The Life You Save May Be Your Own: Memoirs of Self-Discovery

Girl wearing snorkeling apparatus at the beach. Photography. Britannica ImageQuest, Encyclopædia Britannica, 25 May 2016.
quest.eb.com/search/154_2892984/1/154_2892984/cite. Accessed 8 Sep 2017.

“It's daring to be curious about the unknown, to dream big dreams, to live outside prescribed boxes, to take risks, and above all, daring to investigate the way we live until we discover the deepest treasured purpose of why we are here.” ― Luci Swindoll

What does it take your change your life? We always think the answer can be found in a book. Some folks recommend non-fiction to "help you stop worrying, stop being tired, and stop feeling overwhelmed — and start excelling in your field, embracing life's opportunities for adventure, and being happier every day," with the emphasis on teaching you new behaviors. Some suggest that if you read a book wherein the "end message is that life is filled with possibilities, if you let it be,"or a similar message, can be helpful, even if it's fictional.But sometimes, we think, you just need to read a book that shows that someone has succeeded in changing their life before, in ways you might find galvanizing or might want to emulate.

There is certainly no dearth of titles out there for those looking to prod themselves into making a change - speeding things up, slowing things down, doing things differently. Maybe you've already read inspirational books like Gift from the Sea, Love Warrior, and Rising Strong. Or tales of life-changing adventure such as Under The Tuscan Sun: At Home in Italy,  Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India, and Indonesia, and Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail. But maybe none of these titles resonated with you, or you just want more ideas. Never fear! We've compiled a list of other books that might help you deal with adversity, start you on a quest, or at least boost your spirits.


H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald

The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion

Tales of a Female Nomad: Living at Large in the World by Rita Golden Gelman [eAudiobook]

A Year By the Sea: Thoughts of an Unfinished Woman by Joan Anderson

Blackout: Remembering the Things I Drank to Forget by Sarah Hepola

Stir: My Broken Brain and the Meals That Brought Me Home by Jessica Fechtor

Girl in the Woods by Aspen Matis

Lit by Mary Karr

Tracks: A Woman's Solo Trek Across 1700 Miles of Australian Outback by Robyn Davidson

Claiming Ground by Laura Bell

Let's Take the Long Way Home: A Memoir of Friendship by Gail Caldwell


List

The Exhilarating Delight of Reading About Women in Search of Themselves [Oprah]

All the best, most kick-ass female memoirs you need to read [Hello Giggles]

The Memoir of Discovery (Not Recovery) [Kirkus]