“The only two questions, at any moment of choice in life, is what the price is, and whether or not it’s worth paying.”
Self-help books remain a cornerstone of personal growth, offering guidance and inspiration for navigating life’s challenges. As 2024 draws to a close, the genre continues to evolve with new releases that tackle the ever-changing needs of readers. Whether you’re looking to boost your productivity, find inner peace or gain clarity in your relationships, the latest sefl-help books promise fresh perspectives and accessible, actionable strategies. Today at What We Reading we’re compiling our best self-help books of 2024. These titles all stand out not only for their engaging insights but also for their relevance to the modern world. A mix of treasured and celebrated authors as well as exciting new voices, these books are designed to inspire lasting change with their transformative ideas and relatable advice.
Stop Lying To Yourself: 101 Hard Truths To Help You Change Your Life – Simon Gilham
First up on our collection of the best self-help books from 2024 is Simon Gilham’s Stop Lying to Yourself. Having established a dedicated community totalling over nine million people across the globe, Gilham has established himself as one of the most authoritative voices for telling people what they need to hear, rather than what they want to hear.
In Stop Lying to Yourself, Gilham curates all of his most sought-after advice with timely quotes, prompts and practical self-help steps to create a straight-talking, inspirational guidebook that is accessible to any reader.
Why Am I Like This?: My Brain Isn’t Broken – Gemma Styles
Contemporary society is grappling with unprecedented rates of stress, burnout, loneliness, and insecurity in the face of an uncertain future, technological codependence, and increasing social isolation. In her 2024 self-help book Why Am I Like This?, Gemma Styles taps into the sentiment of a generation, giving voice to the feelings Gen Z has been attempting to explain for years.
From the ways in which we communicate to our ambitions and self-image, Gemma explores mental health in the digital age. Combining her own journey and ADHD diagnosis with the input of insights and the latest research from experts across the field, this is one of the most thought-provoking and heartwarming self-help books for anyone who feels overwhelmed and in search of a spirited call to action.
You Don’t Have To Have A Dream: Advice For The Incrementally Ambitious – Tim Minchin
You Don’t Have to Have a Dream is a 2024 self-help book by Tim Minchin and stands as a quaint love letter to the romantic realists in all of us. In it, Minchin considers all of his inimitable thoughts and advice on life, art, success, kindness and making it in a meaningless universe.
Drawn from three of his much-lauded commencement addresses, and beautifully designed with specially commissioned illustrations throughout, You Don’t Have to Have a Dream is an empowering spark for creativity, critical thinking and compassion in all of our daily lives.
And How Does That Make You Feel?: Everything You Never Wanted To Know About Therapy – Joshua Fletcher
Have you ever wondered what goes on behind closed doors in a therapist’s office? In his self-help book from 2024, Psychotherapist Josh Fletcher takes readers on a candid tour of four patients’ individual sessions, sharing their journeys of recovery as they try therapy for the first time. He invites readers into the inner thoughts of a therapist, from shock and sympathy to what it is like running into a former client on a night out.
Featuring straight-talking advice on common issues such as obsessive-compulsive disorder, anxiety, and panic attacks, as well as guidance on finding the right type of therapist from a therapist’s perspective, And How Does That Make You Feel? is a funny and captivating guide to everything you have ever wanted to know about therapy.
Surrounded By Liars: How To Stop Lies And Half-Truths Ruining Your Life – Thomas Erikson
From the Sunday Times bestselling author of the internally-acclaimed Surrounded by Idiots, Thomas Erikson explores why we choose to lie even when we know it is wrong in his new self-help book, Surrounded by Liars.
In it, the renowned behavioural expert unpacks the psychological factors behind why we lie and unveils the impact lying can have on our relationships. Aided by the same behavioural model that made his previous work so successful, Surrounded by Liars teaches readers how to identify the liars in their lives and shatter their deception for good.
Meditations For Mortals: Four Weeks To Embrace Your Limitations And Make Time For What Counts – Oliver Burkeman
Oliver Burkeman’s Meditations for Mortals takes readers on a liberating journey toward a more meaningful life that is firmly grounded in the realities we find ourselves in. Addressing the fundamental questions about how to live, this 2024 self-help novel introduces Burkeman’s concept of ‘imperfectionism’.
Reflecting on ideas borrowed from philosophy, religion, literature, psychology and self-help, Meditations for Mortals presents practical tools and shifts in perspective. The final result is an empowering and actionable guidebook aimed at helping readers cultivate a freer, more enchantment-filled life.
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Dialed In: Do Your Best When It Matters Most – Dana Sinclair
For over two decades, Dr Dana Sinclair has worked with the best sports professionals ranging from MLB, NFL and NBA stars to Olympic athletes. She helps performers hone their craft and deliver their best in the high-pressure moments that lead to greatness. Yet her methods are also applicable to students, teachers, leaders, managers and anyone else looking for the motivation to improve themselves. Her approach centres around identifying what is in the way, developing actions to counter it and sticking to the plan once it has been devised.
Dialed In is her 2024 self-help book and marks the first time her strategies have been put to paper. In it, she divulges the difference between good routines and unhelpful superstitions and why character is better than talent. Also featuring real-world examples, tips and questionnaires to help better develop a personalised performance plan, this is one of the best new self-help books for feeling like you have a performance coach with you wherever you go.
Slow Productivity: The Lost Art Of Accomplishment Without Burnout – Cal Newport
Prior to the arrival of hectic schedules and stacked email inboxes, history’s most beloved philosophers, writers, artists and scientists all mastered the art of producing valuable work with staying power. In his latest timely and provocative work, Cal Newport harnesses the wisdom of these traditional knowledge workers to upend our modern jobs.
Drawing from extensive research on the habits and mindsets of greats such as Galileo, Isaac Newton and Jane Austen, Newport presents his key principles behind ‘slow productivity’, a more sensible and sustainable approach to the endless overwhelm that defines us currently. Slow Productivity provides an eye-opening roadmap for escaping overload and rediscovering what makes accomplishment truly meaningful and rewarding.
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The Let Them Theory: A Life-Changing Tool That Millions Of People Can’t Stop Talking About – Mel Robbins
In her latest groundbreaking self-help book, motivation, mindset and confidence expert Mel Robbins teaches readers how to stop wasting energy on what they can’t control, and urges them to refocus their energy on what truly matters. With her trademark no-nonsense approach, The Let Them Theory demonstrates through eight key areas how much time and energy a reader has been wasting, and how that is keeping them from the happiness and success they deserve.
Presented as an easy-to-understand guidebook, Robbins shares relatable stories from her own life highlights key takeaways and fundamental research and introduces a sweeping array of experts in neuroscience, relationships, psychology, happiness and ancient wisdom, all of whom stand by The Let Them Theory as one of the most timely self-help books from 2024.
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Part-time reader, part-time rambler, and full-time Horror enthusiast, James has been writing for What We Reading since 2022. His earliest reading memories involved Historical Fiction, Fantasy and Horror tales, which he has continued to take with him to this day. James’ favourite books include The Last (Hanna Jameson), The Troop (Nick Cutter) and Chasing The Boogeyman (Richard Chizmar).
