z-library z-lib project

The Best Fictional Uplifting Books

12 mins read
864 views
Photo by Austin Distel on Unsplash
This article showcases our top picks for the Uplifting Books Fiction. We reached out to industry leaders and experts who have contributed the suggestions within this article (they have been credited for their contributions below). We are keen to hear your feedback on all of our content and our comment section is a moderated space to express your thoughts and feelings related (or not) to this article This list is in no particular order.

I Hope We Choose Love by Kai Cheng Thom

This product was recommended by Haris Bacic from PriceListo

This book, written by a trans woman, examines the issues we face as a society and encourages us to find reasons to live. It addresses the difficult subjects we struggle with in our communities, as well as how we inflict harm on one another. While we recognise that we can do better, love better, and be more compassionate, we can also do better. This is a decision between two paths, and I, like the author, hope we choose compassion. While I appreciate the hopeful and encouraging nature of this book, some of the chapters explore suicide and transphobia, so please be aware before you read it.

The Go-Giver by Bob Burg

This product was recommended by Andrew Flanagan from The Millionaire Blueprint Club

The Go-Giver tells the story of an ambitious young man who yearns for success. Joe is a true go-getter; though sometimes he feels as if the harder & faster he works, the further away his goals seem to be. One day, he seeks advice from the enigmatic Pindar – a legendary consultant. Pindar introduces Joe to a series of “go-givers. Pindar’s friends share with Joe the 5 Laws of Stratospheric Success & teach him how to open himself up to the power of giving. Joe learns changing his focus from getting to giving—putting others’ interests first & continually adding value to their lives—ultimately leads to unexpected returns.

Measuring the World by Daniel Kehlmann

This product was recommended by Niklas Göke from Four Minute Books

This incredibly funny and ironic novel re-invents the lives of Carl Friedrich Gauß, famous German mathematician, and Alexander von Humboldt, biologist, adventurer, scientist and explorer. It does away with boring facts and figures, and quickly tells the stories of their discoveries, most of which with humorous (and made up) twists. The narrative perspective switches between the two, eventually having them meet and become long-term pen pals. The book shows you that even the greatest minds of our time make mistakes and have their quirks, so your own become less of an obstacle on your journey. Second, it teaches you to always question your actions and that finding the best way is a constant process, which makes you fret less about adjusting and changing your mind. Third, it shows you that there’s no wrong approach when trying to get what you want. Some of us are introverts, like Gauß, and would prefer a quiet life at home with deep thinking, while others are happy to follow in Humboldt’s footsteps and travel the world, meet people, and learn everything from experience.

Inkheart by Cornelia Funke

This product was recommended by Niklas Göke from Four Minute Books

When Meggie spots a stranger in front of her father Mo’s house, who’s a bookbinder, weird things begin to happen. Dustfinger, as the stranger and apparently old friend of Mo is called, seems to be a troublemaker, whom aunt Elinor isn’t happy to see, when the three arrive at her house full of books, where Mo has some work to do. Soon Meggie discovers that the perpetual presence of books in her life is no coincidence, as her father can make them come to life when reading out aloud. I’m a strong believer that the answer to any question is always in a book. Therefore, anything that’ll make you pick up more books makes me happy. If anything, that’s what this book does. It’s not only an against-all-odds display of astonishing perseverance, but also reignites your spark of consistent learning. If I had to describe this book in just two words, I’d say it’s both magically human while also humanly magical, truly a tribute to readers all over the world.

Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne

This product was recommended by Niklas Göke from Four Minute Books

Phileas Fogg is a rich English gentleman of the old school, with discipline like clockwork and few pleasures, one of which is engaging with his friends at the Reform Club. When his friends discuss an article in The Daily Telegraph stating it is now possible to travel around the world in 80 days thanks to a new railway line in India, he takes a £20,000 (£1.6 million today) wager and sets off with his newly hired valet, Jean Passepartout (whose last name translates to “passport”). Using mostly trains and steamboats, the two make new friends, face lots of setbacks, get lost, find each other again. Will they make it in time? This is a book about possibility. Until Roger Bannister broke the four minute mark for running a mile in 1954, people thought it was impossible for more than a decade. Anything is impossible, until one man or woman does it. All of a sudden what’s possible is redefined (someone else ran a mile in less than four minutes a month after Bannister). Sometimes we just need someone to step up, take charge and say: “Alright, this is worth failing at, so I’ll do it.” This book makes you want to be that person.

Still Life by Sarah Winman

This product was recommended by Adam Arthur from Content Bounty

Winman’s literature (best known for When God Was A Rabbit) is always a bit magical (P. 169). Ulysses, an accidental meeting with Evelyn, a woman from post-war Italy, is the protagonist. This novel about all types of love takes place around Tuscan landscapes and foods, which are vividly described. The cast is unforgettable, and the story will make you smile.

The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared by J. Jonasson

This product was recommended by Anthony Quint from Get on Stream

It’s very rare that you find a boom centering around a character in their old age that isn’t depressing. I love this book because it gave me hope for when I’m older. It’s uplifting in the way it portrays the adventures of the aforementioned old man, and how even though he’s close to the end of his life- what a life it’s been. It’s an absolutely fantastic read.

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

This product was recommended by Paul Bowley from Abbeycare Group

I read this book when I was a child. Then again as a teenager, then again as an adult, and now I read it to my kids. On the surface, it’s just a story about a boy trying to find treasure, but it’s so much more than that. You join him on his journey as he finds meaning in life and purpose.

The Little Coffee Shop Of Kabul by Deborah Rodriguez

This product was recommended by Andrew Kemp from Smile Credentials

A story about five women coming together to change their lives for the better, and fight against impossible odds for safety. This little coffee shop in Kabul is just the background to an incredibly uplifting, and life-changing story.

The Five People That You Meet In Heaven by Mitch Albom

This product was recommended by Chris Kowalski from Autopadre

If you’ve ever felt that your life has no direction or purpose and have spent even a fraction of time trying to find an answer to the question “Why am I here?”, then you don’t want to read this book, you need to read it. Albom’s take on what happens in the afterlife is a beautiful, strange, and beguiling story that explains the eternal question and will make your heart sing and soul soar.

A River in the Ocean by Michael Allen

This product was recommended by Michael Allen from Michael Allen

A single father separated from his daughter by a near-fatal accident fights through amnesia to start searching for what’s missing in his life while deep down inside, his daughter knows she’s been missing something as well. He didn’t know he was looking and she didn’t know she needed found. It’s a heartwarming story about a precious girl who grows up thinking a quirky couple who took her in is her mother and father while the man she befriended who comes into her diner is her actual father. There are two notions of family in the book. One is the bloodline that courses through our veins and the strong ties that our DNA has to our ancestry. The other is the family that we make, bits and pieces from broken homes who somehow find each other.

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

This product was recommended by Elijah Miller from RC Ride On Cars

After a long day of working on my business, I love to relax with my son and read him some books (sometimes, I will cave and we will watch a movie.) Recently, we’ve been reading The Hobbit and I have to say we are both enjoying it in equal measure. My son loves all of the fantasy creatures, the hobbits, elves, dwarves, Gollum, the lot! I love the vast amount of world-building and lore that Tolkien has created. A very fun read that takes you away from your own stresses in life for an hour or so.

The Happiness Mindset by Brandon Stanberg

This product was recommended by Jen Jones from Your Dog Advisor

The Happiness Mindset by Brandon Stanberg is one of my favorite uplifting books. It is a book that will help you to find happiness in your life and live a more fulfilling life. This book is about how to be happy and how to live a happier life. It talks about the importance of gratitude, mindfulness, and self-compassion. The Happiness Mindset also talks about the importance of being present in the moment and not worrying about what might happen in the future or regretting what has happened in the past. This book will help you to find happiness in your life and live a more fulfilling life.

Frankly Feminist by Susan Weidman Schneider

This product was recommended by Olivia McCoy from Smith Publicity

Short story collections focusing on Jewish writers have—no surprise—typically given women authors short shrift. This new volume represents the best Jewish feminist fiction published in Lilith magazine, and does what no other collection has done before in its geographic scope, its inclusion of twenty-first-century stories, and its Jewish feminist focus. Organized by theme, the stories in this book emphasize a breadth of content, and our hope is that in reading you’ll appreciate the liveliness of the burgeoning self-awareness brought to life in each tale, and the occasional funny, call-your-friend-and-tell-her-about-it moment. Skip around, encounter an author whose other work you may know, be enticed by a title, or an opening line. We hope you’ll find both pleasure and enlightenment—and sometimes revelation—within these pages.

Persuasion by Jane Austen

This product was recommended by Beth Schubert from Own The Grill

I stopped reading books for a while, I was so busy with my grilling business that I told myself I didn’t have any more time for reading.. I did not think this would be the book to pull me back into my love of literature, but sure enough, it did! Persuasion is about a woman who turned down a lover because her family disapproved of him, only to come back into contact with him years later. It is a story of second chances, bravery, lost love, humor, and anguish. Once you get past the slightly complex language, this is a wonderful book that made me laugh, made me cry, and all of it was worth it for the ending. A truly wonderful book with a protagonist you’ll just love.

The Switch by Beth O’Leary

This product was recommended by Jim Campbell from Honeymoon Goals

One of my favorite all-time uplifting books is The Switch by Beth O’Leary, it is a beautifully written story about Lenna, a high-flying socialite from London swapping lives with her 79-year-old country-loving Grandma. It has all the laughs, romance, and family ties you need for a nice uplifting book.

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood

This product was recommended by Andrew Griffith from Garden Furniture

Even though the world has greatly progressed, the world is still riddled with misogyny and gender inequality. There is a thirst for equality among many feminists and rationalists. If you are a feminist, this book is for you. The books question all sorts of misogyny while taking the creative liberty of the fictional world. This is a periodic one with Renaissance as a theme but it engages you so much into the storyline as if it’s happening in your era.

The Dreamcatcher Codes by Barbara Newman

This product was recommended by Barbara Newman from Barbara Newman Author

The Dreamcatcher Codes builds cultural bridges, unity and hope while illuminating two critical issues of our time: climate change, and girls finding their voices and vital place in the world. Loved by both young adults and women of all ages, this award-winning eco-wonder is a love letter to Mother Earth and all her daughters. Using lyrical prose, it uplifts the reader by bringing them into the sacred beauty of the natural world, and celebrates the power of sisterhood, inspiring all of us to become stewards of our precious planet. The Dreamcatcher Codes has won numerous awards, including the coveted Nautilus, their mission– better books for a better world. It has also won awards in multiple categories: visionary fiction, nature and ecology, fiction/fantasy, adventure, and multicultural fiction. An epic read that brings hope

Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill

This product was recommended by Deepa Tailor from Tailor Law

Inspirational books always motivate and inspire individuals to achieve goals and drive them to success. Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich book is highly insightful and inspirational. The book teaches us how our personal beliefs and thoughts can help us succeed. One can follow the guidelines in this book as a complete guide to living a fulfilling life. You feel more confident and energetic when you’re driving towards success.

Anxious People by Fredrik Backman

This product was recommended by Brian Clark from United Medical Education

Fredrik Bakman in this book manages to club together the themes of sorrow, grief, hopelessness, failure, compassion, redemption, and hope. He intertwines many seemingly separate stories into one that never loses the reader’s attention. The humor in this book will never fail to make you laugh along with some pretty sad moments. The moments of grief however only serve to, later on, show how people can overcome such periods of feeling distraught and downcast. Just like his other books such as A Man Called Ove, Fredrik Bakman is able to help us look into difficult and serious questions such as finding happiness and meaning in life at the same time making you laugh your heart out; and smile even when you want to cry for all the characters in the story.

The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand

This product was recommended by Maria Ivanova from Mastermaid

The book, by Ayn Rand, is an excellent read for anyone who has been struggling with depression or anxiety. There are two main characters in the story, who encounter a lot of obstacles throughout the book. They deal with low self-esteem, bullying at school and in their family, and many other hardships. Throughout these challenges, they learn valuable lessons about life and how to overcome adversity. The author uses a simple but effective writing style that makes this book easy to read while still being informative. The lessons learned are applicable to any reader who has experienced similar struggles. This book will help you find peace within yourself and discover new ways of thinking about your life!

The Island of Summer Sunsets by Susan Sands

This product was recommended by Stephanie Kelly from Personal Farewells

Sail away with this heartwarming beach read about hope, family, and discovering who was meant for us. Among the dunes and salty spray, off the South Carolina coast, where the daily tide surges and the minnow counts are the only news in town, something big might change Janie Brooks’s life forever, for better or worse.

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

This product was recommended by Peter Erlandsson from All Guitar Stuff

I actually read this book after I saw the film (Swedish film), which is the opposite of what I usually do. But I did it because the film was so incredibly good, and the book was of course 10 times better. This story is truly uplifting and will warm your heart many times over. It’ll grab your soul and give it a good old bear hug, restore your faith in humanity and leave you wanting more.

My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry by Fredrik Backman

This product was recommended by Smriti Tuteja from Yogic Experience

Uplifting is an understatement for this profound piece. It assures you of the good in this dark world. It convinces you that when all is grim, only one relationship to fall back on is enough. It’d be a silly story if it didn’t have big emotions tucked in it. It takes you by surprise and leaves you gasping as you wipe another tear but it doesn’t make you sad; it makes you full. A heartwarming tale of love and loss, this book will stay etched in your memory forever.

The Cloud by Robert Rivenback

This product was recommended by Abigail Richards from Tech President

This is a good uplifting fiction book. It revolves around a future time when every imaginable pleasure is accessible but the world can collapse with a single upload in the cloud. Hence, these VR fantasies are what make the world go round. However, with a psychic hacker threatening to destroy this world, the protagonist must do everything to protect it.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

Photo by Spencer on Unsplash
Previous Story

The Best Inspirational Books To Read Online

Photo by Alessio Soggetti on Unsplash
Next Story

The Best Inspirational Books About Running

Latest from Book Lists

Don't Miss