My favourite 5 books in 2023

I looooove books. After studying through courses in person or online, books are my biggest resource to expand my horizons and to go deeper within. I thought it would be a great idea to share my top 5 books that I read throughout 2023. Either they will inspire you to read one or more of them or you get a great gift idea for the holiday season. I will make sure to link all of the books and resources I mention in the episode so you have no issues finding them for yourself.

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Number 5 – Louise Hay’s? “You can heal your life”

I got this book as a present from my mother-in-law who is a big fan of Louise Hay. Funnily I never have read anything from here but obviously know of her and am a big fan of so many authors who are published by Hay House which she founded.

I would describe this book as a beginner book into the world of understanding your mind better and how you can heal yourself by changing your thoughts and beliefs. I love the way she describes everything simply and that you can completely follow her logic

She has great examples of clients who were able to change their lives significantly by applying her explanations and techniques. The book is not just the description of how everything in your life works but it provides you with tools, exercises and techniques for you to apply straight away into your life.

Great Gift for Beginners in the Inner Work World

If you are looking for a great gift for someone who showed new interest in the world of mind and body connection and self-healing then this is perfect. If you love to work with affirmations then this book is a must as Louise includes powerful affirmations that help you to reprogram your thoughts and beliefs.

Here is the link to Louise Hay’s “You can heal your life”: Amazon Link

Number 4 – Richard C. Schwartz’s “No Bad Parts”

This is the book I am currently reading so I have not finished it yet. But it has been already so mind-blowing that it’s on my top 5 book list for the year.

I got the recommendation for this book from a dear friend who discovered this therapeutic approach to healing for herself and has made huge revelations very quickly. Another huge fan of Richard Schwartz and the internal family system model that he created is Gabby Bernstein who interviewed him on her podcast in 2021 .

What I have taken away from it so far is that we have different parts inside of us. We don’t only have one mind, but the different parts inside of us have all their own minds. A part might have been created at a traumatic or emotional event in the past and it was created out of the “need” to protect you.

These parts are frozen in time inside of you and they never move on or understand that you have moved on and got older and maybe wiser. So they are still playing their old roles unaware that these roles are not necessary anymore or might even be hindering now.

For me, this is another way of describing the trauma and memories that are programmed into our subconscious mind and impact our lives without us being aware of it.

The Internal Family System

The internal Family System is a very clever way to get in contact with those parts and have a conversation. Make the part understand who you are now and what you still need and do not need anymore. That way this part that was created initially to protect you can move on and transmute its energy into something more helpful.

This book is for you if you are interested in healing yourself from past trauma and memories. If you already are aware that you have patterns in your life that you see but you don’t know what to do about them, for example, one bad relationship after the other, then this book is perfect for you as it gives you a way to get in touch with the part or several parts inside of you that are responsible for this pattern to stay in your life.

Here is the link to Richard Schwartz’s “No Bad Parts”: Click Here

Number 3 – Napoleon Hill’s “Outwitting the Devil”

The already most amazing story about this book is about its publishing journey. Napoleon Hill wrote the book a long time ago but his family did not want him to publish it as he was having a conversation with the devil and they were unsure what that would do to their reputation and connection to their religious beliefs. And even the next generation initially did not publish it until someone afraid of it being published passed away. Once that happened the book was brought to the publisher and straight away went into being being published which was just over 10 years ago. So this book was hidden away for over 70 years.

I got to the book through 2 of my coaches whom I learned a lot, James Wedmore and Kathrin Zenkina. Both say that this is one of their favourite books in the area of self-development and understanding how we humans can reach our full potential.

For me, it was a huge surprise that I never came across it earlier because for me my most formative books when I was younger were the Conversations with God books by Neale Donald Walsh and this book is the literal Pendant as it’s a Conversation with the devil

So the book starts with Napoleon Hill describing how he got to write this book. What happened in his life to get him to the point of having the realisation that a conversation with the devil will be hugely insightful and to show that he has figured out the devil’s code?

And the actual conversation starts when he interviews the devil, so the writing style is a dialogue between these 2.

The Devil is the Yang to God’s Ying

For me, the devil that he has a conversation with is not the devil in its common sense but the yang to God’s ying. It’s the opposite of God. And it’s a necessary ingredient in our 3D reality.

See, our 3D reality can just be perceived and experienced by us due to its duality: good and bad, day and night, hot and cold, and so on. There has to always be an opposite of something to experience the other. If there were no cold we would not be able to define heat. And that’s what the devil is impersonating for me in this book. The opposite of god.

The devil describes how he lures people onto his side of the coin away from god and goodness. He explains how fear, procrastination, anger, jealousy and so on are the reasons we don’t go after our goals and potential. Why a lot of humans are happy to cruise along in life never reaching their full potential or even having the desire.

It’s a very honest and straight-talking book so not for the faint-hearted. But I love it. It describes the traps that we fall into as humans very well and makes you realize why you are holding yourself back in life.

If you are someone reaching for bigger goals in your life or unsatisfied with your status quo, then this book is for you. It will help you to make sense of your own behaviours and share with you methods and principles for you to get out of that mundane life.

Here is the link to Napoleon Hill’s “Outwitting the Devil”: Get the book

Number 2 – Carolyn Elliott’s “Existential Kink”

I found this book as well through Kathrin Zenkina who leads the Manifestation Babe Academy. She was reading the book herself a few months ago and it called for me to order it for myself.

I classify it as a more advanced book on the subject of inner work. If you have never done any kind of inner work on your limiting beliefs, your thoughts and emotions then this book might sound weird to you. But if you are in the middle of this kind of work, the unmasking of your inner self, then this is a new perspective that might loosen the knot in some of your programming.

I read this book write in the week I was learning more about shadow work and inner child work. And it fits perfectly to the subject. It has helped me to look at my deep programming with new flair.

Shadowwork is about looking at what you’ve been hiding. Sides of you that you don’t want to see and don’t want anyone else to see. It takes generally about the same parts as Richard Schwartz in his No Bad Parts book, but Carolyn Elliott has a unique spin on how to treat or behave around these parts.

The sticker on the front of her book says: A method for getting what you want by getting off on what you don’t. What it means is that our inner parts or subconscious mind is getting off on certain parts of our lives that actually bring us misery, despair and high levels of frustration.?

Our Shadow Parts that love the Drama

Parts of us loooove the drama and the emotions that come with it like guilt, shame, anger, disgust, betrayal, and so on.

When I talk about this I classify it as an addiction of our subconscious mind to these emotions. But her way of looking at it takes it a huge step further to actually give in to the cravings and allow these parts to fully feel the betrayal, the disgust, the anger – in a safe space environment with no people around, of course.

And the reason for giving in takes away the resistance inside of us. Because resistance always keeps things in our lives. If we stop resisting something, it actually has the chance to leave or transform.

I will let you read the rest to find out how she suggests doing it. If any of this lights a little flame or fire inside of you, then get the book. But I would probably stay away from making this a gift for someone unless you know them very well and are aware that deep inner work and especially shadow work is their kind of jam.

Here is the link to Carolyn Elliott’s “Existential Kink”: Find it here

Number 1 – Michael Singer’s “The Surrender Experiment”

Now we are coming to my number 1 book of the year. I actually read it already last year, but I reread it this year because it’s just so good and inspirational.

I read his book The Untethered Soul a few years ago which was amazing. And then my dear friend Lori who I had on the podcast before told me about this one describing Michael’s one life journey.

The premise of the experiment to surrender is to let go of personal preferences and simply let life call the shots. And Michael has applied this experiment to his life after a deep spiritual awakening.

He is taking you by the hand and telling his life story and all the unbelievable events, synchronicities and serendipities that happen due to him not listening to this little voice in his head.

For myself, I call this the Ego voice that wants to keep a certain identity intact. When life presents him with a path to go on and this little voice gives him thousands of reasons not to do it, he overcomes the voice and trusts that the universe knows better what it’s doing. It’s doing it for 13.7 billion years. And the wonders that come out of this way of living life are pure magic.

This book is about one of the best role models that I have ever come across. He has really lived and applied what he teaches. And it’s inspiring.

What a Life-Changing Book

It has helped me to let go of the control that I like to have in my life and about my life. It taught me to trust the universe more and don’t see everything so seriously.

This book is pure magic. And I think a perfect gift to anyone somehow interested in bringing more magic into their lives. There are no requirements for knowledge about the spiritual world necessary. Anyone can read this and be inspired by Michael Singer’s life.

I actually never read his story but I listened to the audio version which is read by Michael Singer which might make it even more special.

After I listened to the book twice, I listened to his follow-up audiobook: Living from a Place of Surrender: The Untethered Soul in Action

This is to learn more about how to apply the lessons from the surrender experience to your own life. But I believe that is just available as an audio version but it is pure gold. So if you read his book and then want to know how to bring more of that magic into your life, listen to the follow-up: Living from a Place of Surrender.

Here is the link to Michael Singer’s “The Surrender Experiment”: Buy it here

I am sure you found some inspiration in one of my descriptions or possibly even a holiday gift idea. Happy Book Hunting!