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9 Books That Inspire Reflection and Personal Growth
—September 2025 Book Recommendations

By LisaNotes September 2, 2025 Books I Recommend 21 Comments

“If you want new ideas, read old books.”
— Shane Parrish

Reading is powerful. It can expand our thinking and give us tools for growth to help us better process our lives. The books I read this month (some old, some new) challenged my perspective, gave me practical relationship suggestions, and even reminded me what teenage love feels like.

Here are 8 nonfiction books and 1 novel that made an impact on me this month.

[See previously recommended books here]

NONFICTION

1. Biased
Uncovering the Hidden Prejudice That Shapes What We See, Think, and Do *
by Jennifer L. Eberhardt

Even when we don’t intend to discriminate, our ingrained stereotypes influence our perception and behavior. Eberhardt shows how unconscious bias shapes us in ways we don’t always notice, from classrooms to courtrooms. I appreciate how she combines research with real stories and actionable steps, reminding us that while bias in everyday life is real, we can wake up to it and change.

* Asterisked books are ones I’m reading from Daniel Pink’s Favorite Books list; you can find it here.

2. Praying with Jane Eyre
Reflections on Reading as a Sacred Practice
by Vanessa Zoltan

Zoltan points out how books can be more than stories—they can be special companions. Through her love of Jane Eyre (and other books), she shows how treating a text as sacred can help us heal, connect, and find meaning in life. She inspires me to engage my own favorite books with more curiosity and reverence.

3. The Notebook
A History of Thinking on Paper
by Roland Allen

While the first part of this book felt too slow to me (I skimmed a good bit), once I reached the more modern history, I was completely hooked. As a lifelong notebook lover, I enjoyed learning how scientists, artists, historians, and everyday people use notebooks to enhance their lives. If you also treasure a good notebook, you might really enjoy this book. And after you finish, give your own notebooks a lot more respect.

4. Rise Above
Overcome a Victim Mindset, Empower Yourself, and Realize Your Full Potential
by Scott Barry Kaufman

After watching an interview with Scott Barry Kaufman, I was intrigued enough to find his book and read it cover to cover. I really appreciate how Kaufman distinguishes between being victimized (which can happen to any of us) versus living with a victim mindset (which is also something any of us can do). He offers both compassion and practical tools to help us shift our perspectives and take ownership of our life stories.

5. Original Sin
President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again
by Jake Tapper

If you live in the U.S., you probably have plenty of thoughts and feelings about the 2024 presidential race. This book gives a behind-the-scenes look at Biden’s decision to run then not run for reelection. (After finishing it, I’m now reading 2024, which covers both Biden’s and Trump’s campaigns.) It’s been fascinating to dig deeper into these strange times in American politics and learn lessons that go beyond politics. I look forward to reading Kamala Harris’ book 107 Days when it comes out later this month.

6. The Dance of the Dissident Daughter
A Woman’s Journey from Christian Tradition to the Sacred Feminine—A Personal Story of Spiritual Awakening and Healing
by Sue Monk Kidd

This is a reread for me with my online book club. But it hit even closer to home this second time. Despite being an older book, Kidd’s writings about feminine spirituality are just as relevant now as when she wrote them almost 30 years ago—a reminder that we can take ownership of our spiritual path at any age or time.

7. Forget Them Kids
Challenging the One-Sided Narrative of the Estrangement Epidemic and the Biased Therapy Trends That Fuel It
by Vivian King

Vivian King offers hope and healing to parents navigating the life-altering pain of estrangement from adult children. She shows how online echo chambers and therapy trends can distort family relationships. Then she gives practical ways for parents to reclaim their dignity and move forward in healthy ways (even while continuing to remember their kids, of course).

8. How to Fall in Love with Humanity
16 Life-Changing Practices for Radical Compassion
by James ‘Fish’ Gill

I first discovered Gill on Instagram and was so drawn to his approach for loving people that I bought his book—and I’m glad I did. Gill is both courageous and tender in providing this very practical roadmap for staying open-hearted in relationships, even when they get messy. Totally worth the read (and the money!) to develop stronger connections with people you love.

FICTION

9. Eleanor & Park
by Rainbow Rowell

I like reading books that tell the same story from two perspectives. This novel set in the 1980s reveals a heartbreaking first-love story from the viewpoints of two teenagers, Eleanor and Park. The book club at my independent bookstore will discuss it on Sunday afternoon. I look forward to hearing what everyone else took away from this sweet but also hard story.

WHAT I’M READING NOW

The Art of Gathering *
How We Meet and Why It Matters
by Priya Parker
Joyspan
The Art and Science of Thriving in Life’s Second Half
by Kerry Burnight
Die with Zero
Getting All You Can from Your Money and Your Life
by Bill Perkins
What Makes Us Human
An Artificial Intelligence Answers Life’s Biggest Questions
by Iain S. Thomas
We Can Do Hard Things
Answers to Life’s 20 Questions
by Glennon Doyle, Abby Wambach, Amanda Doyle
2024
How Trump Retook the White House and the Democrats Lost America
by Josh Dawsey
Take My Hand
by Dolen Perkins-Valdez

What good book have you read lately? Please share in the comments.

I’m sharing at these linkups

On the Blog – August 2025

By LisaNotes August 31, 2025 Archives No Comments

Here are brief summaries and links to posts on the blog, Lisa notes, from August 2025.

4 Things I Loved, Learned, Celebrated, and Let Go of This Month (8/28)
This month brought a faster Kindle, Roosevelt’s words, a birthday celebration, and a farewell. Here’s what I loved, learned, celebrated, and let go of.
Three Conversations to Deepen Your One Word Practice (8/25)
Deepen your One Word practice through meaningful conversations. Ask these questions, spark insights, and discover new ways to live your word.
Does “For Now” Have to Mean Forever? How to Avoid Settling for Less (8/21)
Discover how “for now” decisions don’t have to settle into forever habits—and learn questions to ask yourself to promote growth and change instead.
Could You Play Life by Ear Instead of Someone Else’s Sheet Music? (8/18)
Learning to play piano by ear has become a mythical metaphor for living life without following someone else’s rules. Can you play life by ear too?
Why Now Is the Best Time to Be Generous (8/13)
A $100 gift for a waitress’s daughter’s backpack reminded me that generosity today can make a bigger impact than waiting for the “right” time.
Before You Box Up the Past, Ask This One Question First {Today is my 17th Blogging Anniversary!} (8/8)
After 17 years of blogging, I opened my late mother’s journals for the first time. What I found reshaped how I see her—and myself. Here’s what I learned, and the question that changed everything.
8 Books Worth My Time—and 1 That Wasn’t (8/4)
Looking for thoughtful, conversation-worthy books? Here’s a roundup of 8 recent reads I recommend—from psychological suspense to self-development—and one popular classic I don’t recommend.

See previous months’ archives here

4 Things I Loved, Learned, Celebrated, and Let Go of This Month
{Share 4 Somethings - August 2025}

By LisaNotes August 28, 2025 Life updates 13 Comments

Each month I share 4 somethings that I have:

Loved
Learned
Went well
Let go of

And then I link up with Jenn.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Something I loved

A NEW KINDLE PAPERWHITE

After only 3 years, my newest Kindle became painfully slow and glitchy. I know they aren’t meant to last forever (I bought my first one in 2010), but this third one seemed too short-lived to me. Maybe I wore it completely out? I did use it every single day. (And I’ve given up on trying to reduce my Kindle samples.)

(And I tried again here last year.)

But regardless, it is what it is. So I bought another Kindle Paperwhite to replace it. And I’m loving how fast and responsive it is again.

While paper books will always remain my first loves, my Kindle is a very, very close second. It travels with me everywhere.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Something I’m learning

THE MAN IN THE ARENA

Eleven years ago, when I first read Brené Brown’s Daring Greatly (2012), I was introduced to a powerful excerpt that has stayed with me: Theodore Roosevelt’s “The Man in the Arena” passage, from a speech he delivered in 1910 in Paris, France.

Recently, in another book I was reading, the author mentioned that her father had memorized the passage and often quoted it to her. That did it for me—I knew I had to add it to my list of quotes to memorize.

I started memorizing it three weeks ago. I even asked AI to build me a memory plan—some of its strategies I’m using, some I’m not. I’ve got the first half memorized (I have to go slowly!).

Here’s the excerpt I’m learning, divided up for my own purposes:

1-It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles,

2-or where the doer of deeds could have done them better.

3-The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood;

4-who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming;

5-but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions;

6-who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement,

7-and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly,

8-so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.

-Theodore Roosevelt, 1910

It’s a timeless reminder that what matters most is not the critic, but the person who dares to step into the arena.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Something that went well

AN 85TH BIRTHDAY

On Sunday, my father-in-law turned 85 years old (my mother-in-law is 86). Despite major heart surgery a few years back, he is amazingly healthy. He even bounced back from a recent case of COVID while they were vacationing at the beach for a week, a trip they take frequently.

To celebrate, we enjoyed visiting together sharing fresh brownies, ice cream, and caramel syrup—a simple but sweet way to mark the occasion. I’m grateful for the gift of such wonderful in-laws.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Something I let go of

SAYING GOODBYE TO MARCIA

The same day we celebrated life, we also grieved a loss. My friend Marcia passed away on Sunday. She was younger than me, but she had been in failing health the past few months. Even though she had been telling us that the end was very near, I didn’t fully believe it. Maybe I just didn’t want to believe it.

Earlier in the week, she gave me one of her most prized possessions—a musical angel that had belonged to her mother. I felt honored by the gift and promised I would take care of it.

Marcia will be missed by many of us.

What is something you are loving, learning, has gone well, or had to let go of this month?

Share your thoughts in the comments.

I’m linking at these blog parties

Three Conversations to Deepen Your One Word Practice
{One Word 2025 August Linkup}

By LisaNotes August 25, 2025 One Word Community, Ripple: One Word 2025 12 Comments

I love experimenting with new ways to connect with our One Words. This month’s challenge may be my favorite because it’s also about connecting with other people.

Instead of just journaling or reflecting privately, you’re invited to explore your word in conversations with others. Find our August linkup below for your posts (open for 2 weeks through September 8) or share a comment here.

Here’s how you can join in this month’s challenge:

1. Pick 3 People to Chat With

Think about three people in your circle—family, friends, or coworkers—and schedule a time to talk about your One Word.

Conversations don’t have to be long or formal. They can happen over coffee, during a walk, or even on the phone. The key is simply to share your word and see what comes up.

2. Use These Conversation Starters

Not sure where to begin? Try asking a few of these questions to guide your conversation:

How would you define [my One Word] in your own words?
What do you think is the opposite of [my One Word]?
How often and where do you hear [my One Word]—rarely, sometimes, or often—in your daily life?
Do you have any ideas for how I can better live out [my One Word]?

I’ve been asking these questions to my own friends this month. Here are some insights I gained from their responses about my word Ripple.

Define Ripple: water moving after something is thrown in; something small growing into something big
Opposite of Ripple: calm; contained (<–I’m still thinking about that one!)
Hear about Ripple: my grandson says it a lot; Fred Sanford on Sanford and Son drank Ripple as his alcoholic beverage of choice 🙂
Ideas for Rippling: be aware of things you do that affect other people, good or bad; watch how small actions add up over time

3. Share Your Experience with Us

The best part of this challenge is that we get to learn from each other. After you’ve had your conversations, I’d love for you to share what you discovered. Link up a blog post below or post your reflections in our One Word Facebook group.

Or leave your word in the comments, and I’ll respond to you with my thoughts about it.

Why This Matters

Your One Word doesn’t have to stay private. When you invite others into your journey, it can:

Spark new insights you haven’t considered before
Strengthen your relationships by sharing something personal
Encourage you to keep practicing your word in daily life
Help you see how your word is showing up in the world around you

This challenge is one of many ways to bring your word to life—through real connection and reflection.

Share your word! Or let me know what you think about my word Ripple. Let’s grow together through our words. Leave a comment here.

Looking ahead: Our September linkup opens on Thursday, September 25. Plan to join us with an update about your One Word.

If you’d like to receive our monthly One Word emails and ideas, join here any time of the year.

Get more One Word ideas here

Link Up About Your One Word

Does “For Now” Have to Mean Forever? How to Avoid Settling for Less

By LisaNotes August 21, 2025 Encouragement, Personal Growth 11 Comments

Last Saturday night, my husband Jeff and I were sitting together in our living room browsing through online stores. We had just finished something unusual for us—we gave our house a makeover.

After twenty-four years with the same carpet, the same paint, and basically the same furniture, we finally pulled everything out, had the walls repainted, and new flooring installed.

For us, this is monumental. We’re the type of people who placed a chair in the corner in 2001 and never moved it again.

But after the last painter and floor installer left last week, we were left sitting in a house open to new ideas—a blank canvas waiting to be drawn upon.

The focus of our web browsing that night was this: should we replace our little table in the foyer?

The table is still functional, but barely. The top is warped, water-stained, and just isn’t us anymore.

Yet after coming up empty in our search for a replacement, I said the words that made me cringe even as they slipped out:

“Maybe, for now, we should just put the old table back.”

It’s a phrase I’ve been using too often during this house renovation.

For now, let’s put the rocking chair back where it was.
For now, let’s shelve the books and I’ll sort through them later.
For now, let’s put things back where they’ve always been so the house looks together again.

But here’s the problem I’ve learned about myself: for now often turns into forever.

Why “For Now” Feels So Tempting

“For now” is comforting. It’s easy. It spares us from making a choice when we’re tired, overwhelmed, or unsure. It’s comforting to stay with the status quo instead of questioning whether the old ways are still serving us.

“For now” choices can sneak into all areas of life, like:

Staying in a job you’ve outgrown because it’s easier than searching for a new one
Keeping habits that no longer work because you don’t want to think about them
Avoiding a hard conversations by telling yourself you’ll get to it later

How often does just “for now” quietly stretch into months . . . or even years?

When “For Now” Becomes a Roadblock

To be fair, “for now” isn’t always bad.

Sometimes it’s necessary—it keeps us moving through the day. When you’re running late for an appointment, now might not be the time to experiment with a new commute. Sometimes you’ve got to stick with what you know works, even if it’s not optimal for the long-term.

But other times, “for now” is an excuse—a way of delaying the harder but more meaningful work of creating something different.

That Saturday night, I caught myself saying “for now” and changed it instead to a “no.” No, we won’t put the table back. We’ll keep looking for something different.

Maybe it is worth sitting with the discomfort of an empty foyer a little longer, instead of rushing to fill it with the same old table.

3 Questions to Ask Yourself

I’ve been experimenting with asking myself better questions this week:

When you want to put something back “for now,” are you simply procrastinating about making a better decision?
Can you sit with uncertainty a few more days and do it right instead of falling back too quickly into your comfort zone?
Instead of restoring things the way they were, what do you really want this space—or this season of life—to look like?

It’s taking more effort. It’s slower. And honestly, I don’t like the process in the moment.

But I’m loving the results it’s bringing so far.

As I unpack my books, I’m making a conscious decision on each one: keep or donate. (I’m proud to report my donation box is huge!)
I’m resisting dragging the laundry room clutter back into the house until I decide what can be eliminated.
And not a single picture has gone back on the wall yet—I want to develop a more unified plan before I start hammering new holes (although this is a whole separate problem that may paralyze me forever . . . send help!).

And the Foyer Table . . .

Well, I hate to tell you: the sad little table is actually back in the foyer—for now. I needed a temporary spot to hold some return packages and it was too convenient to not place it back by the front door.

But this time, I truly mean it is just “for now,” not forever—I promise!

A Question for You:

Do you have a junk drawer or closet where you shove things “for now,” even if they don’t really belong there? What would it look like to reclaim that space instead of settling?

Share your thoughts in the comments.

Read more:

A Resource for Making and Keeping Everyday Habits
Making and keeping habits isn’t easy, but the more knowledge we have, the greater our chances of success. Tips from Gretchen Rubin’s book, Better Than Before.
Are You a Digital Packrat?
Here are 7 tips to do it a digital declutter today.
Throw Your Rock in the Water: How Small Actions Create Big Ripples
Small steps matter. See how the impact of one small action spreads—just like ripples in a pond.

Could You Play Life by Ear Instead of Someone Else’s Sheet Music?

By LisaNotes August 18, 2025 Encouragement, Music 2 Comments

When Stories Sound Like Myths

I’d already been thinking about myths.

While listening to a talk at our local library, I’d heard the historian mention that during World War II, German prisoners of war had been held at our nearby Redstone Arsenal, known then as Huntsville Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama.

This was news to me.

photos from U.S. Army supervisor’s widow of POW kitchen crew

Later, in the 1970s and 80s, several of those POW returned to Huntsville to visit the place where they’d once been imprisoned—because, as one said, “life in the Huntsville camp was not a hardship.”

I was surprised again by the story. But it was another, shorter tale that caught my attention the most.

According to the historian, each POW received two cases of beer on their birthday to share with friends. Somehow, a few managed to have multiple “birthdays” each year. One man, he said, aged eight years during his short time here.

Truth or myth? Did the camp wardens really give presents to each POW on his birthday? I’m not sure.

But either way, it’s a touching story.

Someone Else’s Notes Or My Own?

Not long after the library lecture, I joined a Zoom call exploring personal myth-making. The facilitator walked us through a series of prompts, encouraging us to jot down first impressions on the spot.

My own responses weren’t surprising—most revolved around books. Only the week before, I’d been emptying bookshelves to prepare for getting our house painted.

I’d even begun decluttering the piano books that had been piling up for decades in our old piano bench that my dad had made years ago.

One question from the Zoom call caught me totally off guard though:

“Who has been delivering the message of your myth?”

Or rather it was my answer that surprised me.

The obvious answer would have been: Words. Words are almost always my messenger. All my previous answers had revolved around books.

But that’s not what bubbled out. This time, what came out immediately was: Music. Specifically, learning to play the piano by ear (a practice I’ve been toying with the past couple of months).

Then immediately following that answer came this amazing life realization: Why can’t I live my life by ear too? Who says I always have to play from someone else’s sheet music?

The Joy—and Limits—of Playing by the Book

All my life I have only played musical notes written by others. I followed their fingerings, their tempos, their markings for when to get louder or softer.

I have loved it. It’s been fulfilling. I want to continue doing it.

But I also long for more.

I want to be like my late uncle, who could hear a tune on the radio, then sit down and play it without a single sheet of music in sight.

This summer, I decided to see if I could do the same.

It’s slow going—but it’s happening. I can hardly believe it.

A New Myth Begins

At the end of the Zoom call, we were asked to compile our previous answers into a written myth.

My mythical story has turned into this:

Once upon a time, I lived in a piano book every time I sat down to play. I read the notes, followed the score, and trusted the printed instructions to tell me which fingers to use, what pace to keep, how beauty should sound.

But one morning, I wanted to play a song straight from the heart—and I couldn’t. My fingers didn’t know where to go.

In that moment, I realized: I could learn a different way to play—one without notes drawn on paper, without Italian instructions for crescendo and decrescendo, without someone else’s rules.

Now I’m learning a new way of playing. And a new way of living. I’m no longer playing life everyday from someone else’s sheet music. I’m learning to play and live by ear—my own.

Why Myths Matter, Even If They’re Not Fully True

Like the POW beer story, my own myth about music might not yet (or ever) be perfectly true. I’m still learning. Still discovering. Still creating.

And I’m also still playing the piano some with sheet music. Using someone else’s written music is like walking a beautifully cleared path. It’s easy and it works. I don’t have to give up what I already know to add on something new.

But creating my own music instead of only playing hand-me-downs is also bringing me joy. It requires additional learning: chords and rhythms and harmonies. No two sessions are exactly the same. I go off-script when needed. Playing music by ear feels fluid and unpredictable.

I don’t know that playing life by ear will be my new life’s myth for all time—is there ever just one metaphor to perfectly depict life anyway?—but for now, it is a helpful one.

So as long as I hear the music, I will continue to play—and live—by ear.

Do you play a musical instrument? When have you stepped away from the rules and begun to “play by ear” in your own life?

Share in the comments.