Inspiring Nonfiction to Read if You Love Anna Quindlen

If you’re going through a midlife crisis, this is the one book you need to read ASAP. Part travelogue, part philosophical memoir, it explores a woman’s adventures across three continents as she searches for balance, meaning, and joy. 

Despite having a seemingly perfect life, Gilbert decided to file for divorce and spend the next twelve months traveling the world—enjoying delectable cuisines in Italy (“Eat”) while staying celibate, embracing spirituality in India (“Pray”), and giving romance another chance in Bali (“Love”). 

Engagingly written, Eat Pray Love is the perfect comfort read, filled with illuminating nuggets of wisdom and hilarity. 

If you’re looking for something short and memorable to change your life, like some of Quindlen’s literary essays, you may also find Ann Patchett’s works similarly enlightening. 

In her essay, What Now? which can be finished in a single sitting, Pratchett offers wisdom and solace to anyone stuck at a crossroads, unsure of what to do next. 

Whether you’re facing a career change or navigating one of life’s milestones, Pratchett’s essays might contain the words that you need to hear the most. 

Quindlen has been a lifelong lover of literature, and if you’re one of those creative types, you might also resonate with Cameron’s books. 

Mostly known for her seminal work, The Artist’s Way, Write for Life: Creative Tools for Every Writer is also structured similarly, offering a six-week program to tap into the “creative process,” allowing writers of any genre to achieve their literary goals and make writing a part of their daily lives. 

Whether you’re struggling to finish your novel or you’re just putting pen to paper, Cameron’s book is a must-have. 

This autobiographical memoir kick-started Alderton’s literary career and explores the colorful world of a woman in her late 20s as she navigates life, love, friendship, and heartbreak. 

Funny, poignant, and thought-provoking, Everything I Know About Love is simultaneously entertaining and engaging, filled with recipes, text messages, and laugh-out-loud anecdotes. 

Whether you’re dealing with a jilted lover, have had a falling out with a best friend, or just trying to make sense of adulthood, Everything I Know About Love is a book that will definitely make you feel less alone. 

If you prefer the more self-help approach to lyrical memoir, Gretchen Rubin’s book, Secrets of Adulthood: Simple Truths for Our Complex Lives, is packed with aphorisms and might be the wise old friend that you need. 

From marriage upheavals to everyday decisions, the “truths” enshrined in this book can help you get out of paralyzing dilemmas and remind you of the things to hold most dear in this life.   

Finally, if you’re up for a slightly darker read, In The Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado offers a deeply moving and unsettling experience. 

Carefully crafted, packed with literary allusions and rendered in luscious prose, the book delves into a complicated queer relationship, examining the nuances of abuse and desire in a candid and refreshing way. 

Painfully raw and devastatingly beautiful, Machado’s book is an emotional roller coaster that will leave you in tears and breathless by the end. 

Highly innovative, experimental, and compelling, In The Dream House is perfect for trauma survivors looking for something edgy, inspirational, and intimate.