I adore self-help books, at a certain kind of them, which I call Anthropologie books. The kind of lovely reads that tell you how to live beautifully. Here are my favourites.

★ Savvy Chic: The Art of More for Less by Anna Johnson. On how to live luxuriously on a lower budget. Where to spend, where to save, how to wash your sheets so you feel like you live in a five star hotel. Full of fabulous simplicity without an ounce of deprivation. Domestically blissful bedtime reading.

★ Style Statement: Live by Your Own Design ~ by Danielle LaPorte and Carrie McCarthy. Their idea is that you can choose two words to capture yourself perfectly. Not just your clothing, but your couch. Your job. Your world. The book gives examples of their clients’ style statements and includes extensive quizzes to help you find your own. I can’t stop raving about how empowered I felt by discovering my words.

★ The Happiness Project ~ by Gretchen Rubin. A year-long project involving goal-setting and researching, for the simple but huge goal: to increase happiness in everyday life. I bought an extra copy to keep on my kindle and reread constantly. A huge influence for my Sparkle Steps. And the sequel Happier at Home is just as good!

★ Entre Nous: A Woman’s Guide to Finding Her Inner French Girl ~ by Debra Ollivier. A fabulous paperback about sophistication from head to toe, with little extras like film recommendations and dinner party menus. Reading it made me yearn to go to Paris, but it’s also guide on how to create Paris within you. Ideal. I flick through this one over a cup of tea.

★  Love and Sequins ~ by Gala Darling. A downloadable twelve-chapter set (with audio tracks included!) with chapter titles like “A Guide to Manners for the Modern Minx” and “International Playgirls Unlimited”, this series, packed with inspiration, is a girl’s must-have handbook for life. Each chapter is about 40-60 minutes on audio, so I like to listen to them on long plane journeys to pass the time in style.

What are you favourites? I’m always looking for recommendations, so please share!

xandra ★