looking to be a better person. rn i have been making lots of mistakes constantly and i can’t seem to stop so i need to be more of a good person and be more intentional. i hate self help and i step into characters and my behavior changes with kind of whatever im reading at that time. looking for some main characters who are good people to read about to learn about
by lanadelpepper
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It’s a go too recommendation here we go again I’m trying to get everyone to read it lol
A gentleman in Moscow Amor Towles
A historical fiction about a count in Russia who is politically placed under house arrest at a 5 star hotel. It spans from 1922 to 1964. It’s a long book but I flew through it. Count Rostov might be the most lovable and memorable character I have read about in a long time. The subtlety of Towles’s narration to weave in true historical Russian history with his narrative was nothing short of amazing. And it had some of the best theological, psychological quotes that I have read. And it ends on a positive note
This one too but in a way of how to deal with people and get over bad and hard situations the main character is kind of a dick but by the end of the book he gets better and learns from his past and mistakes
Beach Music by Pat Conroy.
It’s 650 pages of perfect sadness and honestly is one of the funniest books I have read. You get themes and talks of suicide, family drama religious drama. You get knee deep into the Holocaust, the Vietnam war. The greatest prose of all time in my opinion here are my two favorite quotes maybe of all time
“I could feel the tears within me, undiscovered and untouched in their inland sea. Those tears had been with me always. I thought that, at birth, American men are allotted just as many tears as American women. But because we are forbidden to shed them, we die long before women do, with our hearts exploding or our blood pressure rising or our livers eaten away by alcohol because that lake of grief inside us has no outlet. We, men, die because our faces were not watered enough.”
“As she cried, I began to under-stand. You weep at the loss of so beautiful a world and all those parts you will never be able to play again. The dark takes on different meaning. Your body has begun to prepare you for the last completion, for the peace and generosity of silence itself.”
Pollyanna by Eleanor H. Porter
Pollyanna Grows Up by Eleanor H. Porter
Penric. The first book is Penric’s Demon by Lois McMaster Bujold.
Cliopher Mdang from The Hands of the Emperor by Victoria Goddard.
All Systems Red by Martha Wells. Murderbot is trying to figure out how to not be a murderous bot construct.
The Chosen Prince
A Squires Tale
The Bronze Bow
Book of a Thousand Days
Okay for Now
These are all YA or middle grade, but they are all excellent.
“Tom Lake” by Ann Pachett — the story of a woman who ended up in a wonderful, regular life married to the good, stable man… and the story of the summer in her youth when she dated a soon-to-be movie star.
Pride and Prejudice. The female main character rejects her love interest for being a jerk which inspires him to work on himself.
The Healing Hippo of Hinode Park! It’s very cute and I flew through it!
Violet Thistlewaite Is Not a Villain Anymore by Emily Krempholtz.
The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison.
The main characters in Eva Ibbotson’s books are usually about perfect, sometimes it grates, but the books are amazing.
Here are a few where the characters themselves grow as people:
* I Am the Messenger, by Markus Zusak
* The Anti-Heroes, by Jen Lancaster
* A Man Called Ove, by Fredrik Backman
* Today Will Be Different, by Maria Semple
* My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry, by Fredrik Backman
* Mrs. Saint and the Defectives, by Julie Lawson Timmer
* The Storied Life of AJ Fikry, by Gabrielle Zevin
* How to be Good, by Nick Hornby
I also enjoyed Trevor Noah’s memoir, “Born a Crime.” He has a lot of grace and collective self-awareness in how he talks about behavior and situations that is really refreshing. I think that “self talk “ in one’s head is good for being the best version of yourself.
How to Read a Book by Monica Wood
The Five People You Meet in Heaven
Piranesi
two very different books that really shifted how i think and feel about people as a whole
Theo of Golden. He’s my new hero.
A Gentleman in Moscow – he’s just such a great person and it’s such a great story, highly recommend ! And The Bean Trees (boring title), but she’s such a great person and it’s a quick but lively little book with tons of heart. Love them both!
Britt Marie was Here
So like a grown up choose your own adventure?
“Theo of Golden,” by Allen Levi. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ Think of these 5 hearts as 5 stars. probably the biggest spoiler you have ever read. About 3 weeks ago in most of the books groups to which I belong I read the MOST glowing reviews of this book. It just became available to me on the Libby app. Many of those who reviewed this book said it is their newest favorite book. Everyone who said that is correct. Theo is a new imer to a Southern town here in the states. The grace he bestows on those people in Golden is indescribable. I thought I knew Selflessness. I didn’t. Theo is…I don’t have the words to describe how wonderful Theo is to people he barely knows or doesn’t’t even know. If you’re looking for a feel good book, I beg you to read this one.
Seedfolks