BOOKS GOOD FOR THE SOUL

Which Ones To Read

There are many books that are good for the soul and everyone should at least read one to see how better it makes them feel from deep within your soul. We will tell you why they are good for the soul and which one to read to make you feel happier, comforted, inspiring and emotionally satisfying. Here are 12 books to read that are good for the soul.

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig. This modern fantasy fiction book is good for the soul as the main character Nora Seed explores her regrets by wondering about whether or not she made the right choices in life. She tried out different lives to see if she would have made similar choices and find that it doesn’t matter if you’re a rock star, an Olympic swimmer or a glaciologist, regrets are just an illusion every path we take has similar grief, pain and boredom. We can all learn to appreciate the life that we have and forgive ourself for what we think are mistakes in life. Nora makes us realise that it’s the small things in life that matter like loving people and being kind to one another is what matters not fame and fortune. She shows us that we shouldn’t let our regrets in life burden us like a heavy weight on our shoulders but to accept our decisions as they are part of our life and other people’s lives that we imagine them to be are only brighter as we can’t see their hidden struggles. She shows the reader empathy and teaches us not to dwell on past decisions that have made the reader feel lost, depressed or overwhelmed by what they consider to be mistakes in life.
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. A philosophical fiction book is good for the soul as it encourages readers to follow their dreams and discover what really matters in life. It tells us to listen to our hearts and no matter what obstacles are thrown in our path you must continue to follow your dreams. Each and every one of us has a unique purpose in life and that we have a moral obligation to pursue it. Believe in yourself and you will achieve what you set out to do. This book is ideal for those people who feel that they are at crossroads in life and feel they can’t move on from it. The book will certainly give you a push to move forward and continue with your plans no matter what personal struggles you are facing. You may be stuck in a job that you no longer enjoy and have dreams and ambitions of promotion or a new job but feel that you cannot move forward with all that is going on around you. The Alchemist will certainly give you the push for you to carry on with your dreams to find self-fulfilment.
A Man Called Ove by Frederick Backman. A modern fiction book that explores loneliness, friendship, kindness and helps the reader to find purpose in life again. I think anyone who is struggling with loss and loneliness especially after a death of a close friend or relative would benefit from reading A Man Called Ove is about a grumpy lonely widower whose is thinking about taking his own life when his is interrupted a new bothersome neighbours and a stray cat .will help the reader accept and overcome the emotions that grief and loneliness bring such as anger and sadness as it shows us that these are all normal patterns of going through the turmoil of losing a loved one or being in isolation from the rest of the world like loneliness brings feelings of. The story is told through dry wit so does not make the reader feel worse than they did before they picked the book up. We learn that we can all feel bitter about our plight but doing small things in a community can help us feel worthy in the fact that we are needed by someone.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. Historical fiction book showing the extraordinary power of kindness and humanity during World War II. Although the story deals with death, loss and other horrors of war, the beautifully told novel is very uplifting and good for the soul as it shows the power of love and human kindness in a very poetic style of writing. Ordinary people risk their own lives by hiding a Jewish man in their basement from the threat of Nazism. A young girl who loves to read and steal books to read to others offer profound words of comfort when the world around them is being threatened and shattered. This book is not only a good read for those who like war stories but also for those who may be coping with grief.
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. This historical fiction book explores deep friendship, guilt, powerful forgiveness, true redemption and family bonds against the backdrop of the tumultuous history of Afghanistan. A boy has a complicated bond with his father’s servant after the boy’s guilt has plagued him for many years. The author teaches the reader to face up to their mistakes rather than hiding them and no matter what the reader has done in life, you can make up for those mistakes rather than continue to live with the pain if we seek forgiveness. We must always take responsibility for our actions by addressing them as they not need to define us for the rest of our lives. This is a great book for the soul for those who are living with guilt and want to learn to move forward in life so they can forgive themselves.
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman. A modern fiction book that is good for the soul as it teaches us about loneliness and how we become socially awkward because of it. The trauma that manifests from a childhood experience, our friendships and learning to let people into your life again. A 30-year-old Scottish woman continues her solitary daily routine quite strictly as she continues to cope with a childhood trauma until an unexpected friendship starts the process of healing her. The author teaches us through the story that small acts of kindness can have a big impact on someone else’s life. Loneliness does affect ordinary people in a modern society, even young people and this book is a very good read for anyone who faces loneliness.

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce. This modern fiction book is about an emotional journey filled with regret, grief, love, forgiveness and one of hope. The story is based on a 60-year-old man who walks 600 miles to visit an ex-co-worker who as she is dying of cancer and who he hasn’t seen in over 20 years. He truly believes that if he does the pilgrimage, he will save her. The reader will benefit from this book if they have past regrets and painful memories just like Harold Fry did when he walked across England to make the visit where he learned to forgive his own mistakes as a father and a husband whilst on the long walk after meeting total strangers and stopping to talk to them on the way. Every one of them teaches Harold something new about life and hope that he finds inspiring and uplifting. The reader who struggles to forgive themselves will find this book very therapeutic as Harold Fry shows that we must be brave enough to forgive ourselves and that it is never too late to change.
The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin. A modern romantic fiction book about grief, love and the unexpected ways life can change when we least expect it. The story is of a miserable bookseller who brings up a two-year old that is left abandoned at his bookstore. Raising her with the help of the community around him he finds love and healing. It shows the reader that that they too can have hope after years of struggling with loneliness, grief and disruptions to their life through a profound sense of purpose. This book is very good for the soul as it teaches us that remaining isolated and not allowing people to enter your life is toxic and it is much better to allow people in to set you free of the loneliness.
The Keeper of Lost Things by Ruth Hogan. A modern fiction book about a gentleman who collects lost things of little intrinsic value such as buttons, due to his regret and sorrow of breaking a promise many years ago. The author shows how loss, connection, and how small acts of kindness can completely change our lives. The feeling of being lost in only temporary and if we let people in to help us, we can find our place in the world again just as Fikry’s assistant Laura did in reuniting the lost items with their owners as requested by Fikry so she can repair the broken ties after her divorce left her feeling lost.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society by Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows. An historical romance about friendship and a love of books. A writer discovers some of the harrowing details of how the Nazis treated the people of Guernsey during the war after she wrote to a book club on the island. This book is good for the soul as it about finding friendship in unlikely people and sharing the joy of books during the history of the people during those turbulent years and how they got through it a shared love of literature and discussion giving the people a sense of escape from the invasion. The author shows us that humour and resilience can shine through in our darkest days.
The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom. A philosophical fantasy fiction book where the plot is based on and a worker at a fairground called Eddie, who saves the life of a young girl but which results in his own death. The five people he meets in heaven teach him that exploring the meaning of our lives and the impact we have on others is all interconnected. Although the worker felt he had somewhat wasted his life the five people he met in heaven steered him to believe that his life was not wasted and that his job helped to save the lives of children. All the small things we do help others matter and that we can grieve and forgive as they are normal parts of life and living.
The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa. This modern fictional book is about friendship, love, loss and the bonds we share between people and animals. A cat and its owner travel across Japan together in a van and the owner must find a new home for the cat as he can no longer look after it. Focussing on companionship and loyalty and acceptance that it is come to an end. Anyone struggling with loss and accepting that loss would be endeared by this story. that is filled with humour.