • Bars + Clubs
    • Celebrity Chefs
    • Cooking + Entertaining
    • Food Fairs + Festivals
    • World's Best Restaurants
    • See All Food + Drink
  • Travel Accessories

    Travel Accessories

    • Travel Bags
    • Shoes
    • Travel Tech
    • Shopping
    • Style
    • Gift Guides
    • See All Travel Accessories
  • Check-In

Profile Menu

Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
Your Profile

Your Profile

  • Join Now
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Give a Gift Subscription
  • Help
  • Logout
Login
Sweepstakes

Follow us

  1. Home
  2. Culture + Design
  3. Books
  4. Books You’ll Wish You Read Sooner

Books You’ll Wish You Read Sooner

By Madison Alcedo and Madison Alcedo / RealSimple.com
January 12, 2017
Skip gallery slides
Save Pin
Credit: detailfoto/Getty Images
This story originally appeared on Realsimple.com. 

A great read can be transformative—and may even change the way you think about your life. These books, chosen by RS staffers, are so powerful, you’ll want to read them again—and share them with your friends.
Start Slideshow

1 of 8

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Dietland, by Sarai Walker

Credit: Amazon
  • This funny, painful coming-of-age story follows Plum Kettle, a woman set on changing her appearance and releasing the "thin" woman that lives inside of her. Through Plum, Walker takes down the diet industry, writes honestly about gender equality, explores society’s obsession with thinness, and stresses the importance of surrounding yourself with a supportive and smart network of women.
  • To buy: $9, amazon.com.

1 of 8

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 8

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Bossypants, by Tina Fey

Credit: Amazon
  • Can a comedian give serious advice? Surprisingly, yes. Fey’s memoir opens a hilarious window into her childhood and ascent to fame, while simultaneously offering grounded, practical advice for adults stumbling to find success. Her best essay: 'Prayer for My Daughter,' which opens with, "First, Lord: No tattoos. May neither Chinese symbol for truth nor Winnie-the-Pooh holding the FSU logo stain her tender haunches." Need we say more?
  • To buy: $9.50, amazon.com.

Related: There’s a New Personality Type You Should Know About

2 of 8

3 of 8

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Americanah, by Chimimanda Ngozi Adiche

Credit: Amazon
  • Yes, this is a love story, but it’s so much more than that. It’s the tale of two teenagers in Nigeria who are forced to leave their small towns—to very different results. Ifemelu lands in America, where the cultural divide is stark. Obinze travels to London, where he is forced to live a (sometimes frightening) undocumented life. Both stories demonstrate the complexities of growing up, race, assimilation, and a side of both Africa and America that will surprise many readers.​
  • To buy: $9, amazon.com.

3 of 8

Advertisement

4 of 8

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Quiet, by Susan Cain

Credit: Amazon

An in-depth look at the power of introverts, Quiet shows that people who like to listen rather than speak—or prefer to work alone—can shine just as brightly as their extroverted counterparts. The book serves as an important reminder that even those who fly under the radar have a lot to offer—and can be extremely successful.

To buy: $10, amazon.com.

Related: How to Stick With Your Money Resolutions

4 of 8

5 of 8

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

I Feel Bad About My Neck: And Other Thoughts on Being a Woman, by Nora Ephron‬‬‬‬

Credit: Amazon
  • Ephron's sharply witty collection focuses on the ways American women struggle with notions of beauty and getting older. While essays about purses, salads, and bathing suits might sound frivolous, they're not. Rather, they offer moments of comic relief and invitations to reflect that might even make you a bit more comfortable with the inevitability of aging.​
  • To buy: $9.50, amazon.com.

5 of 8

6 of 8

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice on Love and Life From Dear Sugar, by Cheryl Strayed

Credit: Amazon
  • Any young woman struggling with a quarter-life crisis will exhale with relief while reading Strayed's wise writing. These essays are collected from her once-anonymous advice column, Dear Sugar, but Strayed is no Dear Abby—she's Dear Abby's fearless, honest, and more experienced distant cousin. Strayed responds with brutal honestly to her letter writers—and offers stories from her own life as both examples and cautionary tales.
  • To buy: $9, amazon.com.

6 of 8

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

7 of 8

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

When Breath Becomes Air, by Paul Kalanithi

Credit: Amazon
  • This memoir opens up a raw conversation about how to face death and disease head-on when you’re young, in love, and have a new baby. After an unexpected terminal cancer diagnosis, Kalanithi, a neurologist, must confront sickness and the end of life from a new perspective. He uses his last 22 months to write about his powerful transformation from doctor to patient. ​
  • To buy: $15, amazon.com.

Related: 7 Kitchen Items to Save or Splurge On

7 of 8

8 of 8

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear, by Elizabeth Gilbert

Credit: Amazon

The bestselling author of Eat, Pray, Love offers readers a look inside her creative process—and coaches them on how to pursue their own artistic dreams. This is also a book about how staying open-minded ultimately results in a happier life. Gilbert’s passionate and thought-provoking discussion of curiosity and inspiration will motivate you to revisit that long-forgotten project and finally see it through.

To buy: $14, amazon.com.

For more, click here.

8 of 8

Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook

Up Next

By Madison Alcedo and Madison Alcedo / RealSimple.com

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook
Trending Videos
Advertisement
Skip slide summaries

Everything in This Slideshow

Advertisement

View All

1 of 8 Dietland, by Sarai Walker
2 of 8 Bossypants, by Tina Fey
3 of 8 Americanah, by Chimimanda Ngozi Adiche
4 of 8 Quiet, by Susan Cain
5 of 8 I Feel Bad About My Neck: And Other Thoughts on Being a Woman, by Nora Ephron‬‬‬‬
6 of 8 Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice on Love and Life From Dear Sugar, by Cheryl Strayed
7 of 8 When Breath Becomes Air, by Paul Kalanithi
8 of 8 Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear, by Elizabeth Gilbert

Share options

Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message
Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure

Magazines & More

Learn More

  • Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise
  • Content Licensing this link opens in a new tab
  • Sitemap
  • Travel Guide Sitemap

Connect

Follow Us
Subscribe to Our Newsletters
Other Meredith Sites

Other Meredith Sites

  • 4 Your Health this link opens in a new tab
  • Allrecipes this link opens in a new tab
  • All People Quilt this link opens in a new tab
  • Better Homes & Gardens this link opens in a new tab
  • Bizrate Insights this link opens in a new tab
  • Bizrate Surveys this link opens in a new tab
  • Cooking Light this link opens in a new tab
  • Daily Paws this link opens in a new tab
  • EatingWell this link opens in a new tab
  • Eat This, Not That this link opens in a new tab
  • Entertainment Weekly this link opens in a new tab
  • Food & Wine this link opens in a new tab
  • Health this link opens in a new tab
  • Hello Giggles this link opens in a new tab
  • Instyle this link opens in a new tab
  • Martha Stewart this link opens in a new tab
  • Midwest Living this link opens in a new tab
  • More this link opens in a new tab
  • MyRecipes this link opens in a new tab
  • MyWedding this link opens in a new tab
  • My Food and Family this link opens in a new tab
  • MyLife this link opens in a new tab
  • Parenting this link opens in a new tab
  • Parents this link opens in a new tab
  • People this link opens in a new tab
  • People en Español this link opens in a new tab
  • Rachael Ray Magazine this link opens in a new tab
  • Real Simple this link opens in a new tab
  • Ser Padres this link opens in a new tab
  • Shape this link opens in a new tab
  • Siempre Mujer this link opens in a new tab
  • Southern Living this link opens in a new tab
  • SwearBy this link opens in a new tab
Travel + Leisure is part of the Travel + Leisure Group. Copyright 2021 Meredith Corporation. Travel + Leisure is a registered trademark of Meredith Corporation Travel + Leisure Group All Rights Reserved, registered in the United States and other countries. Travel + Leisure may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice. Privacy Policythis link opens in a new tab Terms of Servicethis link opens in a new tab Ad Choicesthis link opens in a new tab California Do Not Sellthis link opens a modal window Web Accessibilitythis link opens in a new tab
© Copyright . All rights reserved. Printed from https://www.travelandleisure.com

View image

Books You’ll Wish You Read Sooner
this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.