10 books to make you love life

If the didactic tenor of the self-help genre isn’t your cup of tea then Chicken Soup for the Soul – the first volume of the well-known Chicken Soup series first published in 1993 – is a perfectly pitched alternative.

A compilation of 101 heart-warming, autobiographical stories submitted by real people the world over, Canfield and Hansen truly believe that sharing halves sorrows and doubles joys. The go-to tome for an instant fix of literary feel good, not all of the narratives have a classically happy ending, but the underlying theme of hope shines throughout. Homely and unfussy just like a steaming bowl of chicken soup, this one’s more for nourishing the soul than refining the mind.

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, Robert Pirsig

Pirsig’s cult classic remains as relevant today as when it was first published in 1974. We’re all still struggling to understand what defines a good life – is it the big house, the fancy car, the ever-increasing bank account? Pirsig offers an alternative worldview in his road-trip novel, which is also the best-selling – and probably most entertaining – philosophy book of all time. This semi-autobiographical first-person account of an emotionally shattered father and his son Chris’s 17-day motorcycle ride from Montana to California is peppered with the narrator’s Chautauquas, or personal philosophical musings, which include all sorts of lofty wisdom dispensed via a witty and easy-to-read narrative. Pirsig’s final nugget of wisdom is that it’s your approach to life that makes or breaks it.

Written in the style of magical realism, it’s both an intoxicatingly enchanting read and a practical guide to incorporating various philosophical tenets into your life, the aim being to achieve the sort of contentment that materialism or short-lived success can never offer. As Socrates tells Dan, it will help you learn to be “unreasonably happy”.

In this charming 1943 allegorical novella, an unnamed narrator – a pilot – crash-lands in the middle of the Sahara desert and has a chance meeting with a blond-haired child from outer-space: the Little Prince. The eight days he spends with this unusual little boy alters the pilot’s priorities in a profound and lasting way.

Chris Gardner’s 2006 memoir detailing his rags-to-riches journey from being a homeless intern and single dad to a Wall Street giant is every bit as inspiring as the Oscar-winning Will Smith movie adaptation, and then some. Portraying with brutal realism Gardner’s dysfunctional childhood and the abuse and violence he witnessed growing up, this is no sugar-coated joyride. The language is graphic, the emotions are raw and the protagonist is deeply flawed. But what makes Gardner’s story riveting is his perseverance to prevent his past from dictating his future and his mission to beat unimaginable odds and realise his dreams, while never overriding his paternal responsibilities. Gardner’s advice to his son is something we can all use – never let someone tell you your dreams are unachievable, especially if it’s your path to happiness.

Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption, Stephen King

Considered the master of horror, King’s poignant 1982 novella from his collection Different Seasons has perhaps galvanised more people into believing in the power of positive thinking than any true-to-life autobiography, and gave us the cult movie The Shawshank Redemption. Ellis ‘Red’ Redding reminisces about his time at Shawhank State Prison and his friend Andy Dufresne who, although wrongfully convicted of his wife’s murder, never laments his fate – instead grabbing the freedom he deserves with a legendary prison break by doggedly gouging out a hole in the wall every night for 20 years. Andy’s belief that his innocence will eventually pay off and the fragile vision of freedom that he nurtures throughout prison life’s brutality, not once letting it crush his spirit, makes him the literary poster-boy for the power of hope. The take away? There’s a rainbow at the end of every storm, all you need is the patience to weather that storm.

Playing the Enemy, John Carlin

There’s nothing like a story of underdogs triumphing to renew your faith in humanity. The fact that former journalist John Carlin’s 2008 best-seller also evocatively records a seminal historical event only makes it more poignant. The year 1995 saw the Springboks – the South African Rugby team – beat New Zealand’s All Blacks to win the Rugby world cup, causing a newly democratic South Africa to erupt into waves of jubilant nationalism, as portrayed in the 2009 film adaptation Invictus.

Using his reporter’s head for facts, Carlin works his way back to 1994, charting out the efforts of Nelson Mandela, whose meticulous planning, inescapable charm and outstanding leadership transformed not only the country, but also the image of rugby – previously the Afrikaner’s monopoly and the symbol of Apartheid for many black South Africans. Mandela’s lesson to us is that, with unwavering conviction, everything is possible. A perfect homage to a great man’s life.

The Fault in Our Stars, John Green

The last place you’d expect to find a celebration of living is in a novel where the central characters are dying, but that’s exactly what Green manages to achieve. Hazel Lancaster and Augustus Waters are witty and intelligent 16-year-olds, both battling cancer. Having met at a support group they jet off spontaneously to Amsterdam to meet Peter van Houten, who authored their favourite book An Imperial Affliction.

Although a favourite in the young-adult market, what makes this an across-the-ages read is Green’s insightful, eloquent and humorous style that gives profound insights about making peace with illness and death, while simultaneously glorifying the gift of life. The tears will kick in sooner or later, as will the epiphany that life is too precious to be wasted ambling aimlessly through each day.

A Place called Here, Cecelia Ahern

Sandy Short’s life is devoted to making the absent present – she is a private investigator, and what started as a childhood obsession with discovering missing things transforms itself into Sandy’s raison d’être. While searching for the brother of her client Jack Ruttle, in a bizarre cosmic twist she goes missing herself, ending up in the place where everything that has ever been lost goes to – a parallel world called Here.

Known for chick-lit hits PS I Love You and Where Rainbows End, Ahern brilliantly sums up the debilitating effects of the fear of loss in this fable-like tale without psychobabble.

Sandy’s fixation on the lost helps her find that what matters the most is living in the here and now.