Books That Change How We Work, Think and Lead
The Reading List for WorkLife Learning brings together every book featured in the Book Club Books stories, with links to the stories and podcast episodes for each one.
The Book Club Books stories draw on real WorkLife struggles and successes, showing how the books read by each protagonist helped them navigate their challenges, in their work and in their lives. Literature offers timeless insights into human character, motivation and resilience, and the stories bridge the gap between reading for pleasure and learning for practice.
The same book can open something different for you, or something different again when you return to it later.
Some stories feature more than one book, and some books are featured in more than one story. A good book can serve many situations, and often meets us in a different place each time we pick it up.
A book club can be one person or many. The stories support both individual and group learning, whether you read and reflect in your own space and time, or share the reading experience with a colleague or a friend, a team or a group, with the stories framing the discussion.
I add new books as each story is published.
The Book Behind the Stories
The stories are inspired by my book, WorkLife Book Club Volume One Shoreditch by Carmel O’ Reilly, available to order from bookshops — following members of a London book club as they navigate WorkLife challenges through the wisdom found in the books they read together.
Disclosure
Book links go to Bookshop.org UK, which shares its profits with independent bookshops. You can choose from the formats available. It currently ships to UK addresses only, so these links are for readers in the UK. I hope to find a way to offer something similar for readers elsewhere. If you buy through them, I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you, which helps support this work.
Fiction
Story: How Reading Fiction Develops Empathy and Transforms Leadership
Featured Book: The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
Story: How Reading Fiction Builds Professional Courage and Ethical Leadership
Featured Book: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Story: How Reading Fiction Develops Resilience and Strengthens Leadership
Featured Book: Life of Pi by Yann Martel
Story: How Classic Literature Develops Professional Voice and Confidence
Featured Books:
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
Story: How Reading Fiction Develops Discernment and Strengthens Professional Judgement
Featured Book: The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
Story: The Classic Book That Revealed Her Integrity
Featured Book: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Story: The Historical Fiction Romance That Developed His Systems Thinking
Featured Book: The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Story: The Fantasy Novel That Unlocked Her Curiosity
Featured Book: The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin
Story: How Historical Fiction Strengthens Perspective-Taking and Develops Cultural Intelligence
Featured Book: Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
Story: Why “What Are the Best Books for Leaders?” Is the Wrong Question
Featured Books:
A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
Stories:
Self-Coaching Through Speaking
Featured Book: Stoner by John Williams
Non-Fiction
Story: How Research-Based Reading Strengthens Connection and Develops Collaborative Intelligence
Featured Book: The Culture Code by Daniel Coyle
Story: How a Non-Fiction Guidebook Develops Courage and Transforms Leadership
Featured Book: Dare to Lead by Brené Brown
Story: How a Psychology Book Develops Productive Disagreement and Transforms Collaboration
Featured Book: Think Again by Adam Grant
Story: How a Management Book Develops Coaching Capacity and Transforms Leadership
Featured Book: The Advice Trap by Michael Bungay Stanier
Stay Connected
Work With Me: Individual WorkLife Coaching, Commissioned Learning Resources, Speaking Engagements and Organisational Partnerships.
Support This Work: Your support makes a difference and helps me to continue creating resources that are accessible to everyone. Thank you. Carmel
Share These Learning Resources
These resources are designed as short, effective learning experiences—for individuals managing their own development and companies supporting their people’s growth.
If you think this learning resource story would be helpful to others, share it forward.