Books like The Consolations of Philosophy
12 books with a reading profile close to The Consolations of Philosophy by Alain de Botton. Inward-looking and contemplative; a moderate read.
-
1
The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet
by John Green
Also contemplative · philosophy, literary
John Green evaluates the current geological age through a series of personal essays that assign star ratings to facets of the human-dominated world.
-
2
If Cats Disappeared from the World
Also inward-looking and contemplative · philosophy, literary
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.
-
3
On Love
Also inward-looking and contemplative · philosophy, literary
Alain de Botton tracks the trajectory of a romantic relationship between two passengers, Chloe and Alice, who meet on a flight from Paris to London.
-
4
This Is Water: Some Thoughts, Delivered on a Significant Occasion, about Living a Compassionate Life
Also inward-looking and contemplative · philosophy, literary
Originally delivered as a 2005 graduation speech, this essay focuses on the mental discipline required to overcome the "default setting" of self-centeredness.
-
5
Bad Feminist
by Roxane Gay
philosophy, literary
Roxane Gay uses this collection of essays to analyze the contradictions between feminist ideology and contemporary pop culture.
-
6
Exit West
by Mohsin Hamid
Also contemplative · philosophy, literary
Saeed and Nadia meet in an unnamed city teetering on the edge of civil war.
-
7
The Devil and Miss Prym
by Paulo Coelho, Amanda Hopkinson
philosophy, literary
A mysterious stranger enters the isolated village of Viscos carrying eleven bars of gold and a heavy question.
-
8
The Book Thief
by Markus Zusak
Also inward-looking and contemplative · literary, accessible
In 1939 Nazi Germany, Death narrates the life of Liesel Meminger, a young girl living with foster parents on Himmel Street.
-
9
Was man von hier aus sehen kann
by Mariana Leky
Also inward-looking and contemplative · literary, accessible
Luise, a ten-year-old girl in a small village in the German Westerwald, learns that whenever her grandmother Selma dreams of an okapi, someone in the village will die within twenty-four hours.
-
10
The Joy Luck Club
by Amy Tan
Also inward-looking and contemplative · literary, accessible
Set in San Francisco, the narrative follows four Chinese immigrant mothers and their American-born daughters who gather as the Joy Luck Club.
-
11
What's So Amazing About Grace?
Also inward-looking and contemplative · philosophy, accessible
Philip Yancey examines the application of grace within the modern Christian church and secular society.
-
12
Behold the Dreamers
by Imbolo Mbue
Also inward-looking · literary, accessible
Jende Jonga, a Cameroonian immigrant living in Harlem, secures a job as a chauffeur for Clark Edwards, an executive at Lehman Brothers.
Get picks matched to your own reading on papr.
Get papr
