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 September 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!
• We also encourage you to support your local independent booksellers! You can search by your location here.​

Finance pick: Smart Money Habits for Young Adults to Build Wealth: Avoid Emotional Spending, Impulsive Investments, & Biased Thinking to Build a Secure Financial Future

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We've all been guilty of overspending money. You had a night out with friends and returned with a bill that's half the price of your rent. Even when you think you're making a good investment, like that timeshare in Mexico, you can end up wasting thousands of dollars. Fortunately, these mistakes don't have to define us.

Budgeting and saving are often the first steps to recovering from any financial hardship. Yet true financial freedom comes from understanding and overcoming your harmful financial habits.

To live a life where money is an asset and not a burden, order a copy of Smart Money Habits for Young Adults. It will guide you in building the wealth you deserve.

Forget judgment; embrace empowerment. Discover practical strategies and mindset shifts to transform your financial behaviors!

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Self-help pick: Burnout: Attached: The New Science of Adult Attachment and How It Can Help You Find, and Keep, Love

Take a minute to think about the relationships in your life. Consider your past and current romantic relationships. When thinking about your previous partners, do you feel happy and at peace, or do you feel stressed and worried?

As humans, we thrive on human connection. However, many of us struggle with creating and maintaining healthy relationships. Psychiatrist and neuroscientist Dr. Amir Levine and psychologist Rachel Heller understand your relationship challenges and can help you uncover why you face constant challenges with your loved ones.

Drawing from attachment theory, first developed by psychologist John Bowlby in the 1950s, their work identifies three fundamental relationship patterns that shape how we connect with others. Those with anxious attachment styles often find themselves consumed by relationship concerns, frequently questioning whether their partner truly loves them.

Individuals with avoidant tendencies view emotional closeness as threatening to their autonomy and actively create distance to preserve their independence. Meanwhile, securely attached people embrace intimacy naturally, approaching relationships with warmth and emotional availability.

If you're wondering what your attachment style is, the book Attached will provide you with practical tools to identify your own attachment patterns as well as those of your current or prospective partners. By understanding these deeply rooted behavioral tendencies, you can develop more meaningful, satisfying relationships built on genuine connection and mutual understanding.

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Fiction Pick: Ender's Game (The Ender Saga, 1)

Earth is under attack by aliens, and the fate of the world is in the hands of child geniuses. At the orbiting Battle School, children are forged into soldiers.

Among them is Andrew "Ender" Wiggin, a boy of exceptional talent, torn from his loving sister Valentine and thrust into a world of relentless training.

During his training, he becomes an exceptional warrior, mastering zero-gravity warfare and earning the respect of his peers. But his brilliance comes at a cost. Isolated and haunted by the cruelty of his brother Peter, Ender clings to the memory of Valentine, his anchor in a world of escalating pressure.

A story that can lead to either the salvation or destruction of humankind. The fate of the world depends on three siblings. Will they unite and use their gifts to reshape the world, or will their differences divide them?

​Ender's Game is a timeless exploration of childhood, power, and the devastating consequences of war. If you love a good doomsday storyline, this book will have you clinging to the pages.

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Business pick: Launch: Million Dollar Women: The Essential Guide for Female Entrepreneurs Who Want to Go Big

Women have been consistently helping the economy grow. Over the past two decades, women have just about doubled the number of businesses in the United States. Yet fewer than three percent of female business owners achieve seven-figure revenues.

Many women are operating small-scale ventures from home, struggling to break even or facing financial difficulties.

Julia Pimsleur's Million Dollar Women addresses these struggles by providing a roadmap for scaling businesses to the million-dollar threshold and beyond.

In the book, you'll learn from eight different female entrepreneurs who successfully secured investment capital, cultivated influential professional networks, and built multimillion-dollar enterprises from the ground up.

Think your small business could never break the six-figure mark? Think again! This book will give you the knowledge and industry terminology to help you attract funding. It covers strategic relationship-building, effective delegation timing, and when to seek professional mentorship and support systems.

Drawing from her personal journey to executive leadership, Pimsleur also addresses the specific obstacles women face when scaling their businesses to the next level.

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Personal development pick: The Next Conversation: Argue Less, Talk More

Communication can be hard. Something said with a harsh tone can spiral into an argument. One phrase taken out of context can lead to a slew of misunderstandings.

The ability to communicate is crucial to a smooth work environment, solving problems, and a loving romantic partnership. But the question is: how do you speak in a way that is clear and assertive?

Trial lawyer Jefferson Fisher has the answer in his three-pillar communication framework.

In his book, The Next Conversation, he provides practical communication tools that will revolutionize your interactions, regardless of your audience. "Say it with control, Say it with confidence, Say it to connect" is an adaptable system that can be implemented across any scenario or relationship dynamic.

In his book, you'll learn key insights, including understanding why "winning" arguments actually damage relationships, developing intentional communication and self-assertion skills, establishing healthy boundaries while structuring productive conversations, recognizing the power of strategic brevity, and transforming conflict into genuine connection.

Start the fall season with a good book!

September can be a busy month with back to school, the end of the third quarter, and the changing of the weather. While you're busy dealing with life, a good book can be your haven from all the chaos.

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Let us know which book you're going to dive into.

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Don’t forget you can stay motivated and learn other financial tips and tricks from our completely free financial courses.​
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Happy reading! ❤️
Team CGF

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