When was the last time you picked up a good book?

According to a recent Washington Post survey, 46 percent of Americans read zero books last year.

As shocking as that sounds, it can be hard to find the time and stillness to read a book while ignoring all the other distractions in our busy lives.

But there are some truly incredible books out there that are worth your time – books filled with wisdom that can change the way we view our lives and how we live.

Read a Book Day was September 6, and it’s your reminder to pick up a book before the year is over. If you’re not sure where to start, here are seven books every woman should read at least once in her lifetime.

With how little time we have for reading, making your choice of what book to read next counts.

 1. On love and relationships: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

It’s a timeless classic you’ve no doubt heard of or read already, but Pride and Prejudice is so much more than just a love story.

There is a reason why this book has stood the test of time. At its core, it’s about a woman’s refusal to settle for anything less than genuine and mutual love, during a time when women faced great social and economic pressure to marry well.

Austen set the blueprint for the type of relationship women should aspire to – a relationship far beyond quick passions but one ultimately driven by respect and mutual growth.

Society may have changed from Austen’s England, but this book reminds us that our standards certainly shouldn’t.

2. On fighting for women’s rights: The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood

Set in a dystopic country that was once the United States, this novel envisions a possible future where women’s reproductive rights have been eroded. In this new order, censorship, language, and religion are all weapons used to paralyze any effort to overthrow the patriarchal ruling class.

This book is a chilling reminder of what could happen to our rights at any given moment. It’s a call for women to honor the freedoms our sex has fought for and won for us in the years before, and to uphold our responsibility of continuing to protect our freedoms.

3. On self-improvement: Atomic Habits by James Clear

Atomic Habits is one of the best-selling self-help books of all time, and for good reason – it offers very practical and actionable advice that doesn’t require you to completely upend your life from day one.

Rather than focusing on a grand destination, the book redirects us to work on the small, daily habits that make up the journey. These small habits might amount to 1 percent of change each day, but when accumulated over months and years, they can completely transform the trajectory of our lives.

This book is a reminder that change starts with small actions, and that it’s never too late nor too difficult to shift from where you are. This is the book that I turn to whenever I feel lost in life and want to improve myself.

4. On overcoming trauma: The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk

This book emphasizes the importance of treating our traumas and breaking the shackles left by our painful past experiences.

Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, a celebrated psychiatrist, examines how trauma can have an impact in ways that we don’t expect or see – from its ability to alter our brains, to its physical toll on our bodies. He also offers strategies to work past our traumas, and ultimately embrace a more fulfilling life.

What I found most revealing was his sections on childhood trauma and the pivotal role that mothers often play in the formation of their child’s trauma. If there’s ever a book that reveals the importance of working through our demons and valuing our relationships with our children, it’s this.

5. On life and death: When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi

This book is a memoir written by a young neurosurgeon who discovers he has stage IV metastatic lung cancer, just as he is on the brink of finishing his residency after ten years of hard work.

It’s an incredibly moving account that reflects on deeply philosophical questions such as: “What makes life worth living? What do you do when the future you’ve spent so long working towards is suddenly gone?”

This book had me pondering what it means to be alive, and the inevitable end that all of us will one day face.

6. On following your life’s purpose: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

The Alchemist is a fictional story about a shepherd boy who sets out on a quest to find buried treasure.

Written by a Brazilian author and translated from Portuguese, the book is unique in that it reads like a modern-day fable and the wisdom of its story makes it truly unlike any other fiction book you will ever read.

At its heart, this story aims to inspire us to chase after our dreams and to discover the ‘Personal Legend’ that all of us carry.

7. On Confronting Mortality: A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan

Written by one of the great modern American authors, this novel is undeniably a literary masterpiece that everyone should read, if not for Egan’s excellent writing than for its exploration of universal themes.

The book captures the perspectives of 13 different inter-related characters who are all confronted with their mortality. They are forced to reckon with the inevitable passage of time, the existential fear of being past their prime and accepting that their best years are now behind them.

This book vividly captures the existential fears that we all have in achingly beautiful writing. It also reminds us that we’re not alone in feeling this way, and that we can still find meaning in the twilight of our prime.

Her Nexx Chapter invites you to join our free Community where women from around the world are connecting with each other’s stories, exploring different experiences, and transforming ideas.

The Future of Connection for Women