Books like On Love
12 books with a reading profile close to On Love by Alain de Botton. Inward-looking, contemplative and thought-provoking; a moderate read.
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1
Beautiful World, Where Are You
by Sally Rooney, Octavi Gil Pujol
Also inward-looking and thought-provoking · philosophy, literary
Alice, a novelist recovering from a psychiatric collapse, moves to a quiet Irish coastal town where she pursues a relationship with Felix, a local warehouse worker.
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2
The Consolations of Philosophy
Also inward-looking and contemplative · philosophy, accessible
Alain de Botton pairs six common human afflictions with the teachings of specific historical philosophers to demonstrate how logic applies to emotional pain.
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3
The Solitude of Prime Numbers
Also inward-looking and contemplative · accessible, literary
Alice and Mattia first meet as teenagers in an Italian town.
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4
Tell the Wolves I'm Home
Also inward-looking and contemplative · accessible, literary
Fourteen-year-old June Elbus struggles to navigate a world that feels increasingly narrow after the death of her uncle, Finn Weiss, a renowned painter who dies from AIDS in 1987.
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5
The Course of Love
Also inward-looking and contemplative · philosophy, literary
Alain de Botton tracks the long-term marriage of Rabih and Kirsten, moving past the initial spark of infatuation to the mundane reality of domesticity and child-rearing.
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6
Almond
Also inward-looking and contemplative · accessible, literary
Yunjae is born with alexithymia, a neurological condition caused by underdeveloped amygdalae that prevents him from feeling fear, anger, or affection.
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7
Three Women
by Lisa Taddeo
Also inward-looking · accessible, literary
Lisa Taddeo documents the intimate lives of three American women to map the landscape of female desire and social stigma.
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8
Veronika Decides to Die
by Paulo Coelho
Also inward-looking and contemplative · philosophy, literary
Twenty-four-year-old Veronika appears to have a perfect life in Ljubljana, Slovenia, yet she suffers from a profound sense of existential emptiness and boredom.
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9
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
by Stephen Chbosky, Stephen Chbosky
Also inward-looking and contemplative · accessible, literary
Charlie is an introverted high school freshman who narrates his life through a series of anonymous letters.
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10
The Happiness Hypothesis: Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom
Also inward-looking and contemplative · philosophy, accessible
Jonathan Haidt uses the metaphor of a wild elephant and its rider to explain the tension between the emotional, instinctive brain and the logical, rational mind.
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11
A Hero of Our Time
Also inward-looking and thought-provoking · philosophy, literary
Set against the rugged landscape of the Caucasus Mountains, the novel follows Grigory Pechorin, a young Russian officer whose life is defined by boredom and emotional detachment.
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12
If Cats Disappeared from the World
Also inward-looking and contemplative · philosophy, accessible
A terminally ill postman receives a visit from the devil, who offers him one extra day of life for every category of item he agrees to erase from existence.
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