Finding Happiness Through Stories: Non-Self Help Books to Lift Your Spirits

[KingNothing]

Hi all. I would really like to get better at appreciating things in my life, and being more comfortable and confident talking to others. It would sound like 'self help' book territory, but I hate self-help books. I just don't do well with them.

My friend Jesse told me about a book he was reading that through the storyline and the trials the protagonist had gone through, Jesse had learned to appreciate more things in his life and was happier.

Can you guys recommend any similar books? Things that might help a person when they are down but not self-help?

 

[Adyssa]

A couple that spring instantly to mind:

Siddartha - Herman Hesse
The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho

I re-read them both a few weeks ago, they're both really short (like, read in a sitting short) and they both leave me with a very satisfied, and calm feeling. I don't think I can articulate the messages they contain half as well as the books themselves do, so I won't, but I'm sure if you look them up @ Amazon you will find amazing reviews.

 

[256bits]

Readers Digest sometimes has stories of real life adventures. I remember they had the story of the mom cat who in a fire went back and forth into the flames to save all of her litter. She came out of the ordeal with no ears and half her hair burnt off, and with pictures too. Then there was the guy who want to do a trek across Anartica, and in the process lost half his gear down a snow covered crevice, went just about snow blind, survived a storm, and ended up at some station where they did not know what to make of this half frozen-half-alive guy.
Might be interesting to you.

 

[rhody]

A favorite of mine, timeless. It's themes and messages are still relevant.

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/629.Zen_and_the_Art_of_Motorcycle_Maintenance"

Rhody...

 

[TheStatutoryApe]

Tom Robbins writes great books that are mostly explorations in the philosophy of life through story telling, very bizarre story telling. Gregory McGuire's books are similar but more focused on the story telling and characters than philosophy. Any really good book though ought to leave you feeling better for having read it. One I read not that long ago which I really enjoyed was The Good Fairies of New York by Martin Miller. It does not have so much philosophy in it as just "life lessons" and happy endings. His general style is similar to Neil Gaiman who actually counts himself a fan of Miller and wrote the introduction to the copy of Good Fairies I have. I would suggest his books too.

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

There's a book that teaches you that you shouldn't reject something out of hand but try it first to find out whether it has merit. But instead of being preachy, it shows you an episode where a person rejects an admitedly unusual breakfast treat. They wouldn't eat it even under a rather large number of admitedly unusual circumstances. But when they try it they like it and declare that they would indeed eat it under those circumstances they previously rejected. I wish I could remember the name of it.