Confidence Creator by Heather Monahan 

Whether you want to build up your courage or just want to make improvements in your business life, then this is the book for you. Once a corporate brand manager, Heather Monahan decided to take matters into her own hands and become her own boss, launching her own personal brand Boss in Heels. With a women’s empowerment philosophy, Monahan’s words of wisdom are a sure-fire way to make you feel, as the title says, confident. Her truthful stories combined with passionate advice and real-life fears are refreshingly honest. She talks about everything from stories from her childhood to tales about the women who have helped her pave her path. Check this out if you need a dose of fearlessness and a reminder that you already have everything you need to take on the world.

Standout Quote: "The most important voice and opinion in your own life will always be your own."

Photo Courtesy of Confidence Creator by Heather Monahan 

The Gutsy Girl Handbook: Your Manifesto for Success by Kate White

Kate White has done it all in her long career. If you haven’t heard of her, she is a bestselling author, professional speaker, and the former editor-in-chief of a little magazine called Cosmopolitan. In this book, White gives nine core principles that have guided and encouraged her throughout her career. Sharing real-life research, success stories, and never-been-told tales from her time at Cosmo, the book doles out advice on what risks are worth taking, how to speak up for yourself and how to push career boundaries. After reading this you will want to buy a copy for all your friends who might need a push in the business world.

Standout Quote: “The road ahead is full of surprises, pit stops for Rainier cherries & dancing in the moonlight. We’ll probably have to change a flat or two.  We’re going to be awed by vistas undiscovered, fueled by roadside lemonade and amazed by every new town, every new friend.”

Photo Courtesy of The Gutsy Girl Handbook Your Manifesto to Success by Kate White 

Feminist Fight Club by Jessica Bennett 

Unfiltered, witty and hilariously honest, Feminist Fight Club tackles sexism in the office in an inventive and gripping way. Bennett mashes research with brutally honest expert advice to created a hard-hitting lively read. This conversation starter, which is divided in sections with quotes from amazing ladies and rules to follow to take down the patriarchy, is a great for a summer book club and will go excellent with a poolside cocktail.

Standout Quote: “I stopped getting mad and started taking notes.”

Pick Three by Randi Zuckerberg

Who doesn’t have trouble with having a work-life balance? Everyone has to make sacrifices, and while those choices may be daunting, there are ways to keep your sanity while making them. Bestselling author, entrepreneur, investor and Broadway producer (yes! We’re not kidding), Randi Zuckerberg's newest novel, Pick Three, highlights the struggles of trying to fit in sleep, fitness, friends, family, and work in your everyday life. While there is no way to do everything that needs to be done in one day, Zuckerberg has a solution to make life a little less stressful, pick three of them.

Standout Quote: “I believe that striving to be well balancedis a lousy setup for one of three things: failure, unreasonable expectations, or worse, MEDIOCRITY! Shudder."

Photo Courtesy of Pick Three by Randi Zuckerberg

That's What She Said by Joanne Lipman

It’s not an easy feat to brilliantly balance the gender divide in the workplace and give sharp advice on how to close it without making one gender the ultimate cause.That’s What She Said is full of insightful anecdotes, illuminating research and Lipman’s own experience climbing to the top in the male-dominated journalism field. This eye opening novel will bring a whole new understanding to the behaviors in workplace, even when you’re at the beach on a much deserved hiatus from it.

Standout Quote: “Men who can't see the problem end up instead exuberating it."

Photo Courtesy of That's What She Said by Joanne Lipman

The CEO Next Door by Elena Botelho and Kim Powell

Want to find out what it takes to be a good CEO? Turns out it takes decisiveness, reliability, delivery, ability to adapt, engagement and so much more. Filled with in-depth research of over 2,600 executives and accounts from founders around the globe, this book will show you what you need to do and not do to be the best boss you can.

Standout Quote: “We believe that there are tens of thousands of leaders who could make effective- maybe even world changing- CEOs if armed with the insights of this book."

The Myth of the Nice Girl: Achieving a Career You Love Without Becoming a Person You Hate by Fran Hauser

It is often thought that women in positions of power are cold and emotionless. Turning the negative notion of the ‘nice girl’ on its head, Fran Hauser shows being mean-spirited and successful in business are not mutually exclusive. Ladies don’t have to sacrifice their morals or personality to climb up the career ladder. Recommended to SWAAY by Goodreads, Hauser's anecdotes of wisdom and refreshing outlooks on business will keep your brain running while your body is soaking in the sun.  

Standout Quote: “It's been a lifelong struggle for me to find that perfect balance between being nice and being strong at work."

Brotopia: Breaking Up the Boys' Club of Silicon Valley by Emily Chang

If you haven’t read about the boys’ club of Silicon Valley, then you must get this book! Eye-opening and horrifying from start to finish, Emily Chang reveals the disturbing inner-circles and male toxicity in the tech capital of the world. The misogynistic working culture of the valley is shown through interviews with Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg, YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki, and former Yahoo! CEO Marissa Mayer, inspiring change and firing up women to help destroy the (not so secret) boy’s club so that women can find success in tech too.  

Standout Quote: “If you select for an antisocial nerd sterotype, you will hire more men than women; that's what research tells us."

The Opposite of Hate: A Field Guide to Repairing Our Humanity by Sally Kohn

Having worked as the liberal commentator on FOX News, Sally Kohn knows how to talk and deal with people who have vastly different opinions than her own. This novel digs deep into the current division of the world and why people feel the need to ‘hate’. Kohn delves into why finding connections with others is the way to fix humanity and bridge differences. Well-written, timely and hopeful, this is a must-read for anyone who is worried about the world and wants a real slice of life. 

Standout Quote: “I wanted to understand not only my own hate but the hate that seemed to be engulfing the whole planet. So I set out to do just that."

Women Who Launch: The Women Who Shattered Glass Ceilings by Marlene Wagman-Geller

If you want to school yourself on the leaders who have paved the path to success, then this is the beach book for you. The novel is filled with effervescent stories about a diverse group of female artists, entrepreneurs, and activists who not only fought for women’s rights and equality but are the names behind many of our favorite organizations, brands, and companies throughout history. Well researched and engaging, every page gives the motivation to kill it in your career just like these ladies. 

Standout Quote: “In sharp juxtaposition there were intrepid women who launched rather than lunched-instead of waiting for a glass slipper, they shattered glass ceilings"