7 Books to Celebrate Life!

Happy Celebration of Life Day! As readers, we are seekers of truth, students of perspective, and curators of philosophy. We love life and we're especially thoughtful about how we approach it. Books provide us with an endless source of material for this aspiration. And every once in a while, we find one that shifts our whole worldview. Here are seven books that have changed readers' lives.

After the two days it took me to read it, it had changed my whole concept of life.

As the title suggests, The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom presents four essential tenets to guide a well-lived life. 1. Be impeccable with your word. 2. Don't take anything personally. 3. Don't make assumptions. 4. Always do your best. Author don Miguel Ruiz argues that adhering to these four guidelines will lead to transformational results. Many readers agree!

Charm and wisdom for all ages. A timeless treasure!

Is it a fairy tale, an adventure story, an allegory, a fable? Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's classic book offers the clear-eyed perspective of a child and reminds us of the simple truths that we all know, but sometimes forget. With unjaded innocence, The Little Prince speaks to integrity, friendship, and beauty.

I just want to thrust this book into the hands of everyone I know and love!

As advice columnist Dear Sugar, Cheryl Strayed offers her own perspective as she addresses issues like infidelity, poverty, grief, and even writer's block. The advice offered in Tiny Beautiful Things is confessional, profane, deep, and straight to the point. Amidst tears and laughter, readers report finding helpful guidance for myriad difficulties.

Helped me move forward and overcome. It was a gift!

We all go through hard times. In Broken Open: How Difficult Times Can Help Us Grow, Omega Institute co-founder Elizabeth Lesser demonstrates how we can use these trials to grow stronger, wiser, and more capable. Sharing stories from her own life and those of her clients, she presents practical guidance for moving through pain and into growth.

I felt like this book was written just for me!

With three hit shows on TV and three kids at home, Shonda Rhimes felt she had plenty of reasons to turn down invitations to speak or appear at events. But after a comment from her sister, she decided to make a change. In Year of Yes she shares the transformative power she found in the choosing the affirmative!

It made me laugh. It made me cry. It made me think.

Anne Lamott is the master of pairing reverence with irreverence. Like her other essay collections, Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith combines humor and grief and humanity and healing into a satisfying cathartic stew. Hilarious, heartfelt, and deeply human, Lamott offers a startlingly candid and original take on faith.

This is a work of beauty and wisdom. A book to be savored.

First published in 1923, The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran, a classic volume of poetic essays and drawings, offers timeless insights on such essential topics as marriage, children, work, friendships, pleasure, and more. Born to a poor family in Lebanon, a teenaged Gibran emigrated to the United States, where he studied art. Readers report keeping this book by their bedside as a touchstone for a life well lived.

Life is beautiful. Life is hard. Life is sweet. Life's a trip. No matter who you are or what your circumstances, figuring out how to live is rarely easy. Hopefully these books offer some helpful guidance. Do you have any books that have changed your life for the better? Let us know what they are!

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Read more by Ashly Moore Sheldon