Recommended Relocation and Life Transition Books

Welcome to the Cathy Goodwin Relocation Branch of Amazon.com. Commissions from sales are used to maintain this site and ezine.

Categories of Books:

Guides for the journey
Entrepreneurship and Creativity
Decisions
Midlife Transitions
Inspiration
Beyond Visualization: Self-Help and More
Psychology and Coaching
Lives to Learn By
For Academics
For Lawyers
Just for Fun

Guides for the journey

Working Identity: Unconventional Strategies for Reinventing Your Career.  by Herminia Ibarra.
If you're wondering why conventional career counseling doesn't usually work, here's the book you need. Based on solid research with real midlife career-changers.

What Should I Do With My Life.  by Po Bronson.
Not a self-help book -- a collection of interviews with real people who changed careers -- or wanted to. Messy and uneven -- just like real career changes.

Finding Your Own North Star: Claiming the Life You Were Meant to Live.  by Martha Beck., Ph.D.
If you have to pack ONE book for your transition journey, choose this one. Now in paperback.

The Joy Diet.  by Martha Beck., Ph.D.
No wild promises -- but if you follow these steps, you'll find more success than you ever believed possible.

Creating the Work You Love : Courage, Commitment and Career. by Rick Jarow, Ph.D.
Want an anticareer instead of a career? Jarow, a professor of Eastern religion, has written a book that is spiritual, practical, and not a quick fix.

Making a Life: Making a Living.
by Mark Albion, Ph.D.. The author left a high-paying, high-visibility professorship at Harvard to reclaim his purpose and passion. He shares his story and stories of others who have left the beaten path. Wonderful quotes throughout the text add additional value.

Embracing Fear and Finding the Courage to Live Your Life. by Thom Rutledge. One of the most inteligent, insightful books you can find about fear and other parts of life. No quick fixes, no jargon, no glitz. Solid wisdom based on the author's life experience. Perfect gift for a friend in transition (and you, too).

Walking in this World: The Practical Art of Creativity by Julia Cameron. Sure, there's some repetition from earlier books. But if you want to keep progressing in the Artist's Way, this book has some terrific new ideas and insights.

The Artist's Way : A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity. by Julia Cameron. A classic. A workbook, not a "read-only." Follow this program and change your life.

The Artist's Way at Work: Riding the Dragon. by Mark Bryan, Julia Cameron and Catherine Allen. Those whose lives are firmly rooted in the business world may prefer this later version of The Artist's Way.

BRAG! by Peggy Klaus. I'm shameless but if you're not, learn why self-promotion is a key element of doing business.

How to Say It In Your Job Search by Robbie Kaplan. The best I've seen so far: resumes, cover letters, thank yous for the 21st century mid-career professional. A must for the midlife job-seeker.

Don't Send a Resume by Jeffrey J. Fox
Not for everyone. But if you have a successful track record, a gift for problem-solving, and an ability to sell yourself, this book mayhelp you move faster than any other. Read the reviews first.

Sink Reflections. by Marla Cilley. A unique book for the housekeeping-challenged. We share a common perspective: Start with fifteen minutes a day and you can do almost anything.

Entrepreneurship and Creativity

The E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber. Ask almost any business consultant or coach to recommend a book -- and you're likely to end up with this one. Great content, although most readers wish he'd get an editor.

Internet Marketing for Less Than $500/ Year by Marcia Yudkin. Indispensable guide for the newbie e-preneur -- and valuable tips for experienced web business owners too.

The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell. A wonderful collection of New Yorker articles about contemporary marketing phenomena. Why do men buy Dockers? How did Hush Puppies make a come-back? Do men and women read ads differently? And a whole lot more, delivered in the appealing style of a novel.

Free to Succeed: Designing the Life You Want in the New Free Agent Economy, by Barbara B. Reinhold, career coach for Monster.com and director of career services at Smith College. Helps you explore you who are and then suggests directions for moving forward. Highly recommended.

Free Agent Nation: How America's New Independent Workers Are Transforming the Way We Live. By Daniel H. Pink. If you're surfing this website, you've probably considered becoming a Free Agent yourself. This quiet revolution transforms our institutions, from education to politics to medical care. A must-read.

Is it too late to run away and join the circus? An Updated Guide to your Second Life. by Marti Smythe, Ph.D. For the midlife career transitioner seeking creative avenues for change. Highly recommended.

To build the life you want, create the work you love: The spiritual dimension of entrepreneuring. by Marsha Sinetar, Ph.D. Entrepreneurship as vocation. Sensible, down-to-earth, definitely not fluffy.

How much joy can you stand? A creative guide to facing your fears and making your dreams come true. by Suzanne Falter-Barns. Whether you're creating a novel, a painting or a company, this book can inspire you through the tough times.

This time I Dance! by Tama Kieves. Harvard-trained lawyer leaves well-paid job for increased satisfaction and creativity. Will be especially helpful to career-changers who are thirty-five and under.

Tough Decisions

Everyday Irrationality: How Pseudo-Scientists, Lunatics,and the Rest of Us Systematically Fail to Think Rationally by Robyn M. Dawes. Why did the Challenger crash? Why do we decide differently if our choices are framed as "probability of life" vs. "probability of death?" Helps you reframe tough questions.

Rational Choice in an Uncertain World by Reid Hastie and Robyn M. Dawes. Will change the way you look at the world as you realize, "Things are not what they seem!" A must for anyone who studies decision-making.

 

What to do with the rest of your life by Robin Ryan. Realistic tips for mid-career job search by an author who knows the score and doesn't pull any punches.

The Way of Transition: Embracing Life's Most Difficult Moments. by William Bridges.
Based on his own experience with bereavement and career transition, Bridges offers realistic and inspiring guidance. A must for the transitioner.

The Middle Passage: From Misery to Meaning in Midlife by James Hollis. A well-written look at the changes that occur in midlife, with clear advice for making the second half of life immeasurably richer.

The Age Advantage: Making the Most of Your Midlife Career Transition by Jean Erickson Walker. A manual of tactics for midlife career transitions. More about coping with age than reaping advantages. See my review .

Another Country by Mary Bray Pipher. A moving discussion of the journey to the country of the old, whether you visit as a tourist, a helper or an immigrant. Based on the author's experience with her own dying mother as well as clients of all ages from her psychotherapy practice.

Revise your compass

The mentor's spirit : life lessons on leadership and the art of encouragement by Marsha Sinetar. From the author of Do what you love, the money willl follow, an audiotape to challenge your beliefs about mentors.

Thunder and Lightning : Cracking Open the Writer's Craft. by Natalie Goldberg. Ignore the bookjacket copy and enjoy this memoir. It won't help you get published but it creates a sense of writing as vocation, without using those words. The audio version is great for a road trip, once you get past the author's accent.

Supplies : A Pilot's Guide. by Julia Cameron. A wonderful supplement to The Artist's Way. Perfect gift for anyone considering life transition. Humorous, targeted satire of obstacles and people one encounters along the way.

Beyond Visualization: Self-Help and More.

The Right Questions: Ten Essential Questions to Guide You to an Extraordinary Life by Debbie Ford. When we consciously assess the consequence of small daily choices, we might make different decisions. Espresso mocha with whipped cream or iced tea? Choice gives us power and each day's choice can lead to growth. I'd be a little leery of "Choose faith over fear," but overall I recommend this book to anyone seeking growth.

Simplicity and Success by Bruce Elkin. Let's face it: most of us want a simple life -- but we also want money and material things. To integrate competing values, Elkin recommends being open to the tension of creativity.

Advanced Energy Anatomy. by Carolyn Myss, Ph.D. When you think you've OD'd on self-help books but want an energy charge, listen to this six-tape series. Myss has outdone herself with this intelligent, inspiring set of tapes.

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Being Psychic. by Lynn A. Robinson. Commonsense, accurate, easy-to-read.

Write it Down, Make it Happen, by Henriette Anne Klauser, Ph.D. Helpful for goal-setting and follow-through. Realistic and sensible.

Word Work: Surviving and Thriving as a Writer. by Bruce Holland Rogers. Not just for writers -- for anyone who wants to live creatively. Includes an unconventional answer to the "Should you quit your day job" question, plus cool insights into affirmations, romance and altered states.

Psychology and Coaching.

The Gifted Adult: A revolutionary guide for liberating everyday genius by Mary-Elaine Jacobsen and Cheryl Woodruff.
Gifted adults can be accused of being scattered, hyperactive, oversensitive and blunt. They're often lonely and frustrated -- and reading this book can change their lives.

Healing Through the Dark Emotions: The Wisdom of Grief, Fear, and Despair by Miriam Greenspan. Draws on her own experience with grief and her years as a clinician. A key point: When we try to suppress emotional discomfort, we get a boomerang effect, which may be self-destructive. By surrendering and attending, we transform dark emotions into gratitude, faith and joy.

The Tending Instinct by Shelley Taylor, Ph.D.
Taylor, a distinguished research psychologist, highlights male vs. female reactions to stress. Summarizing research from several disciplines, she notes that nurturing, traditionally associated with women, is crucial for the well-being of society. Recommended for readers interested in stress as well as those pursuing the eternal question: How do men and women differ, psychologically speaking?

Toxic Emotions at Work by Peter Frost, Ph.D. Written for managers to want to help employees survive on-the-job-pain, a welcome recognition that jobs can be harmful. Frost uses metaphor of toxins that spread around an organization, poisoning the members, and warns that toxin-handlers, who save others, may do so only by sacrificing their own needs.

The Breakout Principle: How to Activate the Natural Trigger That Maximizes Creativity, Athletic Performance, Productivity and Personal Well-Being by Herbert Benson and William Proctor. From the author of Relaxation Response, a surprising technique to bolster performance in any area of life.

Coaching for Performance by John Whitmore. What coaching is and why it works -- demystified. Based on Gallowey's Inner Game principles, this is the book to read before you hire a coach and a MUST before you become a coach.

Executive Coaching: Pratices & Perspectives edited by Catherine Fitzgerald and Jennifer Garvey Berger. A thoughtful, sensible book by successful executive coaches. Excellent sections on coaching practice and midlife changes. Highly recommended.

The Myth of Laziness by Mel Levine, MD Not accomplishing as much as you like? Stop beating yourself up, says this psychiatrist-author: you may need to compensate for cognitive and other functional deficits. And ifyou have children, this book may make the difference between being ridiculed as a failure and becoming a triumphant successful adult.

How People Change by Allen Wheelis, MD.
Small, insightful book. A warning: This book was written over thirty years ago and some sections will be offensive to today's readers. Read for the gems of wisdom sprinkled throughout and for the commonsense view of change. The author writes from experience, not from textbooks.

Making the Big Move : How to Transform Relocation into a Creative Life Transition. by Cathy Goodwin, PhD. Guides your move from the first hint of restlessness, to the day your possessions disappear into the moving van, to surviving and thriving your first six months and five years. It's been used for career transitions too. Yes, I'm biased.

Living Your Dreams: The Classic Bestseller on Becoming Your Own Dream Expert by Gayle Delaney Offers commonsense dream interpretation principles from a trained professional. These principles can also help you understand other kinds of messages from your intuition.

Becoming an Ex: The Process of Role Exit by Helen Ebaugh. Reinventing yourself may mean accepting an identity as an "ex." This 15-year-old book, written by an ex-nun and sociologist, is a classic.

When our Grown Kids Disappoint Us by Jane Adams. Not about careers -- but check out my review.

 

Lives to Learn By.

Generally Speaking: A Memoir by the First Woman
Promoted to Three- Star General in the United States Army, by Claudia J. Kennedy, Brig. Gen USA (Ret.), with Malcolm McConnell (Contributor).
Claudia Kennedy was the first female three-star (Brigadier) General in the US Army. Read for her comments on mentoring and her sense of "when to hold and when to fold."
She's a careful and canny career strategist, but began with a serendipitous path.

Fighting Fire by Caroline Paul. Another example of a serendipitous career path. Ms. Paul, a Stanford graduate, was contemplating an advanced degree in film when she was encouraged to become a firefighter in San Francisco. Her engaging story combines feminism with realism -- and offers optimism on many fronts.

Trespassing: My Sojourn in the Halls of Privilege. by Gwendolyn M. Parker.
An African-American lawyer sheds her corporate identity when she feels alienated from the predominant values. Eye-opening example of reinventing an identity.

The View from a Monastery by Brother Benet Tvedten. A readable example of a very rare linear career path . Perfect for the author but hard to duplicate today.

 

For Academics

Season of the Witch by Gail Griffin. Truly unique collection of essays that will inspire and challenge the reader. Griffin shares her experiences as a feminist English professor in the classroom and the university. Click on the title to see my complete review.

So What Are You Going to Do With That?: A Guide for M.A.'s and Ph.D's Seeking Careers Outside the Academy by Maggie Debelius, Susan Elizabeth Basalla . Not just for grad students and graduates! A solid introduction to "interviewing for information" and a motivational guide for many career changers.

Cliff Walk by Don J. Snyder. After three years at Colgate University, Snyder is fired. He spends the next year learning a new identity. Many readers criticized Snyder's lack of awareness, but I'd argue that career planning is an alien concept to most academics. Great book for heated debates and for triggering some tough questions.

For Lawyers

What Can You Do with a Law Degree? A Lawyer's
Guide to Career Alternatives Inside, Outside and Around the Law by Deborah Arron. From discontent to discovery: a thought-provoking guide for professionals.

Changing Jobs: A Handbook for Lawyers for the New Millennium edited by Heidi L. McNeil. An anthology of ABA articles on career planning, the job search process, and employment opportunities for experienced lawyers.

Stress Management for Lawyers: How to Increase
Personal & Professional Satisfaction in the Law by Amiram Elwork, Ph.D.

Transforming Practices: Finding Joy and Satisfaction in the Legal Life by Steven Keeva. How lawyers can find meaning within their careers

Just for fun

The dog who rescues cats by Philip Gonzalez.
Heartwarming without being maudlin. The author, an army vet, found himself broke, depressed and physically disabled after an industrial accident cost him the use of his arm. When a neighbor urges him to adopt a dog ("you've got to get out of the house!") Gonzalez finds new purpose in life.

Duchess of Duke Street - BBC video series
What a treat! Edwardian glory, brilliant acting, and yes, a reminder that our careers and choices are very different today. Caution: This series is addictive!
Volume 1 and Volume 2

Catch Me If You Can. by Frank Abagnale. If you liked the movie, you'll want to read about the other half of Frank's escapades. Talk about identity management...

I Don't Know How She Does It. by Allison Pearson . Kate Reddy is a super-stressed overachieving mother of two and hedge fund manager. I felt exhausted as I read this book, although I enjoyed the wit and word play. Perfect for anyone struggling with quality of life issues -- or those who are glad they've escaped the race altogether.

I Am the Codyman by Linda Stubbs.
Cody is a West Highland Terrier who has his own suite in a luxury hotel in some unnamed city. Perfect book for those who are totally nuts about their dogs and believe Fido is a human in a dog suit. I should know.

Amazing Gracie by Dan Dye et al.
When their dog refused to eat commercial food, Dan Dye and his friends learned to cook a new kind of dog biscuit -- and created an empire. A warmly satisfying saga of dogs, serendipity and life success.

All is Vanity by Christina Schwarz
Do you know someone who wants to take a year off to write a novel? Or perhaps you have your own dream? Stop! This fast-paced book is a morality tale of what can happen when you turn yourself loose without a plan, a guide or a strong sense of self.

 

Search Now: