Joyful Books and Readings

Reading has been shown to put our brains into a pleasurable trance-like state, similar to meditation, and it brings the same health benefits of deep relaxation and inner calm. Burying your head in a book can make you a happier person. Reading really does make you happier
Turns out there’s a mountain of proof behind what we’ve always known to be true.

Below is a list of books I have curated on various topics related to ideas and practices that activate joy.

Check the boxes to filter results:

10 Keys to Happier Living
10% Happier
100 Hikes of a Lifetime: The World's Ultimate Scenic Trails
101 Joys Make a Rainbow: A Gratitude Journal
365 Thank Yous: The Year a Simple Act of Daily Gratitude Changed My Life
40 Days to a Joy-Filled Life: Living the 4:8 Principle
50 States, 5,000 Ideas: Where to Go, When to Go, What to See, What to Do
6 Weeks to Happy
A Happy Pocket Full of Money
A Little SPOT of Kindness!
A Thousand Names for Joy: Living in Harmony with the Way Things Are
Ask and It Is Given
Attached: The New Science of Adult Attachment and How It Can Help You Find and Keep Love
Attitudes of Gratitude: How to Give and Receive Joy Every Day of Your Life
Awakening Joy: 10 Steps to Happiness
Best of the Joy of Painting
Beyond Fear: A Toltec Guide to Freedom and Joy
Book of Joy
Braving the Wilderness: The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone
Chief Joy Officer: How Great Leaders Elevate Human Energy and Eliminate Fear
Choose Happy: Easy Strategies to Find Your Bliss
Choose Joy: Because Happiness Isn't Enough
Choosing Gratitude: Your Journey to Joy
Code to Joy: The Four-Step Solution to Unlocking Your Natural State of Happiness
Crazy Joy: Finding Wild Happiness in a World that Is Upside Down
Creating Moments of Joy Along the Alzheimer's Journey: A Guide for Families and Caregivers
Daily Joy: 365 Days of Inspiration
Daily Joy: A Devotional For Each Day of the Year
Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead
Deep Kindness: A Revolutionary Guide for the Way We Think, Talk, and Act in Kindness
Defiant Joy
Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose
Designing Your Life: How to Build a Well-Lived, Joyful Life
Destinations of a Lifetime: 225 of the World's Most Amazing Places
Discover Your Joy: Daily Splashes of Inspiration for Living an Abundant Life of Happiness, Blessings, and Inner Peace
Drives of a Lifetime: 500 of the World's Greatest Road Trips
Epic Journeys: 245 Life-Changing Adventures
F*ck the Bucket List for the Adventurer: Trekking into the Unknown
F*ck the Bucket List for the Soul: Discover the Wonder of You
Find Joy: A Devotional Journey To Unshakable Wonder in an Uncertain World
Find Your Joy: A Powerful Self-Care Journal to Help You Thrive
FLIP The Gratitude Switch: A Simple Formula To Change The Trajectory Of Your Life
Give and Take: A Revolutionary Approach to Success
Good Days Start With Gratitude: A 52 Week Guide To Cultivate An Attitude Of Gratitude
Grateful: The Subversive Practice of Giving Thanks
Gratitude Works!: A 21-Day Program for Creating Emotional Prosperity
Happiness Becomes You: A Guide to Changing Your Life for Good
Happiness Workbook: A CBT-Based Guide to Foster Positivity and Embrace Joy
Happiness: A Guide to Developing Life's Most Important Skill
Happy Money: The Japanese Art of Making Peace with Your Money
Hardwiring Happiness: The New Brain Science of Contentment, Calm, and Confidence
How Happiness Happens: Finding Lasting Joy in a World of Comparison, Disappointment, and Unmet Expectations
How Joyful People Think: 8 Ways of Thinking That Lead to a Better Life
How to Stop Feeling Like Sh*t: 14 Habits That Are Holding You Back from Happiness
How to Win Friends & Influence People
I Choose Joy: The Daily Gratitude Practice That Will Transform Your Life
In Defense of Kindness: Why It Matters, How It Changes Our Lives, and How It Can Save the World
Journeys of a Lifetime, Second Edition: 500 of the World's Greatest Trips
Joy at Work: Organizing Your Professional Life
Joy of Cooking
Joy on Demand: The Art of Discovering the Happiness Within
Joy, Inc.: How We Built a Workplace People Love
Joy: 100 Poems
Joy!: God's Secret Weapon for Every Believer
Joyful Path of Good Fortune: The Complete Buddhist Path to Enlightenment
Joyful Wisdom: Embracing Change and Finding Freedom
Joyful: The Surprising Power of Ordinary Things to Create Extraordinary Happiness
Joyful: The Surprising Power of Ordinary Things to Create Extraordinary Happiness
Kindness is my Superpower: A children's Book About Empathy, Kindness and Compassion
Letting Go: The Pathway of Surrender
Living Joy: 9 Rules to Help You Rediscover and Live Joy Every Day
Living Life as a Thank You: The Transformative Power of Daily Gratitude
Living with Joy: Keys to Personal Power and Spiritual Transformation
Mind Hacking Happiness Volume I: The Quickest Way to Happiness and Controlling Your Mind
Money Magic:
Picture Your Prosperity
Radical Acceptance: Embracing Your Life With the Heart of a Buddha
Radical Honesty: How to Transform Your Life by Telling the Truth
Resisting Happiness
Spark Joy: An Illustrated Guide to the Japanese Art of Tidying
Sparkles of Joy: A Children's Book that Celebrates Diversity and Inclusion
Start with Joy: Designing Literacy Learning for Student Happiness
The 3 Minute Gratitude Journal for Kids: A Journal to Teach Children to Practice Gratitude and Mindfulness
The 4 Habits of Raising Joy-Filled Kids: A Simple Model for Developing Your Child's Maturity
The 4:8 Principle: The Secret to a Joy-Filled Life
The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace: Empowering Organizations by Encouraging People
The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love that Lasts
The Art of Happiness: A Handbook for Living
The Bucket List: 1000 Adventures Big & Small
The Charge: Activating the 10 Human Drives That Make You Feel Alive
The Daily Guide to a Joy-Filled Life: Living the 4:8 Principle
The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom
The Future of Happiness: 5 Modern Strategies for Balancing Productivity and Well-Being in the Digital Era
The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You're Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are
The Go-Giver: A Little Story About a Powerful Business Idea
The Grateful Entrepreneur
The Gratitude Diaries: How a Year Looking on the Bright Side Can Transform Your Life
The Gratitude Jar: A Simple Guide to Creating Miracles
The Gravity of Joy: A Story of Being Lost and Found
The Happiness Advantage: How a Positive Brain Fuels Success in Work and Life
The Happiness Equation: Want Nothing + Do Anything=Have Everything
The Happiness Hypothesis: Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom
The Happiness Journal: 52 Weeks of Guided Reflections to Cultivate Genuine Joy
The Happiness of Pursuit: Finding the Quest That Will Bring Purpose to Your Life
The Happiness Trap: How to Stop Struggling and Start Living: A Guide to ACT
The Hidden Power of Kindness: A Practical Handbook for Souls Who Dare to Transform the World, One Deed at a Time
The How of Happiness: A New Approach to Getting the Life You Want
The Joy Luck Club
The Joy of Art: How to Look At, Appreciate, and Talk about Art
The Joy of Baking: The Everyday Zen of Watching Bread Rise
The Joy of Being Selfish: Why you need boundaries and how to set them
The Joy of Intimacy: A Soulful Guide to Love, Sexuality, and Marriage
The Joy of Less
The Joy of Living: Unlocking the Secret and Science of Happiness
The Joy of Missing Out: Live More by Doing Less
The Joy of Movement: How exercise helps us find happiness, hope, connection, and courage
The Joy of Sex
The Joy of Small Things: 'A not-so-small joy in itself.'
The Joy of Sweat: The Strange Science of Perspiration
The Joy of Writing Journal: Spark Your Creativity in 8 Minutes a Day
The Joy Plan: How I Took 30 Days to Stop Worrying, Quit Complaining, and Find Ridiculous Happiness
The Joy Switch: How Your Brain's Secret Circuit Affects Your Relationships
The Joyful Teacher: Strategies for Becoming the Teacher Every Student Deserves
The Joys Of Compounding: The Passionate Pursuit Of Lifelong Learning
The Kindness Challenge: Thirty Days to Improve Any Relationship
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing
The Little Book of Gratitude: Create a life of happiness and wellbeing by giving thanks
The Little Book of Joy: 365 Ways to Celebrate Every Day
The Mastery of Love: A Practical Guide to the Art of Relationship
The One-Minute Gratitude Journal
The Power of Kindness: The Unexpected Benefits of Leading a Compassionate Life
The Power of No: Because One Little Word Can Bring Health, Abundance, and Happiness
The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment
The Soul is Here for Its Own Joy
The Surrender Experiment: My Journey into Life's Perfection
The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober: Discovering a happy, healthy, wealthy alcohol-free life
The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself