Get ready to shift your thinking, get in touch with your feelings, and better understand yourself and those around you.
Books are a sort of portable magic that allows readers to better understand human knowledge that has been passed down through generations. As readers, we also get to enjoy the art of long-form storytelling. Books have the power to shift how we think about things, influence our beliefs, and help us better understand the beautifully diverse world around us.
Here are 8 titles readers have credited with opening their eyes and changing their lives for the better.
Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom
Have you ever had someone older and wiser show some interest in your life? Maybe it was a grandparent, colleague, or teacher that helped you see the world as a more profound place, beyond your scope at the time.
For author Mitch Albom, that person was his college professor Morrie Schwartz. But maybe like Mitch, you may have lost track of this person as you trudged through life and started viewing the world as a cold and lonely place. We’re willing to bet no matter where you ended up in life that you still have a few burning questions for this person.
What if you got a second chance to receive wisdom for your busy life today as you once did years ago? Mitch Albom got that second chance when he rediscovered Morrie in the last months of the older man’s life. Knowing he was dying, Morrie visited with Mitch in his study every Tuesday and their relationship turned into one final “class” or lesson in how to live. As heartwarming as it is inspirational, this book is sure to make readers take a deeper look at their life and the people in it.
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Voted America’s Best-Loved Novel in PBS’s The Great American Read, it’s no wonder this book has been translated into more than forty languages and sold more than forty million copies worldwide.
Harper Lee’s Pulitzer Prize-winning work of honor and injustice in the Deep South is a gripping, heart-wrenching, and remarkable story of coming-of-age in a South poisoned by prejudice.
Readers view the world through the eyes of a young girl, as her father risks everything to defend a black man unjustly accused of a terrible crime. This book is both moral and righteous and serves as a reminder that the fight against prejudice is never finished.
Untamed by Glennon Doyle
As women, we strive to be good in so many ways: good partners, daughters, mothers, employees, and friends. And instead of making us feel alive, we’re left feeling weary, stuck, overwhelmed, and underwhelmed, often thinking, “Wasn’t it all supposed to be more beautiful than this?” Soulful, uproarious, forceful, and tender are just a few ways to describe this intimate memoir from Glennon Doyle.
It’s the story of how one woman learned that a responsible mother is not one who slowly dies for her children, but one who shows them how to live. From navigating divorce and forming a new blended family to discovering that how broken or whole a family is depends on each member’s ability to bring their full self to the table.
You’ll cry, you’ll laugh, and you’ll probably cry some more. Untamed teaches bravery, and the braver we are, the luckier we get.
The Alchemist by Paul Coelho
Magic, mysticism, wisdom, and wonder weave together in Paul Coelho’s inspiring, simple, and elegant tale of self-discovery in The Alchemist. Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy years to travel in search of a world treasure. His quest will lead him to riches different and more satisfying than he could have ever imagined.
His journey teaches readers about the essential wisdom of listening to our hearts, recognizing opportunity, and learning to read the omens strewn along life’s path and to always follow your dreams.
The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch
A lot of professors give talks titled, “The Last Lecture” and Randy Pausch, a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon was no exception; but the difference was that Randy didn’t have to imagine it was his last because he had recently been diagnosed with terminal cancer.
But instead of his lecture being about dying, it was a summation of everything Randy had come to believe – it was about living. Humor, inspiration, and intelligence come together for a book that will be shared for years and years to come.
Atomic Habits by James Clear
If you’ve got goals, consider this book your roadmap to personal excellence. Atomic Habits offers a proven framework for making improvements every single day teaching you how to form good habits, break the bad ones, and master the tiniest behaviors that lead to really big results.
This book will reshape the way you think about progress and success while teaching you the tools and strategies necessary to transform your habits no matter what you’re working toward.
The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz
The Four Agreements has been a bestseller for over a decade and published in fifty-three languages worldwide. Author Don Miguel Ruiz reveals the source of self-limiting beliefs that tend to rob us of joy and create unnecessary suffering.
Based on ancient Toltec wisdom, this book offers a powerful code of conduct that can rapidly transform our lives into a new experience of freedom, true happiness, and love. Be prepared to change your outlook and assumptions about yourself and those around you.
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
The Midnight Library is an enchanting novel about a library beyond the edge of the universe that contains an infinite number of books, each one about an alternate reality.
Nora Seed finds herself faced with the possibility of changing her current life for a new one as she navigates careers, breakups, and following her dreams.
As she travels through the Midnight Library, she has to search within to decide what is truly fulfilling in life and what makes it all worth living in the first place.
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Migz
Victoria Lewis
Victoria is a freelance writer, dog lover, and coffee enthusiast living with her husband and dog in a small town in Kansas. Surrounded by an expansive to-be-read pile, she spends her time either deeply engrossed in a book or listening to one. As a fervent supporter of both bookstores and public libraries, Victoria enjoys sharing her latest reads on social media, connecting with fellow bibliophiles, and diligently updating her Goodreads profile.
