As the year comes close to an end, you might be thinking about how to “improve” yourself in the new year. It’s a pretty standard tradition to explore a new resolution, to reflect on how we’ve grown over the past twelve months, and to consider what might change as we move into a new frame of time. I personally love this aspect of the season.
If I’m being completely honest, I try really hard to stay reflective throughout the entire year – not just waiting until December to look back and learn. But there is something unique about this pre-set construct of time to inspire us to get better. And what better place to start than picking up a potential guide on how to do so?
One of my biggest hot-takes is that you can learn SO much from fiction books, just as much as non-fiction. I think a lot of people think non-fiction books are for learning, while fiction books are for entertainment, and I’m here to tell you I’ve been able to learn so much about myself and life through some incredible fiction stories!
Not only that, but any kind of reading can be a form of meditation, and a great habit to help improve your focus, creativity, and overall health!
If you’re looking for some new reads to add to your list for 2023, here are a few of my favorite fiction books that I have enjoyed, again and again, leaving each read with a slightly improved perspective on life.
The Alchemist
Paulo Coelho
The Alchemist is one of my favorite books because of it’s unique style in delivering a universal message, which is that we all have the ability to connect with and achieve our own personal destiny – if only we are willing to imagine it’s possible. The fiction story follows the journey of a young shepherd, Santiago, who yearns for so much in his life – to meet his soulmate and fall in love, to travel the world. Yet he is only a shepherd and has little to his name, besides his flock of sheep. How could he ever hope to achieve such things? As we follow Santiago’s journey, he is led around the world in search of a mysterious treasure which will surely change his life. However, more important than the destination he is after are the treasures he finds along the way. The story is about the wisdom of believing in ourselves, following our hearts, and staying true to our dreams. I always find myself reaching for The Alchemist when I am facing an important life-change, as it reminds me that all the answers to life’s many questions live inside of me.
The Midnight Library
Matt Haig
The Midnight Library is a book I read more recently and instantly knew it would live near the my top of my favorite book list. This book happened to find me as I was enduring a rough patch in my life and it’s message was so powerful. The main character in the novel, Nora, finds herself in a library that contains an infinite number of books, each one with the ability to transport Nora to an alternative version of her reality. Each story is based on Nora having made a different choice throughout her life. Perhaps she didn’t take that dead-end job, or perhaps she met and fell in love with a different person. Certainly there are endless possibilities of which life she could be living, but would any of these other lives truly be better? That is the conundrum the character is faced with. In the end, the story forces us as readers to acknowledge what is truly important in life, and what makes life worth living , regardless of the many choices we must make throughout.
What Alice Forgot
Liane Moriarty
I’ll start by pointing out that you may recognize the author Liane Moriarty from her works Big Little Lies, and Nine Perfect Strangers, which have both been made into popular television series over the past few years. Moriarty’s typical writing is that of mystery and suspense, with sometimes extravagant and even over-the-top character development. What Alice Forgot deviates from her typical style a bit in that the story, while still similar to that same edge-of-your-seat energy, is centered around a less intense mystery. We learn right away in the novel that the main character has lost her short-term memory through an exercising accident. As readers, we have the privilege of seeing Alice’s life both as it truly exists, as well as we experience it through her eyes: slightly concussed and confused by the reality she no longer recognizes due to her injury. Alice wakes up on the floor of a place she would never typically go (the gym), and believes herself to be 30, happily married, and excited to welcome her first child. In reality, she is nearly 40 years old, navigating a nasty divorce, estranged from her sister and has a less than ideal relationship with her daughter. But how did so much change in a decade? This is the question Alice must find the answers to as she attempts to reintegrate into a life she doesn’t recognize and wouldn’t have chosen for herself. It’s a beautifully written story about appreciating what we have in life with the somewhat dark humor of Alice’s accident representing how quickly and easily those things can be taken away.
If you pick up any of these books, let me know what you think! Do you have any favorite fiction novels that have had an impact on your perspective? If so, I’d love to check them out! Please feel free to share in the comments. Happy reading, and happy New Year!
I love these books <3 Hope you enjoy them!