Last Updated on October 6, 2024 by Erin
Are you a woman over age 35 looking for some reading material to help you rediscover your zest for life or sense of direction? I’ve rounded up a list of inspirational books for women entering midlife, like myself!
One of the coping skills I developed that made a gigantic difference in my early midlife crisis, was reading books in my free time. That sounds so silly and simple, but I never really considered myself a reader after entering the workforce. I was tired of reading for school and basically from that point forward I only read for professional development purposes. Reading for enjoyment sounded like “one more thing” to add to a to-do list.
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How Books Became Important to Me in Midlife
I had been gifted an e-reader early in my marriage but spending money on books felt frivolous. Fast-forward to post-partum with my third child and I was in desperate need of guidance. I didn’t realize it at the time, but looking back, this was the beginning of my early midlife crisis. I was in my mid-30s, disliked my career path, and felt like everything was imbalanced. There was no sense of direction, and I really didn’t even know what I liked or found fun anymore. Blech! It was the worst of times.
At that time, I felt stuck with my job, and I wasn’t sure I could really make a change in that area just yet. One area I did feel I had some control over was my parenting and what kind of mom I wanted to be. I decided to look online in our library’s catalog for some parenting books. That’s when I discovered that I could check out eBooks for free and download them onto my Amazon Kindle device. LIFE CHANGING!
That first year I read 40 books during my “night-time-wind-down-self-care” ritual. The next year I read 87. That’s right…EIGHTY-SEVEN books. That particular year I fell down the adult fantasy romance rabbit hole and it was a whole lot of fun.
The Benefits of Reading in Midlife
Reading has been such a fantastic way for me to keep growing in my midlife journey. You should always have a thirst for knowledge and a desire to learn. The worst way to deal with aging is to remain stagnant and dull. Ew. Don’t do that!
And learning doesn’t just come from non-fiction. You gain so much creativity, inspiration, and empathy from fiction as well.
A fantastic side effect of becoming a serious reader in middle adulthood is that your spouse and children will take notice, and they might become serious readers themselves. From personal experience, I can tell you it has had a truly positive impact on our family. In the evenings, we read together with some lovely ambience in the background. Sometimes we all read separately. Sometimes I read out loud to them. Other times the kids read to one another and talk about their books and it’s absolutely magical.
Hopefully at this point you’re convinced that reading a book in your home from time to time is worth exploring, especially if you’re entering a midlife transition. You and I may have completely different ideas of what makes a book worthwhile, and that’s completely fine! This list is what I have personally found helpful. Check out all of them, one of them, or absolutely none of them. And then go make your own life-changing list to share with others 🙂
1. Creative Visualization by Shakti Gawain
If you think this book might be a little too “woo” for you, I understand. I felt a little odd checking it out, but it really had a profound impact on me. While I don’t follow the author’s practices exactly, I do continue to use some of her techniques to get clarity on what I want in life.
I didn’t realize before reading this book that I really didn’t have a clear picture of what I wanted. I was just caught up in my full-time working mom role and taking everything moment by moment. That’s fine when you’re in survival mode, but I also had no sense of direction, and it was really bringing me down.
This book helped me visualize everything I wanted, down to the small details. It helped me create a very clear vision board, which is now the background of my phone so I can remind myself what I’m working towards.
Sometimes when things feel like they aren’t going my way, I take some time to stop and visualize what I’m wanting. I’m sending those vibes out into the universe and also thinking about the steps I can personally take to get there.
2. The Light Between Us by Laura Lynne Jackson
Ok yes, another “woo” type of book. If you’re anything like me, though, midlife has sent you into a spiral regarding your mortality and spirituality. It can be a dark place full of panic.
This book felt like a warm hug. The author writes in such a way that she feels like a neighbor or friend, not a psychic medium. Turns out, she’s a high school English teacher, which totally tracks.
I just loved this book so much and the hope it gave me. In fact, I ended up checking out her second book, Signs. Even if the result is me just looking for signs from the universe, whereas I wasn’t before, I’m noticing things more and feeling more in touch with the world around me. What a way to live!
3. There Are No Grown-Ups by Pamela Druckerman
This book was so funny and relatable (minus the menage-a-trois). I have always felt like someone pretending to be an adult, so I was glad to hear that’s not uncommon.
I actually read Pamela’s first book, Bringing Up Bebe, when my youngest was a baby and loved her writing style as well as the glimpse into parenting on another continent.
If you’re looking for a light-hearted read about middle age and the reassurance that we’re all going through it together, definitely check out this book.
4. Peak Mind by Amishi P. Jha
Let’s just be real for a minute. The older we get, the more fried our brains get. Mom brain? Never goes away. It just gets worse.
It doesn’t help that we’re surrounded by technology and distractions 24/7. If you’re looking for a way to maintain your focus and brain health (beyond crossword puzzles) you should definitely find this book.
This book felt a bit unnecessarily long, but it does give you a research-based mindfulness practice that you can do in 12 minutes a day. You can actually train your brain to sustain attention!
Is it hard work? Yes! But I feel like it’s important work. We could all use some help focusing and staying sharp.
5. The Enchanted Hour by Meghan Cox Gurdon
I mentioned previously that reading together as a family has been absolutely magical. This book took it a step further for us.
In this book, the author (a writer for Wall Street journal), shares the research and neuroscience behind reading aloud to your children. This does not just apply to little kids! No matter how old your kids are, reading aloud or reading together has profound benefits.
After reading this book, we as a family created “cider and stories” nights. These are the evenings when we have no evening practices going on and we’re all at home together. I make some apple cider and read a chapter from a classic book. Sometimes they’re all tuned in and other times they’re doing their own thing while I’m reading. Afterwards, we all read our own material. We make the living room as cozy as possible and it’s just the best!
Read this book and create your own “enchanted hour” in your home. You will be amazed at the results!
6. A Court of Thorns & Roses by Sarah J. Maas
I could have an entire post just based on adult fiction novels I’ve read. I’m going to just pick the one that started it all for me.
I’m sure you’ve heard of this series, but if not, you NEED to give it a try. This book was my first step down the romantasy rabbit hole. At first it feels silly…fairies, magic, enchanted realms? But guess what- you have my permission to be a little whimsical and romantic, ok? The first book in this series might let you down but if you keep going you will be pleasantly surprised. It’s fun!
Once I got the ACOTAR series finished, I moved on to others. These are some of my all-time faves:
- Blood and Ash by Jennifer Armentrout
- The Folk of the Air by Holly Black
- Caraval by Stephanie Garber
- All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness
- Elements of Cadence by Rebecca Ross
- A League of Extraordinary Women by Evie Dunmore
If you read any of these and end up loving them, you can definitely find some fellow fans on social media. along with some amazing fanart.
7. The Enchanted Life by Sharon Blackie
This book was such a great reminder to never lose that sense of child-like wonder. Sometimes I’m tempted to be bored with my home and the town I live in, and I itch for change. The grass always seems to be greener these days. I know part of that is just my midlife discomfort telling me I need to shake things up.
After reading, I began to appreciate the world around me. Sometimes I take a different route to work and find a beautiful country road. Sometimes I sit on my back porch and just listen to the birds and the leaves rustling. You can find beauty and wonder all around you. You might just need the reminder! Life is beautiful.
8. Devotions: The Selected Poems of Mary Oliver
If you’ve never heard of Mary Oliver, you need to start reading her poetry! Her poems have a way of celebrating the little things in life and not sweating the small stuff.
I come back to her poems for inspiration time and time again. Any of her works are worth reading whether you’re relaxing outside with a cup of tea or sitting at the kitchen counter while you wait for water to boil and the kids are making you batty.
Try a poem each day or read it all in one sitting. Mary will become your favorite poet, I promise!
Final Thoughts
I didn’t realize it until after I wrote this list, but two of the books on my list have the word “enchanted” in the title. I don’t think that’s a coincidence. In my midlife crisis/transition, I’ve been searching for a sense of meaning and direction. For me personally, tapping into my spirituality and finding ways to improve by sense of well-being has been crucial. Strengthening family time has also helped.
I realize that my list of inspirational books for women may not resonate with everyone. I do hope you look at this list and either find a few books to check out or feel inspired to create your own midlife reading list with topics that are more interesting to you.
I have a whole blog series on midlife crisis hobbies, so books geared on those topics might be more purposeful for you. Just make sure you keep reading and keep learning. Don’t give up hope and find those topics that bring back or enhance your zest for life!
Are there any books you thing I should give a try? Any on the list you also loved? Let us know in the comments!
Sincerely,
Erin
