10 Books on Gratitude to Help You See the Bright Side

John Kralik, a lawyer hitting midlife, was completely unsatisfied. It seemed to him that everything was going wrong. Kralik didn’t want to accept his part in the bigger story of his life. 

He spent an awful lot of time blaming everyone else around him. After reflection and inspiration, he decides to do a project where he writes a thank-you note to someone every day for a year. 

This leads him on a wild journey of accepting who he used to be and ultimately becoming the person he wants to be. This memoir is an inspirational tale for anyone who has clawed their way out of rock bottom. 

Looking for a daily dose of inspirational quotes and Scripture passages? This guided reader is the perfect first step into a gratitude practice. 

Thomas Nelson offers readers a short Bible passage and a reflection. Each one calls us to remember gratitude in the everyday moments of our lives. 

With space for writing and beautiful illustrations, this book is a gift that keeps on giving. 

In A Year of Gratitude, readers find another interactive daily reader. Guided by mindfulness and psychology, this version includes a call to action each day. 

The activities range from small to slightly more involved. None of it is too time-consuming, however. This makes it fresh and approachable. 

From journaling to cuddling to affirmations and so much more, Joree Rose offers a unique path to gratitude for anyone looking for a well-rounded approach. 

June Cotner approaches gratitude with poems, prayers, and quotes for readers to dip into whenever they need. Gratitude Prayers is a gem. 

It includes writing from those who have passed as well as writers of today. What we’re left with is a book that feels like a gentle hug whenever we need one. 

Each page offers an exquisite meditation on life and gratitude, plus it’s a great daily reader to carry around. 

Well-known neurologist Oliver Sacks wrote four essays to share at the time of his death. Collected in the book Gratitude, these writings show how Sacks looks at life from the very end with clarity and grace. 

Within its pages, he approaches the mystery of what it means to be human. He teaches the importance of accepting one’s life and death with gratitude, humility, and appreciation. 

Janice Kaplan is yet another who set out on a year-long experiment with gratitude. As a journalist, she is curious about how much her perspective changes during the experience. 

This memoir is also woven with research on gratitude from several others. This includes interviews with those who have their own experiences and scientists who have studied the effects of gratitude. 

Kaplan finds that the research simply backs up her lived experience. Through her book, we have a chance to see all of the many ways being thankful can radically change our lives. 

Louise Hay, a well-known self-help author, has created a compilation of essays on gratitude. The authors include spiritual teachers, life coaches, and others. 

These essays are an inspiration. Reading them is the perfect antidote when we feel stuck in a rut or held down by life. 

What Hay and friends provide is a reminder to always check in with ourselves and to remember the blessings already present.

Will Foster ponders happiness in his book Filling the Happiness Gap. After years of study and hands-on experience, Foster believes he has the answer we all are looking for. 

He introduces a program that he calls GAP, standing for Gratitude, Acceptance, and Presence. Through this daily practice, Foster says readers will become more attuned to the here and now and less worried about what they don’t have.

Foster proves that happiness is always within reach, and that gratitude is simple but effective.

Christian Watson wrote and illustrated this fun book that helps us to shift our perspective on life. The character, Mr. Skelly (an actual skeleton), moves across different landscapes while reflecting on life’s deeper questions. 

Mr. Skelly doesn’t come off too preachy and reminds the reader that it will all be ok. The images are the perfect through-line, reminding us how interconnected we truly are. It will leave you wanting more from Mr. Skelly.

Gratitude is the key to finally feeling at peace, at least, that’s according to Ace McCloud. In his book on gratitude, he includes everything a reader could want when building a gratitude practice. 

He provides scientific research, along with tips on how to build it into our lives. McCloud gives readers plenty of options for approaching this life-changing mindset. In his view, it’s the missing piece we need to finally feel free.