100 Best Meaning Of Life Books of All Time

We've ranked the best meaning of life books using expert recommendations, sales data, and millions of reader ratings. At Shortform, we know books. Our book guides are the best in the world. Learn why.

Man's Search for Meaning book cover1

Man's Search for Meaning

Viktor E. Frankl

5.0
Man's Search for Meaning has riveted generations of readers with its descriptions of life in Nazi death camps and its lessons for spiritual survival. Between 1942 and 1945 psychiatrist Viktor Frankl labored in four different camps, including Auschwitz, while his parents, brother, and pregnant wife perished. Based on his own experience and the stories of his many patients, Frankl argues that we can
The Alchemist book cover2

The Alchemist

Paulo Coelho

4.6
Paulo Coelho's enchanting novel has inspired a devoted following around the world. This story, dazzling in its powerful simplicity and inspiring wisdom, is about an Andalusian shepherd boy named Santiago who travels from his homeland in Spain to the Egyptian desert in search of a treasure buried in the Pyramids. What starts out as a journey to find worldly goods turns into a discovery of the treas
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind book cover3

Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind

Yuval Noah Harari

4.5
100,000 years ago, at least six human species inhabited the earth. Today there is just one. Us. Homo sapiens.

How did our species succeed in the battle for dominance? Why did our foraging ancestors come together to create cities and kingdoms? How did we come to believe in gods, nations and human rights; to trust money, books and laws; and to be enslaved by bureaucracy, timetables and consumerism?
When Breath Becomes Air book cover4

When Breath Becomes Air

Paul Kalanithi

4.5
At the age of thirty-six, on the verge of completing a decade’s worth of training as a neurosurgeon, Paul Kalanithi was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer. One day he was a doctor treating the dying, and the next he was a patient struggling to live. And just like that, the future he and his wife had imagined evaporated. When Breath Becomes Air chronicles Kalanithi’s transformation from a naïve me
The Five People You Meet in Heaven book cover5

The Five People You Meet in Heaven

Mitch Albom

4.5
From the author of the phenomenal #1 New York Times bestseller Tuesdays with Morrie, a novel that explores the unexpected connections of our lives, and the idea that heaven is more than a place; it's an answer.

Eddie is a wounded war veteran, an old man who has lived, in his mind, an uninspired life. His job is fixing rides at a seaside amusement park. On his 83rd birthday, a tragic accident kills
12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos book cover6

12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos

Jordan B. Peterson

4.4
What does everyone in the modern world need to know? Renowned psychologist Jordan B. Peterson's answer to this most difficult of questions uniquely combines the hard-won truths of ancient tradition with the stunning revelations of cutting-edge scientific research.

Humorous, surprising, and informative, Dr. Peterson tells us why skateboarding boys and girls must be left alone, what terrible fate awa
Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End book cover7

Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End

Atul Gawande

4.4
Medicine has triumphed in modern times, transforming the dangers of childbirth, injury, and disease from harrowing to manageable. But when it comes to the inescapable realities of aging and death, what medicine can do often runs counter to what it should.

Through eye-opening research and gripping stories of his own patients and family, Atul Gawande, a practicing surgeon, reveals the suffering this
A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose book cover8

A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose

Eckhart Tolle

4.4

Building on the astonishing success of The Power of Now, Eckhart Tolle presents readers with an honest look at the current state of humanity: He implores us to see and accept that this state, which is based on an erroneous identification with the egoic mind, is one of dangerous insanity.

Tolle tells us there is good news, however. There is an alternative to this potentially dire situation. Humani
Meditations book cover9

Meditations

Marcus Aurelius

4.4
One measure, perhaps, of a book's worth, is its intergenerational pliancy: do new readers acquire it and interpret it afresh down through the ages? The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius, translated and introduced by Gregory Hays, by that standard, is very worthwhile, indeed. Hays suggests that its most recent incarnation--as a self-help book--is not only valid, but may be close to the author's intent
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life book cover10

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life

Mark Manson

4.4
Alternate cover edition of ISBN 9780062457738

In this generation-defining self-help guide, a superstar blogger cuts through the crap to show us how to stop trying to be "positive" all the time so that we can truly become better, happier people.

For decades, we’ve been told that positive thinking is the key to a happy, rich life. "Fk positivity," Mark Manson says. "Let’s be honest, shit is fked and w
The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment book cover11

The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment

Eckhart Tolle

4.4
Eckhart Tolle is emerging as one of today's most inspiring teachers. In The
Power of Now, a #1 national bestseller, the author describes his transition
from despair to self-realization soon after his 29th birthday. Tolle took
another ten years to understand this transformation, during which time he
evolved a philosophy that has parallels in Buddhism, relaxation techniques,
and meditation theory but is
To Kill a Mockingbird book cover12

To Kill a Mockingbird

Harper Lee, Sissy Spacek, et al

4.3
The unforgettable novel of a childhood in a sleepy Southern town and the crisis of conscience that rocked it, To Kill A Mockingbird became both an instant bestseller and a critical success when it was first published in 1960. It went on to win the Pulitzer Prize in 1961 and was later made into an Academy Award-winning film, also a classic.

Compassionate, dramatic, and deeply moving, To Kill A Mocki
The Last Lecture book cover13

The Last Lecture

Randy Pausch

4.3
A lot of professors give talks titled 'The Last Lecture'. Professors are asked to consider their demise and to ruminate on what matters most to them: What wisdom would we impart to the world if we knew it was our last chance? If we had to vanish tomorrow, what would we want as our legacy?

When Randy Pausch, a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon, was asked to give such a lecture, he didn't
The Fault in Our Stars book cover14

The Fault in Our Stars

John Green

4.3
Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel's story is about to be completely rewritten.

Insightful, bold, irreverent, and raw, The Fault in Our Stars is award-winning author
The Art of Happiness book cover15

The Art of Happiness

Dalai Lama

4.3
Nearly every time you see him, he's laughing, or at least smiling. And he makes everyone else around him feel like smiling. He's the Dalai Lama, the spiritual and temporal leader of Tibet, a Nobel Prize winner, and an increasingly popular speaker and statesman. What's more, he'll tell you that happiness is the purpose of life, and that "the very motion of our life is towards happiness." How to get
How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence book cover16

How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence

Michael Pollan

4.3
Could psychedelic drugs change our worldview? One of America's most admired writers takes us on a mind-altering journey to the frontiers of human consciousness

When LSD was first discovered in the 1940s, it seemed to researchers, scientists and doctors as if the world might be on the cusp of psychological revolution. It promised to shed light on the deep mysteries of consciousness, as well as offer
17

Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life

Wendy Mass

4.3
In one month Jeremy Fink will turn thirteen. But does he have what it takes to be a teenager? He collects mutant candy, he won't venture more than four blocks from his apartment if he can help it, and he definitely doesn't like surprises. On the other hand, his best friend, Lizzy, isn't afraid of anything, even if that might get her into trouble now and then.

Jeremy's summer takes an unexpected tu
Siddhartha book cover18

Siddhartha

Hermann Hesse

4.3
Herman Hesse's classic novel has delighted, inspired, and influenced generations of readers, writers, and thinkers. In this story of a wealthy Indian Brahmin who casts off a life of privilege to seek spiritual fulfillment. Hesse synthesizes disparate philosophies--Eastern religions, Jungian archetypes, Western individualism--into a unique vision of life as expressed through one man's search for me
Walden book cover19

Walden

Henry David Thoreau

4.3
At Walden Pond, Henry David Thoreau reflected on simpler living in the natural world. By removing himself from the distractions of materialism, Thoreau hoped to not only improve his spiritual life but also gain a better understanding of society through solitary introspection.

In Walden, Thoreau condenses his two-year, two-month, two-day stay into a single year, using the four seasons to symbolize h
Tuesdays with Morrie book cover20

Tuesdays with Morrie

Mitch Albom

4.3
Maybe it was a grandparent, or a teacher or a colleague. Someone older, patient and wise, who understood you when you were young and searching, and gave you sound advice to help you make your way through it. For Mitch Albom, that person was Morrie Schwartz, his college professor from nearly twenty years ago.

Maybe, like Mitch, you lost track of this mentor as you made your way, and the insights fad
The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself book cover21

The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself

Michael A. Singer

4.3
Who are you? When you start to explore this question, you find out how elusive it really is. Are you a physical body? A collection of experiences and memories? A partner in a relationship? Each time you consider these aspects of yourself, you realize that there is much more to you than any of these can define.

In The Untethered Soul—now a New York Times bestseller—spiritual teacher Michael Singer
The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For? book cover22

The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For?

Rick Warren

4.3
A New Edition for A New Generation!

Two new bonus chapters on the most common barriers to living a purpose driven life.

Access to an online community where you can discuss your journey to purpose, get feedback, and receive support.

“Movie stars and political leaders aren’t the only ones turning to Rick Warren for spiritual guidance. Millions of people—from NBA and LPGA players to corporate executives
The Secret (The Secret, #1) book cover23

The Secret (The Secret, #1)

Rhonda Byrne

4.3
The Secret’s 10th Anniversary Edition includes a new foreword by Rhonda Byrne, and 10 of the most life-changing insights she’s had over the last 10 years of practicing and living The Secret every day. The 10 insights alone will accelerate your understanding and mastery of the law of attraction.
The Little Prince Family Storybook: Unabridged Original Text book cover24

The Little Prince Family Storybook: Unabridged Original Text

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

4.3
Rediscover Antoine de Saint-Exupery's universal masterpiece with original text and magnificent new illustrations created by masters of film animation. This wise and enchanginting fable teaches the secret of what is really important in life.
Maps of Meaning: The Architecture of Belief book cover25

Maps of Meaning: The Architecture of Belief

Jordan B. Peterson

4.2
Why have people from different cultures and eras formulated myths and stories with similar structures? What does this similarity tell us about the mind, morality, and structure of the world itself? Jordan Peterson offers a provocative new hypothesis that explores the connection between what modern neuropsychology tells us about the brain and what rituals, myths, and religious stories have long nar
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values book cover26

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values

Robert M Pirsig

4.2
This lyrical, evocative, thought-provoking journal of a man's quest for truth - and for himself - has touched and changed an entire generation, and is ready to reach out to a new one. At its heart, the story is all too simple: a man and his son take a motorcycle trip across America. But this is not a simple trip at all, for around every corner, through mountain and desert, wind and rain, and seari
Before I Fall book cover27

Before I Fall

Lauren Oliver

4.2
For popular high school senior Samantha Kingston, February 12—"Cupid Day"—should be one big party, a day of valentines and roses and the privileges that come with being at the top of the social pyramid. And it is … until she dies in a terrible accident that night.

However, she still wakes up the next morning. In fact, Sam lives the last day of her life seven times, until she realizes that by making
The Catcher in the Rye book cover28

The Catcher in the Rye

J. D. Salinger

4.2
The hero-narrator of The Catcher in the Rye is an ancient child of sixteen, a native New Yorker named Holden Caulfield. Through circumstances that tend to preclude adult, secondhand description, he leaves his prep school in Pennsylvania and goes underground in New York City for three days. The boy himself is at once too simple and too complex for us to make any final comment about him or his story
The Giver (The Giver, #1) book cover29

The Giver (The Giver, #1)

Lois Lowry

4.2
Twelve-year-old Jonas lives in a seemingly ideal world. Not until he is given his life assignment as the Receiver does he begin to understand the dark secrets behind this fragile community.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower book cover30

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Stephen Chbosky

4.2
Read the cult-favorite coming of age story that takes a sometimes heartbreaking, often hysterical, and always honest look at high school in all its glory. Now a major motion picture starring Logan Lerman and Emma Watson, The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a funny, touching, and haunting modern classic.

The critically acclaimed debut novel from Stephen Chbosky, Perks follows observant “wallflower” C
Little Women book cover31

Little Women

Louisa May Alcott

4.2
A beautiful unabridged 150th Anniversary Edition with 200 original illustrations and a Foreword by Alice L. George entitled "Why Little Women Endures 150 Years Later."

Little Women was originally published in two volumes in 1868 and 1869. This edition contains both volumes. It follows the lives of the four March sisters--Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy-- from childhood to womanhood and is loosely based on th
Tao Te Ching: By Lao Tzu - Illustrated book cover32

Tao Te Ching: By Lao Tzu - Illustrated

Lao Tse

4.2
A lucid translation of the well-known Taoist classic by a leading scholar-now in a Shambhala Pocket Library edition.
Written more than two thousand years ago, the Tao Teh Ching, or -The Classic of the Way and Its Virtue, - is one of the true classics of the world of spiritual literature. Traditionally attributed to the legendary -Old Master, - Lao Tzu, the Tao Teh Ching teaches that the qualities o
Life of Pi book cover33

Life of Pi

Yann Martel

4.2
Yann Martel's imaginative and unforgettable Life of Pi is a magical reading experience, an endless blue expanse of storytelling about adventure, survival, and ultimately, faith. The precocious son of a zookeeper, 16-year-old Pi Patel is raised in Pondicherry, India, where he tries on various faiths for size, attracting "religions the way a dog attracts fleas." Planning a move to Canada, his father
34

The Tao of Pooh

Benjamin Hoff

4.2
"Thought-provoking and charming."-- "Library Journal" Not all Great Masters of Wisdom are venerable graybeards. One is as familiar to us as that beloved teddy bear Winnie the Pooh. From the "how" of Pooh to the Tao of Pooh is a simple, effortless, joyous step...a delicious journey to Pooh Corner illuminated by the timeless teachings of the Taoist immortals.
35

Watership Down

Richard Adams

4.2
Set in England's Downs, a once idyllic rural landscape, this stirring tale of adventure, courage and survival follows a band of very special creatures on their flight from the intrusion of man and the certain destruction of their home. Led by a stouthearted pair of friends, they journey forth from their native Sandleford Warren through the harrowing trials posed by predators and adversaries, to a
Eat, Pray, Love book cover36

Eat, Pray, Love

Elizabeth Gilbert

4.2
A celebrated writer's irresistible, candid, and eloquent account of her pursuit of worldly pleasure, spiritual devotion, and what she really wanted out of life.

Around the time Elizabeth Gilbert turned thirty, she went through an early-onslaught midlife crisis. She had everything an educated, ambitious American woman was supposed to want—a husband, a house, a successful career. But instead of feel
37

Jonathan Livingston Seagull

Richard Bach, Russell Munson

4.2
This is a story for people who follow their hearts and make their own rules...people who get special pleasure out of doing something well, even if only for themselves...people who know there's more to this living than meets the eye: they’ll be right there with Jonathan, flying higher and faster than ever they dreamed.

Jonathan Livingston Seagull is no ordinary bird. He believes it is every gull's r
The Road book cover38

The Road

Cormac McCarthy

4.2
A searing, postapocalyptic novel destined to become Cormac McCarthy’s masterpiece.

A father and his son walk alone through burned America. Nothing moves in the ravaged landscape save the ash on the wind. It is cold enough to crack stones, and when the snow falls it is gray. The sky is dark. Their destination is the coast, although they don’t know what, if anything, awaits them there. They have noth
The Kite Runner book cover39

The Kite Runner

Khaled Hosseini and Simon & Schuster Audi

4.2
The unforgettable, heartbreaking story of the unlikely friendship between a wealthy boy and the son of his father’s servant, The Kite Runner is a beautifully crafted novel set in a country that is in the process of being destroyed. It is about the power of reading, the price of betrayal, and the possibility of redemption; and an exploration of the power of fathers over sons—their love, their sacri
Charlotte's Web book cover40

Charlotte's Web

E. B White and Kate DiCamillo

4.2
Don’t miss one of America’s top 100 most-loved novels, selected by PBS’s The Great American Read.

This beloved book by E. B. White, author of Stuart Little and The Trumpet of the Swan, is a classic of children's literature that is "just about perfect." This paper-over-board edition includes a foreword by two-time Newbery winning author Kate DiCamillo.

Some Pig. Humble. Radiant. These are the words
41

The Unbearable Lightness of Being

Milan Kundera

4.2
In The Unbearable Lightness of Being, Milan Kundera tells the story of a young woman in love with a man torn between his love for her and his incorrigible womanizing and one of his mistresses and her humbly faithful lover. This magnificent novel juxtaposes geographically distant places; brilliant and playful reflections; and a variety of styles to take its place as perhaps the major achievement of
The Book of Awakening: Having the Life You Want by Being Present to the Life You Have book cover42

The Book of Awakening: Having the Life You Want by Being Present to the Life You Have

Mark Nepo

4.2
Philosopher-poet and cancer survivor, Mark Nepo opens a new season of freedom and joy--an escape from deadening, asleep-at-the wheel sameness--that is both profound and clarifying. His spiritual daybook is a summons to reclaim aliveness, liberate the self, take each day one at a time, and to savor the beauty offered by life's unfolding. Reading his poetic prose is like being given second sight, ex
Into the Wild book cover43

Into the Wild

Jon Krakauer

4.1
Librarian's Note: An alternate cover edition can be found here

In April, 1992, a young man from a well-to-do family hitchhiked to Alaska and walked alone into the wilderness north of Mt. McKinley. His name was Christopher Johnson McCandless. He had given $25,000 in savings to charity, abandoned his car and most of his possessions, burned all the cash in his wallet, and invented a new life for himse
This Is Water: Some Thoughts, Delivered on a Significant Occasion, about Living a Compassionate Life book cover44

This Is Water: Some Thoughts, Delivered on a Significant Occasion, about Living a Compassionate Life

David Foster Wallace

4.1
Only once did David Foster Wallace give a public talk on his views on life, during a commencement address given in 2005 at Kenyon College. The speech is reprinted for the first time in book form in THIS IS WATER.

How does one keep from going through their comfortable, prosperous adult life unconsciously? How do we get ourselves out of the foreground of our thoughts and achieve compassion? The spee
The Bell Jar book cover45

The Bell Jar

Sylvia Plath

4.1
Sylvia Plath's shocking, realistic, and intensely emotional novel about a woman falling into the grip of insanity.

Esther Greenwood is brilliant, beautiful, enormously talented, and successful, but slowly going under—maybe for the last time. In her acclaimed and enduring masterwork, Sylvia Plath brilliantly draws the reader into Esther's breakdown with such intensity that her insanity becomes palp
The Fabric of the Cosmos: Space, Time, and the Texture of Reality book cover46

The Fabric of the Cosmos: Space, Time, and the Texture of Reality

Brian Greene

4.1
From Brian Greene, one of the world’s leading physicists and author the Pulitzer Prize finalist The Elegant Universe, comes a grand tour of the universe that makes us look at reality in a completely different way.

Space and time form the very fabric of the cosmos. Yet they remain among the most mysterious of concepts. Is space an entity? Why does time have a direction? Could the universe exist with
47

Man's Search for Meaning: A Young Adult Edition

Viktor E. Frankl and John Boyne

4.1
A young adult edition of the best-selling classic about the Holocaust and finding meaning in suffering, with a photo insert, a glossary of terms, a chronology of Frankl s life, and supplementary letters and speeches
The Library of Congress called it one of the ten most influential books in America; the "New York Times" pronounced it an enduring work of survival literature; and "O, The Oprah Magazi
48

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

Mary Ann Shaffer, Annie Barrows

4.1
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE ON NETFLIX - A remarkable tale of the island of Guernsey during the German Occupation, and of a society as extraordinary as its name.

"I wonder how the book got to Guernsey? Perhaps there is some sort of secret homing instinct in books that brings them to their perfect readers." January 1946: London is emerging from the shadow of the Secon
49

What On Earth Are We Doing Here: Our Purpose In Life

KW.C

4.1
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe (Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, #1) book cover50

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe (Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, #1)

Benjamin Alire Sáenz

4.1
Aristotle is an angry teen with a brother in prison. Dante is a know-it-all who has an unusual way of looking at the world. When the two meet at the swimming pool, they seem to have nothing in common. But as the loners start spending time together, they discover that they share a special friendship—the kind that changes lives and lasts a lifetime. And it is through this friendship that Ari and Dan
The Big Picture: On the Origins of Life, Meaning, and the Universe Itself book cover51

The Big Picture: On the Origins of Life, Meaning, and the Universe Itself

Sean Carroll

4.1
Already internationally acclaimed for his elegant, lucid writing on the most challenging notions in modern physics, Sean Carroll is emerging as one of the greatest humanist thinkers of his generation as he brings his extraordinary intellect to bear not only on Higgs bosons and extra dimensions but now also on our deepest personal questions. Where are we? Who are we? Are our emotions, our beliefs,
The Secret Life of Bees book cover52

The Secret Life of Bees

Sue Monk Kidd

4.1
Set in South Carolina in 1964, The Secret Life of Bees tells the story of Lily Owens, whose life has been shaped around the blurred memory of the afternoon her mother was killed. When Lily's fierce-hearted black "stand-in mother," Rosaleen, insults three of the deepest racists in town, Lily decides to spring them both free. They escape to Tiburon, South Carolina--a town that holds the secret to he
Tuck Everlasting book cover53

Tuck Everlasting

Natalie Babbitt

4.1
Doomed to—or blessed with—eternal life after drinking from a magic spring, the Tuck family wanders about trying to live as inconspicuously and comfortably as they can. When ten-year-old Winnie Foster stumbles on their secret, the Tucks take her home and explain why living forever at one age is less a blessing that it might seem. Complications arise when Winnie is followed by a stranger who wants t
The Shack book cover54

The Shack

William P. Young

4.1

The Shack, the cherished novel that sold over 23 million copies worldwide, spent 147 weeks on the bestseller list, and went on to become a major motion picture, is now available in a beautiful keepsake edition to celebrate its tenth anniversary of touching lives all over the world.

Mackenzie Allen Phillips's youngest daughter, Missy, has been abducted during a family vacation, and evidence that sh
Flowers for Algernon book cover55

Flowers for Algernon

Daniel Keyes

4.1
The story of a mentally disabled man whose experimental quest for intelligence mirrors that of Algernon, an extraordinary lab mouse. In diary entries, Charlie tells how a brain operation increases his IQ and changes his life. As the experimental procedure takes effect, Charlie's intelligence expands until it surpasses that of the doctors who engineered his metamorphosis. The experiment seems to be
56

A Work in Progress

Connor Franta

4.1
In this intimate memoir of life beyond the camera, Connor Franta shares the lessons he has learned on his journey from small-town boy to Internet sensation so far.

Here, Connor offers a look at his Midwestern upbringing as one of four children in the home and one of five in the classroom; his struggles with identity, body image, and sexuality in his teen years; and his decision to finally pursue hi
57

The Celestine Prophecy

James Redfield

4.1
The Celestine Prophecy contains secrets that are currently changing our world. Drawing on ancient wisdom, it tells you how to make connections among the events happening in your own life right now...and lets you see what is going to happen to you in the years to come!

A book that has been passed from hand to hand, from friend to friend, since it first appeared in small bookshops across America, The
58

The Next Person You Meet in Heaven

Mitch Albom

4.1

In this enchanting sequel to the number one bestseller The Five People You Meet in Heaven, Mitch Albom tells the story of Eddie’s heavenly reunion with Annie—the little girl he saved on earth—in an unforgettable novel of how our lives and losses intersect.

Fifteen years ago, in Mitch Albom’s beloved novel, The Five People You Meet in Heaven, the world fell in love with Eddie, a grizzled war veteran

The Will to Meaning: Foundations and Applications of Logotherapy book cover59

The Will to Meaning: Foundations and Applications of Logotherapy

Viktor E. Frankl

4.1
From the author of Man's Search for Meaning, one of the most influential works of psychiatric literature since Freud."Perhaps the most significant thinker since Freud and Adler," said The American Journal of Psychiatry about Europe's leading existential psychologist, the founder of logotherapy.
60

Faith not Fear: The True Account of One Man's Journey to the Other Side

John N. Naylor

4.1
Faith, not fear... even the flowers have faith."You have cancer," was not a sentence I ever wanted to hear. It ends up one of those life moments that everything leads towards and away from. Looking back, the days have merged into brain scans, seizures, treatments, emergencies and close calls that seem like a dream now. Cancer starts you on a new journey. For many, the purpose of this journey is to
61

Every Time I Find the Meaning of Life, They Change It: Wisdom of the Great Philosophers on How to Live

Daniel Klein

4.1
A humorous and philosophical trip through life, from the New York Times-bestselling coauthor of Plato and a Platypus Walk into a Bar . . .

Daniel Klein's fans have fallen in love with the warm, humorous, and thoughtful way he shows how philosophy resonates in everyday life. Readers of his popular books Plato and a Platypus Walk into a Bar . . . and Travels with Epicurus come for enlightenment and s
Fahrenheit 451 book cover62

Fahrenheit 451

Ray Bradbury

4.1
Guy Montag is a fireman. In his world, where television rules and literature is on the brink of extinction, firemen start fires rather than put them out. His job is to destroy the most illegal of commodities, the printed book, along with the houses in which they are hidden.

Montag never questions the destruction and ruin his actions produce, returning each day to his bland life and wife, Mildred, w
Power, Sex, Suicide: Mitochondria and the Meaning of Life book cover63

Power, Sex, Suicide: Mitochondria and the Meaning of Life

Nick Lane

4.1
If it weren't for mitochondria, scientists argue, we'd all still be single-celled bacteria. Indeed, these tiny structures inside our cells are important beyond imagining. Without mitochondria, we would have no cell suicide, no sculpting of embryonic shape, no sexes, no menopause, no aging.

In this fascinating and thought-provoking book, Nick Lane brings together the latest research in this exciting
64

The Art of Work: A Proven Path to Discovering What You Were Meant to Do

Jeff Goins

4.1
Jeff Goins, a brilliant new voice counting Seth Godin and Jon Acuff among his fans, explains how to abandon the status quo and live a life that matters with true passion and purpose.

The path to your life’s work is difficult and risky, even scary, which is why few finish the journey. This is a book about discovering your life’s work, that treasure of immeasurable worth we all long for. It’s about t
65

A Glossary of Life: Deeper Meaning Behind Our Common Words (National Winner - Best Indie Book Award)

Manny Garcia

4.1
66

The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy: Or the letter that was never sent to Harold Fry (Harold Fry, #2)

rachel joyce

4.1
From the author of the 2 million+ copy, worldwide bestseller, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, an exquisite, funny and heartrending parallel story.

When Queenie Hennessy discovers that Harold Fry is walking the length of England to save her, and all she has to do is wait, she is shocked. Her note to him had explained she was dying from cancer. How can she wait?

A new volunteer at the hospice s
67

Finding Meaning in the Second Half of Life: How to Finally, Really Grow Up

James Hollis

4.1
What does it really mean to be a grown up in today's world? We assume that once we "get it together" with the right job, marry the right person, have children, and buy a home, all is settled and well. But adulthood presents varying levels of growth, and is rarely the respite of stability we expected. Turbulent emotional shifts can take place anywhere between the age of thirty-five and seventy when
68

Thirteen Reasons Why

Jay Asher

4.1
You can’t stop the future.
You can’t rewind the past.
The only way to learn the secret . . . is to press play.


Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a strange package with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers several cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker–his classmate and crush–who committed suicide two weeks earlier. Hannah’s voice tells him that there are thirteen reason
The Wonder Weeks: From Fussy Phases to Magical Leaps, A Stress-Free Guide to Your Baby?s Predictable Behavior book cover69

The Wonder Weeks: From Fussy Phases to Magical Leaps, A Stress-Free Guide to Your Baby?s Predictable Behavior

Xaviera Plas-Plooij, Frans X. Plooij PhD, et al.

4.1
"The Wonder Weeks. How to stimulate your baby's mental development and help him turn his 10 predictable, great, fussy phases into magical leaps forward" describes in easy-to-understand terms the incredible developmental changes that all babies go through during the first 20 months of their lives. This is the extended, "fat" edition with 2 more chapters covering 2 more leaps in the mental developme
The Secret Language of Birthdays: Your Complete Personology Guide for Each Day of the Year book cover70

The Secret Language of Birthdays: Your Complete Personology Guide for Each Day of the Year

Gary Goldschneider and Joost Elffers

4.1
Combining astrology, numerology, and pure psychic intuition, The Secret Language of Birthdays is a wholly unique compilation that reveals one's strengths, weaknesses, and major issues while providing practical advice and spiritual guidance.

Many have suspected that your birthday affects your personality and how you relate to others. Nineteen years and over one million copies later, The Secret Lang
71

I Am the Messenger

Markus Zusak

4.1
protect the diamonds
survive the clubs
dig deep through the spades
feel the hearts


Ed Kennedy is an underage cabdriver without much of a future. He's pathetic at playing cards, hopelessly in love with his best friend, Audrey, and utterly devoted to his coffee-drinking dog, the Doorman. His life is one of peaceful routine and incompetence until he inadvertently stops a bank robbery.

That's when the firs
72

Inside Your Dog's Mind: What They Really Think

Pamela Weintraub

4.0
Barks, licks, growls and wags—get a greater understanding of what your dog is trying to communicate to you, and why!


Ever want to know what your dog was really thinking?

Learn how to decipher all the barks, licks, growls and wags—and get a greater understanding of what your dog is trying to communicate to you, and why. Plus, discover how our longstanding codependency makes for happier, healthier
Finding Meaning: The Sixth Stage of Grief book cover73

Finding Meaning: The Sixth Stage of Grief

David Kessler

4.0
In this groundbreaking new work, David Kessler—an expert on grief and the coauthor with Elisabeth Kübler-Ross of the iconic On Grief and Grieving—journeys beyond the classic five stages to discover a sixth stage: meaning.

In 1969, Elisabeth Kübler Ross first identified the stages of dying in her transformative book On Death and Dying. Decades later, she and David Kessler wrote the classic On Grief
74

Creating Beautiful Lives: The Ideal Way of Life - A Reunion of Art, Science, and Religion

Tom Lovett

4.0
75

The Case for God

Karen Armstrong

4.0
Moving from the Paleolithic age to the present, Karen Armstrong details the great lengths to which humankind has gone in order to experience a sacred reality that it called by many names, such as God, Brahman, Nirvana, Allah, or Dao. Focusing especially on Christianity but including Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Chinese spiritualities, Armstrong examines the diminished impulse toward rel
The Complete Language of Flowers: A Definitive and Illustrated History book cover76

The Complete Language of Flowers: A Definitive and Illustrated History

S. Theresa Dietz

4.0
The Complete Language of Flowers is a comprehensive dictionary for over 1,001 flower species. Along with a visual depiction, each entry provides the flower's name, characteristics, and historic meanings from mythology, medieval legends, folklore, and flower poetry.

For centuries, symbolic flower meanings have fascinated readers, writers, poets, and suddenly smitten couples alike. Extremely popular
77

The Meaning of Truth: Embrace Your Truth. Create Your Life.

Nicole J. Sachs, LCSW

4.0
There is a cure for chronic pain. If you suffer from pain or conditions which serve to limit your life and cultivate your fear, read this book and become awakened to a new world pf possibilities. The tools to heal yourself are here, and they are real and enduring. It is within your power to reclaim the aspects of your life which you have long relinquished due to illness and pain. Nicole J. Sachs,
The Power of Meaning: Crafting a Life That Matters book cover78

The Power of Meaning: Crafting a Life That Matters

Emily Esfahani Smith

4.0
This wise, stirring book argues that the search for meaning can immeasurably deepen our lives and is far more fulfilling than the pursuit of personal happiness.

There is a myth in our culture that the search for meaning is some esoteric pursuit that you have to travel to a distant monastery or page through dusty volumes to figure out life s great secret. The truth is, there are untapped sources of
79

The Time Keeper

Mitch Albom

4.0
In this fable, the first man on earth to count the hours becomes Father Time.

The inventor of the world's first clock is punished for trying to measure God's greatest gift. He is banished to a cave for centuries and forced to listen to the voices of all who come after him seeking more days, more years. Eventually, with his soul nearly broken, Father Time is granted his freedom, along with a magical
80

Elsewhere

Gabrielle Zevin

4.0
Welcome to Elsewhere. It is warm, with a breeze, and the beaches are marvelous. It's quiet and peaceful. You can't get sick or any older. Curious to see new paintings by Picasso? Swing by one of Elsewhere's museums. Need to talk to someone about your problems? Stop by Marilyn Monroe's psychiatric practice.

Elsewhere is where fifteen-year-old Liz Hall ends up, after she has died. It is a place so li
81

The Meaning of Life: A Very Short Introduction

Terry Eagleton

4.0
The phrase "the meaning of life" for many seems a quaint notion fit for satirical mauling by Monty Python or Douglas Adams. But in this spirited Very Short Introduction, famed critic Terry Eagleton takes a serious if often amusing look at the question and offers his own surprising answer.

Eagleton first examines how centuries of thinkers and writers--from Marx and Schopenhauer to Shakespeare, Sartr
82

The Death of Ivan Ilych

Leo Tolstoy

4.0
Hailed as one of the world's supreme masterpieces on the subject of death and dying, The Death of Ivan Ilyich is the story of a worldly careerist, a high court judge who has never given the inevitability of his dying so much as a passing thought. But one day, death announces itself to him, and to his shocked surprise, he is brought face to face with his own mortality.

How, Tolstoy asks, does an un
83

The Meaning of Life

E.D. Klemke and Steven M. Cahn

4.0
Featuring twenty-five insightful selections by prominent philosophers, literary figures, and religious thinkers, The Meaning of Life: A Reader, Fourth Edition, serves as an ideal core text for courses on the meaning of life and introduction to philosophy courses where the topic is emphasized. In Part I the articles defend the view that without faith in God, life has no meaning or purpose. In Part
84

The Map: Finding the Magic and Meaning in the Story of Your Life

Colette Baron-Reid

4.0
Your own powerful personal map can reveal your life's journey. We all have one! When you plot points on this map and discover all the archetypal landscapes you've been through-the battlefields, mountains, mirages, beautiful oases, wastelands, and more-YOU become The Mapmaker with the ultimate capacity to shape your destiny.. "The Map" is a work of art! It is a tool which can be used time and time
85

Prisoners of Our Thoughts: Viktor Frankl's Principles for Discovering Meaning in Life and Work

Alex Pattakos, Stephen R. Covey

4.0
7 Principles for Finding Meaning in Life & Work World-renowned psychiatrist Viktor Frankl's Man's Search for Meaning is one of the most important books of modern times. Frankl's extraordinary personal story of finding meaning amid the horrors of the Nazi concentration camps has inspired millions. Frankl vividly showed that you always have the ultimate freedom to choose your attitude-you don't have
86

The Doctor and the Soul: From Psychotherapy to Logotherapy

Viktor E. Frankl

4.0
Newly reissued in trade paperback, from the author of the bestselling Man's Search for Meaning--the classic book in which he first laid out his revolutionary theory of logotherapy.

Dr. Viktor E. Frankl is celebrated as the founder of logotherapy, a revolutionary mode of psychotherapy based on the essential human need to search for meaning in life. Even while suffering the degradation and misery of
Waiting for Godot book cover87

Waiting for Godot

Samuel Becket

4.0
The story revolves around two seemingly homeless men simply waiting for someone—or something—named Godot. Vladimir and Estragon wait near a tree, inhabiting a drama spun of their own consciousness. The result is a comical wordplay of poetry, dreamscapes, and nonsense, which has been interpreted as mankind’s inexhaustible search for meaning. Beckett’s language pioneered an expressionistic minimalis
Let Your Life Speak: Listening for the Voice of Vocation book cover88

Let Your Life Speak: Listening for the Voice of Vocation

Parker J. Palmer

4.0
PLEASE NOTE: Some recent copies of Let Your Life Speak included printing errors. These issues have been corrected, but if you purchased a defective copy between September and December 2019, please send proof of purchase to josseybasseducation@wiley.com to receive a replacement copy.

Dear Friends: I'm sorry that after 20 years of happy traveling, Let Your Life Speak hit a big pothole involving prin
Never Let Me Go book cover89

Never Let Me Go

Kazuo Ishiguro

4.0
From the Booker Prize-winning author of The Remains of the Day and When We Were Orphans, comes an unforgettable edge-of-your-seat mystery that is at once heartbreakingly tender and morally courageous about what it means to be human.

Hailsham seems like a pleasant English boarding school, far from the influences of the city. Its students are well tended and supported, trained in art and literature,
90

Life Ahead: On Learning and the Search for Meaning

Jiddu Krishnamurti

4.0
91

Veronika Decides to Die

Paulo Coelho

4.0
In his latest international bestseller, the celebrated author of The Alchemist addresses the fundamental questions asked by millions: What am I doing here today? and Why do I go on living?

Twenty-four-year-old Veronika seems to have everything she could wish for: youth and beauty, pleny of attractive boyfriends, a fulfilling job, and a loving family. Yet something is lacking in her life. Inside her

92

Of Human Bondage

W. Somerset Maugham, Benjamin DeMott, Maeve Binchy

4.0
The first and most autobiographical of Maugham's masterpieces. It is the story of Philip Carey, an orphan eager for life, love and adventure. After a few months studying in Heidelberg, and a brief spell in Paris as a would-be artist, he settles in London to train as a doctor where he meets Mildred, the loud but irresistible waitress with whom he plunges into a tortured and masochistic affair.
93

About a Boy

Nick Hornby

4.0
'How cool was Will Freeman?'

Too cool! At thirty-six, he's as hip as a teenager. He's single, child-free, goes to the right clubs and knows which trainers to wear. He's also found a great way to score with women: attend single parents' groups full of available (and grateful) mothers, all hoping to meet a Nice Guy.

Which is how Will meets Marcus, the oldest twelve-year-old on the planet. Marcus is a
94

Nothing

Janne Teller, Martin Aitken

4.0
When Pierre-Anthon realizes there is no meaning to life, the seventh-grader leaves his classroom, climbs a tree, and stays there. His classmates cannot make him come down, not even by pelting him with rocks. So to prove to Pierre-Anthon that life has meaning, the children decide to give up things of importance. The pile starts with the superficial—a fishing rod, a new pair of shoes. But as the sac
95

The End of Your Life Book Club

Will Schwalbe

4.0
The inspiring story of a son and his dying mother, who form a "book club" that brings them together as her life comes to a close.

Mary Anne Schwalbe is waiting for her chemotherapy treatments when Will casually asks her what she's reading. The conversation they have grows into tradition: soon they are reading the same books so they can have something to talk about in the hospital waiting room. The
96

By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept

Paulo Coelho

4.0
From Paulo Coelho, author of the bestselling The Alchemist, comes a poignant, richly poetic story that reflects the depth of love and life.

Rarely does adolescent love reach its full potential, but what happens when two young lovers reunite after eleven years? Time has transformed Pilar into a strong and independent woman, while her devoted childhood friend has grown into a handsome and charismatic
97

On the Road

Jack Kerouac

4.0
When Jack Kerouac’s On the Road first appeared in 1957, readers instantly felt the beat of a new literary rhythm. A fictionalised account of his own journeys across America with his friend Neal Cassady, Kerouac’s beatnik odyssey captured the soul of a generation and changed the landscape of American fiction for ever.

Influenced by Jack London and Thomas Wolfe, Kerouac always wanted to be a writer,
98

To Be Told: Know Your Story, Shape Your Future

Dan B. Allender

4.0
Would you willingly overlook clear direction from God that speaks directly to you and where you are in life right now?

God’s guidance is near at hand. He is not only your Authority, he is also your Author. As God writes the stories of your life, he uses your past to open up your future.

It is your privilege to listen to your own story so you can live boldly for the sake of the Greatest Story, the
99

Your Life in Color: Empowering Your Soul with the Energy of Color

Dougall Fraser

4.0
Drawn from years of experience and observation, internationally renowned psychic and cosmic life coach Dougall Fraser shares his method for utilizing the colors he intuitively sees emanating from people's souls. From white to gold to emerald green, every color has qualities that you can consciously draw strength and purpose from in order to support and guide you toward achieving your highest goals
100

Recollections: An Autobiography

Viktor E. Frankl

4.0