Hello Reader,

We know you’re always looking for your next good read, so we have some great recommendations.

Every month, you’ll receive team CGF’s top picks of books to help you improve your finances, advance your career, practice self-care, or get lost in a fantasy world.

Here is our list of January book recommendations!

• Note: This book list contains affiliate links from Amazon. Clever Girl Finance is an Amazon Associate which means we may earn commissions from qualifying purchases. These commissions help us grow!
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• We also encourage you to support your local independent booksellers! You can search by your location here.​

Finance pick: Napkin Finance: Build Your Wealth in 30 Seconds or Less

Have you ever read a finance article and thought, "What in the world are they talking about?" Have you tried reading the popular finance books but couldn't get past the first chapter because of all the confusing jargon?

Honestly, personal finance can be complicated. Most of us can explain the Pythagorean theorem, but don't know what compound interest is.

If you've struggled with understanding financial topics, then Tina Hay's book, Napkin Finance, will help you understand money in a new way. What's unique about Hay's experience and knowledge is that she struggled with finances just like many of us.

While attending Harvard Business School, she struggled to keep up with her classmates who came from banking backgrounds. In order to keep up, she created a visual learning approach using sketches and infographics that transformed her understanding and helped her master even the most challenging financial material.

This experience inspired Hay to launch Napkin Finance, a company dedicated to breaking down intimidating topics like budgeting, investing, and retirement planning into clear, digestible explanations. This small but mighty book will help you understand your credit scores, conquer student loan repayment, and even simplify economics and blockchain technology.

As the first illustrated financial guide of its kind, Napkin Finance makes money matters engaging and approachable, helping even those who dread numbers understand complex concepts without the usual tedium.

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Self-help pick: The Overthinker's Guide to Making Decisions: How to Make Decisions without Losing Your Mind

Raise your hand if you look at every possible angle of a situation. You take ages to decide because you're thinking through every process, hoping to make the best decision.

People have told you to stop overthinking and trust your gut, but that's shallow advice for you.

Life feels overwhelming and exhausting because you're working so hard to make the " right choice".

You dream of a life where you can feel confident in your decisions.

This dream can be a reality with Joseph Nguyen's book, The Overthinker's Guide to Making Decisions.​

This book presents a practical system designed to short-circuit the overthinking cycle.

After reading this book, you won't walk away knowing how to make the perfect choice; instead, you'll have peace of mind knowing that you're making choices that align with who you are.

Inside, you'll discover how to:

• Understand why your brain is wired to overthink
• Navigate any decision using the TRUST framework for step-by-step clarity
• Distinguish your genuine intuition from fear-based reactions
• Filter out external noise and reconnect with your own inner guidance
• Transform fear from a roadblock into a catalyst for psychological freedom
• Release the cycle of replaying and regretting past decisions
• Build emotional resilience that allows you to make bold choices with confidence

The book also has journal prompts and a Mini Trust Experiment to help you apply what you've learned. More than just an instructional manual, this book will help you connect with your inner wisdom so you can live your life free from mental distress.

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Business/Career pick: Clever Girl Finance: The Side Hustle Guide: Build a Successful Side Hustle and Increase Your Income

What if you could find a way to make extra money doing something you enjoy while still committing to your full-time job? What would you do with your extra cash? Would you save, take a well-deserved vacation, or pay off that lingering debt?

Having a second stream of income can grant you financial security and allow you to breathe and feel lighter at the end of the month. Imagine going to a nice restaurant and ordering food based on what you want, not on the price.

If you want to see how your life can improve with some extra money, then your first step is to start a side hustle. While this might sound overwhelming, starting a business is more doable than you think. Luckily, our founder and CEO, Bola Sokunbi, has written Clever Girl Finance: The Side Hustle Guide, an easy-to-follow book to help get you started.

This practical guide reveals how to build wealth by creating and growing a business.

You'll learn how to:

• Overcome self-doubt, manage fear, and maintain focus as you build your business
• Lay a strong foundation for your venture, even if you're starting with no prior business experience
• Develop an effective strategy to brand, market, and grow a business that attracts loyal customers
• Design a realistic financial plan that generates both immediate income and long-term wealth

Whether you're energized by the idea of starting a side hustle but unsure where to begin, or you're ready to transform your entrepreneurial vision into reality, this guide provides the roadmap you need to build a successful and profitable business from scratch.

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Fiction Pick: The Girl with the Louding Voice

If you're looking for a good novel that will break your heart and make you feel like conquering the world all in one read, then The Girl with the Louding Voice is for you.

Abi Daré's novel tells the unforgettable story of Adunni, a teenage girl in rural Nigeria determined to get an education and find her voice.

This story is for everyone who has refused to accept the difficult circumstances they were born into. Adunni's journey involves facing seemingly impossible barriers, yet she remains focused on building a life of her own choosing.

Her unwavering determination to find hope and joy even in the harshest circumstances will move you deeply.

This is a powerful story about courage, resilience, and the transformative power of education. Adunni's journey shows how one determined young girl can inspire us all to fight for our dreams and work toward changing the world.

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Personal development pick: The Mountain Is You: Transforming Self-Sabotage Into Self-Mastery

Have you ever been accused of getting in your way? Maybe you spent hours studying for a new certification, but when it came time to take the test, you chickened out.

While success is something most of us desire, actually achieving it is scary and hard. This is why many of us have self-sabotage. Yet is fear of success the real reason we self-sabotage, or is there a deeper reason? And once we know why we’re self-sabotaging, how do we stop? How do we break the cycle?

“The Mountain Is You” is you has the answers. Not only will you understand why you self-sabotage, but this book will also give you the tools to stop for good.

Many times, we blame outside obstacles for blocking our road to success. However, the problem is that we need to heal past wounds, build resilience, and change our perspective.

If you’re tired of being the reason why you’re not getting where you want in life, then this book will help you overcome your biggest struggle, you.

Which end-of-the-year reads will you choose?

Don’t forget you can stay motivated, learn key financial tips and engage with the community in completely free course platform.​

Happy reading! ❤️
Team CGF

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