Cant Get Enough Try these 13 Books Like THE ALCHEMIST

Cant Get Enough Try these 13 Books Like THE ALCHEMIST Maybe youre a person who loves a fable. Maybe youre a person who loves to read about the Middle East, or adventure, or treasure-hunting, or self-discovery. One way or the other, youre looking for more life changing books like  The Alchemist by Paulo Coehlo. In a way, finding these books is a sort of Personal Legend to achieve, an adventure of its own. Below are 13 books like  The Alchemist  that will ignite your own journey. 1. The Prophet  by Kahlil Gibran If you loved the  wisdom imparted by  Paul Coehlo in  The Alchemist,  youll love Kahlil Gibran, and  The Prophet  in particular. Its a collection of poetic essays originally published in the 1920s that share  wisdom about a wide range of topics, from love to eating and drinking. This book is also great because its a book set in the Middle East, about Middle Eastern wisdom, by a person who is actually from the Middle East. And if youre like me, you love authentic voices. 2. Arabian Nights  or  1001 Nights Many people cite this book as the go-to staple for Arabic literature, but it was actually written by westerners who exoticized the East out of sincere obsession.  Its most clearly an  Alchemist  read-alike, largely because its such an interesting mythology to explore. Like many great sets of mythology, this one started as an oral tradition that everyone added to or modified. Its also fascinating since much of our popular culture about the Arab world stems from this book. (Note: westerners call it  Arabian Nights.  Easterners call it  1001 Nights.) 3. Pillars of Salt  by Fadia Faqir If the character Fatima fascinated you the most, try this book, too, about a woman who lives in a traditional, nomadic Bedouin society. Paulo Coehlos society very closely imitates the culture presented in Fadia Faqirs novel,  Pillars of Salt,  but in her story, we get to hear the narrative from the womans perspective, which is always a nice, welcome inversion! 4. One Hundred Years of Solitude  by Gabriel García Márquez Theres no way that you love books like  The Alchemist  and this novel got by you!  One Hundred Years of Solitude  tells the story of the mythical town of Macondo and the family who lives there. The beginning has the markings of a boy seeking his Personal Legend, a sort-of alchemist-like character, and adventure, of course. All of those points make it one of the closest  Alchemist  read-alikes. 5. The Shadow of the Wind  by Carlos Ruiz Zafón If you liked the adventure, puzzle-solving aspect of  The Alchemist,  then youll love  Carlos Ruiz Zafóns novel,  The Shadow of the Wind.  This story follows an old book and its mythology, but its as magical as it is suspenseful. The plot drives the narrative, but the characters are unique and empatheticâ€"it makes the list of books like  The Alchemist  for these reasons, even though it reads much less like a parable. 6. The Book of Speculation  by Erika Swyler If you liked the telling of fortunes,  The Book of Speculation  will also be a fun read for you. Gypsies, fortune-tellers, cursed books and cursed families abound in this novel, and although it doesnt have the travel-narrative structure, its characters still unlock puzzles that span generations. 7. Life of Pi  by Yann Martel If your favorite part of  The Alchemist  were the parts about travel and allegory, you should definitely check out  Life of Pi.  The whole plot is built around a boys journey while hes lost at sea with a zebra, an orangutan, a hyena, and a tiger. This narrative blends the fantastical with the philosophical, and for that reason, its definitely one of the books like  The Alchemist. 8. The Secret  by Rhonda Byrne You probably heard about this book from Oprah, and you probably view it as a mostly self-help text. In reality, though,  The Secret  is about making your own luck and how to go about ithow to tell the universe what you want from it. In this way,  The Secret  is a life changing book like  The Alchemist.  Because nothing should waylay you from achieving your Personal Legend. 9. White Fang  by Jack London Okay, so you may be wondering how  White Fang  possibly qualifies on the list of books like  The Alchemist…Heres how: Santiago has a very close spiritual connection to the animals in his life, whether sheep or camels. Plus, Jack London is known for writing about the theme of perseverance in his novels, and this is no exception. If you want to be propelled toward your Personal Legend,  White Fang  and  Call of the Wild  are two  Alchemist  read-alikes that cant go unread. 10. Siddhartha  by Herman Hesse If what you appreciated most about  The Alchemist  was its tone, structure, and philosophical content, youll love  Siddhartha.  Its about the same length and reading difficulty, plus part of its objective is to synthesize philosophies that often contradict each other. Paul Coehlo does this well in his novel, and if you appreciated those qualities, definitely look into this novel, too. 11. aesops Fables   If the character you liked most in  The Alchemist  was the old man, or the king of Salem, you should check out some of Aesops fables. Its like listening to wisdom directly from a mentor. Plus, the characters in Aesops fables talk to entities like the sun, the wind, and the desert, like Santiago does. Its always fascinating to see elements of nature anthropomorphized! 12. Midaq Alley  by Naguib Mahfouz If you loved the scenes in the bazaar in Tangier, youll like the setting of  Midaq Alley.  Although it is set in a different part of North Africa, the atmosphere is similarly vibrant and sensational. And again, you get to hear the story from the perspective of someone who lives there, and who doesnt love authenticity? 13. Fairy Tales and Stories  by Hans Christian Andersen If you loved the ambient nature of the narrative, the learning of information as the character learns it, or the unlocking of a puzzle only after the protagonist has proved worthy, this collection is your most accurate  Alchemist  read-alike. The most famous tales from this volume are The Little Mermaid and The Snow Queen, but all of them are rich, wandering tales of adventure and identity. What are some of your favorite books like  The Alchemist?