There are books that teach us something, books that challenge us, and books that make us look at our lives a little differently.
And then there are books that make us say, “Just one more chapter,” when we know we should have gone to bed an hour ago.
I believe there’s room for all of them.
Reading doesn’t always have to be about becoming more productive or learning something new. Sometimes we read to grow. Sometimes we read to feel inspired. And sometimes we read simply because getting completely lost in a good story feels wonderful.
As I’ve thought about the books that have stayed with me, challenged me, or simply kept me turning the pages, these five stood out. If you’re looking for something to add to your 2026 reading list, here are five books I personally enjoyed and recommend
1. The Let Them Theory
by Mel Robbins and Sawyer Robbins
There is something incredibly freeing about realizing that you don’t have to manage everyone’s opinions, choices, reactions, or expectations.
The Let Them Theory is built around a simple idea: let people be who they are, and redirect your energy toward the things you actually have the power to change.
For women who spend so much of their lives caring for other people, managing responsibilities, and trying to keep everything moving smoothly, that can be a powerful shift.
One of my biggest takeaways was the reminder that protecting your peace doesn’t mean you stop caring. It means becoming more intentional about where you place your energy.
Take It to Your Planner
Write down one thing you’ve been spending too much energy trying to control. What might change if you released it and redirected that energy toward something you can influence?
2. Atomic Habits
by James Clear
Big goals are exciting, but our everyday habits are often what determine whether those goals ever become reality.
That’s why Atomic Habits is one of those books that stays relevant long after you’ve finished reading it.
The idea that small actions, repeated consistently, can create significant change is powerful because it makes our goals feel much more attainable.
And it connects beautifully with planning.
A planner isn’t simply a place to record everything you need to do. It can help you take a big goal and break it down into the small choices and actions that move you forward.
Take It to Your Planner
Choose one habit you’d like to develop. Instead of focusing only on the end result, write down one small action you can realistically repeat each day or week.
3. The Mountain Is You
by Brianna Wiest
Sometimes the biggest thing standing between where we are and where we want to be isn’t our circumstances.
It’s us.
The Mountain Is You explores self-sabotage, emotional growth, self-awareness, and the patterns that can quietly keep us from moving forward.
This isn’t necessarily a book you rush through. There are moments that make you stop, reflect, and perhaps recognize something about yourself that you hadn’t considered before.
Growth sometimes requires us to look inward before we can move forward.
Take It to Your Planner
Think about a goal you’ve struggled to make progress toward. Ask yourself: What keeps getting in my way? Then identify one decision or action you can approach differently this time.
4. Your Best Year Ever
by Michael Hyatt
I love a book that encourages us to dream while also asking, Okay, but what are you actually going to do about it?
Your Best Year Ever is about creating meaningful goals and developing a practical plan for achieving them.
What I appreciate about this approach is that it isn’t simply about doing more. It’s about becoming clear about what matters and creating goals around the life you genuinely want to build.
We can have beautiful dreams for our businesses, families, finances, relationships, health, and personal lives. But eventually those dreams need decisions, action steps, and consistency.
That’s where intentional planning becomes so powerful.
Take It to Your Planner
Choose one area of your life you’d love to look different a year from now. What would meaningful progress look like? Write down the goal, then identify the first three steps that could move you toward it.
5. Never Lie
by Freida McFadden
Because sometimes we don’t need another lesson.
We need a REALLY good book. 😂
I love personal-development books, but I also love a good thriller, and Freida McFadden is one of my favorites when I want to completely escape into a story.
Never Lie is fast-paced, twisty, and exactly the kind of book that makes you tell yourself, “I’ll read one more chapter,” several times before realizing you’ve been reading much longer than you planned.
And you know what?
That has value too.
Reading doesn’t always need to make us more productive, more disciplined, or more enlightened. There is something wonderful about allowing yourself to step away from responsibilities for a while and simply enjoy a really good story.
Rest, pleasure, curiosity, and fun belong in an intentional life too.
Take It to Your Planner
Add a book to your reading list simply because it sounds FUN. No self-improvement required. 😂
What’s on Your 2026 Reading List?
One of my favorite things about reading is that every book can give us something different.
One may challenge the way we think.
Another may inspire a new goal.
Another might help us understand ourselves a little better.
And another may simply keep us curled up on the sofa far past our bedtime because we HAVE to know what happens next. 😂
There’s room for all of it.
As you read this year, give yourself space to capture the books you want to explore, the quotes you want to remember, and the ideas that stay with you long after you’ve turned the final page.
That’s one of the reasons we include a dedicated Book List inside the Planned & Proper planner. The books that inspire, challenge, entertain, and shape us deserve a place in the lives we’re intentionally creating.
So choose your next book, find a comfortable spot, and enjoy it.
Give yourself permission to slow down and read.
Plan beautifully. Live intentionally.