I’m a book lover. I read books growing up. I found myself through books, I felt less lonely when I read books because they gave me the sense that someone else out there had the same experience as me, that I’m not crazy. Most books I mention here will fall into the self-help and spirituality category. Some of them awakened me, others changed the way I see the world, but all of them have had a great impact on my faith and beliefs. They’ve shaped my mind and my whole life. I can never express enough gratitude to these authors, as they inspire me to be a writer myself. I hope one day, my book will be recommended on someone else’s blog, just like the way I do it here.
Today, I will recommend 14 books that have changed my life so much, they turned me into a new person after finishing them. Each book is different. They carry their own message; therefore, they will change us in their unique way. You don’t need to read all of them, just pick one or two if you feel called to. I feel like in each period of life, we will encounter the knowledge and wisdom that help us move forward. I don’t know where you are, but I believe you will have the answer in one of the books below.
1. A New Earth – Eckhart Tolle
This is one of the most famous books in the spirituality world. It’s the one that triggered my first awakening. Honestly, I can’t even remember the content of this book, but I remember the feeling when I read it vividly. It made me want to live a better life, contribute to a better world. For the first time in my life, I felt so calm and peaceful, and I felt like I had a purpose here.
For a long time, this one was always my first choice if someone asked me to recommend a good book. I also gifted it to people. I just hope this book can help them as much as it helped me. I will never forget the moment I read it, such a mind-opening experience, I felt alive. Until now, I have never come back to read that book again, as I think it has finished its purpose of awakening something special in me. I have friends who share the same admiration for this one. So you should definitely check this out if you haven’t.
2. The Power of Now – Eckhart Tolle
Another work from Eckhart Tolle, this is his first book that went viral and made his name. People said it was a hit back then. I read this one after A New Earth because I was in awe of how the book changed me. The Power of Now talks about mindfulness, how you can eliminate anxiety, worries, and stress if you come back to the presence of right here and right now. All of the problems you have are because you think about the future and the past. At this current moment, everything is fine, you have all you need to be happy in this world.
A funny story about this book: because this was Eckhart Tolle’s first book, he was not sure if people would welcome it or if they would think he was crazy, so he told himself that if no one read it, he would go home to sell tomatoes. In the end, it was a big hit, so we never had a chance to have Eckhart Tolle, the tomato guy. We now have Eckhart Tolle, a lovely author instead.
3. Untethered Soul – Michael A. Singer
Bringing me the same experience as A New Earth, The Untethered Soul by Michael Singer helped me navigate my trauma and heal my past. He has a technique to release any negative emotions, encouraging us to face them directly instead of hiding from them. If you avoid your pain and your fear, you will be affected by them forever. In the meantime, just by confronting the triggers, you will be free.
Michael Singer has a charming and witty writing style. If Eckhart Tolle sounds like a teacher, Michael Singer is your friend. Reading his book feels like talking with a buddy, where he tells you his life story and lessons. This book targets every aspect of life. It brings you answers for any problem you have, and changes you forever.
4. SIDDHARTHA – Hermann Hesse
This is one of the best books I’ve read. I can’t explain my full experience with this one because it’s so surreal, it’s so special. It’s like an epiphany moment, where I realize everything comes to the point that we are one. We live multiple lives, each human being is another version of us experiencing that life. When we’re done, we move on to the next lesson.
Siddhartha is the former name of Buddha when he was still a prince. Based on the story of Siddhartha leaving his kingdom to find the meaning of life, Hermann Hesse delivers many philosophical answers to the audience. He won the Nobel Prize for this book, and to me, he 100% deserves it. This is a masterpiece. I believe you will close it with a glimpse of enlightenment. This one makes you question your whole life, and it changes you forever.
5. The Alchemist – Paulo Coelho
One of the best-selling books of the century, this is not only a novel about the adventure of Santiago, a shepherd boy going to the Pyramid. It’s the journey of anyone who strives for their dream. Reading The Alchemist, you will see yourself, and you will reflect back on your life. No matter where you are on your path, you will resonate with Santiago and his journey.
Paulo Coelho said that when he wrote this book, he wrote it from his soul, because at that place, everyone could feel it and see it the same way he felt. This is why the book resonates with billions of people around the world. The Alchemist is a rare artwork that I come back to once in a while. Each time, I learn something new, and I see myself at a different milestone. This is also an inspiration for my blog’s name. ALKIMMIE is a combination of alchimie (Alchemist in French) and Kimmie, my name. I forever hold this book inside my soul, for it speaks right to my heart and core.
6. Good Luck – Alex Rovira & Fernando Trías
This small and thin book contains a treasure in itself. It is a story about two knights looking for a four-leaf flower. Each one of them has a different approach, but in the end, only one can find the lucky flower.
This book teaches us how to create the conditions for success. Opportunities are given equally to everyone; but the ones who can seize the chance will be the winners. Luck is a myth. People see someone succeed and think they’re lucky, but this is the result of their faith, hard work, and consistency. It takes only one or two hours of reading, and this book will help you create the luck for yourself. In the end, opportunities will always come, but you have to make sure that you’re prepared, that you’re ready to take a chance.
This one is especially suitable for anyone who wants to succeed in business. I’ve seen it everywhere in my country. It’s very popular around sales and startup communities.
7. The Go Giver – Bob Burg & John D. Mann
Similar to Good Luck, this is a little book about the size of a notebook, but it gives us a big lesson about how to make more money in the business world.
Following the main character, a guy who is stuck at his job and just wants to make more money so that he can enjoy life, he then meets a famous entrepreneur, a man who is kind enough to share with him five secrets to change his life and reach the level of success he always dreamed of. The story is short, straight to the point, with no beating around the bush. It teaches you how giving is the seed of receiving, and the more you give, the more you get back. We don’t need to live in a lacking mindset anymore. Instead, we’re thriving in abundance when we’re willing to help more people. I used to write down those five secrets on a note and keep it in my purse, so I could constantly remind myself of the lessons.
8. The Karma of Love – Geshe Michael Roach
Enough about making money and doing business, love is another aspect of life that most of us struggle with. Some people spend their entire life looking for the right person, but always get back disappointment. If you’re questioning your love life, this book is for you.
Inspired by the law of karma in Buddhism, the core of this book is that you reap what you sow. In order to have your dream love, you have to sow the right seed so that when the time comes, your good result will bloom. This book contains 100 questions about 100 problems in relationships. I believe you will see yourself in one of them. It helps you find your dream partner, turn them into the version you want, and solve any problem between both of you, from small ones like “my partner is snoring” to big ones like “how can I make my girlfriend’s boobs bigger?” How interesting!!!
9. The Autobiography of a Yogi – Paramahansa Yogananda
I love this book. It’s nothing like the others. It isn’t written in the third-person point of view. The author is not teaching you, he just talks about his life experience with his beloved teacher.
Following Yogananda from when he was a child to becoming a yogi who had a great impact on the Western world, readers learn about yogis, yoga, and so much more than that. The author mentions multiple paranormal experiences, which we could never witness in real life, but he tells them as if they were normal in India, the land of gods and deities. This book completely opened me up to a new world: how yogis achieve their supernatural state of mind, how they have special abilities, which a normal human being can only dream of or see in movies. By the way he told the story, I’m sure that he experience it himself. It’s not imagination but real life.
More than anything, this book is filled with love. The love of Yogananda for his teacher and vice versa. I can feel how much they love each other, more than father and son, beyond normal emotions. That love is pure, divine, and beautiful. This book is lighthearted and fun. Yogananda is like a child experiencing the magical world for the first time. We see how he was punished by his teacher, how he faced awkward and funny situations, and how silly he was on the journey to become a famous yogi. His storytelling style is fun and witty. If you haven’t read it, you definitely should. It’s going to be one of your favourites, I swear.
10. Into the Magic Shop – James Doty
Written by a neurosurgeon who came from poverty, experienced ups and downs in life, and found the secrets of the heart and life, Into the Magic Shop is a touching story that will change how you view life and the world.
Honestly, if you ask me to summarize the book, I can’t. I don’t even remember most of it, since it’s been five years since I read it. However, I do remember the feeling I had with the book. I felt like I could make my dream come true, I could make it happen if I was persistent enough, worked hard enough, and believed in myself enough.
This book also taught me the meaning of life. What should we strive for, and how money can’t buy true happiness. In the end, only when you live your life’s purpose, when you help people and the world, can you feel the love and happiness filling your heart and your life.
11. The first and last freedom – Jiddu Krishnamurti
Krishnamurti is my favourite author, I love him dearly. He is a dedicated and strict teacher. If you ever listen to his videos on YouTube, you’ll feel his strong urge to help his people and the world. He desperately hopes that we can understand what he is trying to express. He just wants to get his message out with everything he can.
I only read this one book of him, but as the name suggests, it brings me everything I need to break free from this human dilemma, to detach myself from any feelings, emotions, morals, and social rules. He strips away our ego, letting us come back to our raw, naked self, where we have to face every dark corner we try to bury. He helps us accept who we are, make peace with our mind, in order to turn us into a new version: no judgment, no ego, just pure love and light.
“There is really only one war, the war within ourselves, which produces external wars.” His quote forever lies in my heart, for he teaches that if we want peace in the world, we have to make peace with ourselves first. This is brilliant and outstanding.
12. Awareness – Anthony de Mello
This small book can help you detach from your own emotions and thoughts, knowing that you’re not them. You’re better and bigger than that. When you stop identifying yourself with what you feel, you can see the situation as it is, and you can appreciate the beauty and blessings of this life.
One story I remember the most from this book is that the author, a priest, said the most grateful person he had ever met in the world was a taxi driver, who had lost a part of his body and sold his organ to support his family, because he was too poor. But he was happy to be here, just being alive was enough. He was grateful for having the chance to experience this life; everything was magical to him. This story changed the way I look at life. I see how blessed I am with my health and a safe home to come back to. In the end, just being here is enough to be grateful.
13. Power and Force – David R. Hawkins
This book is based on scientific research. Dr. David Hawkins and his team worked for many years to prove that our human body knows exactly what it is doing, and it knows what is best for us. The source energy moves our body effortlessly, compared to the force we use to make things happen the way we want.
In the book, we have a measurement for high and low energy based on our state of mind and emotions. On the lower scale are anger, jealousy, and depression; on the higher scale are love, happiness, and enlightenment. This book teaches us to flow with life, and how to reach a higher level of awareness by listening to our body’s instincts.
If you’re more of a scientific person, who needs proof rather than just random quotes out of nowhere, this one is for you. It doesn’t have the same vibe as Eckhart Tolle and Michael Singer’s books, since Dr. Hawkins’ work is more about research and scientific evidence.
14. Sapiens – Yuval Noah Harari
Let’s finish this list with a book about the history of mankind. How did humans evolve from a form of apes? How was this modern society built and shaped from our ancient ancestors? According to the past, how will our future unfold? How can we create the outcome for our species?
When we live our daily lives, we see the world as our surroundings and everyone we know, and we think our problems are so big. But when we look back to the past, we see the flow of history and how tiny, how humble we are as a part of this world’s evolution. After 100 or 1000 years, our lives can be summarized in one sentence, or one chapter in a history book. How small it is compared to whatever we’re facing right now. Looking back, we are in awe of how magnificent this life is. Many humans before us were living this same blessing, having the chance to be alive, to experience all of this. As a result, we appreciate this life more, and we squeeze the best out of each moment. This is my own experience of the book.
There are 14 books that have changed my life so much. I’d love to recommend them to everyone if I have a chance. I hope one day, I can see my book getting recommended somewhere else. These authors are at the top of the world, and they are my biggest inspiration.
At first, I thought being a writer looked cool, but then I saw how books can change people, how they spread light to the world in a unique way. I see the authors as people with a big purpose in life, where they have a mission to affect as many people as possible. I believe the world is meant to get better every day, and I deeply wish that I can be a part of that positive movement.
Thank you so much for spending time with me. I hope you can pick a book for yourself. And if you have any favorite ones, don’t forget to leave a comment down below, so that people in need can see them.
Hope you guys have a good day. See ya.
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