Here are 21 books that Path Lit by Lightning fans have personally recommended if you like Path Lit by Lightning. Shepherd is a community of 12,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of Finding Meaning in the Age of Immortality

Joshua David Bellin Author Of Myriad

From Joshua's 3 favorite reads in 2024.

Why am I passionate about this?

Author Teacher Science fiction fan

Joshua's 3 favorite reads in 2024

Joshua David Bellin Why Joshua loves this book

Definitely the best book I've read in a long time. The author takes a simple sci-fi premise--the discovery of a serum that enables people to live forever if they can afford the hefty price tag--and spins it into a multifaceted story about family, dreams, loss, economic inequality, and more. The brilliant structure--which switches back and forth among various members of two families, one rich and one poor--wowed me. This book is a debut, but it reads like the work of someone who's been writing novels for twenty years. Can't wait to see what she comes up with next!

By T.N. Eyer ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Finding Meaning in the Age of Immortality as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In a strange and troubled near future, a cure for mortality has been discovered, one that comes with a sky-high price tag and requires vast quantities of human blood to manufacture.As society schisms into have and have-nots, mortals and Immortals, two very different families confront the new reality. The Hudsons, once homeless, now swap their blood for food, shelter, and the dream of a better life, while the Davenports turn on each other over an inheritance large enough to secure Immortality for only one of them.

When scandal brings the Hudsons and Davenports together, they form a fraught and unlikely…


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Book cover of The High House

The High House by James Stoddard,

The Victorian mansion, Evenmere, is the mechanism that runs the universe.

The lamps must be lit, or the stars die. The clocks must be wound, or Time ceases. The Balance between Order and Chaos must be preserved, or Existence crumbles.

Appointed the Steward of Evenmere, Carter Anderson must learn the…

Book cover of We Are the Crisis

Joshua David Bellin Author Of Myriad

From Joshua's 3 favorite reads in 2024.

Why am I passionate about this?

Author Teacher Science fiction fan

Joshua's 3 favorite reads in 2024

Joshua David Bellin Why Joshua loves this book

The second book in Cadwell Turnbull's wildly imaginative Convergence Saga, this novel picks up where the first book, "No Gods, No Monsters," left off. Monsters have emerged from the shadows and sought to claim a place in human society, with all the predictable conflicts that occur when any marginalized group insists on being heard. It would be easy to consider this series an allegory about any number of contemporary social justice movements, from Black Lives Matter to the fight for LGBTQ+ rights, but Turnbull doesn't let readers draw easy conclusions. Instead, he produces a strange, complex, and at times disturbing story about social change that transcends any attempt to pigeonhole it.

By Cadwell Turnbull ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked We Are the Crisis as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A NEW YORK TIMES EDITOR’S CHOICE BOOK

The long-awaited sequel to No Gods, No Monsters from award-winning author Cadwell Turnbull, We Are the Crisis sees humans and monsters clash as civil rights collide with preternatural forces.

Three years after the Monster Massacre, members of Rebecca’s old wolf pack have begun to go missing without a trace.

The world has undergone many changes in the years since monsters came out of the shadows. An anti-monster group known as the Black Hand has started to organize across the United States. In response, pro-monster organizations have been growing in numbers and militancy. Targeted…


Book cover of When Pride Still Mattered: A Life of Vince Lombardi

Bob Lederer Author Of Beyond Broadway Joe

From my list on my all-time favorite sports books.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have been a professional business writer with a keen interest in baseball, football, basketball, and hockey since the early 1960s. My life was literally changed on January 12, 1969, when the New York Jets shocked me and the world with their upset victory in Super Bowl III. For over 40 succeeding years, I was beyond curious about the under-publicized players on that Jets team (aside from Joe Namath) and what they experienced and felt that day and season. I’m especially proud that the VP of Public Relations for that Jet team read and praised my book for bringing exposure to all “the other guys.” 

Bob's book list on my all-time favorite sports books

Bob Lederer Why Bob loves this book

I read this book because, in the annals of football history (up until the decades of Super Bowl success by Bill Belichick), Vince Lombardi and the Green Bay Packers made him the runaway choice as pro football’s greatest coach.

He was considered coaching’s ultimate leader, motivator, and fundamentals technician. This book filled in the very little I knew about Lombardi’s lengthy history before he landed in Green Bay.

By David Maraniss ,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked When Pride Still Mattered as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In this groundbreaking biography, David Maraniss captures all of football great Vince Lombardi: the myth, the man, his game, and his God.

More than any other sports figure, Vince Lombardi transformed football into a metaphor of the American experience. The son of an Italian immigrant butcher, Lombardi toiled for twenty frustrating years as a high school coach and then as an assistant at Fordham, West Point, and the New York Giants before his big break came at age forty-six with the chance to coach a struggling team in snowbound Wisconsin. His leadership of the Green Bay Packers to five world…


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Book cover of December on 5C4

December on 5C4 by Adam Strassberg,

Magical realism meets the magic of Christmas in this mix of Jewish, New Testament, and Santa stories–all reenacted in an urban psychiatric hospital!

On locked ward 5C4, Josh, a patient with many similarities to Jesus, is hospitalized concurrently with Nick, a patient with many similarities to Santa. The two argue…

Book cover of Seabiscuit: An American Legend

Jonathan Lackman Author Of The Woman with Fifty Faces

From my list on nonfiction topics you’d never think interesting.

Why am I passionate about this?

I find it so inspiring to see people pull off something that seems impossible, for example, breaking into a Paris monument every night for a year in order to clandestinely repair its neglected antique clock. So, when an author draws me into a topic that seems to me dry as dust, I enjoy the book so much more than one I knew I’d find interesting. 

Jonathan's book list on nonfiction topics you’d never think interesting

Jonathan Lackman Why Jonathan loves this book

I aggressively avoid reading books about animals, let alone ones devoted to a single animal (and one that had been written about before), but Hillenbrand’s brilliantly deployed, meticulous research into all of the human personalities that surrounded Seabiscuit seduced me, and many other readers.

Now that her book has become a bestseller and a feature film, it’s easy to forget how unlikely an accomplishment it was, particularly given her struggles with chronic fatigue, which she later chronicled in a poignant New Yorker essay.

By Laura Hillenbrand ,

Why should I read it?

10 authors picked Seabiscuit as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the author of the runaway phenomenon Unbroken comes a universal underdog story about the horse who came out of nowhere to become a legend.

Seabiscuit was one of the most electrifying and popular attractions in sports history and the single biggest newsmaker in the world in 1938, receiving more coverage than FDR, Hitler, or Mussolini. But his success was a surprise to the racing establishment, which had written off the crooked-legged racehorse with the sad tail. Three men changed Seabiscuit’s fortunes:

Charles Howard was a onetime bicycle repairman who introduced the automobile to…


Book cover of Ball Four: The Final Pitch

Bob Lederer Author Of Beyond Broadway Joe

From my list on my all-time favorite sports books.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have been a professional business writer with a keen interest in baseball, football, basketball, and hockey since the early 1960s. My life was literally changed on January 12, 1969, when the New York Jets shocked me and the world with their upset victory in Super Bowl III. For over 40 succeeding years, I was beyond curious about the under-publicized players on that Jets team (aside from Joe Namath) and what they experienced and felt that day and season. I’m especially proud that the VP of Public Relations for that Jet team read and praised my book for bringing exposure to all “the other guys.” 

Bob's book list on my all-time favorite sports books

Bob Lederer Why Bob loves this book

This book was the first (many followed since this book’s publication in the early 1970s) that broke the sacred rule of major league baseball to whit: “What happens in the locker room stays in the locker room.” Major league pitcher Jim Bouton wrote about his descent from a coveted, fireballing starting pitcher on champion New York Yankees’ teams and his attempt to regain a place in MLB by transitioning to a knuckleball pitcher.

Along the way, he talks about what he saw and heard from and about his teammates and opposing players. His revelations about Mickey Mantle, in particular, made major headlines and caused him to be excluded from Yankee Old Timers Day celebrations until the last years of his life.

By Jim Bouton ,

Why should I read it?

6 authors picked Ball Four as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

50TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION
New York Public Library Book of the Century Selection
Time Magazine “100 Greatest Non-Fiction Books” Selection
New Foreword from Jim Bouton’s Wife, Paula Bouton
When Ball Four was first published in 1970, it hit the sports world like a lightning bolt. Commissioners, executives, and players were shocked. Sportswriters called author Jim Bouton a traitor and "social leper." Commissioner Bowie Kuhn tried to force him to declare the book untrue. Fans, however, loved the book. And serious critics called it an important social document. Following his death, Bouton’s landmark book has remained popular, and his legacy lives on…


Book cover of Babe: The Legend Comes to Life

Bob Lederer Author Of Beyond Broadway Joe

From my list on my all-time favorite sports books.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have been a professional business writer with a keen interest in baseball, football, basketball, and hockey since the early 1960s. My life was literally changed on January 12, 1969, when the New York Jets shocked me and the world with their upset victory in Super Bowl III. For over 40 succeeding years, I was beyond curious about the under-publicized players on that Jets team (aside from Joe Namath) and what they experienced and felt that day and season. I’m especially proud that the VP of Public Relations for that Jet team read and praised my book for bringing exposure to all “the other guys.” 

Bob's book list on my all-time favorite sports books

Bob Lederer Why Bob loves this book

Babe Ruth's status as baseball's greatest all-around player (hitter–714 home runs, 342 batting average, a . 474 on-base percentage–and pitcher–94-46, 2.28 ERA, 147 Games Started, 107 CG, 17 Shutouts) remains cemented among historians (until Shohei Ohtani potentially proves himself the Babe's equal over time).

Creamer's book overflows with anecdotes about the many memorable moments in Ruth's gaudy career.

By Robert Creamer ,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Babe as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Portrays the struggles and achievements of baseball's most colorful hero.


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Book cover of Trusting Her Duke

Trusting Her Duke by Arietta Richmond,

A Duke with rigid opinions, a Lady whose beliefs conflict with his, a long disputed parcel of land, a conniving neighbour, a desperate collaboration, a failure of trust, a love found despite it all.

Alexander Cavendish, Duke of Ravensworth, returned from war to find that his father and brother had…

Book cover of Principles: Life and Work

Nick Cooney Author Of What We Don't Do

From my list on have a truly big positive impact on the world.

Why am I passionate about this?

I work in the venture capital (finance) space but have a long-time passion for and involvement with charity and philanthropy work, having founded several non-profits including most recently Lever Foundation which works to create a more humane and sustainable food system in Asia. I’m a big believer in and advocate for applying quantitative, analytical thinking and an outcome-focused mindset to efforts to make the world a better place. It’s something I think about every day, and it’s what I write about as well.

Nick's book list on have a truly big positive impact on the world

Nick Cooney Why Nick loves this book

Ray Dalio is one of the most successful hedge fund managers of all time. You might ask what that has to do with doing good in the world, but I think it’s abundantly clear that many of the same principles and approaches that lead to quantifiable success in the business world can contribute to increased success in efforts to make the world a better place.

I don’t agree with Dalio on everything, but I found his core messages such as focusing on results, being direct and candid with colleagues, weighing the credibility of someone’s opinion based on their history of performance, and continually reassessing and adjusting our approach, very wise and a way of thinking and working that is too often absent in the charity sector.

By Ray Dalio ,

Why should I read it?

6 authors picked Principles as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

#1 New York Times Bestseller

"Significant...The book is both instructive and surprisingly moving." -The New York Times

Ray Dalio, one of the world's most successful investors and entrepreneurs, shares the unconventional principles that he's developed, refined, and used over the past forty years to create unique results in both life and business-and which any person or organization can adopt to help achieve their goals.

In 1975, Ray Dalio founded an investment firm, Bridgewater Associates, out of his two-bedroom apartment in New York City. Forty years later, Bridgewater has made more money for its clients than any other hedge fund in…


Book cover of All Over But the Shoutin'

Mark Steven Porro Author Of A Cup of Tea on the Commode: My Multi-Tasking Adventures of Caring for Mom. And How I Survived to Tell the Tale

From my list on books that do not flinch when dealing with difficult circumstances.

Why am I passionate about this?

Family history has always fascinated me. I didn’t want mine to be buried with my loved ones. So, out of curiosity, I asked relatives lots of questions. If unsatisfied, I sought answers elsewhere. I traveled as far as Celle San Vito, Italy, where my grandfather was born, to solve a one-hundred-year-old mystery, and I filmed it for others to enjoy. I’ve memorialized momentous family events in poems, handmade greeting cards, memory books, screenplays, a documentary, and now, in my memoir A Cup of Tea on the Commode. The books on my list are about “family.” I’ve been moved by each, and I hope they move you as well.

Mark's book list on books that do not flinch when dealing with difficult circumstances

Mark Steven Porro Why Mark loves this book

A Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter for the New York Times, Rick Bragg’s writing is poetry.

He grew up dirt poor in Alabama. I grew up in a middle-class suburb in New Jersey. He and I have little in common but our love for our mothers. This story touched me on many levels. All mothers sacrifice to some extent in raising their children, but Rick’s mother went above and beyond while facing dire circumstances to provide for hers.

It made me appreciate my mother even more. And though I hadn’t discovered this book prior to my story, it reconfirmed my commitment to my mother. 

By Rick Bragg ,

Why should I read it?

4 authors picked All Over But the Shoutin' as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • From the Pulitzer Prize–winner and bestselling author, "a grand memoir.... Bragg tells about the South with such power and bone-naked love ... he will make you cry" (Atlanta Journal-Constitution).

This haunting, harrowing, gloriously moving recollection of a life on the American margin is the story of Rick Bragg, who grew up dirt-poor in northeastern Alabama, seemingly destined for either the cotton mills or the penitentiary, and instead became a Pulitzer Prize–winning reporter for The New York Times. It is also the story of Bragg's father, a hard-drinking man with a murderous temper and the habit of running…


Book cover of The Art of Fielding

Susan Doherty Author Of Monday Rent Boy

From my list on trauma resilience, identity, and the human spirit.

Why am I passionate about this?

After completing the first draft of Monday Rent Boy, I was taken aback to discover a common theme running through all of my books: a focus on children in adverse situations. A Secret Music. The Ghost Garden. And now Monday Rent BoyWhat holds paramount importance for me… is tracing the trajectory of the injured child as he or she navigates the journey toward adulthood…And…what does that path look like… what are the factors that help a person rise versus the ones that crush another? The more urgent answer to the question of why write? I came to see that certain subjects need to be written. And hopefully, read. 

Susan's book list on trauma resilience, identity, and the human spirit

Susan Doherty Why Susan loves this book

Set in a small college, this novel revolves around friendship, mentorship, and the pursuit of excellence. It explores how characters navigate failure, resilience, and personal growth through their relationships with one another.

I listened to the audiobook and found myself craving a long drive by myself so I could hear the five voices. It’s an outstanding story about people I would like to meet in real life. And I learned so much about baseball. 

By Chad Harbach ,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked The Art of Fielding as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Introducing the Collins Modern Classics, a series featuring some of the most significant books of recent times, books that shed light on the human experience - classics which will endure for generations to come.

Henry Skrimshander, newly arrived at college, shy and out of his depth, has a talent for baseball that borders on genius. But sometimes it seems that his only friend is big Mike Schwartz - who champions the talents of others, at the expense of his own. And Owen, Henry's clever, charismatic, gay roommate, who has a secret that could put his brilliant college career in jeopardy.…


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Book cover of Aggressor

Aggressor by FX Holden,

It is April 1st, 2038. Day 60 of China's blockade of the rebel island of Taiwan.

The US government has agreed to provide Taiwan with a weapons system so advanced that it can disrupt the balance of power in the region. But what pilot would be crazy enough to run…

Book cover of 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos

Shannah Kennedy and Colleen Callander Author Of Elevate: Unlock Your Extraordinary Potential

From my list on that will change your life.

Why are we passionate about this?

We are thrilled to present this carefully curated book list. As passionate advocates for leadership, self-mastery, and health and well-being, we have handpicked these titles to inspire and empower individuals on their journey toward personal and professional growth. Each book within this collection resonates with principles that we believe are pivotal for fostering resilience, achieving self-mastery, and maintaining a healthy and balanced lifestyle. Whether you're seeking leadership insights, self-help guidance, or ways to enhance your overall well-being, these books offer a diverse range of perspectives and actionable strategies. We hope this collection becomes a valuable resource for you on your path to personal excellence. – Colleen Callander & Shannah Kennedy. 

Shannah's book list on that will change your life

Shannah Kennedy and Colleen Callander Why Shannah loves this book

I loved this book. It was a thought-provoking guide to navigating life's challenges and complexities. I especially loved the way Jordan Peterson drew on psychology, philosophy, and personal anecdotes to impart practical principles for finding meaning and purpose.

Each rule serves as a roadmap for self-improvement, urging you to confront challenges, take responsibility, and strive for a meaningful existence. Jordan Peterson's insights are both profound and accessible, providing me with a framework for personal growth in a world often marked by chaos.

Whether exploring the nature of truth or the importance of standing tall, this book is a compelling and enriching read.

By Jordan B. Peterson ,

Why should I read it?

4 authors picked 12 Rules for Life as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Penguin presents the CD edition of 12 Rules for Life written and read by Jordan B. Peterson

Jordan Peterson's work as a clinical psychologist has reshaped the modern understanding of personality, and now he has become one of the world's most popular public thinkers, with his lectures on topics ranging from the Bible to romantic relationships drawing tens of millions of viewers. In an era of polarizing politics, echo chambers and trigger warnings, his startling message about the value of personal responsibility and the dangers of ideology has resonated around the world.

In this book, he combines ancient wisdom with…


Book cover of Finding Meaning in the Age of Immortality
Book cover of We Are the Crisis
Book cover of When Pride Still Mattered: A Life of Vince Lombardi

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