Books to Read at Least Once in Life | Book Recommendations

There are some books that you read for fun and barely remember the plot afterward. Then, there are some books that you read once, and they change your life forever. The following list contains books that have changed my life and I could not help but share them with you.

Just so you know, this list may or may not have some spoilers. I’m still not sure what counts as a spoiler these days, so I want to say something just to be sure.

1. On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong

This book reads like a letter to the main character’s mom, in which the main character learns to understand his own life by emotionally traveling to the past to understand his mother’s life. Also, in understanding his mother’s life, he had to understand his grandmother’s. The author’s written words are poetic and his writing cuts deep. A lot of ancestral healing happens between the first and last chapters of this book.

2. The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang

This book is one of my favorite books to reread. If you are neurodivergent and want to understand yourself better, or you know someone who is neurodivergent and you want to understand them better, this book is a fun and romantic introduction to this topic. I believe that fiction is a great way to learn about yourself and the world around you. This book helps you understand what it means to fall for someone who is neurodivergent.

3. Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison

This book created a core memory for me. It was the book that got me into reading and made me an avid reader. Song of Solomon is another book about going to the past to understand your life in the present. This book was my first introduction to magical realism and I did not know it at the time.

In the summer right before my senior year of high school, I won a collection of books for summer reading and Toni Morrison’s “Song of Solomon” was on the list. I wish I read this book last, because right after reading it, I was astounded by the writing and read it again back-to-back. Then, I pondered this book for the rest of that summer. Toni Morrison is still my favorite author to this day and I think she will be for all of my days. If this is not enough to convince you to read this book, I don’t know what will be.

4. The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom by don Miguel Ruiz

As humans, we are constantly changing and evolving as we experience new things and learn new life lessons. This book comes with four agreements that you can return to as you evolve and grow in your own personal journey. When I read this book, it felt like watching your comfort show; you can see how you’ve grown while the agreements remain the same.

5. The Hours by Michael Cunningham

This book was adapted into a movie in the early 2000s, and in my opinion, it is timeless. The story follows the lives of three women and how their paths eventually converge in a meaningful way. I won’t spoil the book for you, but the story of one of the women stayed with me to this day and I think about that character often. This story illustrates how important a decision can be because while your decisions may affect the people you know, your decisions can also ricochet into the lives of people you may never know or meet.

6. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

This is a period piece, but the themes are universal. There is a romance growing through friendship between a governess and the master of the household, but that is just the surface of what’s brewing. This book explores the effects of mental health, the impact of mental health on women, and how mental health impacts not only the person but also the families involved. There is also commentary on the class system and its role in romance.

7. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

There are so many amazing quotes that stay with you after reading this book. The main character goes on an adventure, leaving as one person but returning as someone different as the adventure changes him. The writing is poetry and there is some powerful imagery. Would definitely recommend immersive reading with this one (add the audiobook to the mix)! I would also like to say that this was the first book that showed me that the right book finds you when you need it. Another similar saying is that you may have a book for a long time, but you will read it when the time is right. This was the case for me with this book. Someone recommended this book to me six years before I was ready to read it. However, when I finally read it, I was able to fully receive it.

8. Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

The plot of this book is phenomenal! Reading this book felt like an immersive experience. It was hard to leave this world when the book was done. It was to the point that I also read the sequel, written by another author, just to return to the world the original author crafted. The story follows a woman who marries a man who was previously married and learns what it is like to live in someone else’s memory and experience the lingering effect of their presence. This book has been adapted into many films, but rightfully so. Did I mention that this plot is phenomenal?

9. The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros

This book is short, but it packs a literary punch. The book follows the story of the main character, Esperanza, and the nuances and experiences of life in her neighborhood, as well as the effects they have on her and those around her. The ending of this book still gives me chills. The way the book ends and the author’s words are unforgettable. I will just leave the last three sentences of the book with you: “They will not know I have gone away to come back. For the ones I left behind. For the ones who cannot out.”

10. All About Love by bell hooks

This book explores the topic of self love and community love and deftly illustrates how both are intertwined with each other for wholeness. Self-care and community care exist in so many different forms, but they are stronger together than alone. I see this book as a calibration system to discover where you are in your journey and where you would like to go. Although the title of this article is about reading books at least once in your life, I do believe that you can gain something new from reading this book more than once.

11. Attached by Amir Levine, M.D. & Rachel S.F. Heller

The one thing this book taught me is that although we may have factory settings based on our childhoods, attaching and relating to others is a dance. In a way, I see us all as dancing between two versions of ourselves, who we want to be and who life has conditioned us to be. The people we meet in our journeys can activate one version or the other and then the dance begins. If you are at a loss with the outcomes of your relationships and want to understand yourself and others better, this is definitely a book to read at least once in life.

12. This Could Be Us by Kennedy Ryan

This book is an excellent read about rebuilding yourself from the ground up, neurodivergent representation within the Black community, and choosing yourself even when love is knocking on your door. The main character, Soledad, has her world turned upside down, for better and worse at the same time. What decisions do you make for yourself when that happens? I had one of those rare moments where a book was five stars for me from start to finish. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and ultimately, it’s officially six stars for me.

13. The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron

If you are an artist or a creative person, please, for the love of all that is good, read this book. Even if you are not a creative person, please, for the love of all that is good, read this book.

I started this book this year and I feel like I’ve had a creative renaissance. Whatever you’re passionate about in life, hopefully, it can do the same for you.

Full transparency, I was ready for this to be my last year pursuing my goals as a content creator and small business owner. When I thought my journey was coming to an end, I discovered that it was actually the beginning. After reading this book and doing just the Morning Pages, my creativity blossomed in ways that I could not have seen coming. I found the right platform to express myself creatively and I started to write again.

If you take one thing from this book, I would say to find a way to get the Morning Pages done. Journaling before you start your day makes such a difference. It made a huge difference for me.

14. Requited by Kerri Olivia

Last, but not least, here is my debut book and the summary:

“What is unrequited love? What is requited love? And what does it take to heal when love is gone? In this honest, enthralling debut collection of poetry and prose, Kerri Olivia gives voice to love, loss, grief, and healing. Her insightful reflections, striking imagery, and potent storytelling lead us to what lies beyond the tender glow of romance and raw depths of heartache: a rediscovery that the foundational form of requited love comes from within.”

I wrote this book for anyone in a transitional phase in their life, as I was in one of my own when I wrote it.

There you have it! I hope you find a book on this list that piques your interest. You can also let me know in the comments what books you’ve read that made you think, “Someone else needs to read this at least once in their life?” I would be curious to know. Thank you for being here and reading this article. I’ll see you in the next one. Good day or good night!

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Hi, I’m Kerri Olivia, an author, fiber artist, entrepreneur, and founder of Sparks Unlocked Co. At Sparks Unlocked Co., we help fellow readers and crafters find beauty, comfort, and meaning in slow living through crochet and knitting tutorials, book recommendations, and storytelling. Join these conversations with me on YouTube, Threads, and Pinterest.

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