Best Mid-Life Management Books of 2025

An Instant New York Times Bestseller, "It. Goes. So. Fast.: The Year of No Do-Overs" by Mary Louise Kelly is a relatable and emotional story about the year before her son goes to college. As a parent, Mary has always put off spending time with her kids, thinking she would have time in the future. However, now that her oldest son is going to college, she realizes that time is running out. The book explores the joys, losses, and surprises of raising children while pursuing a career. It also deals with the reality of aging parents. Overall, this book is a heartfelt and honest portrayal of the bittersweet experience of watching your children grow up and leave the nest.

Doing Life with Your Adult Children by Jim Burns is a must-read for parents struggling to adjust to their adult children's lives. Burns provides practical advice and encouragement to navigate this new and challenging phase of parenting. He addresses common questions such as how to handle adult children's choices and how to relate to their significant others. The book also includes positive principles on bringing kids back to faith and ideas on how to leave a legacy as a grandparent. Overall, this book is a unique and valuable resource for any parent going through this transition.

Everything I Know About Love: A Memoir by Dolly Alderton is a witty and insightful journey through the trials and triumphs of becoming an adult. From falling in love to finding a job, getting drunk to getting dumped, and realizing the value of true friendship, Alderton vividly recounts her personal stories with humor and heart. The book is full of satirical observations, lists, recipes, and other vignettes that will resonate with women of all ages. It is a thoughtful, important, and beautifully told journey that will leave readers feeling empowered and inspired. Highly recommended for anyone navigating the uncertainties of early adulthood.

Happy-Go-Lucky is the newest collection of personal essays by David Sedaris. The book starts with Sedaris doing normal things, such as shooting guns with his sister, but then the pandemic hits, and he finds himself in lockdown. The book captures what is most unexpected, hilarious, and poignant about these recent upheavals, personal and public. Sedaris expresses in precise language both the misanthropy and desire for connection that drive us all. This sublimely funny book offers up wry, moving, punchy stories about his oddball family, his travels, and his observations on life.

The Cafe on the Edge of the World by John Strelecky is a best-selling inspirational book that has transformed the lives of millions of readers worldwide. The story follows John, a man on a road trip who stops at a remote cafe and discovers a new way of looking at life, himself, and the meaning of existence. The book's menu lists three questions that all diners are encouraged to consider, and with the guidance of three people he meets, John embarks on a journey of self-discovery. This book is a cosmic guidebook for living and is highly recommended for those seeking inspiration and guidance in their lives.

The Inner Work of Age: Shifting from Role to Soul is a guide to aging that offers shadow-work and many diverse spiritual practices to help readers break through denial to awareness, move from self-rejection to self-acceptance, repair the past to be fully present, and allow mortality to be a teacher. This book reimagines aging for all generations, revealing how to use inner work to uncover and explore the unconscious denial and resistance that erupts around key thresholds of later life. The personal interviews with prominent Elders add value to this award-winning book. Psychotherapist and bestselling author Connie Zweig provides a unique and insightful perspective on aging that is worth reading.

The Fourth Quarter of Your Life: Embracing What Matters Most is a practical guide that helps readers develop intentionality for successful living in the fourth quarter of life. The book teaches readers to establish meaning and direction for their lives, make good decisions, identify hopes and dreams, and understand what they need and want most in life. This book is not only for those in their fourth quarter, but also for younger readers who want to start thinking seriously about what matters most early in life. The book is a valuable addition to the self-help genre and offers a unique perspective on living a fulfilling life.

The Designing Your Life Workbook is an interactive companion to the #1 New York Times Bestselling Book. Based on the popular Stanford course, this notebook allows readers to delve deeper into their curiosities, motivations, and skills to define their goals and track progress. The workbook includes innovative option-generating tools and exercises, such as a Health/Work/Play/Love Dashboard tool, Good Time Journal pages, and fold-out dotted paper for mind mapping. Whether you're a recent graduate, mid-career, or contemplating retirement, this dynamic roadmap can help build a fulfilling life with the possibility of surprise. Overall, this book is an excellent resource for anyone seeking to design a life they can thrive in.

That's Bold of You by Case Kenny is a self-help book encouraging readers to embrace their true selves and let go of societal labels. Kenny's mindfulness approach, backed by scientific research, helps readers overcome self-judgment and tap into their boldest energy. As a best-selling author and podcaster, Kenny draws from his own experiences to empower readers to unlearn limiting beliefs and embrace their uniqueness. The book is a must-read for anyone who feels misunderstood or out of place. Overall, That's Bold of You is an inspiring guide to living life on your own terms.

How to Help Your Spouse Heal From Your Affair: A Compact Manual for the Unfaithful is a practical guide for those who have strayed and want a second chance at their marriage. The book offers critical guidelines, essential steps for repair, and skills to cope with your partner's obsessions and triggers. It also provides ways to undo the damage from your lies and avoid prolonging your spouse's agony. Written by therapist Linda J. MacDonald, who has been an infidelity specialist for 33 years, this book is an easy-to-read manual for the previously unfaithful who suddenly want to save their marriages in the worst way. Overall, this book is a must-read for anyone who has had an affair and wants to repair and rebuild their marriage.