20 Books That Changed My Life

I know that saying a book “changed your life” is pretty dramatic. But what if it’s true?

What if, after reading a book, you’re shaken to your core and think about it for days, weeks, and years to come?

I don’t use the phrase “changed my life” lightly. There are things that have impacted me, sure, but changed my life? I use it sparingly.

I’ve always been an avid reader, but the habit has come and gone in waves. Over the past year or so, I’ve really focused on making reading part of my daily routine, not just something to do on lazy beach days. The more I thought about it, the more I realized how many books truly have shaped the way I think, act, and relate to others.

This could also double as a book recommendations post, because frankly, these are the books I always recommend if someone asks for suggestions.

Here are 20 Books That Changed My Life.

1. The Bible (this is the one I have)

2. Lilac Girls — Martha Hall Kelly

3. Eli — Bill Myers

4. Firefly Lane — Kristin Hannah

5. The Nightingale — Kristin Hannah

6. The Total Money Makeover — Dave Ramsey

7. Year of Yes — Shonda Rhimes

8. The Storyteller — Jodi Picoult

9. Small Great Things — Jodi Picoult

10. The Glass Castle — Jeannette Walls

11. The Last Lecture - Randy Pausch

12. Good Morning, Good Life — Amy Landino

13. Same Kind of Different As Me — Ron Hall and Denver Moore

14. Ready to Wed — Greg Smalley

15. The 5 Love Languages — Gary Chapman

16. The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up — Marie Kondo

17. Still Alice — Lisa Genova

18. Blue Like Jazz — Donald Miller

19. Why We Can’t Wait — Martin Luther King Jr.

20. New Morning Mercies — Paul David Tripp