While social media can be fun and introduce us to dynamic engagement within an online community, unplugging every so often is a crucial component of self-care. What better way to do so than by picking up a good book? 

There are bits and pieces of yourself scattered in every book you read. From awe-inspiring feminist novels to biographies of empowering women who have paved the way for us, here’s our list of inspirational books for women, by women. Prepare to be washed over by all the girl boss feels needed to take on the day. 

Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert: This memoir chronicles a woman’s trip around the world after her divorce and what she discovers during her travels. Daring to step out of her comfort zone, Liz embarks on a quest of self-revelation and unravels the glee of nourishment from Italian cuisine, the power of belief and prayer in India, and the bliss of true love in Bali. Staying at home has become the epitome of 2020, so allow this narrative to take your soul to cities you have never been. Side note: Julia Roberts perfectly embodies our inner feminist in the 2010 award-winning film.  

Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert: 

Elizabeth Gilbert will surely win a place in your heart with this comical guide to artistic spirit. It tells you all about ideas: starting with how magical they are, to how they float around the world looking for you. She writes, “Do whatever brings you to life. Follow your own fascinations, obsessions, and compulsions. Trust them. Create whatever causes a revolution in your heart.” This is a must-read that will become a treasured roadmap for anyone yearning to enkindle their human spirit. 

Year of Yes: How to Dance it Out, Stand in the Sun, and Be Your Own Person by Shonda Rhimes: Award-winning TV-show creator Shonda Rhimes tells her story of how saying “yes” to all opportunities for a full year allowed her to face her fears and start loving herself. Whether you are a loyal Grey’s Anatomy stan, or simply searching for a dynamic read, this book divulges her struggles, relationships, and how one word opens the door for success. She writes, “The Year of Yes was a binding contract between me and my greatest competitor and judge: me.”

The Moment of Lift by Melinda Gates: In this New York Times bestseller, author Melina Gates shares lessons she’s learned from the inspiring people she’s met during her career and travels around the world. Gates wholeheartedly uses her platform to bring issues to light, directing much-needed attention and resources to women’s issues on a global scale. The key takeaway? When we lift up women and girls everywhere, it benefits us all. Gates writes, “For me, love is the effort to help others flourish—and it often begins with lifting up a person’s self-image.”

This Too Shall Pass by Melina Busquets: An intimate story about loss and mourning, about saying goodbye and growing up; its comedic charm and love for life jumps from the page. Accompanied by her loved ones, Blanca spends the summer in the beautifully exotic Cadaques, Spain. It encourages readers to seek and understand what it truly means to be happy, as the refreshingly frank story that makes us laugh, cry, and feel inspired.

 In today’s fast-paced world littered with technology, literature is one of the greatest binding forces between us and our creative souls. So light a candle, brew some coffee, and dig into these heartening reads that remind us of the women we can confidently look up to.

Article Written by Larissa Villegas, Images via Unsplash, Media by Angela Kraus