Feeling and living: the best books about life
When we think about reading a book, we almost always look for a story that makes us disconnect from the outside world, or that allows us to visit the universe of incredible characters. However, there is another kind of literature: that whose charm lies in the experience of living itself, where the authors leave us lessons that we can carry with us for the rest of our existence.
Titles like Lord of the Flies, Eat Pray and Love o Steppe wolf They have accompanied millions of readers in difficult times, during times of uncertainty or simply on ethereal days when the stories of these heroes have become one of the best companions. If you are one of those readers, here are the best books about life.
Best books about life to feel and reflect
Fictions (1944), by Jorge Luis Borges
We begin this list with one of the most emblematic works of Jorge Luis Borges and a fundamental piece of universal literature. This is a collection of stories that explore themes such as the nature of reality, identity, infinity and intertextuality. Through labyrinthine narrative structures and intellectual games, Borges creates worlds in which the boundaries between the real and the imaginary are blurred.
Among his most notable stories are: Tlon, Uqbar y Orbis Tertius, where a secret encyclopedia gives rise to a fictional world that threatens to supplant reality. Also We can underline the library of babel, which presents a universe composed of an infinite library containing all possible books, and The Garden of Forking Paths, a story about time and the multiple possibilities of existence.
Quotes by Jorge Luis Borges
- "There may be enemies of my opinions, but I myself, if I wait a moment, can also be an enemy of my opinions."
- "There are communists who maintain that being anti-communist is being fascist. This is as incomprehensible as saying that not being Catholic is being a Mormon."
- "How else can you threaten someone other than with death? What would be interesting, what would be original, would be if someone threatened you with immortality."
Steppe wolf (1927), by Hermann Hesse
This is one of Hermann Hesse's most influential novels, a work that explores the existential crisis, the duality of the human being and the search for the life's sense. The story follows Harry Haller, a lonely, intellectual man who feels trapped between his human nature and his instinctive side, symbolized by the "Steppenwolf."
Haller is in a state of despair until he meets Hermine, a mysterious woman who introduces him to a world of pleasure, dancing and debauchery. Through dreamlike and philosophical experiences, such as his visit to the "Magic Theatre", Harry is faced with the multiplicity of his identity and the need to reconcile his internal contradictions..
Quotes by Hermann Hesse
- "What can I tell you that might be helpful, except that maybe you're looking so hard for something that you can't find anything?"
- "Our goal should not be to become someone else, but to recognize others, to honor others for the simple fact of being who they are."
- "When someone who really needs something finds it, it is not chance that provides it, but he himself. His own desire and his own need lead him to it."
August's lesson (2012), by Raquel Jaramillo Palacio
It is an emotional novel about empathy, acceptance and resilience. The story follows August "Auggie" Pullman, a ten-year-old boy with a facial deformity congenital who, after years of homeschooling, must face secondary school for the first time.
The book is told through multiple perspectives of the various characters—including August, his friends, and family. Additionally, the novel shows the challenges of inclusion, the impact of bullying and the importance of kindnessAs Auggie navigates school life, he learns to find his place in the world, proving that true beauty lies within.
Quotes by Raquel Jaramillo Palacio
- "When you have a choice between being right or being kind, choose to be kind."
- "It's funny: sometimes you worry a lot about something that turns out to be nothing."
- "I always say that it is better to err on the side of kindness. That is the secret. If you don't know what to do, just be kind."
- "As human beings, we carry within us not only the capacity to be kind, but the choice to be able to be kind."
The concept of the mental (1949), by Gilbert Ryle
The author dismantles the Cartesian dualism that separates mind and body, which he calls the "ghost in the machine dogma." To do so, the writer introduces a philosophical and linguistic analysis, arguing that Mental states are not hidden entities within the mind, but rather ways of describing observable dispositions and behaviors in the world.
From a behaviorist perspective, The author criticizes the idea that thinking, believing or desiring are inaccessible internal processes and instead presents them as patterns of action and reaction in specific contexts. His approach profoundly influenced the philosophy of mind and the development of analytic philosophy, redefining how we understand the relationship between human thought and behavior.
Quotes by Gilbert Ryle
- «Minds are not cogs in a clockwork, they are just cogs in something that is not a clockwork. As represented in this way, minds are not simply phantoms connected to machines, they are themselves just spectral machines…»
- «It is not necessary to degrade man to the category of a machine by denying him the possibility of being a ghost in a machine. After all, he might be a kind of animal, that is, a higher mammal. The risky leap to the hypothesis that he might be a man has not yet been taken.»
A happy world (1932), by Aldous Huxley
In a seemingly utopian future, humanity has achieved stability through total control of society. Reproduction takes place in laboratories, people are conditioned from birth to accept their role within a strict social hierarchy, and Happiness is guaranteed by the consumption of soma, a drug that suppresses pain and dissatisfaction..
However, This apparent perfection is questioned when John, a "wild" raised outside the system, is brought into civilization. His struggle for individual freedom, love and the meaning of life will bring him face to face with a world that has sacrificed emotion, depth and critical thinking in favor of stability and superficial pleasure.
Quotes by Aldous Huxley
- "To see ourselves as others see us is a most welcome gift."
- "All men are gods to their dogs. That is why there are people who love their dogs more than men."
- "Civilization is, among other things, the process by which primitive herds are transformed into a crude and mechanical analogy of the organic communities of social insects."
High Fidelity (1995), by Nick Hornby
Rob Fleming, a thirty-something owner of a second-hand record shop in London, is obsessed with music and playlists. His love life is marked by a long series of failures, and when his girlfriend Laura leaves him, he decides to review his "top five" breakups to understand what went wrong. Rob faces his insecurities, his fears of commitment and the emotional maturity he has avoided for years..
Narrated with humor, irony and a large number of musical references, High Fidelity It is a story about love, nostalgia and the process of personal growth. Nick Hornby creates an honest and endearing portrait of a generation living through their passions, exploring with freshness human relationships and the impact of pop culture on our identity.
Nick Hornby Quotes
- «I lost the thread for a while. And I also missed the subplot, the script, the soundtrack, the intermission, the popcorn, the credits, the exit sign.»
- "Reciprocity was a powerful stimulant to his imagination."
- "Human beings are millions of things in a single day."
Lord of the Flies (1954), by William Golding
A group of children survive a plane crash and are stranded on a desert island without adult supervision. What at first seems like an opportunity for freedom and adventure soon turns into a power struggle. and survival. As the norms of civilization crumble, violence, fear and the most primitive instincts of human nature emerge.
The story follows Ralph, who tries to maintain order and reason, and Jack, who leads an increasingly savage faction. Between rituals, superstitions, and increasing brutality, The island becomes a microcosm of society and its darkest conflicts.
William Golding Quotes
- «My yesterdays walk with me. They follow my steps, they are grey faces that look over my shoulder.»
- "The thing is, fear can't hurt you more than a dream."
