The 10 Best Books Every Girl Boss Should Have on Her Shelf

This one thing you probably don’t know about me yet – unless you watch my Instagram Stories where quite occasionally, I post sections of the books I’m currently reading.

And boy, I usually don’t just read one book at a time. I have 2 or 3 that I rotate around based on my mood and needs that day.

My husband Ben constantly makes fun of me because of that. He’s more a one-book-at-a-time-kinda-guy. Oh well, opposites attract, right :)? But what we do have in common is our love for reading.

Lately, I’ve found a few books that especially resonated with me as a female entrepreneur, a girl boss so to speak. And I wanted to share them with you.

Dream Wedding (1)

My little Maltese-Dachshund mix, Lucky, is curled up next to me right now as I’m writing this. His head is resting on the book I’ve just put aside when inspiration hit to write this article.

So, let’s get to it. Are you ready? Here we go…

These are some of my most life-changing, perspective-shifting, inspirational books I’ve read this past year:

The 10 Best Books Every Girl Boss Should Have on Her Shelf

Girl, Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis – I’ve rarely read a book that felt so authentic. Rachel truly uncovers some raw and rather unspoken aspects of being a successful female business owner AND mother AND wife AND speaker AND… I still don’t know how she juggles everything. You will find yourself laughing out loud, nodding profusely and maybe even crying.

Captivate : The Science Of Succeeding With People by Vanessa Van Edwards – This book is like the bible for introverts and recovering (or still in the process) recovering awkward people… aka me :). Really. I wish I would have discovered this book YEARS ago. It would have helped me SO much in my business. Can you feel my passion for this book through this paragraph. Go get it now here.

Becoming  by Michelle Obama – Need I explain why you should check out this book? It’s truly inspirational from a smart, inspirational woman. I think you’ll love it as much as I did.

Dare To Lead by Brene Brown – How to step up and lead with heart. Mrs Brene Brown is one of those people on my list of people I must meet in my lifetime :). She’s that good and I love her humor and flair that she always injects her writing with. This book is best read with a nice glass of Rose and some music on in the background.

Start Where You Are by Meera Lee Patel – Every answer is inside of you. I personally truly believe that. If you feel stuck right now or confused or like you’ve hit a plateau, this book is for you. I’ve felt this way a LOT a few months ago and the thoughtful journaling prompts inside this book (which, okay, is more like a journal but still) have helped me find clarity with a lot of things.

Financial Intelligence by Karen Berman – If you are or want to become a business owner and have not graduated with a business diploma where you’ve probably learned all about this stuff (I wouldn’t know since my degree is in Diplomacy and Intercultural studies ^^), you need to read this book. Yes, finances are not sexy but they can AND should be. You will thank me later once your company is close to hitting seven or eight figures that I made you read this book ;).

Writing For Bliss by Diana Raab – Have you ever heard this saying that stories sell? Yes? Then you need to go read this book now. Period.

Train Your Brain: How To Build A Million Dollar Business In Record Time by Dana Wilde – Mindset is everything, darling. It truly is. It can make or break your success, regardless of how good you are at what it is you are doing or how advanced your product is. If you want to succeed you need to train your mindset like a muscle. This book will guide you in how to do this.

Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert – A must read for any girl boss that is looking to live a successful, creative life.

Influencer: Building Your Personal Brand In The Age Of Social Media by Brittany Hennessy – If you are a fan of content creation businesses and want to make a name for yourself as the brand, this book is for you. It’s your blueprint for how to manage AND monetize your influence online.

FOR REALS

The thing is though… this list can seem really overwhelming to some of you, especially if you’re not a big reader. Don’t get me wrong, I feel like there is so much wisdom to be gained from reading books. You are essentially getting access to the experience someone has made for years and what they have learned from it. To me, there’s true value in that.

Regardless, I don’t want this list to hold you back from taking action NOW. You probably already know the next step that you need to be taking to get some momentum going. So, go ahead and take that step now. Read those above books along the way whenever you have time and for continuing education.

And don’t forget, these are all just perspectives of one person’s life and that person’s experiences. If something does not feel like it aligns with how you feel and it just does not seem to make sense for you, disregard it – regardless, of who wrote it. Even me!

You want to be forging your own path. Trust yourself the most whenever you get that feeling… you know which one I’m talking about ;).

And finally, and for fun…

HOLIDAY READS FOR THE BUSY GIRL BOSS TO RELAX

Do you remember how I mentioned I read 2 or 3 books at a time? Well, one of them is ALWAYS a fiction book (in addition to all the non-fiction books I read).

I just love stories. Heck, I’m totally addicted to them and I think that even a smart business person can learn a lot from reading popular and not so popular fiction books.

It’s about learning and understanding what moves people. Often times, the things that move us span entire continents and touch peoples hearts, regardless of gender or ethnicity.

So, I want to encourage you to not forget how fun reading can be! I often times stare at a computer sooo long that I am excited to get away from it and I do this with one heck of a good fiction book. Without further ado, here are my faves…

  1. The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah (looove her writing style and character development!)
  2. The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang (juicy. did I already say juicy hehe)
  3. Love And Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch (who doesn’t love gelato, right?)
  4. Tell Me Three Things by Julie Buxbaum (simply a cute novel)
  5. Shelter In Place by Nora Roberts (for those who love mystery and suspense)

One final tip before I go, those educational non-fiction books? Try them out on Audible. I love listening to an audiobook while doing my morning workout.

And from one Girlboss to another – tell me – what books have you been loving this year that I should add to this list? What books are you excited about that are being released in 2019?

P.s. Enjoyed this article? You might also like this post: https://corneliapauline.com/2018/10/11/the-ultimate-entrepreneurs-toolkit/

  1. I really enjoyed your book list and your descriptions piqued my interest on most of them… Off to refill my Kindle with something new. Thanks!

    • corneliapauline says:

      Oh thank you so much Susie! Happy to hear that you’ve enjoyed my book list :)! Be sure to share it with your network <3. I would totally appreciate it. Btw, how are you liking your kindle? I have the Kindle app but I read my books on my iPhone or iPad as opposed to the actual Kindle device.

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