Disclaimer: most of the books that I recommend here are the non-fiction genres that I like such as self-improvement, financial literacy, and philosophy which mostly revolve around “how to improve yourself” inside and outside by building your personality, character, and values. I also have some Islamic, fictions, history, politics, and other genres book recommendations on my list but I think I will post it next time in separate posts, InshaAllah. (Also because tbh I have forgotten some amazing books that I have read before ehe.)   Today I will be answering one of the most asked questions in my email, blog, and Instagram. If you’re one of the followers on my Instagram, you must have seen that I post about books quite often in my stories and feeds. I am not going to write a full review of the content, just my impressions and how I came across those books (you can always go to Goodreads and find the best reviews there hahaha).   1. Tony Robbins – Awaken the Giant Within “Any time you sincerely want to make a change, the first thing you must do is to raise your standards.”  This book is very thick and boring at first, I am very honest to y’all, but it’s really worth it once you get his point. Lol. I have to warn you. It’s almost 600 pages, full of stories, exercises, questions, reflections, etc. But when I finished the book, the first thing that comes into my mind was, “I will surely read this book again in the future.”.  It’s really worth the read. This book is just what you need if you are looking for self-improvement books. He covers almost everything in this book: from mastering your emotions, your body, your relationships, your finances, and your life. I still look up to Tony Robbins up until now and attending his live events (I wish I can go to his seminars and workshops someday, it’s so expensive! lol). I read this book as soon as I finished the book I mentioned in number #3. Worth to read if you want some change in your life. 2. Stephen Covey – 7 Habits of Highly Effective People “To change ourselves effectively, we first had to change our perceptions.” I read this book after Tony Robbins’ Awaken the Giant Within, this book is much simpler and direct than Tony Robbins. It is not too long, only 381 pages. It is very helpful to narrow my focus as it emphasizes more that “if you want to change your life, you have to start it from yourself.”. Everyone, even your closest family, will always have something to say about you, you will never control what is on the outside, but you can control “how” you perceive the negative outputs into something positive. This book is a must-read if you need a guide on how to improve yourself. 3. Merry Riana – Million Dollar Dream (Eng version by Alberthiene Indah) “It’s a book about surviving the hard life you face and believing that hard-work never fails you.” – Goodreads I don’t really read Indonesian authors but Merry Riana, she probably is the first Indonesian author that I acknowledged for its work. The writing style is not that amazing, though, but the story inside is good enough to give me goosebumps. I read the English version of this book (the Indonesian version is pretty awkward and I didn’t get the feeling) during a flight on my way to Padang, Sumatera Barat for attending a competition with my two close friends. This book is very inspiring and great if you have a big dream but you’re afraid to reach it because it’s too “big” and you think you’re not “good enough”. Well, at least that’s what I felt when I read this book. This is the book that brought me to Tony Robbins. I thank her so much for introducing Tony Robbins to me indirectly through this book.   4. Outliers, The Story of Success – Malcolm Gladwell “It is those who are successful, in other words, who are most likely to be given the kinds of special opportunities that lead to further success. It’s the rich who get the biggest tax breaks. It’s the best students who get the best teaching and most attention. And it’s the biggest nine- and ten-year-olds who get the most coaching and practice. Success is the result of what sociologists like to call “accumulative advantage.” I just read this book recently during my 2019 Summer Vacation in Indonesia, I picked this book up randomly at Gramedia and found this quite enlightening. This book changed my perspective on how I see successful people and how they get into their current positions: geography, time, family background, cultures. Success is not always merely about talents and money but there are also other factors that connect the dots behind it. Very interesting.   5. The Alchemist – Paulo Coelho “And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.” This book is one of my favorite fiction I have ever read in my life. I am so philosophically intrigued and hooked even by the very first chapter. I re-read this book in my first semester at university after talking about it with my Academic English professor, he gave me a list of acumens in this book and it made me realize more sentences that I didn’t really pay attention before (you can see the picture in my Instagram). I could say that this book is not too hard to understand for a philosophical discourse it provided. It’s pretty light and fun, yet gives you new motivations and perspectives about life. I just love everything inside this book. Beautiful piece of writing.   6. Rich Dad Poor Dad – Robert T. Kiyosaki “In school we learn that mistakes are bad, and we are punished for making them. Yet, if you look at the way humans are designed to learn, we learn by making mistakes. We learn to walk by falling down. If we never fell down, we would never walk.” I read this book when I was in junior high school, probably around 14 years old. I could say that this is the first financial literacy book that I read unintentionally after searching through mum’s bookshelf because I ran out of books to read. I didn’t know that this book was such a huge hit at that time but the lessons, insights, and perspectives that Mr. Kiyosaki provided still lingers in my fourteen-year-old mind. I just found out recently that this book was actually recommended by many mentors and teachers. Glad that I did! I will definitely re-read this book again. (I am planning to read the Cashflow Quadrant as well soon.) 7. The Little Prince – Antoine de Saint Exupery “On ne voit bien qu’avec le coeur, l’essentiel est invisible pour les yeux … It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.”   Growing up, we often forget little things that make us “human”. I came to know this book in my French class in High School, no, I don’t speak French. But I am planning to learn it again in the future. The entire book is just beautiful. I can relate to the main character so much, perhaps because I am just weird and hold different values with society. This book also comes in a movie version as well, but it’s not as detailed and beautiful as explained in the book. This book is pure beauty that will bring you nostalgic to those good old days in childhood. You really need to read this book at least once in your life.       That’s all for today, I will come up with another book recommendations and reviews in the future. Just drop me an email or dm, InshaAllah I will fulfill the request!     Love, Aurora