15 Life-changing Books similar to The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
I’ve seen The Alchemist on most people’s read list.
Whether they read 100 books a year or 1 book a year, most readers have already read Santiago’s profound and enlightening journey to the Pyramids and back.
I felt most fascinated by the part in the book that makes us realize that what we were looking for all over the world was always right next to us, before our eyes. We just never understood its value.
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The natural question that pops up after this philosophical book is, what should I read next?
So here’s a curated list of books that are similar in content to The Alchemist, in the sense that they offer plenty of lessons for finding meaning in life. Either by intentionally seeking them or by embarking on a journey to receive them or through some remarkable incidents in the life of the characters in the story.
Unique Book Recommendations to help you find your next read
Best Classic books like The Alchemist
Siddhartha is the son of a royal man. But his natural yearnings instigate him to seek deeper meaning in life and take him on a path of wandering. His good friend accompanies him on the journey. They meet and learn many new people and things. But circumstances lead to their separation. Siddhartha then meets Kamla with whom he enjoys worldly pleasures and worldly duties. But that too does not satisfy him for long and he sets on his final path to enlightenment and he finds a fisherman who becomes his ardent friend. Discover Siddhartha’s journey through this intimate portrayal of his life and learnings.
In The Little Prince, its speaker, the pilot, discusses being stuck in the desert beside his crashed aircraft. This is where he meets a small man who he calls the little prince.
The story follows this prince who visits various planets in space, including Earth and addresses themes of loneliness, friendship, love, and loss. Despite its primary genre as a children's book, The Little Prince makes observations about life, and human nature that apply to adults.
The author’s study of the human mind and its presentation in a humorous, appealing, and yet profound way will win your heart over. This little book is much for the adults as for the kids.
A young boy, Piscine, separated from his parents after their boat was wrecked by a storm at sea. He is one of the few survivors, another being a tiger, Richard Parker. Although it sounds like a fantasy adventure, it’s also a philosophical novel. 227 days, he is on a small lifeboat with a man-eating tiger.
It’s a very strange but unforgettable story, for obvious reasons, that will definitely give you lessons on the relativity of truth and of course about life. Choose the story of your life.
If not for philosophy, read it for the adventure of a lifetime.
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Insightful read through the mind of an autistic child. But it emphasizes more on difference, being an outsider, or seeing the world in a revealing literal way.
It is also a murder mystery, inspired by the author’s love for Sherlock Holmes stories.
Christopher, the 15-year-old boy in the story is accused of killing the neighbor’s dog. He decides to investigate the truth. But his investigation leads to other surprising discoveries. But all is well that ends well.
A delightful story about the brilliant mind of a young boy that will teach you about trust and honesty.
The Prophet is a book most gifted as it serves various occasions in a person’s life. The Prophet categorizes its dealings into chapters by work, love, marriage, eating and drinking, joy and sorrow, self-knowledge, teaching, friendship, prayer, pleasure, beauty, religion, crime and punishment, reason and passion, and death.
Translated into more than 40 languages he talks of the prophet, Almustafa, who has lived in Orphalese for 12 years and is about to start his journey back home on a ship. He is stopped by a group of people and with them, he begins discussions on topics such as life and the condition of the human.
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Historical books similar to The Alchemist
An exemplary book about humanity. With themes of survival and endurance, the book has equal parts fun and equal parts tear-jerking situations.
Set in War-torn France it’s an original and complex novel inspired by the horrors of World War II and written in small, neat chapters that explore the conflicting power of technology. The story’s central protagonists are a blind French girl, Marie-Laure LeBlanc, and a German Boy Werner Pfening whose destinies are intertwined.
The book paints beautiful imagery, haunts with elegant writing, and has rightly won the Pulitzer in 2015, hands down.
One hundred years of solitude tells the multi-generational story of the Buendia family from Columbia.
The powerful elements in the novel are its themes of magic, fantasy, humor, destiny, and time. From the fear of having a baby with a pig's tail, the novel's major theme of solitude is psychological, as much as physical; their genetic fear gives them an illogical enthusiasm for the fantastic, and it hinders their ability for genuine love and honest communication.
Travel Books to read like The Alchemist
A memoir by the author that chronicles her trip around the world that enabled her to find good food (eat) in Italy, spirituality, and peace (pray) in India, and finally loves a Brazilian businessman in Indonesia.
After the book and the movie starring Julia Roberts Eat, Pray, Love became more of a phenomenon than a piece of literature. This book reminds us again that you may have everything and yet have nothing. Liz believes she has it all, a home, a marriage, a career, and yet she is confused and discontent.
Embark on a journey to self-discovery on this daring journey with Liz.
Krakauer’s riveting bestseller explores a famed missing person mystery while unraveling the larger riddles it holds: the profound pull of the American wilderness on our imagination; the allure of high-risk activities to young men of a certain cast of mind; the complex, charged bond between fathers and sons.
Non-fiction books like The Alchemist
A charming memoir that tells us about the life of Morrie Schartz, professor of sociology to Mitch Albom, the author of this book. Mitch and Morrie were Tuesday people and when Morrie got fatally ill he decided to be useful even in death. He spoke about many things life, death, family, love, relationships respect, etc. and it was these conversations that Mitch recorded and turned into this inspirational book.
Explore the dynamics of a teacher-student relationship through this tender story of a man who continues to live and teach people the world over decades after his death.
Miguel Ruiz offers four elements of practical advice that he believes if followed by heart will lead to a fulfilled, content, and peacefully free life. Be Impeccable With Your Word. · Don't Take Anything Personally. · Don't Make Assumptions. · Always Do Your Best. The message is simple short and sweet. And the meaning and examples are covered in detail in every chapter.
Clear your mind and live your life with these principles and experience personal freedom like never before. The freedom we seek is the freedom to be ourselves. Our truest selves.
Considered a life-changing read by many readers, The Secret by Rhonda Byrne is a self-help book that motivates the reader about a universal paradigm about success that can be attained through it remains a secret for most people. The book is about unveiling this little secret that may transform how people’s outlook and lead them on to the road to true happiness.
A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment. Much more than simple principles and platitudes, The Power of Now embarks readers on a spiritual journey to find their true and deepest selves. To reach the penultimate in personal growth and spirituality: the discovery of truth and light.
The journey through every chapter is thrilling, and along the way, the author shows how to attach to the imperishable spirit of our existence, the eternal, ever-present One Life beyond the innumerable forms of life that endure birth and death.
Robin Sharma imparts wisdom to create a life of passion, purpose, and peace. This inspiring tale provides a step-by-step approach to living with courage, balance, abundance, and joy. A wonderfully crafted fable that tells the extraordinary story of Julian Mantle, a lawyer forced to confront the spiritual crisis of his out-of-balance life.
Discover Practical lessons that will teach you to develop happy thoughts, follow your calling, cultivate self-discipline, value time, and nurture relationships.
More Books Similar to The Alchemist
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