Whether you read on the beach, by the pool, in the woods or in your living room, summer is a great time to relax and dig into a great book. Here’s a list of 47 summer books for you to check out – curated by the most inspirational people on the planet.

Scroll down for the complete list or access the  PDF version here.

Most recommended authors

Each week on the My Instruction Manual podcast, I ask my featured guest to recommend a book. I’ve packaged them all together and listed every book on episode 36 of the podcast.

Only thee authors were nominated by more than one guest:

Byron Katie was recommended twice for Loving What Is.

Brené Brown was nominated twice for The Gifts of Imperfection and Daring Greatly.

Seth Godin was nominated twice for Linchpin and The Dip.

I’ve packaged them all together and listed every book on episode 36 of the podcast. Listen to the episode here:

Expert recommendations for the best personal development books.

1. 10% Happier by Dan Harris. Recommended by Keith McArthur in episode 11
2. Achieving Success Through Social Capital by Wayne Baker. Recommended by Morra Aarons-Mele in episode 9
3. As a Man Thinketh by James Allen. Recommended by Jake Nawrocki in episode 18
4. Baseball Life Adviceby Stacy May Fowles. Recommended by Stephanie McArthur in episode 26
5. Better Than Before by Gretchen Rubin. Recommended by Kathleen Trotter in episode 11
6. Blue Zones of Happiness by  Dan Buettner. Recommended by Martin Gibala in episode 10
7. Buddha’s Brain by Rick Hanson and Richard Mendius. Recommended by Rick Hanson in episode 24
8. Crazy Salad by Nora Ephron. Recommended by Daisy Buchanan in episode 16
9. Daring Greatly by Brené Brown. Recommended by Andrea Owen in episode 13
10. Dune by Frank Herbert. Recommended by Rick Hanson in episode 24
11. Emmaby Jane Austin. Recommended by Alison Green in episode 30
12. Falling Upwards by Richard Rohr. Recommended by Sally Helgesen in episode 27
13. Finding Your Own North Star by Martha Beck. Recommended by Jenny Blake in episode 1
14. Grit by Andrea Duckworth. Recommended by Kathleen Trotter in episode 11
15. HBR’s 10 Must Reads of 2018: The definitive Management Ideas of the Year from Harvard Business Review by Clayton M. Christensen. Recommended by Martin Gibala in episode 10
16. Linchpin by Seth Godin. Recommended by Todd Davis in episode 28
17. Loving What Is by Byron Katie. Recommended by Jenny Blake in episode 1 and Stever Robbbins in episode 19
18. Mindfulness in Plain English by Bhante Gunaratana. Recommended by Joelle Anderson in episode 11
19. Mindset by Carol Dweck. Recommended by Kathleen Trotter in episode 11
20. My Family and other Animals by Gerald Durrell. Recommended by Carmela DiClemente in episode 14
21. Option B by Sheryl Sandberg. Recommended by Fabiana Bacchini in episode 7
22. Outrageous Openness by Tosha Silver. Recommended by Jenny Blake in episode 1
23. Power vs Force by David R. Hawkins. Recommended by Luminita D. Saviuc in episode 4
24. Real Happiness by Sharon Salzberg. Recommended by Kathleen Trotter in episode 11
25. Sattipatthana by Analayo. Recommended by Rick Hanson in episode 24
26. Seat of the Soul by Gary Zukav. Recommended by Jenny Blake in episode 1
27. Start with Why by Simon Sinek. Recommended by Olivia D’Silva in episode 22
28. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey. Recommended by Todd Davis in episode 28
29. The Alchemist by Paolo Coelho. Recommended by Joelle Anderson in episode 11
30. The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. Recommended by Joelenta Greenberg in episode 5
31. The Four Desires by Rob Stryker. Recommended by Olivia D’Silva in episode 22
32. The Dip by Seth Godin. Recommended by Jason Richardson in episode 29
33. The Dance of Angerby Harriet Lerner. Recommended by Chantal Heide in episode 25
34. The Gifts of Imperfection by Brené Brown. Recommended by Kathleen Trotter in episode 11
35. The Happiness Hypothesis by Jonathan Haidt. Recommended by Jonathan Rauch in episode 33
36. The Happiness Project  by Gretchen Rubin. Recommended by Kathleen Trotter in episode 11
37. The Kama Sutra. Recommended by Allison Task in episode 35
38. The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo. Recommended by Fabiana Bacchini in episode 7
39. The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari by Robin S. Sharma. Recommended by Greg Wells in episode 6.
40. The One Thing by Gary Keller. Recommended by Leslie Caubble in episode episode 15
41. The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle. Recommended by Kristen Ulmer in episode 17
42. The Science of Getting Rich by Wallace D Wattles.  Recommended by Kurek Ashley in episode 2
43. The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell. Recommended by Todd Davis in episode 28
44. The Way of the Peaceful Warrior by Dan Millman. Recommended by Greg Wells in episode 6
45. The Way to Love by Anthony de Mello. Recommended by Robert Puff in episode 3
46. Yes Please by Amy Poehler. Recommended by Celeste Headlee in episode 8
47. You Are a Badass by Jen Sincero. Recommended by Michelle Jaelin in episode 11