Kindness and community books for adults

If you're working on our February SweetBean challenge and looking for related reading recommendations, look no further! Here are some books that center kindness and community for adults.

Looking for lists for other age groups? Check out the teen list here.

Check out the picture book list here.

Check out the chapter book list here.

Updated February 1, 2024
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The Alchemist.
Coelho, Paulo
Paper Book
"My heart is afraid that it will have to suffer," the boy told the alchemist one night as they looked up at the moonless sky." Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself. And that no heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dreams." Every few...
All this could be different
Mathews, Sarah Thankam
Paper Book
2022 NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST ONE OF THE LOS ANGELES TIMES' TOP 5 FICTION BOOKS OF THE YEAR ONE OF TIME AND SLATE'S TOP 10 BOOKS OF THE YEAR Named one of the BEST BOOKS OF 2022 by NPR, Vogue, Vulture,...
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.
Shaffer, Mary Ann
Paper Book
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * NOW A NETFLIX FILM * A remarkable tale of the island of Guernsey during the German Occupation, and of a society as extraordinary as its name. "Treat yourself to this book, please--I can't recommend it highly enough."--Elizabeth Gilbert,...
Infectious generosityThe Ultimate Idea Worth Spreading
Anderson, Chris
Paper Book
"If you want to help create a more equitable world but don't know where to start, Infectious Generosity is for you."--Bill Gates, GatesNotes  The bestselling author, media pioneer, and curator of TED explores one of humankind's defining but overlooked impulses, and...
The librarianist.
deWitt, Patrick, 1975-
Paper Book
THE INSTANT #1 NATIONAL BESTSELLER Winner, 2024 Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour  From bestselling and award-winning author Patrick deWitt comes the story of Bob Comet, a man who has lived his life through and for literature, unaware that his own experience is a...
Love & saffron : a novel of friendship, food, and love
Fay, Kim
Paper Book
The Instant National Bestseller and #1 Indie Next Pick In the vein of the classic 84, Charing Cross Road, this witty and tender novel follows two women in 1960s America as they discover that food really does connect us all, and that friendship and laughter are the best...
A man called Ove.
Backman, Fredrik, 1981-
Paper Book
Now a major motion picture A Man Called Otto starring Tom Hanks! #1 New York Times bestseller--more than 3 million copies sold! Meet Ove. He's a curmudgeon--the kind of man who points at people he dislikes as if they were burglars caught outside...
Pianos and flowers. [large print]
McCall Smith, Alexander, 1948-
Paper Book
A delightful collection of stories and photographs from the best-selling author of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series, imagining the lives and loves of everyday people in the twentieth century Pictures capture moments in time, presenting the viewer with a window into...
The printed letter bookshop.
Reay, Katherine, 1970-
Paper Book
Books. Love. Friendship. Second chances. All can be found at the Printed Letter Bookshop in the small, charming town of Winsome. One of Madeline Cullen's happiest childhood memories is of working with her Aunt Maddie in the quaint and cozy Printed Letter Bookshop. But by the...
The Story of Arthur Truluv A Novel
Berg, Elizabeth.
Ebook
"I dare you to read this novel and not fall in love with Arthur Truluv. His story will make you laugh and cry, and will show you a love that never ends, and what it means to be truly human."--Fannie Flagg An emotionally powerful novel about three people who each lose the one they...

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