Mood-Inspired Book Recommendations

Books have the magical ability to take us to faraway places, introduce us to people we would never have met, take us on adventures we would never have taken, expose us to our darkest fears, open our minds to crazy new ideas, and show us just how happy life and love can be. Here are a few of such books that you will enjoy. They are broken down by mood, because sometimes you need a book recommendation that fits your mood.

HERE ARE 18 BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS BASED ON YOUR MOOD

IF YOU WANT TO LEARN SOMETHING:

 Malcolm Gladwell's The Tipping Point

This book was a tremendous hit when it first came out, and if you haven't read it yet, you should. This book is about that magical moment when an idea, a trend, or a habit transforms from a minor occurrence to something that spreads like wildfire. It clarifies a great deal about social behavior, how things work, and how things gain popularity. This book is essential reading for anyone beginning a business, having a fresh idea, or simply curious about how ideas become successful.

Getting Things Done in a Timely Manner Allen, David:

David Allen is widely regarded as a time-management expert, and he is one. This is a book that you'll want to read with a pen and a stack of post-its nearby. Almost every paragraph contains nuggets of knowledge. This book will teach you something, no matter how good you believe your time management abilities are. This is a book that I always suggest to others.

IF YOU'RE UP FOR AN ADVENTURE:

 

 Maliha Masood's Zaatar Days and Henna Nights

Maliha Masood, a 28-year-old woman, is already exhausted from her erratic job schedule. She decides that she requires some excitement in her life and packs her belongings and purchases a one-way ticket to the Middle East. Maliha has the journey of a lifetime, from sleeping in a Bedouin tent to bartering in bazaars to receiving a Kurdish education in beauty, and she recounts it all in this book for us to live vicariously through her. After reading about her voyage, you will for sure have many adventure fantasies put on your bucket list.

Amin Maalouf's Balthasar's Odyssey

The year is 1665, and everyone believes the world is ending. Balthasar, an antique merchant, embarks on a quest to find a strange book that may hold the key to the world's salvation. Throughout his journey, he makes numerous discoveries, the most essential of which are love and hope.

IF YOU'RE IN THE MOOD FOR SOME POETRY:

 

Jann-Philipp Sendker's The Art of Hearing Heartbeats

Part fairy tale, part eastern mysticism, this is a lovely Burmese love story. Julia sets out to find answers when her father, a successful New York lawyer, mysteriously vanishes. Her journey leads her to a teahouse in a small Burmese mountain village, where an elderly man tells her the story of a blind young boy whom he claims to be her father. This lovely story will not only engage and delight you, but it will also inspire you to slow down and notice the smallest elements around you.

Khalil Gibran's Broken Wings

 It's a simple story, but nothing is simple with Khalil Gibran. His writing is wonderful, passionate, and thought-provoking, and each phrase will leave you thinking. It always leaves you with a different understanding, no matter how many times  you  read it. This isn't one of Gibran's most accessible works. If you can get your hands on any of Gibran's works, you can't go wrong.

David Levithan's The Lover's Dictionary

This is the third book mentioned here that tells the story out of order. This book depicts the story of a couple's romance as it progresses through the letters of the dictionary. Each entry is brief but dense with information.

IF YOU'RE IN THE MOOD FOR SOME ROMANTIC READING:

Jojo Moyes' The Last Letter From Your Lover.

Jennifer Stirling wakes up from a coma in 1960 and has no recollection of what happened. Not her spouse, and certainly not the impassioned letter she discovers in her purse, signed with an enigmatic "B." The letter is then discovered in 2003 by journalist Ellie Haworth, who is desperate to learn what happened to the lovers. This book is romantic on so many levels, from missed opportunities to a life-long passion, but it is never trite.

Audrey Niffenegger's The Time Traveler's Wife

You must read the book even if you have seen the movie. The film simply does not do it credit. Clare falls in love with Henry, a time-displaced man she encounters when she is only six years old. He is a different age every time he enters her life, and he believes their relationship is on stage. If you need a reminder that love can triumph over all odds, this is the book to read.

IF YOU'RE IN THE MOOD FOR MAGIC:

 

Erin Morgenstern's The Night Circus

The circus appears out of nowhere and disappears as quietly as it arrived. Le Cirque des Reves is the name of the show, and it is only open at night. This is, however, a circus unlike any other. This is a circus filled with illusions, thrills, and sensations for all five senses. If circuses were like this, I'd follow them around from place to place. This piece won't give anything away about the plot of this book because it doesn't want to give anything away about it. Just know that reading this book is a magical experience and one that you must have!

Haley Tanner's Vaclav & Lena

 This book turns out to be a great love tale between two childhood friends. Vaclav is a young magician who works with Lena, a lovely assistant. Vaclav imagines their lives to be like a fairy tale, but life has other plans.

Brian Weiss's book Only Love Is Real: A Story of Soulmates Reunited

What would you say if you were told that you not only have a soulmate, but that you will meet that soulmate multiple times in your life? Dr. Brian Weiss, a once orthodox psychiatrist, has adopted hypnosis therapy, in which his patients recall past lives in order to heal their present life. Whatever your feelings about life after death, this book is a fascinating read that sparks some lively debate. There's also a nice real-life love story.

IF YOU HAVE A MYSTERIOUS FEELING

 

Carlos Ruiz Zafon's "The Shadow of the Wind"

Set in postwar Barcelona, ten-year-old David wakes up one day with no recollection of his deceased mother's appearance. His father, an antique book merchant, promises to show him a secret to console him. After that, David is introduced to the Cemetery of Forgotten Volumes, a treasure trove of rare books that the rest of the world has forgotten about. He falls in love with one of the books he chooses, but subsequently discovers that all of this author's works have been deliberately destroyed, and this is the only copy left. He embarks on a quest to discover who is responsible for this and why. If you're a bibliophile that much, you'll enjoy this book.

Elizabeth Kostova's The Swan Thieves

Andrew Marlow, a psychiatrist, has two passions in life: his job and painting. When acclaimed painter Robert Oliver attacks a painting and becomes his patient, his life is flipped completely upside down. He becomes fascinated with figuring out the reason for Robert's attack and the secret that torments him after receiving a batch of mystery letters. If you liked Kostova's earlier novel, The Historian, you'll enjoy this one much more!

IF YOU'RE HUNGRY, EAT THIS:

 

Diana's CrescentAbu-Jaber

 This book is so well-written that you'll always be disappointed when it's finished. Sirine is an Arab-American first-generation immigrant. She is thirty-nine years old and works as a chef in a Lebanese restaurant. Her greatest interest in life is cooking, and Abu-wonderful Jaber's descriptions of food reflect that enthusiasm. The descriptions will make your mouth water and make you want to get to an Arabic restaurant right away! She meets and falls in love with an attractive Arabic literature professor who is torn between his sense of homesickness and his desire to travel. This story will tear at your heartstrings, particularly if you are a parent.

Diana Abu-The Jaber's Language of Baklava

This culinary memoir demonstrates how powerful memories may be evoked by food and smell. In this half-autobiography, part cookbook, Abu-Jaber discusses her life growing up with two identities and a food-obsessed father in this half-autobiography, part cookbook. She recalls events from her youth through the food that was associated with them. Every chapter begins with a recipe, which is then emphasized throughout the novel. Even if you don't enjoy reading cookbooks as novels, be  confident you'll be enthralled by Abu-writing Jaber's and savoring even her recipe descriptions.

IF YOU FEEL LIKE ESCAPING YOUR LIFE:

 

Iane Moriarty's What Alice Forgot

What do you think your younger self would think of you now? This book will make you reflect on who you are, where you came from, and what you've given up along the way. What Alice Forgot is the ideal book for light reading, but unlike most chick lit, it will make you reflect on your own life and what you've forgotten along the way.

Every day that passes, David Levithan is a writer who lives in New York City.

Have you ever fantasized about what it might be like to be someone else? Every day, the protagonist, finds himself in a different person's body, living a different person's life. He doesn't seem to mind until he meets Rhiannon and falls in love with her while living a day in the life of her lover. This small little book is a must-read since it tells a wonderful and unusual story.