UPDATE: thank you for all the great recommendations I went through all of them and picked a couple that were just what I was looking for!
or non fiction is fine. I’ve mostly read a lot of books with that give you that great feeling of escaping into the world the author builds. But im in a place where the choices I make will lead to how the rest of my life will lead and Id love to read something that will be thought provoking in my real life. Whether its about mental health, family, relationship, loss/grieving/processing trauma. I’d love some suggestions.
by Teggy961
31 Comments
Intimacy, by Harif Kureishi
Anything by Elizabeth Strout, Tom Perrotta, Jonathan Franzen (Crossroads is the best book I’ve read in years) …
The three most thought-provoking books I’ve read are:
The Glass Bead Game – Herman Hesse
The Book of Laughter and Forgetting – Milan Kundera
A Tale for the Time Being – Ruth L Ozeki
All of these left me with a sense of being a different person before and after reading them; that said, I’ve never revisited any of them for fear of undermining such a profound experience and – in the case of the first two – I read them over thirty years ago, so I don’t know what a more modern experience of them would be like. I wish you luck and satisfaction in your journey!
If There’s No Tomorrow by Jennifer L Armentrout
The galaxy and the ground within by Becky Chambers. Honestly, any of her books from the Wayfarer series.
The Death of Ivan Ilyich-Tolstoy
The Old Man and the Sea-Hemingway
The Remains of the Day-Ishiguro
All three of these had a big impact on how I view life and death.
Ulysses, not really close by virtue of sheer volume. Hamlet, Mrs. Dalloway get honorable mentions.
Siddartha by Hesse.
*Pilgrim at Tinker Creek* by Annie Dillard?
I’d go with [Man’s Search for Meaning](https://amzn.to/3PZaWhD) or [Tuesdays with Morrie](https://amzn.to/3PDomyo). These are both in my “everyone should read these” list.
*Pilgrim at Tinker Creek*, *Desert Solitare*, *The River Why*
Prince Of Tides by Pat Conroy
**The Courage to be Disliked** by *Fumitake Koga* and *Ichiro Kishimi*.
Personally, I don’t think it’s a great title for the content inside. It is a self help book, but you’ll never read another like this, as it’s presented as a conversation between a Youth and a Philosopher. The separation of tasks is something that I honestly think should be taught to children; understanding what is for you to do and what is for someone else to do.
You can be thoughtful without overburdening yourself with somebody else’s issues.
Although it’s a dark story, No Longer Human was a really deep and introspective story for me. It made me think of all the things wrong about me and how I needed to do better than the protagonist’s way of treating their mental health.
a room of one’s own I think
Ending Aging by Aubrey de Grey. Read the book for free [here](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL12284524W/Ending_Aging?edition=key%3A/books/OL17932740M).
In Search of Lost Time is super introspective
Emerald Tablets by Billy Carson
Quran translation by Mustapha Khattab
Liana Finck’s cartoons
It really depends on your preference and values that you hold dear to yourself. For me, I value reducing suffering, equity and learning. I’m still finding out about these things as these are large topics but I think these books have helped me a lot in making sure that I always listen to alternative viewpoints, understanding the world and other perspectives that I can never:
1. Think Again by Adam Grant
– A book which argues that it’s important to take a step back from holding fast to your beliefs and constantly challenge them to make them stronger
2. The gifts of imperfection by Brene Brown (or anything by this author really)
– She takes me through how important it is to be vulnerable and communicate your vulnerability. I think in a world where we take it as a sign of weakness, this book shows how it can be a sign of strength and really changed how I portray myself, resulting in better and deeper connections with others.
3. Eating Animals / Braiding Sweetgrass
– Both books show how value systems can really drive your life and these 2 authors write really beautifully. I’ve been able to relate and learn a lot from them but this is definitely more personal.
I encourage you to think about your own values and principles, not just blindly read the ones that people have listed!
The Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann
Swanns Way / Marcel Proust
Shantaram
The Glass Bead Game by Herman Hesse. F
Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl. NF (memoir)
No longer human by Osamu Dazai. Absolutely devastating, but unbelievably beautiful
Notes from underground – Dostoyevsky is one of the most introspective books I’ve ever read. He really understands the human psyche and is brutally honest with himself.
Boys Life by Robert McCammon
Peace Pilgrim
I think you’d like Mishima’s ‘Confessions of a Mask’
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
All About Love – Bell Hooks
The Body Keeps the Score – Bessel van der Kolk
The Four Agreements – Don Miguel Ruiz
Incognito – David Eagleman
Man’s Search for Meaning (that’s been suggestion on here a few times).
Everything is nonfiction