What’s In My Therapy Library: Adulting Edition

Some of you may know this already, but I used to run a lifestyle blog called Uninspired. My goal was to help twenty-something women navigate the complicated world of young adulthood– otherwise known as “adulting”. It’s a really, really difficult time, and there are a lot of reasons for that. One of them is that “young adulthood” is a relatively new stage of life due to increased life expectancy and the addition of college to life norms. Another reason is the difficult job market– it makes it difficult for twenty-somethings to get out on their own and be successful.

Whatever the reason for each individual person, the idea resonated with many. Much like this blog, we did not shy away from difficult topics like money or sex. Readers appreciated the open communication, but an adulting blog wasn’t sustainable for me once I decided I needed to start a therapy blog. But that doesn’t mean we can’t still talk about it sometimes!

This is another edition of What’s In My Library– the Adulting Edition. In it, you’ll find all the books I’ve read about this crazy stage we call young adulthood. Some of them are geared toward helping you with specific parts of growing up, while others are anthologies of everything you could ever want to know. Others still are simply meant to help you feel heard and understood in this phase of life.

Just so you know– I’m not very techy, so I’m having trouble making my links look like links. Be aware that the large, bold titles of each book are a link to Amazon where you can purchase any of the books that appeal to you!

**Affiliate Disclaimer- I may receive a small commission from either Amazon or Bookshop.org if you make a purchase from this page. This is at no extra cost to you, and I would only recommend books that I have personally read and truly endorse!

Related: Master List of Book Posts

Books About Adulting

Adulting: How To Become a Grownup in 535 Easy(ish) Steps

by Kelly Williams Brown

This is one of the adulting anthologies I was talking about. Each of the 535 steps is a different tip for growing up more gracefully, and it really covers everything. There’s relationship stuff, like how to break up with unhealthy friends, or avoid hooking up with co-workers. There’s money stuff, like how to find a mechanic who won’t rob you blind if you don’t know car things (one of the most useful ones for me!). I could never list every useful thing I got from this book. And back in my day, this book only had 468 steps. I can only imagine what young adults will be able to do with 535!

The best part about this book though, is actually Kelly Williams Brown’s warm yet hilarious tone. If she were even the slightest bit preachy, this book wouldn’t be half of what it is. She really has a gift for making you feel like she’s been there too, and is only telling you because she knows what it’s like to NOT know. If you buy one book from this list, pick Adulting.

Adultolescence

By Gabbie Hanna

This is a collection of poetry a la Milk and Honey or Love Her Wild, but more chill and funny. Gabbie Hanna is a millennial influencer on Youtube, but as most of the reviews on Amazon state, this is not a typical Youtuber book. This is thoughtful, deep, and intelligent. I feel like it was really a passion project rather than something her agent said she should do when she hit a certain number of followers.

I was thinking of this book when I wrote up top about feeling heard and understood. She has a great grasp of what’s going on for twenty-somethings because she’s going through it herself. So again, this is not a book full of preachy advice, or empty “it gets better” stuff. We’ve got poems about cutting your hair, finding your soulmate, f*ckboys, loneliness, and my personal favorite, breakfast.

PS- Not having watched Hanna’s Youtube channel before reading this book, I do feel like I’m an unbiased person to get this review from.

101 Secrets For Your Twenties

by Paul Angone

This next adulting book is another anthology-type with secrets spanning lots of different topics. Originally, it was just a blog post with 21 secrets, but when that post went completely viral, he expanded it and published it in print.

I like this book because it’s a super quick read– I read it all at once on the beach one day two summers ago. But if you don’t want to do it that way, you can also read each chapter as you find you need it in your life.

When this book sort of went viral too, Angone went even further and wrote a second book full of questions twenty-somethings (and thirty-somethings!) should be asking themselves and others. Though I have not read this other book, it is called 101 Questions You Need to Ask in Your Twenties.

Wishlist

As you may know from other book posts, the adulting books in this part of the list are ones that I have not read, but am looking forward to doing so soon. Even so, I am including links to the Amazon pages just in case you find them interesting and want to purchase as well!

F*ck I’m In My Twenties by Emma Koenig

101 Questions You Need to Ask in Your Twenties by Paul Angone

Adulting 101 by Josh Burnette and Pete Hardesty

The Defining Decade by Meg Jay, PhD

What I Wish I Knew When I Was Twenty by Tina Seelig

Adulthood for Beginners by Andy Boyle

20-Something, 20-Everything by Christine Hassler

Don’t Worry, It Gets Worse by Alida Nugent

13th Grade by Daniel Hofstein

Manual to Manhood by Johnathan Catherman