Self-Help

List of Self-Help Books I Have Read

My God, make it stop!

Okay, here goes. Here’s a list of all the self-help books I’ve read. The list isn’t complete. I’m probably forgetting a few dozen. No particular order.

Since this page is a companion to my Self-Help Guru Ratings page, I’m including the same categories of self-help I include there. That is: success, happiness, simplicity, personal finance, investing, productivity, organization, health, business, relationships, spirituality, soulfulness, motivation, anxiety, addiction, parenting, thinking, and more.

I don’t just read self-help books. I read lots of scientific literature, too. That helps me decide what’s bogus and what’s not. But I haven’t kept a list of that.

Nearly all of these books are terrible. To see the few I actually recommend, see my Self-Help Guru Ratings page.

The List

Life 2.0 by Rick Karlgaard
What Color Is Your Parachute? by Richard Nelson Bolles
Home-Based Business for Dummies by Paul and Sarah Edwards
The Best Home Businesses for the 21st Century by Paul and Sarah Edwards
Superimmunity by Paul Pearsall
The Last Self Help Books You’ll Ever Need by Paul Pearsall
Making Miracles by Paul Pearsall
Super Marital Sex by Paul Pearsall
Super Joy by Paul Pearsall
The Pleasure Prescription by Paul Pearsall
The Heart’s Code by Paul Pearsall
Toxic Success by Paul Pearsall
Take Time for Your Life by Cheryl Richardson
It’s only too late if you don’t start now by Barbara Sher
I Could Do Anything If I Only Knew What It Was by Barbara Sher
Wishcraft by Barbara Sher
Refuse to Choose by Barbara Sher
Live the Life You Love by Barbara Sher
Idea Book by Barbar Sher
Embracing Uncertainty by Susan Jeffers
Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway by Susan Jeffers
The Power of Full Engagement by Jim Loehr
Journal to the Self by Kathleen Adams
How to Talk to Anyone by Leil Lowndes
The 80/20 Principle by Richard Koch
Learned Optimism by Martin Seligman
What You Can Change and What You Can’t by Martin Seligman
Authentic Happiness by Martin Seligman
Psychological Self Help by Clayton Tucker-Ladd
A Mood Apart by Peter Whybrow
The Renaissance Soul by Margaret Lobenstine
100 Ways to Motivate Yourself by Steve Chandler
The Millionaire Mind by Thomas Stanley
The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas Stanley
Cool Careers for Dummies by Marty Nemko
Self Help by Samuel Smiles
Charactes by Samuel Smiles
Thrift by Samuel Smiles
The Law of Success by Napoleon Hill
Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
How to Stop Worrying and Start Living by Dale Carnegie
The Quick and Easy Way to Effective Speaking by Dale Carnegie
The Bondage Breaker by Neil T. Anderson
Experiencing God by Henry T. Blackaby
The Now Habit by Neil Fiore
Awaken Your Strongest Self by Neil Fiore
The Road Back to Health by Neil Fiore
The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene
The Art of Seduction by Robert Greene
The Simple Living Guide by Janet Luhrs
Simple Loving by Janet Luhrs
Are You Ready to Succeed? by Srikumar S. Rao
Radical Honesty by Brad Blanton
Honest to God by Brad Blanton
Practicing Radical Honesty by Brad Blanton
What Are Your Goals? by Gary Ryan Blair
How to Inest $50–$5,000 by Nancy Dunnan
The Hard Questions for Adult Children and Their Aging Parents by Susan Piver
The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Managing Your Money by many
The Five Major Pieces of the Life Puzzle by Jim Rohn
The Art of Exceptional Living by Jim Rohn
Cultivating an Unshakeable Character by Jim Rohn
Finding the Winning Edge by Bill Walsh
The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success by Deepak Chopra
Creating Health by Deepak Chopra
Quantum Healing by Deepak Chopra
Perfect Health by Deepak Chopra
Mastery by George Leonard
Living More with Less by Doris Janzen Longacre
Where’s Mom Now That I Need Her? by Kent Frandsent
Why Smart People Make Big Money Mistakes by Gary Belsky
Mirror, Mirror on the Wall, Have I Got News for You by Liz Curtis Higgs
Making the Most of Your Money by Jane Bryant Quinn
Simple Abundance by Sarah Breathnatch
How to Pinch a Penny Till It Screams by Rochelle McDonald
Love and Addiction by Stanton Peele
Addiction-Proof Your Child by Stanton Peele
7 Tools to Beat Addiction by Stanton Peele
The Wealthy Barber by David Chilton
All Your Worth by Elizabeth Warren
America’s Cheapest Family by Steve and Annette Economides
The Bogleheads’ Guide to Investing by many
The Penny-Pinching Hedonist by Shel Horowitz
From Panic to Power by Lucinda Bassett
Real Success Without a Real Job by Ernie Zelinski
Remember Everything You Read by Stanley Frank
The Joy of Simple Living by Jef Davidson
Succeeding by John T. Reed
Wealth on Minimal Wage by James Steamer
Miserly Moms by Jonni McCoy
Worry by Edward Hallowell
Coping with Anxiety by Edmund Bourne
Women Who Worry Too Much by Holly Hazlett-Stevens
A Random Walk Down Wall Street by Burton G. Malkiel
The One Minute Millionaire by Mark Victor Hansen
PhotoReading by Paul Scheele
Beating the Street by Peter Lynch
The Complete Tightwad Gazette by Amy Dacyczyn
Your Money or Your Life by Joe Dominguez
Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki
Recovery of Your Self-Esteem by Carolynn Hillman
Simplify Your Life by Elaine St. James
Your Memory by Kenneth Higbee
The Thinker’s Way by John Chaffee
The Memory Book by Harry Lorayne
The Calvary Road by Roy Hession
Resident Aliens by Stanley Hauerwas
Dissident Discipleship by David Augsburger
Mean Markets and Lizard Brains by Terry Burnham
Mean Genes by Terry Burnham
The Manual by Steve Santagati
How to Succeed with Women by Ron Louis and David Copeland
What to Do Between Life and Death by Charles Spezzano
The Style Bible by James Bassil
The End of Stress As We Know It by Bruce McEwen
Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers by Robert Sapolsky
Life 101 by Peter McWilliams
How to Survive the Loss of a Love by Peter McWilliams
Do It! Let’s Get Off Our Buts by Peter McWilliams
Love 101 by Peter McWilliams
Yu Can’t Afford the Luxury of a Negative Thought by Peter McWilliams
What I Learned Losing a Million Dollars by Jim Paul
Tiptionary by Mary Hunt
How to Meet and Connect with Women by Wayne Elise
Prime by Pepper Schwartz
How to Survive the Loss of a Love by Harold Bloomfield
How to Heal Depression by Harold Bloomfield
Too Young to Retire by Marika and Howard Stone
Strangers to Ourselves by Timothy Wilson
101 Things I Wish I Knew When I Got Married by Linda and Charlie Bloom
How to Want What You Have by Timothy Miller
Habit Control in a Day by Robert Gunn
How Successful People Win by Ben Stein
Feeling Better, Getting Better, Staying Better by Albert Ellis
A Guide to Rational Living by Albert Ellis
Three Minute Therapy by Michael Edelstein
The Fred Factor by Mark Sanborn
The 60-Second Shrink by Arnold Lazarus
Don’t Believe It for a Minute by Arnold Lazarus
I Can If I Want To by Arnold Lazarus
Frugal Living for Dummies by Deborah Taylor-House
Dating for Dummies by Joy Browne
The Pocket Idiot’s Guide to Living on a Budget by Peter J. Sander
The Complete Life’s Little Instruction Book by H. Jackson Brown
The Mastery of Love by Don Ruiz
Inner Work by Robert Johnson
Staying Sane by Raj Persaud
Psychology Applied to Modern Life by Wayne Weiten
Changing for Good by James Prochaska
How You Feel is Up to You by Gary McKay
Managing Your Mind by Gillian Butler and Tony Hope
Self Help Without the Hype by Robert Epstein
Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff in Love by Richard Carlson
Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff... and, it’s All Small Stuff by Richard Carlson
Personal Finance for Dummies by Eric Tyson
Investing for Dummies by Eric Tyson
Mutual Funds for Dummies by Eric Tyson
Home Buying for Dummies by Eric Tyson
Mortgages for Dummies by Eric Tyson
Let’s Get Real About Money by Eric Tyson
Finding Help by Nan Giblin
Our Existential Predicament by James Park
The Budget Kit by Judy Lawrence
Fire Your Shrink! by Michele Weiner-Davis
Living Cheaply with Style by Ernest Callenbach
Psycho-Cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz
It’s All in Your Head by Stephen Pollan
Lifescripts by Stephen Pollan
Die Broke by Stephen Pollan
Thinking Your Way to Happiness by Stephen Pollan
Second Acts by Stephen Pollan
Finding Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
You Just Don’t Understand by Deborah Tannen
The Art of Happiness by The Dalai Lama
Happiness is a Choice by Barry Neil Kaufman
Creating Love by John Bradshaw
Family Secrets by John Bradshaw
Homecoming by John Bradshaw
The Proper Care and Feeding of Husbands by Laura Schlessinger
Bad Childhood Good Life by Laura Schlessinger
Ten Stupid Things Women Do to Mess Up Their Lives by Laura Schlessinger
Little Gold Book of YES! Attitude by Jeffrey Gitomer
The Highly Sensitive Person by Elain Aron
Foundations of Success by Stphen J. Kraus
Change Your Life in 7 Days by Paul McKenna
How I Raise Myself from Failure to Success in Selling by Frank Bettger
Finding Your Own North Star by Martha Beck
Destructive Emotions by Daniel Goleman
Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman
Social Intelligence by Daniel Goleman
The Seat of the Soul by Gary Zukav
The Heart of the Soul by Gary Zukav
The Happiness Hypothesis by Jonathan Haidt
Secrets of Power Negotiating by Roger Dawson
How to Get Control of Your Time and Your Life by Alan Lakein
What Got You Here Won’t Get You There by Marshall Goldsmith
Real Love by Greg Baer
Be Here Now by Ram Dass
Life’s Missing Instruction Manual by Joe Vitale
Simple Steps to Impossible Dreams by Steven Scott
Happiness by David Lykken
Loving What Is by Byron Katie
I Need Your Love—Is That True? by Byron Katie
The Road Less Traveled by M. Scott Peck
Bringing Out the Best in People by Aubrey Daniels
dozens of articles by Steve Pavlina
dozens of articles by Leo Babauta
dozens of articles by Scott H. Young
dozens of articles by “Millionaire Mommy Next Door”
dozens of articles by Trent Hamm
dozens of articles from mymoneyblog.com
Getting Things Done by David Allen
Ready for Anything by David Allen
Nothing Down by Robert Allen
Creating Wealth by Robert Allen
Multiple Streams of Income by Robert Allen
Using Your Brain for a Change by Richard Bandler
Magic in Action by Richard Bandler
Time for a Change by Richard Bandler
Iron John by Robert Bly
Wall Street Money Machine by Wade Cook
Business by the Bible by Wade Cook
Wealth 101 by Wade Cook
12 Choices That Lead to Your Success by David Cottrell
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey
First Things First by Stephen Covey
The 8th Habit by Stephen Covey
Self-Defeating Behaiors by Milton Cudney
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens by Sean Covey
Happiness is Free by Hale Dwoskin
The Sedona Method by Hale Dwoskin
Love and Respect by Emerson Eggerichs
Breaking the Communication Code by Emerson Eggerichs
Women Who Run with the Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estés
The Rules by Ellen Fein and Sherrie Schneider
The Rules II by Ellen Fein and Sherrie Schneider
The Rules of Online Dating by Ellen Fein and Sherrie Schneider
The Rules of Marriage by Ellen Fein and Sherrie Schneider
The 4-Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferris
Men’s Private Parts by James Gilbaugh
Life on the Vine by Philip Kenneson
Growing True Disciples by George Barna
Dog Training, Fly Fishing, and Sharing Christ in the 21st Century by Ted Haggard
The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence
Mere Discipleship by Lee Camp
Now, Discover Your Strengths by Marcus Buckingham
Seizing Your Divine Moments by Erwin McManus
The Barbarian Way by Erwin McManus
The Journey of Desire by John Eldredge
Waking the Dead by John Eldredge
Captivating by John Eldredge
Wild at Heart by John Eldredge
Stumbling on Happiness by Daniel Gilbert
For Men Only by Shaunti Feldhahn
The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren
How Full Is Your Bucket? by Tom Rath
The Divine Conspiracy by Dallas Willard
Reading People by Jo-Ellan Dimitrius
Think Like a Shrink by Pat Fogarty
PeopleSmart by Mel Silberman
The Urban Christian by Ray Bakke
The Life You’ve Always Wanted by John Ortberg
Influence: The Psychology of Persuaion by Robert Cialdini
The Success Principles by Jack Canfield
Major in Success by Jack Canfield
Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus by John Gray
How to Get What You Want and Want What You Have by John Gray
Mars and Venus in the Bedroom by John Gray
Mars and Venus Starting Over by John Gray
The Story We Find Ourselves In by Brian McLaren
A New Kind of Christian by Brian McLaren
The Power of Intention by Wayne Dyer
Wealth Without Risk by Charles Givens
Astral Voyages by Bruno Goldberg
Past Lives, Future Lines Revealed by Bruno Goldberg
Self Hypnosis by Bruno Goldberg
Adventures in EFT by Silvia Hartmann
The Advenced Patterns by Silvia Hartmann
Dianetics by L. Ron Hubbard
University of Success by Og Mandino
Life Strategies by Phil McGraw
Your Best Life Now by Joel Osteen
The Money Book for the Young, Fabulous & Broke by Suze Orman
The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale
The Dynamic Laws of Prosperity by Catherine Ponder
A Short Guide to a Happy Life by Anna Quindlen
Rebirthing in the New Age by Sondra Ray
Birth and Relationships by Sondra Ray
Awaken the Giant Within by Tony Robbins
Unlimited Power by Tony Robbins
The Magic of Thinking Big by David Schwartz
The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari by Robin Sharma
Maximum Achievement by Brian Tracy
The Science of Getting Rich by Wallace Wattles
Left for Dead by Beck Weathers
Mirrors of Time by Brian Weiss
Same Soul, Many Bodies by Brian Weiss
A Return to Love by Marrianne Williamson
The Gift of Change by Marrianne Williamson
The Worry Cure by Robert Leahy
Block: Getting Out of Your Own Way by Abigail Lipson
Love is Never Enough by Aaron Beck
Thick Face, Black Heart by Chin-Ning Chu
In Pursuit of Happiness by E. Perry Good
Double Your Dating by David DeAngelo
Attraction Isn't a Choice by David DeAngelo
77 Laws of Success with Women and Dating by David DeAngelo
Why Marriages Succeed or Fail by John Gottman
The Seven Principles for Making Marriages Work by John Gottman
The Relationship Cure by John Gottman
The Marriage Clinic by John Gottman
Dr. Dobson Answers Your Questions by James Dobson
How to Be Your Own Best Friend by Mildred Newman
How to Meditate by Lawrence Leshan
Get Anyone to Do Anything by David J. Lieberman
Looking Out for #1 by Robert Ringer
Success for Dummies by Zig Ziglar
Anger by Carol Tavris
Voluntary Simplicity by Duane Elgin
The Professional Bachelor by Brett Tate
What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Stronger by Maxine Schnall
If Success Is A Game, These Are The Rules by Cherie Carter-Scott
Rent Two Films and Let's Talk in the Morning by John and Jan Hesley
Getting Thru to Your Emotions with EFT by Phillip and Jane Mountrose
The Mystery Method by Mystery
Magic Bullets by Savoy
Understanding Women by Romy Miller
The Attraction Code by Vin DiCarlo
Men’s Mastery Series by David Wygant
How to Meet and Connect with Women by Juggler
Park Bench Dating by Art Malov
The Pick-Up Artist's Field Guide by Decibel
How to Become a Pick Up Artist in 3 Days by Unknown
Quality is Personal by Harry Roberts and Bernard Sergesketter
Self-Directed Behavior by Watson and Tharp
Behavior Modification: What It Is and How to Do It by Garry Martin and Joseph Pear
Commonsense Rebellion by Bruce E. Levine
Surviving America's Depression Epidemic by Bruce E. Levine