If you are searching for a gift for someone, may I humbly suggest that you give a mother a book that celebrates women? Let them enjoy and be inspired by these best books for women by women.
You can really give one of these books to anyone- it doesn’t need to be a mother or a woman. Anyone can read one of these excellent books.
I put together the Best Books for Women By Women for you to check out, buy and enjoy!
I think it is important to celebrate women creators, and you can do that by purchasing one of these books or checking it out of the library. Supporting authors whom you admire is a great way to make sure they keep on writing and producing. To continue to have women authors write and sell books, and thereby sharing their specific and important advice and experiences, we have to promote them as much as possible.
I did not read all these books. I took some fantastic people’s suggestions to put together this “Best Books for Women by Women” list.
Check them out, and let me know which ones you love!
This post contains affiliate links. That means if you purchase one of these books from any of these links, I will get a small percentage of the sale at no extra cost to you. See full disclosure here.
Motivational Books for Women
We all need some motivation in our lives. Here are some great motivational books for women, all written by women!
Wishwork by Alexa Fischer
Whatever your desire for 2021, Wishwork encourages you to visualize your wish, write it, and make it come true. Each day on this 21-day journey, you will read a short chapter with an actionable step to complete. Readers will feel their optimism grow and see their dream transform into reality.
Wishwork will motivate you to get off the couch, turn off Netflix, get moving, cultivate a positive mindset, and make your #1 wish come true–while keeping the process fun and uplifting, not daunting. Life’s too short to wait on the universe to grant your wishes.
The Little Book of Big Knowing by Michele Sammons
If you have ever wondered about the big questions in life, it’s time you curl up with The Little Book of Big Knowing.
Michele Sammons guides her readers to pick up the book, read any page, and receive inspirational insights. Inside are gentle reminders of why you are here, who you are at your core, and why your dreams matter to more than just you.
Everything is Figureoutable by Marie Forleo
This book is an invaluable resource for anyone who feels they are at an impasse. Whether it’s their career, finances, or personal lives, this no-nonsense, practical book instills the necessary mindsets to overcome all challenges.
The book contains personal stories of triumph who have achieved success using this book’s philosophy, and Marie’s own witty and charming writing leaves the book an easy, digestible read.
The title is not just a catchy slogan but a practical series of actionable goals that lead to success. Well worth the read for those stuck in a rut and are struggling to envision success in their future.
(HT: Nina Jensen, Voice, Video, Chat, Contact Center | 8×8)
Dare to be Influential by Lisa Rehurek
Dare to be Influential is a glimpse into how to become your true version of being influential. Being influential gives you the freedom to drive change, lead a vision, and inspire others, all things we need in today’s world.
If you are in a leadership role or are an aspiring leader, this book will provide a simple path to being your best influential self. We’re in the influence economy; it’s the most valuable currency there is today. And this book is the master class in how actually to get it.
Mani/Pedi: A True-Life Rags to Riches Story by Krista Beth Driver
This biographical book is about a woman, namely Charlie Vo, who is a refugee from Vietnam. She left everything behind and risked her life and the lives of her two small children to escape from Vietnam after the Fall of Saigon.
She started a new life in the United States, which flourished and made her wildest dreams into reality. This book will inspire you to achieve your dreams and motivate a generation.
(HT: Michelle Devani, Love Devani – All About Love and Relationship)
A Journey Through by Patrina Larmond
This is a personal story of traveling from the countryside of a poor community in Jamaica to becoming a doctor of pharmacy and learning that success is defined not by what you do but by who you become!
Best Personal Finance Books for Women
Money is power. To be influential or make a difference, you need to have your financial life in order. You can get started with these best personal finance books for women written by women.
The 7 Fruits of Budgeting by Roslyn Lash
This book explains the importance of budgeting and personal finances. It provides step-by-step instructions on how to get started and gives suggestions on how to save, build credit, reduce debt, and develop a spending plan.
It aids the reader in taking hold of their money, implementing a plan, and making sure that their goals are aligned with their actions. The book does exactly what it says. Following the instructions will lead to a more abundant life.
Route 529: A Parent’s Guide to Saving for College and Career Training with 529 Plans by Patricia A. Roberts
This essential and easy-to-understand financial planning guide for those with future students in their lives is written by a mom who has helped tens of thousands of parents avoid millions of dollars in student loan debt over the past two decades.
With student loan debt at over 0.6 trillion in the U.S. and with 65% of Americans unfamiliar with 529 college savings plans, this book provides valuable information that is greatly needed.
Broke Millennial by Erin Lowry
As a generation, Millennials have gotten the short end of the financial stick. They’re less financially literate than previous generations, and the financial crisis that hit when they were in or graduated college set them up for an early struggle.
Broke Millennial offers financial literacy in a conversational, easy-to-digest tone that takes the fear out of things like budgeting, credit, and retirement.
(HT: Carter Seuthe, Vice President of Content, Credit Summit)
You Are a Badass at Making Money: Master the Mindset of Wealth by Jen Sincero
You can achieve great things – and it starts with working on your self-confidence and asking for what you want. This book talks a lot about believing in yourself and building confidence.
Many of us lack the confidence to ask for what we truly want, so the idea of faking it until we make it comes into play. Overall, it’s an easy read that will help you start working towards asking for what you feel is fair
(HT: Tana Williams, DebtFreeForties.com)
Prince Charming Isn’t Coming: How Women Get Smart About Money by Barbara Stanny
The Women’s Guide to Successful Investing: Achieving Financial Security and Realizing Your Goals by Nancy Tengler
Money, A Love Story: Untangle Your Financial Woes And Create The Life You Really Want by Kate Northrup
If You Love Your Family, Save Like It by Nicole Peterkin
Spend Well, Live Rich by Michelle Singletary
This book is an excellent read if you’re looking to learn better spending habits with your money. Singletary takes a no-nonsense approach to her writing, which can sometimes also come across as amusing, helping you to stay invested in the book and learn about the ins and outs of managing money.
Singletary also speaks about all the stresses that come with finances and how to overcome them by looking at them in a more straightforward light.
(HT: George Birrell, TaxHub)
Women & Money by Suze Orman
Every woman should read Women & Money because, as a driven career woman, it doesn’t matter how much money you make or how tall you climb the ladder if you do not learn how to be responsible with money.
I absolutely love Suze’s no-nonsense approach to personal finances, that knowledge of your finances leads to more power and control over your life as a whole.
As someone who has always been a strong proponent of personal finance and women owning their destiny, this book is not only a huge eye-opener, it’s life-changing.
(HT: Harriet Chan, CocoFinder)
Inspirational Books for Women
Are you looking to be inspired by women? Look no further. This collection of books by these amazing women is sure to inspire you to be the best you can be.
Walk Your Way to Better by Joyce Shulman
This is a book about walking your way to better. Everywhere you turn, people, podcasts, and gurus promise a simple path to the life you want. But few of them work.
Why? Because merely reading the words is rarely enough to call your heart and mind to action. This book is different. Each section provides a thought starter, insight, or story.
Say YES Everyday! Discovering Your Superpower by Laura J. Brandao
Break Those Damn Rules by Lynn Erasmus
168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think by Lindsey Vanderkam
Can women have it all? It’s been endlessly debated over the years. Can women have a successful career, an amazing family life, a healthy lifestyle, and have fun? Vanderkam’s answer: Hell, yes!
But it doesn’t just happen. You have to use your time wisely. In 168 Hours, she dives deep into the numbers to prove that your dream life is completely possible.
By looking at your week in hour-long chunks, Vanderkam will convince you to take a hard look at how you spend your time. Better yet, she’ll help you shift things around to ensure that you live your best life.
(HT: Lily, FindingBalance.Mom)
The Little Golden Secrets to Get Anything You F***in’ Want by Pazit Perez
LAUNCHING WHILE FEMALE: Smashing the System That Holds Women Entrepreneurs Back by Susanne Althoff
This book examines entrepreneurship’s gender gap and is based on 100+ interviews with women and nonbinary entrepreneurs across the country and many industries. It explores which hurdles these founders most commonly faced and the ways they found success.
This book shows what we stand to gain from an entrepreneurial space that is more inclusive and equitable — a stronger economy, more jobs, more innovation — and the steps all of us can take to achieve this.
Playing Big: Practical Wisdom for Women Who Want to Speak Up, Create, and Lead by Tara Mohr
Why Didn’t Anybody Tell Me This Sh*t Before? Wit and Wisdom from Women in Business by Marcella Allison
The description of this book is: “From solopreneurs to multimillion-dollar success stories, this book is a collection of over 60 letters from women who know exactly what it takes to run a business. Providing inspiration and lessons, it’s a great one to dip in and out of when you need a business boost.”
This book is so great because it covers so many different women entrepreneurs, success stories, and various scenarios. This is a collection of extraordinary stories that any aspiring or determined businesswoman can learn and grow from.
(HT: Lindsey Allard, CEO, and Co-Founder of PlaybookUX)
The Work of Art by Heidi Luerra
Luerra is a true creative entrepreneur and has started many different businesses, and she has a lot of practical advice for people who are starting from the beginning. It’s also written with a lot of humor and vulnerability. She doesn’t just talk about her successes.
She openly talks about what didn’t work and why so that the reader understands what to watch out for and the value of mistakes as learning experiences.
This book also includes exercises that help someone who is thinking about starting a business work through some of the biggest pain points in a proactive way.
Joy Seeker by Shannon Kaiser
You may sometimes feel tired of chasing your dreams or fulfilling expectations that other people have for you. If so, you should no longer hide your ‘true self’ and start to discover your strengths. To do this, I think you need something that can motivate you through the journey to find your inner power.
Pick up this book and read to unleash your power and pluck up your courage to actualize your goals.
(HT: Jill, Constant Delights)
Career Books for Women
Here are the best career books written by women. Every woman who wants to up their game and do better in their career should read one of these career books.
You Turn: Get Unstuck, Discover Your Direction, and Design Your Dream Career by Ashley Stahl
Saddle Up Your Own Horse by Saundra Pelletier
Evofem Biosciences CEO and stage III breast cancer survivor Saundra Pelletier wrote her book Saddle Up Your Own White Horse about taking the reins when it comes to your own happiness and success.
She argues that women have all the power, knowledge, and confidence necessary to create the life they want without relying on a man to do it for them.
This book emphasizes the need to learn the innate gifts women have and live deliberately today. Saundra also shares her wisdom as a healthcare professional in the C-suite and how she got there by uplifting and empowering women.
Nice Girls Still Don’t Get the Corner Office: Unconscious Mistakes Women Make That Sabotage Their Careers by Lois P. Frankel, Ph.D.
#GIRLBOSS by Sophia Amoruso
#GIRLBOSS proves that being successful isn’t about where you went to college or how popular you were in high school. It’s about trusting your instincts and following your gut; knowing which rules to follow and which to break; when to button up, and when to let your freak flag fly.
(HT: Samiksha S Rawool, Yummy Tummy Recipes)
Playing for Keeps – How a 21st-century Businesswoman Beat the Boys by Therese Allison
This is an authentic and encouraging self-help memoir by an author who truly wants to help both women and men succeed in life and business.
Born into a family of humble means, Allison openly shares how she knew nothing about her business (insurance/healthcare) when she first started. She then takes you through her fearless journey with tips on how she broke the glass ceiling in a mostly “man’s world,” became financially independent by 38, and retired at age 43 to spend quality time with her three children.
Pulling from her inner strengths, Allison explains how playing high school sports and assuming more responsibility as a teen taught her the importance of winning!
(HT: Liz H Kelly, Author of 8-Second PR)
Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead by Sheryl Sandberg
Shark Tales: How I Turned $1,000 into a Billion Dollar Business by Barbara Corcoran
Radical Candor: Be a Kick-ass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity by Kim Scott
First and Only: A Black Woman’s Guide to Thriving at Work and in Life by Jennifer Farmer and Nina Turner
It is not just about how to lean in or how to discover the irrefutable laws of leadership. It’s about how to heal so you can sustain work for justice and equity. It’s about finding personal and social redemption–and leading others to find it too.
Ladies Get Paid by Claire Wasserman
This book comes as an empowering guide to provide you with the tools to strategically navigate the workplace, achieve success, and become a true leader. It is a reminder that you are valuable—both as an individual woman and as part of the female community.
Power Moves by Lauren McGoodwin
This is the essential handbook that helps professional women truly feel understood so they can bypass perfection and planning and head straight to evolving. McGoodwin addresses young professionals’ number-one concern.
(HT, Robin Madeline, Home – RankSoldier)
Spinach In Your Boss’s Teeth: Essential Etiquette for Professional Success by Arden Clise
Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado Perez
This book is mind-blowing. If you want to get mad, angry, and then inspired, you must read this book. I love it! I really recommend it to everyone.
Even though this is not specifically motivating or business, career, or money-related, it is one of the best books for women written. It is strangely empowering as well. This is a must-read!
Best Books for Women Written by Women
I obviously hope you purchase some of these books to read, but if that doesn’t fit in your budget, you should check the book out from your local library. Requesting books at a library and then checking them out supports authors and encourages libraries to order more books by women to help female authors.
Enjoyed this? Check these other book lists that I put together:
Robyn Goldfarb
Hi! I am a millennial mom with a passion for personal finance. I have always been “into” personal finance but got inspired to start my blog after a period of extended unemployment. That experience really changed the way I viewed my relationship with money and the importance of accessible personal finance education.
Loved this list! I’m not a mom but defiantly interested in reading. Will take some time to get through it, but have saved the page so I can buy from here when possible! <3