We believe in books, and we believe that a great book can shape the way we work, think, and live. Take a look at our picks below and see what speaks to you!

The Porchlight staff members choosing books each week include Porchlight's Managing Director, Sally Haldorson, and the marketing team of Gabriella Cisneros and Dylan Schleicher. As expert booksellers, we browse publisher catalogs and explore new titles from across the book industry to discover what captures our interest, and we're excited to share our findings with readers like you.

Unless otherwise noted, all book descriptions are provided by their respective publishers.

Our Recommended Books This Week

Having It All: What Data Tells Us about Women's Lives and Getting the Most Out of Yours by Corinne Low, published by Flatiron Books

For women in America today, the promise of "having it all" is an ever-elusive carrot. Faced with unsustainable demands in every sphere, we are certainly doing it all—but at a steep cost. Research shows that biologically, culturally, and economically, we are on uneven playing ground, and one that drains us of our happiness. But that same data can empower us to make choices that will reclaim our time, our energy―and even our joy.

In Having It All, Wharton professor and economist Dr. Corinne Low unpacks the hidden factors that influence women's decision-making, and how the unintended consequences of these choices alter the course of our lives. From when and whether to get married and (or) have children to what type of career to pursue, whether to obtain an advanced degree to where to live, Dr. Low explores questions such as:

• What if there is no optimal time to "have a family" but rather a slew of different considerations at different life stages?
• What if we approached decisions around marriage and partnership as rigorously as we would an employment opportunity?
• What if we valued our time in dollars and cents, and structured our lives around choices that give us the greatest return on our investments?

For too long, women have been expected to accept labor-intensive solutions to systemic problems—optimize, lean in, work harder. But Dr. Low isn't suggesting women need to do more. In the tradition of bestselling books like Eve Rodsky's Fair Play and Emily Oster's Cribsheet, Having It All blends personal experience, research, and analysis to illuminate the complex decisions women face, and offers an evidence-based framework for creating a better, happier life. Consider it the essential economics textbook for life as a woman—but hopefully, a little more fun.

In Defense of Dabbling: The Brilliance of Being a Total Amateur by Karen Walrond, published by Broadleaf Books

From Karen Walrond, author of The Lightmaker's Manifesto and Radiant Rebellion, comes a delightful jaunt into how to be a total amateur—by doing the things you love even if you're not any good at them.

In today's grind culture, hobbies become side hustles. Work creeps into leisure time. Perfectionism reigns. We look up to experts, and we look down on amateurs. And when someone asks us what we like to do, we realize we have absolutely no idea.

But amateur just means "one who loves." So what if being a total amateur is actually a good thing? What if we've been so focused on achieving that we have forgotten how to be interesting?

In her new book, Karen Walrond strikes out to discover the things she loves that demand no excellence—just desire. As she cultivates practices and rituals, without any expectation of success or accolades, she shows us how to do the same. And she helps us learn Seven Attributes of Intentional Amateurism: curiosity, mindfulness, self-compassion, play, zone-stretching, connection, and awe.

Follow Walrond as she dabbles in throwing pottery, swimming laps, playing piano, learning to surf, and photographing the Milky Way (spoiler: it doesn't all go well). Listen in on her conversations with other amateurs—and experts too—about how intentional amateurism enhances mental and social health. And to get you started on your own intentional amateurism practice, she also serves up a list of more than two hundred ideas for things to dabble in—ways to discover your own path to being a total amateur.

Walrond reminds us that it's in the living that we create a life, so failure isn't a concern; in fact, it's kind of the point. If we get better at a hobby or a craft, that's simply a byproduct, never the goal. Transcendence awaits: What joy might we find if we simply started doing the things we love?

The Storyteller's Advantage: How Powerful Narratives Make Businesses Thrive by Christina Farr, published by Basic Venture

For decades, the business world has been content with leaders who drive profits and make strategic decisions. But in today's ultracompetitive world, that is simply not enough. The ability to tell a compelling story about your product or service is no longer just a competitive advantage—it's a requirement.

In The Storyteller's Advantage, investor, startup advisor, and former business journalist Christina Farr reveals the secrets of business leaders who inspire, entertain, and empathize through the art of storytelling. Farr offers an inside look at the greatest storytelling CEOs, whose narrative abilities enable them to raise more capital, retain more talent, and make their brands more memorable. With empirical research and candid commentary, Farr explores how these leaders developed their stories, breaks down the narratives that are resonating in today's workplaces, and shares practical advice on how to deliver the most compelling message.

Practical and approachable, The Storyteller's Advantage will help any business leader to tap into their ultimate superpower—telling a great story.

Strong Ground: The Lessons of Daring Leadership, the Tenacity of Paradox, and the Wisdom of the Human Spirit, (A dare to lead™ BOOK) by Brené Brown, published by Random House

Over the past six years, Brené Brown, along with a global community of coaches and facilitators, has taken more than 150,000 leaders in 45 countries through her Dare to Lead courage-building work. In Strong Ground Brown shares the lessons from these experiences along with wisdom from other thinkers. This is a vital playbook for everyone from senior leaders developing and executing complex strategies to Gen Z-ers entering and navigating turbulent work environments. It is also an unflinching assessment of what happens when we continue to perpetuate the falsehood that performance and wholeheartedness are mutually exclusive.

With equal amounts of optimism and caution about AI, Brown writes, “I hear a lot of experts trying to soothe people’s anxiety about the pace of technological change by offering platitudes like, What makes us human will ensure our relevance. This is dangerous simply because, right now, we’re not especially good at what makes us human. We’re not hardwired for this level of uncertainty, and many of us feel as if the constant need to self-protect is driving the humanity right out of us. This is why organizational transformation today must foster deep connection, deep thinking, and deep collaboration. We need the courage to lead people in a way that honors and protects the wisdom of the human spirit.”

Brown offers a broad assessment of the skill sets and mindsets we need moving forward, including the capacity for respectful and difficult conversations, increased productive urgency and smart prioritization rather than reactivity, and strategic risk-taking, paradoxical thinking, and situational and anticipatory awareness skills. She identifies the toughest skill set as the discipline, humility, and confidence to unlearn and relearn.

Brown writes, “Individuals and organizations are building new muscles. Finding our strong ground—that athletic stance—is the only thing that can provide both unwavering stability in a maelstrom of uncertainty and a platform for the fast, explosive change that the world is demanding.”