It can be hard to stay motivated in the winter; seasonal depression is definitely a thing, and the fact you might get snowed in any given day doesn’t help either. So when winter gets you down, you don’t feel like digging your car out of the snow, or you just want to fulfill that fantasy you’ve had of reading a novel while sitting by the fire and sipping hot coco, be sure to add these books to your “to read” list and close in case a snow day is in order:
1. Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear – Elizabeth Gilbert
“Do whatever brings you to life, then. Follow your own fascinations, obsessions, and compulsions. Trust them. Create whatever causes a revolution in your heart.”
Read if: you want to become a highly effective human in a troubled world.
The name might sound familiar; Gilbert is known best for her moving, culturally consuming, bestselling Eat, Pray Love. A decade later, she writes Big Magic, urging her readers to live creatively, and to pursue a bold life that “is driven more strongly by curiosity than by fear.” Gilbert urges you took take on any dream or ambition you might have, and wants to help you cross the finish line. Gilbert’s self-help book differs strongly from her previous work, but remains just as captivating.
2. On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft – Stephen King
“Writing isn’t about making money, getting famous, getting dates, getting laid, or making friends. In the end, it’s about enriching the lives of those who will read your work, and enriching your own life, as well. It’s about getting up, getting well, and getting over. Getting happy, okay? Getting happy.”
Read if: you’re an aspiring writer, want to better your technique, or were traumatized by The Shining as a child
Since his debut 1974 novel, Carrie, King has become much more than a writer- he’s become a legacy. King has produced hit after hit, totaling in over thirty novels and raking $50,000,000 yearly. On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft is a biography mixed with an array of tips and advice for all the aspiring writers in the world. The most important part of the book may not be understanding how you can better yourself as a writer, but how King explains how writing saved his life after he hit the darkest times of his life.
3. Grace, Not Perfection – Emily Ley
“I will hold myself to a standard of grace, not perfection.”
Read if: You feel like you’re trying to do it all…and failing.
Emily Ley: wife, mother, business owner; trying to do it all, and do it all perfectly. Quickly, Ley came to the conclusion she just couldn’t do it all. She made the life-changing choice to hold herself to grace, not perfection- we can all take a lot from this statement alone. Ley’s text serves as an inspirational, prioritizing manual, teaching readers how to take control of their space, time, and mind. Ley supplies tips and tricks to live life simply, and to fall in love with it.
4. How to be Here – Rob Bell
“Better to have a stomach full of butterflies than to feel like your life is passing you by.”
Read if: you’re looking for a book to change your life, or a reason to get out of bed in morning
Rob Bell is a New York Times bestseller, and wants you to throw your fears and doubts away. Bell’s text lays down the roadmap on becoming the person you want to be…the fearless, risk-taking, ambitious person you’ve always dreamed of being. His book is strikingly honest, recognizing his own failures and urges you to acknowledge some of your own, but persists you never give up until you reach success and your own full potential. Bell’s work is filled to the brim with brilliant inspiration to get you out of bed each morning.
5. Feminist Fight Club: An Office Survival Manual – Jessica Bennett
“Carry yourself with the confidence of a mediocre white man.”
Read if: you’re a girl power junkie, or battling sexism in the work place
As we grow up, we’re faced with a plethora of challenges and uncomfortable situations we aren’t given a set of rules for, stumbling through life figuring out how exactly you’re supposed to react to all the taboo situations Judy Blume didn’t prepare you for. When we turn sixteen, we’re may receive a car and a manual that goes with it (not like anyone reads those anyways), but we never get a manual for the sexism that becomes more and more prevalent in our world as we grow older. But now we have Feminist Fight Club, a guide to becoming a strong, effective woman in the workplace, and navigating around the sexism that comes with it. The book contains amusing stories, honest advice, as well as striking research and statistics. Bennett’s text proves to be hilarious, yet amazingly inspiring “womanifesto.”
So, if you’re feeling down on a stormy day- or just trying to read something that wasn’t actually assigned to you as homework, give one, or all, of these books a shot!