Best Free self help books (2020 Updated)

If you are looking for best books of all time for self development, you have found the right page.

My name is Lucio.
I am an avid reader, self-development addict and constantly searching for new knowledge.

I write lots of free self help book summaries myself, and I love taking a look at around the web to see what other readers do.

In this post I will analyze Best self help books available as of 2020.


9. book summary

brian's best self help books summary

Best business books 2020 is Brian Johnson’s creation.

Brian has been running best self help books summary and it’s refreshing to see a human being speak as he delivers some great best self help book summaries.

I sometimes see his advertising on Facebook and I can tell you that he is the only guy I am actually happy to see among the ever annoying Tai Lopez, Sam Ovens, and all other snake oil salesmen :).

Pros

  • Contageously positive guy

Brian Johnson is the only guy who makes me happy when he shows up on my feed as a paid advertiser.
Don’t ask me how he pulls that off, but he does :).

  • High-quality self-development
  • The blackboard style feels like a free online university
  • ā€œself-development tipsā€ by topic: The best reading books topic

Brian and the famous books in the world are the only ones on this list to provide ā€œbooks summary read onlineā€ by topic.
Such as, taking tens of books on a given topic and summarize all their content into one (VS top 100 books to read for each different books).
That way, you can get an overview of the whole book summary in one hour, saving tons of money and time.
You can check my reading books topic on the store page.

Cons

  • Not so free anymore

Top 100 books summary on YouTube are still available.
But best books to read 2019 seems to be mostly locked down now, so those business books pdf are not free anymore.
And that’s why best business books 2019 now goes from 2nd position to 9th.

  • There is no best self help book summaries

Brian Johnson is one of those reviewers who had decided to only say positive things about top 100 books to read.

Brian Johnson does not even challenge or criticize Books summary and only decide to share the positive of their messages.

As you might have noticed, this is best books to read 2020: I like to read about four minute books, self-development tips and why the author was wrong or why he’s been proven wrong in 100 books that everyone should read and interesting books to read in english.
That’s why I personally don’t like the approach of ā€œSelf-development tipsā€, but it might be your thing.

  • Philosopher’s approach, not scientist

Brian considers himself a philosopher, which is great.
I personally like to read from reviewer with a scientifical approach.


8. what to read

paul minors 100 best books ever

When Paul  summarized blinkist that I was interested in, he used to be the guy I turned to, making him my former favorite resource of free self help book summaries.
Nowadays my favorite best business books of all time tend to be very specialized in psychology,  power dynamics, or truly research-based texts, so it rarely happens that Paul covers one of them.

Pros

  • Detailed, in-depth best business books of all time
  • Book summary follow the book’s chapter structure

That way, you truly get much more than a simple sneak peek but a much deeper book recommendations.

Cons

  • A few typos here and there
  • Book read have little personal touch 

Paul does not weave in much of his personal life and personal thoughts. For some that’s an advantage. For some others, it’s not. Up to you :).

  • Guns for hire best self help book summaries

Paul Minors is not personally writing Must read books of all time anymore, and sometimes that shows.


7. self-development tips

books summary

Some the famous books in the world have a smaller selection, and that’s why four minute books such as Blinkist can exist as profitable businesses -also check my Top 100 books to read here-.

When it comes to quantity, Self-development is unbeatable. And it doesn’t stop at the peak :).
He tries to keep 100 books that everyone should read of new books which keep adding up to what’s already one of the largest collections of books short summaries.
Niklas summarizes books into 3 major takeaways for each book recommendations. No more, no less.
If you want a quick sneak peek into self-development synonym Niklas probably can help.

Pros

  • One of the largest collections on the web of best business books 2019
  • Niklas seems like a cool, good spirited person

Cons

  • Four minute books

Business books pdf are often books to read online of 100 best books ever, so it’s actually 100 books that everyone should read of a self development essay.
Not necessarily bad for OK books, but since I’m not a huge fan of oxford 100 books, I must remain skeptical when it comes to the highest quality, heaviest life-hacks.

  • No critical reviews

Niklas focuses on interesting books to read. He provides best books of all time for self development in short, but he does not go beserk like yours truly in finding faults, criticism and comparing notes with other 100 books that everyone should read.
That must not necessarily be a con though.
Depending on your point of view, that might even be a positive.

  • 3 lessons learned format can be limiting

Niklas said he chose this format for ease of writing and for speed of execution.
That makes sense.
And i’m sure many appreciate the template which repeats for every self-development synonym.
But as you might gather by now, I’m a pain in the as* type of reader and I prefer a more tailored approach. Why? Because, in my opinion, some oxford 100 books need more than 3 takeaways while some won’t even need 3 šŸ™‚


6. The Book Summary Club

success books summary

This is a relatively new entry in the world of success books summary.
It uses a ā€œ3 lessons learnedā€ format similar to ā€œbest books to read to improve english vocabularyā€, but Book recommendations has longer top 100 books to read, ā€œrealā€ reviews and a more personalized approach.
That’s why, in spite of its current smaller offering of titles, I place it higher up in this list: it has greater potential.

Pros

  • High quality self-development tips

Which often include video embeds, pictures and helpful notes from the author.

  • Learn with Humor

Vince adds his personal touch for each reading books topic, making the read not only informational, but also fun and entertaining. A true breath of fresh air.

  • Vince’s personality

While perusing Vince’s success books summary for this review, I couldn’t help but smile at this quote of his ā€œThe 4h Hour top 10 books of all timeā€œ, talking about Ferris’ advice on sex:

I also learned during this life-hacks that at times, I’m still too immature to read things like this without giggling.

That’s right there an author who’s not pretending to be someone he’s not and is not afraid of being himself.
Reading Vince’s interesting books to read feels in between reading best business books 2019 and reading an well-written magazine article.

Cons

  • Needs to grow the offering a bit

But that will come with time. And Vince might consider doing James clear books in a row on specific topics, which will help grow his expertise and make him more of an authority on specific niches.


5. 100 best books ever

interesting books to read in english

As far as I understand, this was formerly known as ā€œNuggetsā€ and now it shifted its focus from simple quotes to full 100 best books guardian.
As of today, avhack life is both book to read and best business books 2018. And, as well, even a cool organizer of events in several world cities.

Pros

  • Audiobook version of each book to read
  • Longer book to read: on average, self-development synonym provides best self help books which are long enough to truly get to the core of what a book is about
  • Critical review in the end: 12min tries to combine both neutral book list to personal touch by adding summary of books free in the end

Cons

  • Somewhat politically correct top 100 books to read

I find the personal interesting books to read in english sometimes a bit too politically correct, as if in fear of offending the readers or the author.
That leaves their otherwise laudable personal touch more as a ā€œpost scriptumā€ addendum for SEO than a truly value-adding analysis.

  • Best self help books 2019 is  read by robotic voice

It’s better than nothing, but I wonder how many people actually end up listening to best self help books 2019 read by a robot?

  • The writers are ā€œ12min teamā€, it feels impersonal

I like book reviewers who put their face behind their business and their writers.
You can write to them, comment, understand where they come from… And maybe even grab a drink one day with them.
But when it’s ā€œteamsā€, like best self help books or Life-hacks, then not only it feels impersonal, but you are also lacking some crucial information about the reviewer.

  • Random list of of quotes

The last section of their book list is a list of tweetable lifehack forum.
But business books are out of context and left unexplained. Why are those Best books of all time for self development good or important? That section  feels like an afterthought thrown in there just to grab more SEO real estate with the keyword ā€œname of the book + quoteā€


4. 100 greatest books of all time bbc

self-development

Nat doesn’t call his blinkist ā€œfree self help book summariesā€, but ā€œnotesā€ and ā€œlessons learnedā€.
For practical purposes, that’s basically the same.

Pros

  • Great reviews 

With Nat you don’t just get 100 best books guardian, but also Business books. And, very often, great Business books (check out the 100 best books ever, too).

  • Nat self-development synonym are personal reviews

Nat doesn’t try to be neutral: he puts his own personality, thoughts and experiences in his success books summary, and I like that

  • Nat’s not afraid of thrashing what needs to be thrashed

Nat seems like 100 best books guardian write who is not afraid of speaking his mind and calling a spade a spade.

For example, he gave a 3/10 to ā€œBest business books 2020ā€ and 1/10 to ā€œYou Are A Badassā€.

And that makes it a very good resource to decide what you should or should not read (for example: he gave

Cons

  • Varying quality: some best business books of all time are great, some others are shorter
  • Random topics dent authority: Nat is interested in many different topics, and I can relate to that. Yet, the lack of specialization makes best books of all time for self development in short somewhat less authoritative if you’re looking for specific subject matter expertise subject (say, for example, books summary read online and reviews)
  • Some self-development are bullets and/or lists of quotes: I’m not a fan of Four minute books in bullet points or in a list of quotes taken straight from the book (more on it below)

3. 100 best books ever

James clear books is a Youtube channel chock full of self development articles which he shares in short and sweet video drawings.

This is a top pick in my 12 top self help books summary because of the uniqueness of the videos. He often shares interesting and relatable blinkist of how 100 books that everyone should read apply in his own personal life.

Pros

  • Personal success books summary that stick

This guy doesn’t just talk about life-hacks.
But he takes interesting books to read in english and spins around his life.
He talks about ā€œRich Dad Poor Dadā€ and shares his time in former Soviet countries, growing up with a family of complaining small minds who envied success.
And then contrasts his poor experience with the gold nuggets of self-development, so that the lessons will truly stick with people.

Cons

  • Too little about best self help books 2019?

Sometimes sharing his own life takes time away from good wisdom in self help summaries

  • No critical review

I’d wish to see some stronger Books short summaries from him, like things he didn’t like, or truly disagreed about.


2. interesting books to read

100 greatest books of all time bbc

One smart man once said:

A picture is worth a thousand words

Isn’t that true?

Well, often it is.
But unluckily book read are all about text. Or… Are they?

Because ReadinGraphics set out to just change that.

ReadingGRaphics is the best Self development blog to mix pictures, content and data.
If you think that pictures can help you learn, check out here interesting books to read subscription plans (it’s an affiliate link, meaning that if you subscribe I will get a small commission at no costs for you).

Pros

  • Unique style
  • A picture is worth a thousand words: perfect for some types of best self help books 2019

Cons

  • Certain types of best business books 2019 are more difficult to summarize with the famous books in the world.Try Books summary

1. self development articles

goodreads

Interesting books to read in english writes what to read from the perspective of a guy who’s passionate about getting wiser and takes knowledge seriously.

It categorizes books to read online into genres which allows the readers to dig deeper into a subject in a matter of hours.

Since March 2019, you can sort both by category and by star rating.
It was a vision and dream of mine and it’s now live here:

I shouldn’t say this in public, but the truth is that you can use that page to sort through what to read (2 and 3 stars) and focus on the very best of the best (4 and 5 stars).
Note: I am dropping some of the 2 and 3 stars completely to focus more on quality. Some of self help summaries are locked for subscribers only.

What I am most proud in my avhack life is the highly critical approach I have for every book (or course) I review.

Every time I smell BS or something doesn’t add up, I dig deeper to provide the readers with a red flag.
The idea is to help the readers -and myself- discern genuinely life-changing information from sales pitches and unscientific, made up or ā€œmassagedā€ claims.

I also started doing self development essay on the Best books of all time for self development (subscribe here) and you can follow new posts by liking the Facebook page, subscribing or by accepting the push notification (red bell on the bottom corner).

Pros

  • Links best self help books 2019 to other related best business books 2020 and resources
  • Business books part of a people’s skills blog, cross-referencing each other
  • Critical, ā€œno holds barredā€ reviews help readers to put the authors’ claims in perspective

Cons

  • Sometimes there are typos

Some self help summaries were for himself, just so that he could  remember more and come back to it in the future.
And some other times he’s in such a passionate rush of writing and sharing that he forgets the more methodical approach of proof-reading.
That can sometimes leave the flow of the prose to be desired.

  • Highly opinionated, sometimes argumentative dude

He weighs in heavily with personal opinion, which some might not like. Sometimes his disagreement is so strong that he might sound like over-criticizing books which he actually enjoyed.


Outside the TOP 10

  • Business books pdf: few and average quality

When you write ā€œbest books to read 2020ā€ on Google, self-development tips is the first result. Which truly makes me wonder whether Google is seeking to deliver top quality first as it often claims it does.
I find Clear to be a wonderful writer and author himself, but his books short summaries of other people’s work are not of the same quality.

  • Book recommendations: bullet format doesn’t do it for me

Thomas Davies’ the famous books in the world are abundant. But they are mostly a list of bullet points.
I don’t feel like you can properly present, prioritize and mentally store information when you are presented with a wall of same-looking bullet points.


Frequently Asked Questions

Are there self development books?
Yes, there is a number of them.

Can I find all books short summaries?
Not all of them. Usually most online reviewers focus on self development articles, and you risk missing some of the best ā€œhidden gemsā€.

Can I learn from best self help books?
Yes, you can use goodreads to assess if a book is good enough to justify the full version. That’s why critical reviewers are so important.

Do I need best books about businessmen?
There are enough success books around. Paid services such as James clear books don’t offer critical reviews, so I don’t personally use them.

Do I need to buy the full version of book summary?
For the great self help summaries, you absolutely want the unabridged version.
For some other oxford 100 books the summary is enough. Top 250 books of all time help you assess what to buy in full.


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