Books that Spark Joy and Gratitude

Holidays are wonderful . . . but they can also be stressful. The quickest way to combat overwhelm is to practice gratitude. These books remind us that there us much to be grateful for and help us tap into the joy that surrounds us every day.

No. 1

Neurodharma

New Science, Ancient Wisdom, and Seven Practices of the Highest Happiness

LOS ANGELES TIMES BESTSELLER • “An easy-to-follow road map for creating day-to-day inner peace in today’s increasingly complex world.”—Lori Gottlieb, MFT, New York Times bestselling author of Maybe You Should Talk to Someone

Throughout history, people have sought the heights of human potential—to become as wise and strong, happy and loving, as any person can ever be. And now recent science is revealing how these remarkable ways of being are based on equally remarkable changes in our own nervous system, making them more attainable than ever before.  

In Neurodharma, the follow-up to his classic Buddha’s Brain, New York Times bestselling author Rick Hanson, PhD, not only explores the new neuroscience of awakening but also offers a bold yet plausible plan for reverse-engineering peak experiences, sense of oneness, and even enlightenment itself. And he does so with his trademark blend of solid science and warm encouragement, guiding you along this high-reaching path with good humor, accessible tools, and personal examples. 

A groundbreaking yet practical book, Neurodharma shares seven practices for strengthening the neural circuitry of profound contentment and inner peace—qualities that offer essential support in everyday life while also supporting the exploration of the most radical reaches of human consciousness. Step by step, this book explains how to apply these insights in order to cultivate unshakable presence of mind, a courageous heart, and serenity in a changing world. The breakthroughs of the great teachers are not reserved for the chosen few. Dr. Hanson shows how we can embody them ourselves in daily life to handle stress, heal old pain, feel at ease with others, and rest in the sense of our natural goodness.

The Buddha didn’t use an MRI to become enlightened. Still, 2,500 years after he walked the dusty roads of northern India, neuroscientists are discovering the mechanisms of the brain that underpin the Buddha’s penetrating analysis of the mind. With deep research, stories, guided meditations, examples, and applications, Dr. Hanson offers a fascinating, inspiring vision of who we can be—and an effective path for fulfilling this wonderful possibility.
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No. 2

Fierce Love

A Bold Path to Ferocious Courage and Rule-Breaking Kindness That Can Heal the World

A healing antidote to our divisive culture, full of evocative storytelling, spiritual wisdom, and nine essential daily practices—by the first female, Black senior minister at the historic Collegiate Churches of New York

Fierce Love teaches us that with spiritual faith we can transcend the darkest moments and come through stronger.”—Gabrielle Bernstein, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Universe Has Your Back
 
We are living in a world divided. Race and ethnicity, caste and color, gender and sexuality, class and education, religion and political party have all become demographic labels that reduce our differences to simplistic categories in which “we” are vehemently against “them.” But Rev. Dr. Jacqui Lewis’s own experience—of being the first female and first Black minister in her church’s history, of being in an interracial marriage, and of making peace with childhood abuse—illustrates that our human capacity for empathy and forgiveness is the key to reversing these ugly trends.

Inspired by the tenets of ubuntu—the Zulu philosophy that we are each impacted by the circumstances that impact those around us, and that the world won’t get better until we all get better—Fierce Love lays out the nine daily practices for breaking through tribalism and engineering the change we seek. From downsizing our emotional baggage to speaking truth to power to fueling our activism with joy, it demonstrates the power of small, morally courageous steps to heal our own lives, our posse, and our larger communities. Sharing stories that trace her personal reckoning with racism as well as the arc of her journey to an inclusive and service-driven faith, Dr. Lewis shows that kindness, compassion, and inclusive thinking are muscles that can be exercised and strengthened. With the goal of mending our inextricable human connection, Fierce Love is a manifesto for all generations: a bighearted, healing antidote to our rancorous culture.
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No. 3

Happy Habits

50 Science-Backed Rituals to Adopt (or Stop) to Boost Health and Happiness

50 habits to start (or stop!) right now in order to be happier, healthier, less stressed, and more productive—from the best-selling author and happiness expert behind Think Happy.

Forming new habits can improve your mood and invigorate your daily routine, but you’ve gotta figure out which ones to adopt or drop. How can you successfully create habits—and what new habits will actually increase your happiness and fulfillment?

Wellness expert Karen Salmansohn to the rescue! Happy Habits presents fifty habits that span body, mind, relationships, work, home, and play. Karen shares the tools you need to master fundamental habits (daily meditation; practicing gratitude), surprising happiness-boosting techniques (crying regularly; strategic complaining), and tips for easily incorporating new habits into your daily life. Filled with fascinating studies and simple rituals, this illustrated guide offers fun, accessible ways to uplift your life.
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No. 4

Karma

A Yogi's Guide to Crafting Your Destiny

NEW YORK TIMES, USA TODAY, and PUBLISHERS WEEKLY BESTSELLER 
“Full of valuable insights to guide you.”—WILL SMITH
“Thoughtful and life-affirming . . . a must-read.”—TONY ROBBINS
“This book will put you back in charge of your own life.”—TOM BRADY

A new perspective on the overused and misunderstood concept of “karma” that offers the key to happiness and enlightenment, from the world-renowned spiritual master Sadhguru.

What is karma? Most people understand karma as a balance sheet of good and bad deeds, virtues and sins. The mechanism that decrees that we cannot evade the consequences of our own actions. In reality, karma has nothing to do with reward and punishment. Karma simply means action: your action, your responsibility. It isn’t some external system of crime and punishment, but an internal cycle generated by you. Accumulation of karma is determined only by your intention and the way you respond to what is happening to you. Over time, it’s possible to become ensnared by your own unconscious patterns of behavior.

In Karma, Sadhguru seeks to put you back in the driver’s seat, turning you from a terror-struck passenger to a confident driver navigating the course of your own destiny. By living consciously and fully inhabiting each moment, you can free yourself from the cycle. Karma is an exploration and a manual, restoring our understanding of karma to its original potential for freedom and empowerment instead of a source of entanglement. Through Sadhguru’s teachings, you will learn how to live intelligently and joyfully in a challenging world.
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No. 5

Total Meditation

Practices in Living the Awakened Life

The definitive book of meditation that will help you achieve new dimensions of stress-free living

For the past thirty years, Deepak Chopra has been at the forefront of the meditation revolution in the West. Total Meditation offers a complete exploration and reinterpretation of the physical, mental, emotional, relational, and spiritual benefits that this practice can bring. Deepak guides readers on how to wake up to new levels of awareness that will ultimately cultivate a clear vision, heal suffering in your mind and body, and help recover who you really are. Readers will undergo a transformative process, which will result in an awakening of the body, mind, and spirit that will allow you to live in a state of open, free, creative, and blissful awareness twenty-four hours a day.
 
With this book, Deepak elevates the practice of meditation to a life-changing quest for higher consciousness and a more fulfilling existence. He also incorporates new research on meditation and its benefits, provides practical awareness exercises, and concludes with a 52-week program of meditations to help revolutionize every aspect of your life.
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No. 6

Wake Up to the Joy of You

52 Meditations and Practices for a Calmer, Happier Life

This is your year of self-discovery, a journey to create a life filled with grace, meaning, zest, peace, and joy.

ONE OF HEALTHLINE’S 8 BEST MEDITATION BOOKS OF THE YEAR

With warmth and wisdom from a lifetime of spiritual seeking, inspirational force Agapi Stassinopoulos guides you through fifty-two weeks of letting go of what doesn’t work for you and finding what does. You’ll cultivate the building blocks of self-care (meditation, health, making time for yourself) and confront the common roadblocks we all face, like pouring your energy into other people or living in denial. You’ll explore your “conflict” areas, such as relationships, money, self-esteem, anxiety, and your childhood. And you’ll learn to trust your creativity, keep your heart open, and connect to the bigger spirit that lives inside you.
 
Keep this book by your bedside. It is your loving companion. Be creative and have fun with it. Use it as a tool to unlock your goodness, and wake up to the joy of you!
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No. 7

Spark Joy

An Illustrated Master Class on the Art of Organizing and Tidying Up

Japanese decluttering guru Marie Kondo’s The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up has revolutionized homes—and lives—across the world. Now, Kondo presents an illustrated guide to her acclaimed KonMari Method, with step-by-step folding illustrations for everything from shirts to socks, plus drawings of perfectly organized drawers and closets. She also provides advice on frequently asked questions, such as whether to keep “necessary” items that may not bring you joy. With guidance on specific categories including kitchen tools, cleaning supplies, hobby goods, and digital photos, this comprehensive companion is sure to spark joy in anyone who wants to simplify their life.

Includes a bonus PDF with instructional illustrations
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No. 8

The Feel Good Effect

Reclaim Your Wellness by Finding Small Shifts that Create Big Change

A groundbreaking approach to wellness that will help you cut through the clutter and find the small shifts that create huge changes in your life, from the host of the podcast The Feel Good Effect
 
“An absolutely fresh and insightful guide . . . If you’re looking to create more calm, clarity, and joy, this book is for you.”—Shauna Shapiro, Ph.D., author of Good Morning I Love You

What if wellness isn’t about achieving another set of impossible standards, but about finding what works­—for you
 
Radically simple and ridiculously doable, The Feel Good Effect helps you redefine wellness, on your own terms. Drawing from cutting-edge science on mindfulness, habit, and behavior change, podcast host Robyn Conley Downs offers a collection of small mindset shifts that allow for more calm, clarity, and joy in everyday life, embracing the idea that “gentle is the new perfect” when it comes to sustainable wellness. She then leads you through an easy set of customizable habits for happiness and health in mind, body, and soul, allowing you to counteract stress and prevent burnout. 
 
Instead of trying to get more done, The Feel Good Effect offers a refreshingly sane approach that will allow you to identify and focus on the elements that actually move the needle in your life right now. Less striving. More ease. It’s time to feel good.
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No. 9

Happy Not Perfect

Upgrade Your Mind, Challenge Your Thoughts, and Free Yourself from Anxiety

A clear path to overcoming uncertainty, perfectionism, and fears of rejection so you can finally find peace with the past and create a happier, healthier future

“Poppy’s powerful approach will help you take control of your thoughts so they don’t control you.”—Lori Gottlieb, New York Times bestselling author of Maybe You Should Talk to Someone


Even before the pandemic brought on a crushing wave of stress, anxiety, isolation, life change, and financial struggle, there was already a growing mental health crisis. Due to a culture that encourages perfection, hustle, and fictional life/work balance, many are burning out. Behind her Instagram-projected image of “happy wellness founder,” Poppy Jamie was also struggling mightily with perfectionism and life purpose.

She began working with mental health experts and researchers to find practical tools to overcome her inner critic and rewire her mind. She discovered that it is possible to create new neural pathways in your brain to break patterns of avoidance, challenge fears of not being good enough, and turn failure around by stretching the mind with new, healthier thought habits. The old wiring (and habits) that you’ve been stuck with can be written-over. You can actually upgrade your headspace to make curiosity, vulnerability, compassion, and emotional flexibility your default settings.

In the emphatic and trusted voice of Bridget Jones meets neuroscience, Poppy shares her Flexy Thoughts approach for changing how you react to emotional triggers and think of yourself while improving your mental and physical health, relationships, and vision of the future.

Our emotional resilience may continue to be tested, but the new perspectives and strategies in Happy Not Perfect will help us bring confidence, adaptability, and acceptance to whatever comes next.
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No. 10

Stop Living on Autopilot

Take Responsibility for Your Life and Rediscover a Bolder, Happier You

A raw and inspiring how-to guide that will help you recommit to your life, find your drive, and take action to stay bold, honest, and accountable for lasting happiness.

“If it’s time to make a bold and courageous shift in your life, Stop Living on Autopilot is the guide you need.”—Marie Forleo, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Everything Is Figureoutable

Take stock of your life: Based on your last 30 days of work (or marriage, or parenting), would your company rehire you? Would your partner immediately recommit to you? Would your children want you to continue to be their parent?

The easy answer is, “Absolutely!” But it's probably not the honest answer. Your life might read like a success story, and your parents and friends might even think you have it all figured out, but you have a secret: You've stopped caring about much of anything. You feel out of place in your own life. You'd rather binge-watch Netflix than think about what's next. You're living on autopilot. You have two choices: Experience a slow self-destruction, or commit to a course correction. The good news is, it's never too late to find your drive again.

Popular speaker and success coach Antonio Neves is here to offer hard-won lessons and remind you that you do have a say—that you can reboot your life and find fulfillment right where you are. You don't have to quit your job or move to Bali to follow your passion. You do, however, need to shift your perspective and commit to living courageously, replacing passivity with boldness.

Stop Living on Autopilot will guide you to confront hard truths about where you are and how you got there, inviting compassion, honesty, and accountability. There's no better time than now to reevaluate your life and lay a stronger foundationfor your next 30 days. Step by step, you can become an active player in your own life and rediscover what makes you great.
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No. 11

The Mindfulness Journal

Exercises to Help You Find Peace and Calm Wherever You Are

The simple, calming exercises in this beautiful guided journal will help you stay mindful and centered despite the uncertainty of modern life.

In today's stressful world, finding physical and mental space for peace and calm amidst the competing demands of work, family, and friends can be a challenge. Mindfulness is a simple and powerful practice that can help you cut through the noise and reclaim tranquility, wherever you are.

The Mindfulness Journal offers an introduction to mindfulness and easy exercises that can be done whether you are sitting at your desk or standing in line at the supermarket. Subjects include dealing with difficult emotions, preparing for a busy day, and sharing your space with others mindfully. Readers can dip in and out as they see fit, or search for the particular exercise they need most at that moment. With soothing, colorful illustrations, lined pages, and inspiring quotes throughout, this journal is your indispensable companion to a more peaceful, stress-free day.
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