As a former Assistant Manager of the late, great Waldenbooks (Countryside Mall, Clearwater, Florida and Union Square, San Francisco, California) and then as an inveterate customer and occasional Holiday help of the late, great Borders (Dale Mabry, Tampa, Florida), you could say that bookstores are in my blood.
Actually, the more accurate statement is that books are in my blood.
Physically, I love the feel, the texture, the scent of old paper, the sight of black ink on white (or better, sepia) pages. There’s a distinct reason why I worked at bookstores – I wanted to be surrounded by them, and help folks find the ones they were looking for.
As a Life Coach, I was constantly getting asked to recommend books. If folks can’t afford private coaching, these are the books that I now direct them to. Sure, there is something to be said for learning by reading, for teaching yourself, and using that knowledge and a big scoop of direct action to move forward, and I honor and recognize that.
Here are my recommendations as of right now (August 2026)!
I’m sure as time goes on, knowledge changes, trends change, and I change, the list itself will also change.
These are Amazon affiliate links; if you purchase something through them, I get a few pennies. If not, I highly recommend that you support either your local independent bookseller, or better even yet, your local library!
We love libraries, we certainly do.
Health
There’s a saying that youth is wasted on the young; I’d amend that to say that health is wasted on the young. If you don’t pay attention to your health now, it’s certainly going to occupy all your attention when you get old. Older.
Kicking Ass After 50 – Dr. Ken Berry
Lies My Doctor Told Me – Dr. Ken Berry
Unholy Trinity – Daniel Trevor
Younger Next Year- Crowley and Lodge
The Obesity Code – Dr. Jason Fung
Fitness
Get thee to a gym, my friends. Muscles, flexibility, aerobic and anaerobic health are most certainly a use it or lose it situation. Now, you don’t have to become a bodybuilder, or run a 4 minute mile, to keep yourself in the best shape possible. These books will prove that.
The Power of 10 – Adam Zickerman
The Slow Burn Fitness Revolution – Frederick Hahn
Slow Jogging – Hiroaki Tanaka
Keep Calm and Stretch – Julie Schoen
Younger Next Year Exercise Program — Crowley and Lodge
Relationships and Dating
I was a single bachelor until I met my now wife at the age of 49, so that means that there is hope out there for everyone! These books will help you become a better man, become a better husband, and create a life for yourself and your partner that will be irresistible.
No More Mr. Nice Guy – Robert Glover
No More Mr. Nice Guy: The Hero’s Journey – Dr. Michael Pariser and Robert Glover
How To Win Friends and Influence People – Dale Carnegie (the original version)
How To Stop Worrying and Start Living – Dale Carnegie (the original version)
The Mask of Masculinity – Lewis Howes
Good Husband, Great Marriage – Robert Mark Alter
Meaning
When you get older, be that over 30 or over 60, your quest becomes less a search for success and wealth, and more a search for meaning, with thoughts toward leaving a legacy behind, and helping those around you. Sometimes you must examine your own life, look in the rearview mirror and see where past decisions have brought you to where you are now.
Man’s Search for Meaning – Viktor Frankl
The Second Mountain – David Brooks
From Strength to Strength – Albert C. Brooks
I Can See Clearly Now – Wayne Dyer
How To End The Stories That Screw Up Your Life – Ernest Holm Svendson
Creativity
I use creativity in a broader sense; it’s less about drawing, painting or composing a poem, and more about making your life a work of art. How can you do things differently in the second half of your life that will bring you and others joy? Are you burdened down by things, by possessions, both physical and mental that you can get rid of?
The Artist’s Way – Julia Cameron
It’s Never Too Late To Begin Again – Julia Cameron
Ikigai, Kaizen and Hansei – Makoto Saito
Goodbye, Things – Fumio Sasaki
The Pivot Year – Brianna Wiest