I really enjoy the works of Paulo Coelho (The Alchemist) and Mitch Albom (The Five People You Meet In Heaven) I find that their works examine the human soul, God, redemption and purpose in a very intriguing way without delving into religion. I would love to hear any recommendations for similarly styled works.
Well, my own book is in the same genre. There are a few classics, if you read The Magicians Nephew by C.S. Lewis, part of the Chronicles of Narnia, you will see the themes he was conveying. He re wrote the book several times over a decade to get it right. I'm sure you have heard of or read 'The Celestine Prophecy' and also the 'Zen of motorcycle maintenance' which are classics. Another is 'Tuesdays with Morrie.'
I have been meaning to read The Alchemist for a long time. I have never gotten around to it. I like reading non-fictonal spiritual books that were published in the early 1900's. My favorite is "This Thing Called You" by Ernest Holmes. I'm currently reading "Your Faith is Your Fortune" by Neville.
I will always recommend the "Dao De Ching" to people as a very excellent philosophical/spiritual book to read, because when one understands it, one's perception and attitude in life becomes more whole. Another good read I recommend is "The Book: On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are" by Alans Watts. This is book draws its readers to reflect on what one believe is self and what truly is self. "Being and Time," which is a existential book by Martin Heidegger, is very complex to understand at first because Heidegger uses a lot of linguistics that he created and were not properly translated into English. In short, the book delves into the fact that one is thrown into the nature and the true essence of life is existence. There's a lot of other terminologies and subjects he wrote about, for example, like the three major influences one experiences in life: Umwelt [world of nature], Mitwelt [world of external humans/creatures/entities] and Eigenwelt [world of self]. However, this is not a book for beginners in philosophy, but they are welcome to try. Truth is, any book can be spiritual, so long as it changes you in spirit.
If you enjoyed those books - which I admittedly have not rad or even come across - then I think that you will enjoy Conversations With God!! AH-MAZING Books!!! There are three books in the Conversations With God Series. I stumbled across the books about six years ago, and only read them about two years ago. They are life-changing books. They will rewire the way that you look at things, and the way that you think. The way that we think, as human being, is the key to any and everything, as I am sure you have learned from the books that you have already read.
I've read The Alchemist. It's nice in its own way but if readers aren't into symbols and metaphors, this book will be difficult to follow. I've read Mitch Albom's Tuesdays with Morrie too. Life of Pi is a good one. The book's amusing and refrains from being too dogmatic. It ultimately lets the readers decide on their own. You may also want to read The Purpose Driven Life. You have to read it for 40 days, though.
Another book that people may want to consider reading is a book that was written by Louise Hay called You Can Heal Your Life. Over the years, Louise compiled a list of emotional symptoms that correlate with physical illness in the human body, and she offers the emotional reasons for various different ailments. Even with people who are not into this way of life - when you read them the explanation for a certain ailment, their eyes bug with shock. They cannot deny it.
