As recommended by the readers of Electric Speed in February 2025

• Celeste Headlee’s Do Nothing came right at a time when I was burned out from a soul-sucking job. I’ve since bought three copies, having given the others to friends. I’ve never done that with another book, fiction or non-fiction! —Melanie
• The nonfiction book that has really changed the way I create is: The Dramatist’s Toolkit by Jeffrey Sweet. I write mostly prose, but any time I tackle the creation of a script, I open this book, prop it in front of me, and adhere to its guidelines—many of them counterintuitive—for creating drama. The book’s lessons have also added a layer to the experience of watching plays and films. —Elizabeth Ann Stein
• Ultra-Processed People by Chris Van Tulleken provided me with a new awareness about food and what I put into my body. The history, research, and knowledge he offers made me transform my diet. Likewise, Stay Off My Operating Table by Philip Ovadia also opened my eyes, and I refer back to these books often. I have them both in print and Audible formats. These books caused me to continue my research and education into nutrition and healthy living. —Angela Eckhart
• Artpreneur, Miriam Schulman. I am an artist and writer trying to make my “expensive hobby” into a small business. In this book, Schulman sets out clear and distinct strategies on how to achieve this hobby to business switch. As I said in a review of the book, it’s my new bible. —Alis Sefick
• The one non-fiction book, if there must be only one, that significantly changed my life has to be Harriet Lerner, Ph.D’s The Dance of Anger. Her other “Dance of” books were also instrumental in my mental health and self-awareness journey. Another book of note that had an impact was The Descent of Woman, by Elaine Morgan—an alternative theory of evolution, with very interesting feminist overtones. Her story and how she became accepted by the academic community are also really interesting. —Wendy Rossi
• Getting to Yes (2nd ed., by Roger Fisher, William Ury, and Bruce Patton). It's about finding a win-win solution for everyone instead of getting the most for yourself. It applies in both business and personal settings. —Carol Fisher Saller
• I will go out on a limb and say that Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand changed my life. Long before reading the last page, I knew I would never have another bad day, because none of my days could ever be as bad as the ones Louis Zamperini endured in a Japanese prison. This book is hard to read, but it can change one's perspective. —Mary Mobley
• The nonfiction book that has most deeply affected my thoughts on creativity and the way I write is Andrew Peterson’s Adorning the Dark. The value he places on the power of art and story to transform lives helped me to value it more and to take my own creativity more seriously. —Deborah Raney
• The book that changed my life and influenced my creative thoughts was The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations. —L. Rockhill
• Becca Syme & Susan Bischoff’s Dear Writer, Are You Intuitive? I am an intuitive fiction writer, which is not the same as a “pantser.” I have given up on plotting and instead feel my way through the process. Rather than making intuitive writers feel inferior to those who can plot, which some books on writing inadvertently do, Becca’s book explains why and how we work the way we do, ways to trust ourselves with that process, and techniques to try to hone that process, as well. Most of all, she inspires those of us who write that way to celebrate it instead of being defeated and shamed by it. It’s helped me to respect myself more as a writer, relax into the work, and to strive for something other than word count. I can’t recommend any of Becca’s books highly enough. —Nikki Brock
• Your Money or Your Life by Vicki Robin and Joe Dominguez. I read it in the early 90s when it first came out and loosely used the principles and ideas to shape how I spent/saved money so I could retire in my 50s and still live comfortably. When my boss asked me how I managed this feat, I simply replied, "I didn't buy the granite countertops." I'm still happy with the ones I have. Then right after I retired, I discovered Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World by Cal Newport which began to shape my feelings about social media, etc. which was solidified with his later book Digital Minimalism. If I had still been working, I would have made everyone reporting to me read them both. Writing-wise, I'd point to every book by William Zinsser, starting with *On Writing Well. —*Carol Michel
• Inheritance: A Memoir of Genealogy, Paternity, and Love by Dani Shapiro (2019, Knopf.) This book is concise, intense, and rich with detail that connected with me in ways never expected. She describes the journey of discovering her true parentage after learning her father, much beloved and respected by her, was not her biological father. Who am I? and What will I become? and other life-changing questions are answered with deepest grace and understanding. Read it six years ago and still it resonates. —Diana Rosen
• The nonfiction book that probably changed my life the most was Mindset by Carol S. Dweck, Ph.D. The idea of adopting a growth mindset was really influential to me. —Julie Golick
• Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman. Unflinchingly real, yet compassionate. If you live to 80, that's 4000 weeks. That's it. What are you going to do with it and how will you choose to live? Maker, Author, Artist, Gardener. I make things. I write things. I create things. I grow things. —Strata Chalup
• Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals is not a typical time management book. It has helped me get real about choices (there are a lot of great things I’m fine saying ‘no’ to), acknowledge the reality of death, and cut through some ambiguity about creative pursuits, work and travel. —Deb McLaughlin
• The nonfiction book that really changed my life is Stephen Pressfield's The War of Art. The idea that a professional shows up, no matter what, created a (positive) mental shift in how I approach my writing. —Melissa Gardner
• Your Best Year Yet by Jinny S. Ditzler had a profound impact on my life, helping me become debt-free and successfully change careers. Through a structured “workshop” process, Jinny guides you in reflecting on the past year—your achievements, disappointments, and lessons—before leading you through 10 steps to create a simple yet powerful one-page plan for the year ahead. Though many similar books have been published since its 1994 release, Jinny’s book stands out for its clarity and effectiveness. I still keep my early Best Year Yet plans as a reminder of how the right mindset and focus can drive real change. —Denise Wolf
• This book changed my life: Write it Down, Make it Happen by Henriette Anne Klauser, Ph.D. —Amy Houts
• I’m likely not alone in saying Atomic Habits. James Clear provided lots of examples on how to recognize the cues and patterns of how habits, good or bad, are established, and how to be conscious of their controls and processes. But he doesn’t harangue you about being some kind of loser or a person who has inadequate routines; instead, the book suggests a light, buoyant feeling that you can indeed adjust your thinking about your patterns, and can use that thinking to your greater good. He’s convincing as well on how identity—"I am not a person who overeats"—can be a strong lever in consistency of purpose: think of the weaker "I'm not going to eat that doughnut because it's bad.” So our cookies are in the freezer, rather than on the counter—it helps! —Tom Bentley