For Readers

Self-Improvement Books To Help Achieve Your Goals

By: Hidden Gems on July 26, 2022

Hidden Gems Books ARC service.

By: Hidden Gems on July 26, 2022

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For most people, New Year resolutions have long been abandoned by the summer months. No matter your goals, or your progress, we are certain that there’s a self-help book out there for you within this broad category. With those thoughts in mind, today we’ve rounded up the self-improvement books our Hidden Gems readers loved the most recently.


Raising Backyard Chickens

Raising Backyard Chickens: A Beginner’s Guide to a Healthy Flock, Boosting Egg Production, and Fresh Eggs for Life! by Daniel A. Hart

With 147 ratings on Amazon, and a 4.8 average star rating, our readers were not alone in their interest in raising chickens. As the title implies, this book is meant to help a beginner chicken owner understand all aspects of this popular sustainable living trend.

Ladonna M. shares about her experience in her five star review, “As a new chicken mama, I found this book extremely helpful. I wish I would have had it before I adopted a flock of 14 chickens two months ago. Never having chickens before, I am extremely new to all of it. The book is amazing! It has easy to understand categories so what you’re looking for is easily found. Everything from building a coop, cleaning a coop, picking out your chickens, feeding your flock, caring for illness, and so much more. I will use this as a reference guide in keeping my flock healthy and happy.”

Jessica R. seconds this sentiment in her five star review, “Wanted a book that was written in a way that would be simple to understand and this book is perfect. However, it is filled with knowledge and information. Perfect start for beginners or someone thinking of raising chickens. This book provides you with everything you need to know to get started with a healthy flock and how to keep them healthy. It also has plenty of information about if your chickens get sick and how to care for them. Author clearly knows what he is talking about. Bottom Line: Great Book!”

How to Set Goals with Kaizen & Ikigai

How to Set Goals with Kaizen & Ikigai: Focus, Cure Procrastination, & Increase Personal Productivity by Anthony Raymond

With 146 ratings, and an average of 4.5 stars, you are not alone if you are searching for ways to be more efficient, overcome procrastination, and achieve elusive goals. This self-improvement book explains three eastern concepts: Hansei, Ikigai, and Kaizen, which when combined can help you to accomplish goals faster, more efficiently, and/or overcome procrastination.

“Wow! I was surprised and impressed by the information I learned from this book!” Joanne writes in her five star Amazon review. “The author was very knowledgeable and spoke on topics and examples that were well put together. I was able to get a lot of this book and I definitely suggest it to anyone. Plus, it’s a great door opener to concepts like Kaizen, Lingchi, Hansai, and Ikigai. Well worded and easy to understand. Keep up the great work!”

Alex G. shares in his five star Amazon review what he took away from this title, “I enjoyed this book and found it very inspiring to look at ways that I can build goals and then habits and practices that fulfill them. I love the help this book provided in seeking to cultivate intrinsic motivation drivers for what I want in my life. Would definitely recommend it!”

Speed Reading

Speed Reading: Learn to Read a 200+ Page Book in 1 Hour by Kam Knight

With 1,926 ratings on Amazon, and an average of 4.5 stars, many readers are learning how to speed up their reading with this fantastic resource. This title not only teaches you how to read faster, but also to increase your reading comprehension and memory.

In his five star Amazon review, Nielan H. raves about his reading experience, “….the book is actually beautifully written. The tips are all simple, and Kam uses great stories and analogies to help you understand their importance. Also, I liked that it doesn’t cover techniques like skimming or scanning which isn’t reading…What I like the most, and what separates this from all the other speed reading books, are the practice drills. Kam gets it, he knows that learning is not what creates change but applying what you learn and these drills help you do that. If you do the drills at the end of each chapter, by the end of the book, you’re reading & comprehension will improve. Wherever you are, you will gain something of value even if it only improves your comprehension and memory as Kam’s chapters on this are gold.”

His thoughts are seconded by Dury J. in his five star Amazon review, “What a golden find, I have been struggling with reading and learning for a long long long time. Having read many books on speed reading, they all sound the same. They are literally all the same giving the exact same information of skim, scan, and so forth. This is different and absolutely gold. It’s the only speed reading book that discusses how the eyes and mind work to read. If eyes are the key to reading, you would think more books would talk about that but they don’t. You will learn some fascinating things about your eyes. It changed everything about how I approached reading. It is not only about reading, but how to understand what you read and remember more of what you read. Great addition for parents, teachers, students and anyone who loves to read and wants to read more and take in more of what they read…“

The Soldier's Guide to PTSD

The Soldier’s Guide to PTSD by Victoria Cruse

With 69 ratings and an average rating of 4.8 stars, this is a hidden gem when it comes to self-improvement books. Therapist Victoria Cruse shares things she wishes she knew when she began her journey to recovery from PTSD and outlines evidence based treatment options for those who are suffering from it.

“Written with authority and clarity,” shares Nancy  in her five star Amazon review. “Clever and humorous but never dismissive of such an important topic. This is an important resource for both soldiers and helping professionals.”

Cecelia L. raves in her five star Amazon review, “Started reading this book last night – from the moment I cracked it open I could hardly put it down!! Not only is The Soldier’s Guide to PTSD an incredibly informative, clear and easy to read resource, its the REALEST book I’ve read about the subject of PTSD, maybe because the author has lived it & can relate. Virginia has a gift for reaching into the heart of the reader who has experienced trauma and helping them feel less broken. She also places emphasis on the fact that PTSD does not make you damaged goods nor is it a life sentence! These are very common stigmas (myths) that many of us have always believed. It is my prayer that this book will one day be placed in every VA and every military affiliated organization across the globe. Its much needed. Disclaimer: This book contains profanity but that does not in any way detract from the immense value, compassion and hope it conveys to its readers – Victoria poured her heart into this one and you feel it from the first paragraph. Highly Recommend!”

The Principle of 18

The Principle of 18: Getting the Most Out of Every Stage of Your Life by Eyal N. Danon

Written for those who are searching for career wisdom at any age, this book breaks down the career lifecycle into five distinct phases rather than one large stretch of time between graduation and retirement, and ways to find fulfillment in each phase.

Amit H. raves in his five star Amazon review, “This fascinating book presents a new life-stages model that immediately grabbed my attention. Basically, life is broken into 5 periods, each period lasting 18 years…I loved how all the stages are connected. This book is special since it brings to light a brand-new system for personal development, one that I have never heard of, and is so different from the same old advice in other self-help books. Highly recommended!!!”

Yael further explains in his five star Amazon review, “Exploring what we are meant to do on this earth takes time. A lot of time. But the way this book lays it out, it takes 18 years to explore who we really are, what are our unique gifts and skills, and how to create a solid plan for our future. I admit that when I read it, I thought that 18 years to explore is too long. Why spend all these years on finding the one area that I can become tremendously good at? As I kept on reading, it started to make sense. We live in a hurried, digital world, where no one seems to slow down and try to flow with the natural order of things, of the cycles of nature itself. As the author says, there is a time and place for everything, and most of us just don’t give ourselves enough time to shine, to find what is our calling. We are simply not patient enough. I loved that the author presents an integrated plan for an entire life, where each stage has a unique guiding principle. A thought-provoking, timely book.”


Hidden Gems readers got to read these books for free, so if you want more self-help books to grow with, sign up today! Subscribers to Hidden Gems receive invitations to read fiction and non-fiction books from any of up to 15 other genres – for free. Authors send these out in the hopes that the readers will write an honest review on Amazon once they’re done.

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