100 books like Younger Next Year

By Christopher Crowley, Henry S. Lodge,

Here are 100 books that Younger Next Year fans have personally recommended if you like Younger Next Year. Shepherd is a community of 10,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones

Havard Mela Author Of How to Thrive in the 21st Century: By Avoiding Porn and Other Distractions

From my list on porn addiction.

Why am I passionate about this?

As someone who has felt the consequences of spending too much time online on distractions, I am compelled to share how much better life can be when we are conscious of the time we spend online. In my early twenties, I experienced digital addiction. I managed to turn things around by cultivating discipline and finding purpose in life. In the process, I developed a deep interest in neuroscience and psychology. My book explains how you can take conscious control of your life in a practical way based on my experience backed up by research.

Havard's book list on porn addiction

Havard Mela Why did Havard love this book?

This book is not a book that covers porn addiction, but it is a great book for understanding and creating new habits. This will be of great value to you if you want to stop watching porn.

I got a lot of value from reading this book; it is one of the books that can improve your life, no matter your situation. 

By James Clear,

Why should I read it?

22 authors picked Atomic Habits as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The #1 New York Times bestseller. Over 4 million copies sold!

Tiny Changes, Remarkable Results

No matter your goals, Atomic Habits offers a proven framework for improving--every day. James Clear, one of the world's leading experts on habit formation, reveals practical strategies that will teach you exactly how to form good habits, break bad ones, and master the tiny behaviors that lead to remarkable results.

If you're having trouble changing your habits, the problem isn't you. The problem is your system. Bad habits repeat themselves again and again not because you don't want to change, but because you have the…


Book cover of Decisive: How to Make Better Choices in Life and Work

Michael D. Watkins Author Of The Six Disciplines of Strategic Thinking: Leading Your Organization Into the Future

From my list on books for aspiring strategic thinkers.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have devoted my career to helping leaders navigate challenging transitions into new roles, build their teams, and transform their organizations. Strategic thinking is a key foundation of my work as an executive coach and advisor at Genesis Advisers and a professor at the IMD Business School. Whether executives are taking new roles or driving large-scale transformations, they must be able to rapidly analyze the context, craft good visions and strategies, and mobilize people to realize them. I try to equip the leaders I work with with the mental frameworks, tools, and skillsets to adapt and succeed in the first 90 days and beyond.

Michael's book list on books for aspiring strategic thinkers

Michael D. Watkins Why did Michael love this book?

This book helped me understand more about the causes of bad decisions and how to overcome them, which was important for the work I was doing on structured team problem-solving.

I especially liked the focus on framing problems well, which contributed to the recent Harvard Business Review article I wrote with a colleague on approaches to reframing problems. I also gained more insight into common decision traps and how to avoid them, which was helpful in my work with leaders taking on challenging new roles. 

By Chip Heath, Dan Heath,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked Decisive as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Just making a decision can be hard enough, but how do you begin to judge whether it's the right one? Chip and Dan Heath, authors of #1 New York Times best-seller Switch, show you how to overcome your brain's natural shortcomings.

In Decisive, Chip and Dan Heath draw on decades of psychological research to explain why we so often get it very badly wrong - why our supposedly rational brains are frequently tripped up by powerful biases and wishful thinking. At the same time they demonstrate how relatively easy it is to avoid the pitfalls and find the best answers,…


Book cover of Happiness Is a Choice You Make: Lessons from a Year Among the Oldest Old

Ed Zinkiewicz Author Of Retire to Play and Purpose: How to have an amazing time going forward

From my list on taking your retirement to a new level.

Why am I passionate about this?

Some retirement choices start out as great adventures but stall. The RV loses its sheen or the cruises begin to look alike. Some retirees actually finish the infamous to-do list or tire of golf. Some people avoid retiring because they’ve heard of those failures! My goal is to help people find meaning and purpose in the activities they undertake in retirement and avoid any pitfalls. The books I’ve chosen here have helped give me a great platform to work from. I’ve discovered that if you can be curious, reach out in empathy, and be determined to keep at the search for joy and meaning, you’ll find that retirement adventure of play and purpose.

Ed's book list on taking your retirement to a new level

Ed Zinkiewicz Why did Ed love this book?

I am approaching my 80th birthday. Finding a reason to get up in the morning is challenged by loss. I don’t have the strength or endurance I once had. Friends and family are dying too soon and too fast. Some favorite activities have moved out of reach.

John Leland spent a year visiting six octogenarians. Each had their own challenges, comforts, successes, and losses. But, at the end of the day, they were happy. Reading this book is like a glimpse into a future. What will I have at the end of my day? What will you?

The book gives me hope and six ways to look at life’s twists and turns. As the years stack up, I want my likelihood of happiness to stack up as well.

By John Leland,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Happiness Is a Choice You Make as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A New York Times Bestseller!

An extraordinary look at what it means to grow old and a heartening guide to well-being, Happiness Is a Choice You Make weaves together the stories and wisdom of six New Yorkers who number among the “oldest old”―those eighty-five and up.

In 2015, when the award-winning journalist John Leland set out on behalf of The New York Times to meet members of America’s fastest-growing age group, he anticipated learning of challenges, of loneliness, and of the deterioration of body, mind, and quality of life. But the elders he met took him in an entirely different…


Book cover of Mind Over Money: Overcoming the Money Disorders That Threaten Our Financial Health

Ed Zinkiewicz Author Of Retire to Play and Purpose: How to have an amazing time going forward

From my list on taking your retirement to a new level.

Why am I passionate about this?

Some retirement choices start out as great adventures but stall. The RV loses its sheen or the cruises begin to look alike. Some retirees actually finish the infamous to-do list or tire of golf. Some people avoid retiring because they’ve heard of those failures! My goal is to help people find meaning and purpose in the activities they undertake in retirement and avoid any pitfalls. The books I’ve chosen here have helped give me a great platform to work from. I’ve discovered that if you can be curious, reach out in empathy, and be determined to keep at the search for joy and meaning, you’ll find that retirement adventure of play and purpose.

Ed's book list on taking your retirement to a new level

Ed Zinkiewicz Why did Ed love this book?

Ted Klontz is a personal friend and sometime mentor. I’ve found the words of wisdom he and his son have put in this book very helpful for identifying some common money-spending pitfalls. Do you avoid risk or take too many, underspend, or overspend? 

Many of these behaviors have their roots in our lives at a very early age. What kinds of toys did we play with? How did they compare to the toys our friends had? How did our parents describe the poor in our neighborhood or treat the more well-off?

Uncover some of the causes that molded your treatment of money and earn a new freedom to make better decisions based on more balanced views.

By Brad Klontz, Ted Klontz,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Mind Over Money as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Do you overspend? Undersave? Keep secrets about money from a spouse or family member? Are you anxious about dealing with your finances? If so, you are not alone. Let's face it–just about all of have complicated, if not downright dysfunctional, relationships with money.

As Drs. Brad and Ted Klontz, a father and son team of pioneers in the emerging field of financial psychology explain, our disordered relationships with money aren’t our fault. They don’t stem from a lack of knowledge or a failure of will. Instead, they are a product of subconscious beliefs and thought patterns, rooted in our childhoods,…


Book cover of Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life

Marta Zaraska Author Of Growing Young: How Friendship, Optimism, and Kindness Can Help You Live to 100

From my list on reads if you don't want to die (any time soon).

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m a science journalist published in The Washington Post, Scientific American, The Atlantic, etc., and the author of bestselling Growing Young: How Friendship, Optimism and Kindness Can Help You Live to 100. I’m also a slightly obsessive parent who really cares about her family’s health—that’s how “Growing Young” was born. To write the book, I’ve read over 600 scientific studies, talked to dozens of scientists and had some experiments conducted on myself (some a bit painful, some rather fun)—and ended up changing my own outlook on what it means to live healthily. 

Marta's book list on reads if you don't want to die (any time soon)

Marta Zaraska Why did Marta love this book?

When I traveled for research in Japan, one word I kept hearing was “ikigai”. Ikigai does not have a perfect equivalent in English, but is often translated either as “purpose in life” or “life worth living.” And, as science shows, it’s a very important reason for why the Japanese are among the longest-lived people on the planet. For me, García’s and Miralles’s well-written book was a rewarding deep dive not only into the Japanese culture but also into the science linking meaning in life, happiness, and longevity.

By Héctor García, Francesc Miralles,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Ikigai as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER • 1.5 MILLION+ COPIES SOLD WORLDWIDE

“Workers looking for more fulfilling positions should start by identifying their ikigai.” ―Business Insider
 
“One of the unintended—yet positive—consequences of the [pandemic] is that it is forcing people to reevaluate their jobs, careers, and lives. Use this time wisely, find your personal ikigai, and live your best life.” ―Forbes

Find your ikigai (pronounced ee-key-guy) to live longer and bring more meaning and joy to all your days.

“Only staying active will make you want to live a hundred years.” —Japanese proverb
 
According to the Japanese, everyone has an ikigai—a reason for living.…


Book cover of Thrive: Finding Happiness the Blue Zones Way

Paul J. Zak Author Of Immersion: The Science of the Extraordinary and the Source of Happiness

From my list on happiness that will improve your life.

Why am I passionate about this?

In my view, there is no bigger quest than to understand how to live a long and fulfilled life. Most of my professional life has focused on running neuroscience experiments in my academic laboratory and developing technologies for companies I have started to understand and increase happiness. I have devoted 20 years to this quest and I continue to work to build a happier and healthier world. I am one of the most cited scientists in this area and also regularly communicate to the general public through TED talks, books, magazine articles, and public lectures.    

Paul's book list on happiness that will improve your life

Paul J. Zak Why did Paul love this book?

This book asks if those who live the longest are also the happiest. The short answer is sometimes...and that is what makes this book interesting. Part travelog, part science, this book connects happiness to the quality and length of life and argues that connections to others and a rich social life are what allow people to flourish with long and happy lives. I was surprised by the contribution of diet and exercise to one's happiness and while I'm already committed to a healthy diet and consistent exercise, these findings lead me to include these factors in my own research on happiness. One mystery the book does not solve (but my research has contributed to), is why those who are old tend to be quite happy even when they have lost spouses, friends, and children. The causation appears to be bidirectional between the biological basis for happiness and life circumstances. 

By Dan Buettner,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Thrive as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

What makes us happy? It's not wealth, youth, beauty, or intelligence, says Dan Buettner. In fact, most of us have the keys within our grasp. Circling the globe to study the world's happiest populations, Buettner has spotted several common principles that can unlock the doors to true contentment with our lives. Working with leading researchers, Buettner identifies the happiest region on each of four continents. He explores why these populations say they are happier than anyone else, and what they can teach the rest of us about finding contentment. His conclusions debunk some commonly believed myths: Are people who have…


Book cover of Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity

John B. Arden Author Of Rewire Your Brain 2.0: Five Healthy Factors to a Better Life

From my list on life-style health.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have lectured in 30 countries and all US States. Previously, I was the Director of Training in Mental Health for Kaiser Permanente in the Northern California region. In this capacity, I oversaw training programs in 24 medical centers where over 150 postdoctoral residents and interns are trained each year, the largest mental health training program in the US.  I am the author of 15 books (translated into over 20 languages). The second edition of my book, Rewire Your Brain 2.0, came out last year. My book, Mind-Brain-Gene: Toward the Integration of Psychotherapy, encompasses the fields of psychoneuroimmunology, Epigenetics, Neuroscience, Nutritional Neuroscience, and psychotherapy research.    

John's book list on life-style health

John B. Arden Why did John love this book?

I found this book to not only provide the current science of longevity but also lay out concrete guidelines and recommendations.

The first part of the book offers up-to-date science on metabolism, immune function, and neuroscience. He then moves on to contrast conventional assumptions about these topics with recent discoveries. The later part of the book features beliefs that he once held that are now understood as inaccurate.

Throughout the book, he uses himself as an example of someone who thought he knew about health and longevity and how he has recently discovered that some of his efforts were not helpful.   

By Peter Attia, Bill Gifford,

Why should I read it?

5 authors picked Outlive as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

This is the ultimate manual for longevity.

For all its successes, mainstream medicine has failed to make much progress against the diseases of ageing that kill most people: heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer's disease, and type 2 diabetes. Too often, it intervenes with treatments too late, prolonging lifespan at the expense of quality of life. Dr Peter Attia, the world's top longevity expert, believes we must replace this outdated framework with a personalised, proactive strategy for longevity.

This isn't 'biohacking,' it's science: a well-founded strategic approach to extending lifespan while improving our physical, cognitive and emotional health, making each decade better…


Book cover of Ageless: The New Science of Getting Older Without Getting Old

Kat Arney Author Of Rebel Cell: Cancer, Evolution, and the New Science of Life's Oldest Betrayal

From my list on understanding why we haven’t cured cancer yet.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve long been fascinated by how life unfolds from a single fertilized egg cell containing just one set of DNA, whether it’s a human, mouse, frog, worm, or anything else. While studying for my PhD in the Gurdon Institute in Cambridge, which combines brings together researchers working on development and cancer, and spending twelve years in science communication at Cancer Research UK, the world’s largest cancer research charity, I came to see cancer and development as two sides of the same coin: one process unfolding healthy life as egg becomes embryo, and the other ultimately bringing disease and death as a single cell grows into a deadly tumor. 

Kat's book list on understanding why we haven’t cured cancer yet

Kat Arney Why did Kat love this book?

Cancer and ageing are inextricably linked, with the risk of cancer increasing significantly over the age of 60, so Andrew’s book about the biology of ageing is very much a companion piece to my own. He digs into the latest scientific research on why and how our cells, tissues, and bodies age, and neatly sifts fact from fiction when it comes to anti-ageing supplements and treatments. His most surprisingly simple piece of advice to help slow the ravages of time? Make sure you clean your teeth!

By Andrew Steele,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Ageless as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

'A stunner ... If you haven't got this book in your house, I don't know why' Chris Evans

'A startling wake-up call . . . Writing with the vim of a Bill Bryson and the technical knowledge of a scientist, Steele gives us a chance to grasp what's at stake' Independent

'An exhilarating journey . . . Steele is a superb guide' Telegraph

'A fascinating read with almost every page bursting with extraordinary facts . . . Read it now' Mail on Sunday

Ageless is a guide to the biggest issue we all face. Ageing - not cancer, not heart…


Book cover of Super Human: The Bulletproof Plan to Age Backward and Maybe Even Live Forever

Robert Pagliarini Author Of Badass Retirement: Shatter the Retirement Myth & Live with More Meaning, Money, and Adventure

From my list on retirement to help you create more meaning.

Why am I passionate about this?

If my early childhood was any indication, I would be the last person you would want to take financial and retirement advice from. Why? Growing up, we never had any money! Every day was a struggle for my single mom of five. At an early age, I knew I didn’t want to be poor and struggle for everything. I knew I wanted to enjoy life and experience it to the fullest. I’d watch adventure movies such as Raiders of the Lost Ark and dream of going to exotic countries and on adventures like Indiana Jones. From those early years, I’ve been committed to creating and living the best life possible for myself and my clients.

Robert's book list on retirement to help you create more meaning

Robert Pagliarini Why did Robert love this book?

Too many retirees think that as they age, they must lose their energy and their health. That's crap.

You can upgrade your health as you age. You can gain more energy and vitality with each passing day, week, month, and year. This is a great book to introduce you to thinking about your health and aging differently.

Don't feel like you need to implement everything the author discusses, but use the book to expand your view of aging and what's possible. Your #1 job in retirement is to stay healthy. This book can help.

By Dave Asprey,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Super Human as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

From Bulletproof creator and bestselling author Dave Asprey comes a revolutionary approach to anti-aging that will help you up your game at any age.

Dave Asprey suffered countless symptoms of aging as a young man, which sparked a life-long burning desire to grow younger with each birthday. For more than twenty years, he has been on a quest to find innovative, science-backed methods to upgrade human biology and redefine the limits of the mind, body, and spirit. The results speak for themselves. Now in his forties, Dave is smarter, happier, and more fit and successful than ever before.

In Super…


Book cover of Lifespan: Why We Age--And Why We Don't Have to

William W. Li Author Of Eat to Beat Disease: The New Science of How Your Body Can Heal Itself

From my list on to help you eat to beat disease.

Why am I passionate about this?

I'm a physician, scientist, and food as medicine researcher who has spent three decades studying how the body defends itself against disease to protect health. A major focus of this has been on how your body responds to what you feed it. I'm an internationally renowned physician, scientist and author of the New York Times bestseller Eat to Beat Disease: The New Science of How Your Body Can Heal Itself. My work has led to the development of more than 30 new medical treatments and impacts care for more than 70 diseases. My TED Talk, “Can We Eat to Starve Cancer?” has garnered more than 11 million views. 

William's book list on to help you eat to beat disease

William W. Li Why did William love this book?

I’m fascinated by the idea of longevity and if, like me, you want to learn what science is showing us it takes to live longer and better, you have to read this book by a scientist who is doing the research and making the discoveries that will lengthen lifespan.

By David Sinclair,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Lifespan as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In this paradigm-shifting book from acclaimed Harvard Medical School doctor and one of TIME magazine's 100 most influential people on earth, Dr. David Sinclair reveals that everything we think we know about ageing is wrong, and shares the surprising, scientifically-proven methods that can help readers live younger, longer.

For decades, the medical community has looked to a variety of reasons for why we age, and the consensus is that no one dies of old age; they die of age-related diseases. That's because ageing is not a disease - it is inevitable.
But what if everything you think you know about…


5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in health, old man, and evolutionary biology?

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