Books to open your mind

July 7, 2017 6:47 PM

I'm going through a hard time. What fiction books do you recommend with great writing and a positive outlook?

I need some life-changing, soul-shaking, impressive books to read. Not Chicken Soup for the Soul, or how-to, self-help books (perhaps memoirs can get a pass), but I would really like to read some books that will help reorient/revitalize my outlook at life. To be honest I don't have any examples to share, but would really prefer something well written as I really feel like I've been eating a lot of junk food (reading crappy blogs) and have not had enough of nutrition (well written books), if that makes any sense.

Thank you

posted by xicana63 to Media & Arts (21 answers total)

Take a look at synopsises/reviews of Heroes of the Frontier. It is most definitely not Chicken Soup but our protagonist works through some stuff and comes out the other side and it's very well written and, in the end, positive.

Same goes for Celine by Peter Heller.
posted by ftm at 6:57 PM on July 7, 2017

I really liked A Man Called Ove when I was in dire need of a good dose of optimism. It took me a little while to get into it but then I couldn't put it down.
posted by bighappyhairydog at 6:59 PM on July 7, 2017 [2 favorites]

I'm sounding like a broken record now.

Hyperion by Dan Simmons. Read at least the first novel. But read all four for the full effect.

Overall, if you really pay attention it is about love. You won't get that early on but keep that in the back of your mind. What you get for 99% of the series is human conflict at all levels: physical, spiritual, political, mental etc. It struggles with God, man, government, revenge, justice, drugs, space travel, computer AI you name it.

It is turmoil and peace. God and the Devil. Expertly written. The best.

Life changing? Could be. Soul shaking? Certainly! Impressive? The most!
posted by Lord Fancy Pants at 7:02 PM on July 7, 2017 [2 favorites]

I don't know about soul-shaking, but have you read The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison? It's a delightfully positive fantasy novel, all about a protagonist who manages to make life better for almost everyone he comes into contact with, despite the forces arrayed against him. It's certainly optimistic.
posted by Alensin at 7:33 PM on July 7, 2017 [3 favorites]

Sometimes it can depend a lot on what's going on in your life, because that will influence which characters you will find relatable. For me, Barbara Kingsolver's Prodigal Summer has been enormously comforting and invigorating at several times in my life, with my focus switching to a different character each time.
posted by metasarah at 7:38 PM on July 7, 2017 [3 favorites]

Wild, by Cheryl Strayed. Also, the collected columns from her time as Dear Sugar were published as a book - perhaps too self-helpy for your taste, but wonderful and affirming to read one at a time, slowly.
posted by hepta at 7:45 PM on July 7, 2017 [3 favorites]

Also, A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara (if you don't mind hella depressing subject matter)
posted by hepta at 7:46 PM on July 7, 2017

She's Come Undone, by Wally Lamb, becomes optimistic as the story progresses, but it takes a while to reach that point. The never-give-up tone though is clear throughout (at least it read that way to me.) Also is darkly funny. May or may not be what you're looking for.

The Rapture of Canaan by Sheri Reynolds. Kind of a bleak story at its outset, but the main character is very strong and self-aware. I found it optimistic in that the character ultimately achieves a measure of freedom within herself, after many trials.
posted by Crystal Fox at 8:18 PM on July 7, 2017

You need to read Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson (The Bloggess) immediately if not sooner.
posted by radioamy at 8:21 PM on July 7, 2017 [4 favorites]

P.G. Wodehouse: Code of the Woosters, Joy in the Morning, etc. The Jeeves & Wooster books are tightly-plotted sitcoms on one level, but they're also spectacularly eloquent and deeply optimistic--not to mention full of delight in ordinary things.

Terry Pratchett: Tiffany Aching books. These were written as young adult entry points to the Discworld series, and they're packed with wit, wisdom, and a very forgiving/understanding POV on humanity.

Sharon Lee & Steve Miller: The "Clan Korval" / "Agent of Change" sub-series in the Liaden Universe. These are space opera romances with a heavy focus on being considerate, thoughtful, loving, etc. I like them in publication order, though they've been bundled in a number of different combinations.

Zenna Henderson: Ingathering. These are kind, warm, thoughtful, well-written science fiction short stories about a community of alien refugees. They do have mild religious themes, but just to be clear, I am an atheist to the core and I loved these stories. Maybe those undercurrents are a dealbreaker for you, but I think even glancing at the reviews you'll see why I thought of them as a possible fit for your question.
posted by Wobbuffet at 8:32 PM on July 7, 2017 [1 favorite]

Pastwatch by Orson Scott Card. Not exactly chicken soup feel-good, but puts hope in my heart every time I read it (yes, I've read it several times and expect to again one of these days).

I know this may sound odd if you've never read her, but for great writing and a clear-eyed vision of human kind that still manages to be hopeful, you can't beat Jane Austen. If you've never read any, try Sense and Sensibility.

I'd also second Zenna Henderson. Don't know about reorienting your outlook, but they are lovely books. If you do read Wodehouse, don't miss Pearls, Girls and Monty Bodkin. One of the stand alone novels; will leave you breathless from laughing no matter how deep a slough of despond you're in.

This is a wonderful question; I'm going to keep thinking. And good luck to you! :-)
posted by kestralwing at 8:39 PM on July 7, 2017 [1 favorite]

You should also read Let's Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson - it's her first book, and "Furiously Happy" references it from time to time (although they're both totally readable on their own!)
posted by current resident at 9:11 PM on July 7, 2017 [2 favorites]

I heard about it here on the green--Mr. Penumbra's 24 hour bookstore. It was funny and engaging and if you like fantasy/mystery/semi sci-fi with a sprinkle of Da Vinci Code, it's perfect for an upbeat read. Great after being in a sullen mood.
posted by buttonedup at 9:25 PM on July 7, 2017

Razor's Edge - Maugham
posted by rhizome at 10:01 PM on July 7, 2017

I loved David Mitchell's books Cloud Atlas and The Bone Clocks; to me, they were moving and thought provoking and just absorbing as hell.
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 10:43 PM on July 7, 2017

This is why I love MetaFilter -- the vast differences make it exciting. A few of these books made me so miserable (She's Come Undone, I'm looking at you!) and a few, I needed to be reminded to read (Mr. Penumbra, I'm running to you!).

I'm a huge Austen fan, because I always feel better about the world after I've finished one of her novels (for the zillionth time), but I'd recommend Persuasion. I always feel so much more hopeful after re-reading it than any of the others. The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin was one of the first novels I read after coming out of a long, heartbroken funk, and the world seemed power-washed after I finished it.
posted by The Wrong Kind of Cheese at 10:54 PM on July 7, 2017 [2 favorites]

Jeanette Wall's The Glass Castle
posted by athirstforsalt at 4:03 PM on July 8, 2017

I was stepping in to suggest Prodigal Summer, but I was beaten to it upthread, so I'll just second it here. It has its dark moments, and a lot of heavy emotional and environmental stuff. But the general takeaway builds from this: survival despite adversity, the importance of human interactions, community in balance with self-realization, renewal. And I found the writing devastatingly beautiful. Kingsolver is one of those writers who can show you the world in a way that changes not necessarily where you're standing, but what your perspective is from that place.
posted by Nancy_LockIsLit_Palmer at 8:25 PM on July 8, 2017

Memoir From Antproof Case, by Mark Helprin

Refreshingly inventive and inspiringly fun.
posted by armoir from antproof case at 12:05 AM on July 9, 2017

Vonnegut
posted by at at 6:28 PM on July 9, 2017 [1 favorite]

I tend to like reading cosy small-town America books in this mood, like Adriana Trigiani's novels.

On a more literary bent, I really enjoyed Ann Bauer's Forgiveness 4 You, about an ad agency who hires a priest in the hope of making confession spiritual, rather than religious. Also Liz Moore's Heft.
posted by mippy at 12:27 PM on July 10, 2017