I just recently started college, and I want to read a book that can give me life advice or just any kind of wisdom from those older or more mature than me. For example, I was thinking about how I wish I was more grateful for the people that I have around me like grandparents and parents since I don’t know how long they’ll be around for. What are some good books for themes like those? I’m sort of in the mood for an emotional read.
by hazlenutwafer
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Warren Buffett, the investment sage, once said, “The most important decision in your life is who you choose to marry.” He went on to advise, “Do your homework, then marry the person who’s just right for you.”
**Us: An Intimacy Innovation** illustrates this in story form through its college-age protagonists. It explains that the first step is to know who you are, what you want out of life and why. Then provides advice on how to do that.
It’s what I wish I would have known at that age.
This may not be what you are looking for, but for me, [The Bell Jar](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/395040) by Sylvia Plath was very helpful to me in understanding mental illness/depression. I have thankfully never been depressed and while I understood on an intellectual level what depression is like, I never really thought about it. Reading The Bell Jar helped me understand what someone going through depression may feel and do – that you never know what someone is going through even if it looks like life is going great for them. It’s really easy to be kind to those around you and this book made me feel that.
A couple of books I have read I found informative, some elements of each you take or leave, but there’s usually a nugget of truth in all of them. YMMV with some of these.
Reading Atomic Habits at the moment, this is just quantifying common sense, and intuitively what he is saying we probably all know, but it is well explained in an interesting and practical, way and it doesn’t hurt to have some outline the value of good habits.
The Tao of Pooh, read it coming close to exams in college, Taoism explained through Winnie The Pooh snippets. And it’s a wider philosophy about life. It’s only one approach, but it’s often on beginners philosophy courses and is light reading that I found very good for my perspective when I read it.
Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus, completely different, it’s about relationships and saving them. I read it before I was married or even met my wife, a few things about both women and men struck me as generally accurate. I read it because a few female friends had referenced elements of it and mentioned things that made me question where they were getting their ideas about men from. It was this book.
The Power of Now, is another older one, and in some ways is similar to The Tao of Pooh, a great one really.
How To Win Friends and Influence People, it sounds like a business book, but it’s actually just about being relationships, and succeeding by being decent and considerate.
The Artists Way, a book of self reflection with good practices for creatives. The morning pages is a great concept.
There are other great other books, but these stood out to me, possibly because of when in my life I’ve read them. Others might recommend great poets, literature, important history books, the above are along the line of philosophy/self help. Some books you have to read at the right time.
How to win friends and influence people: dale c. Outdated but principal messages the same
The Four Agreements – a little gem of a book that is so helpful for life.