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I am eager to read, but only when it comes to finding a higher purpose or finding ones true self. Also revealing many of the backbones of stories, this book list will not only make you a better reader, but also a better writer. So if Enlightenment, metaphysical, existential and epistemological questions are your thing, then I believe that you will find these books illuminating.
Also, Book-Gods, please forgive me. I tried to make the books very accessible to people, so I will only be linking free YouTube audio books. Enjoy.
Here is my book list:
1. The Alchemist
Start small, this book is impossible to put down and takes you on a meaningful journey from start to finish. Its circular nature reflects so many lives and really a great book to keep close when writing a basic story arch. The story line is so simplistic that it makes it memorable.
(Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_XSVmTfIZfQ)
2. Siddhartha
One of my personal favorite books. If you are into Buddhist philosophy, than this is a journey that you must take. I am reading it again for the second time, well listening to it on YouTube. I will speak no more of it, go check out this free audio-book.
(Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObrL1Pb5o00&t=234s)
3. Mans search for meaning
Humbling and never more relevant than now. Originally an introduction into Logo-therapy, Victor Frankel set out to share his insights from living in the Nazi concentration camps and how he survived. How does one find meaning when you are stripped of everything in your life including your name? Is it even possible, go give the book a listen and find out for yourself.
(Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43dQr5-WODE&t=15247s)
4. Tao Te Ching
This was so poetic! The stories made me think for weeks, no years afterwards. In fact I still ponder of some of Lau Tzu's writings and they have shaped me for the better.
(Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2UYch2JnO4&t=4831s)
5. The Prophet
One of the first philosophical books I read. Like it said at the back, this book is concerned with the soul. Food satiates your stomach, but Kalil Gibran feeds your soul! And worst of all he leaves you hungry for more, so the search is up to you, what are you waiting for?
(Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Lz_ATSXJG0)
6. The Metamorphosis
What did I just read? Shame... Go grow attached to a monstrous bug and wander, wondering what does it all mean? In to surreal images and pondering on how significant our lives really are? What is your essence? Pick this one up if your ready to face the absurd, but only if you are ready.
(Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nitvuBfHWJY)
7. Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values
I picked this one up when still at university and it was a great way to discover Zen. It made me feel that it isn't just for the monks up there in the Himalayas. It was a book about inquiry into the self.
(Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClA9wO8GaqQ) - Note: Part of series
8. 1984
Jacques, what does a non-fiction set in the future-past tell us about the meaning of life? Well the questions posed in Gorge Orwell's 1984 are profound and still relevant today. Some deem is the book of the century. Go on, grow with Winston and learn to appreciate the small things we still have, for now. Beware of Big Brother.
(Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzX-ebD9Axw)
9. Meditations
Marcus Aurelius will leave you a wise man, able to rule over yourself. His years in parliament and exposed to the greatest minds of his time, his inner most thoughts are jotted down here. Go and have a conversation with one of the greatest Roman emperors who ever lived.
(Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FNGuiKPGfM)
10. Autobiography of a Yogi
This book completely changed my outlook on India and left me with a burning desire to seek the Truth. The stories are so memorable that this book has a shelf in my heart! A type of documentary on the mystics of India. Do you believe in miracles? Don't answer me just yet. Pick up the book first and make up your mind for yourself.
Available at: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8RWWvTIM_zE) Also part of a series
Enjoy my little lemon drop. May you reach the liberation. Keep seeking, keep praying and keep meditating on the eternal spirit. May peace and peace and peace be with you.