Books like Reincarnation — picked by fans

Tyson’s Gift: How an 8-Pound K9 Became a Man’s Greatest Spiritual Guide by police officer Brandon Wainwright is the story this country needs to hear, especially now. From beginning to end, the author brings the reader into his personal life and the ups and downs of his relationships with an openness that appeals to mother, father, sister, or brother. Anyone who has ever loved or been loved by an animal will find healing and hope for the future, that we never really have to say goodbye when our hearts are open.

While James Van Praagh’s book titled Unfinished Business: What the Dead Can Teach Us About Life is not strictly dealing with reincarnation, but rather, what those who have passed over want us to know, it is founded on the same principle—that life and death are not about punishment and reward but compassion and love. Told on a case-by-case basis, the book aims a spotlight on just how important our earthly relationships are. And those souls, who have moved out of their bodies, are determined to have their messages heard, whether to right wrongs, settle debts, or, as in most cases, to ask for simple forgiveness from those they wronged on earth.

On a much lighter note, The Zack Files Great Grandpa’s in the Litter Box by Dan Greenburg is a children’s chapter book with a big message, using humor to sum up what reincarnation really is (at least when souls reincarnate as pets). In a nutshell, the titular cat reincarnates to clear up unfinished business with his loved ones who survived him. This book manages to simplify in less than sixty pages what could take a scholar a lifetime to disseminate.

Finally, Repetition: Past Lives, Life, and Rebirth written by clinical psychologist and psychotherapist, Doris Eliana Cohen, Ph.D. is a book focused on healing. Whether the reader is interested in learning how to heal from past-life traumas that are hindering their growth or move on from dysfunctional relationships, this book offers professional help and support. It also illuminates the nuts and bolts of different ways a soul can reincarnate. Most surprising of all may be how much free will is involved in the process, not at all the never-ending cycle of death and rebirth or the mislabeled karma of punishment for previous wrong-doings. This book offers the hope of taking responsibility for one’s life and the possibility of healing many past lives in one’s own current lifetime.

The title of this book seemed nothing more than a gimmick to get attention. Fortunately, I decided to read the book anyway. In hindsight, the title was perfectly fitting for the subject matter behind the cover. The creative and scripturally sound musings concerning our departure from this world warmly touched my heart about a subject matter no one likes to think about.

The author has tough things to address, but they are all extremely enlightening. It’s been a while since I read it, but I do believe a tear or two might have been shed toward the end. I have given this book to many friends and family.

Stories of people with personal connections to times long gone and places far away always fascinate me. In this novel, 13-year-old Willow begins experiencing strange visions that lead her to believe that she led a former life in ancient Egypt. I love how the author doesn’t shy away from sensitive subjects like religion and terminal illness, but handles them with sensitivity (Willow’s best friend is a fundamentalist Christian who does not approve of the idea of past lives, and Willow’s sister is gravely ill). Still, the main focus of the story is Willow’s research into the possibility of reincarnation, and I found it captivating. 

What I like about this book is that it is one of the few historical past-life books that weaves together the past-life memories of eight people that corroborate each others accounts. In their current life none knew each other, had no previous knowledge of each other’s accounts beforehand and lived in different parts of the world. 

What unfolds is a tale of family, friends, empowerment, survival, spirituality, connection, sacrifice, and at the core love. It is about what happened before, during, and after the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. And that past life accounts differs, sometimes drastically from the fundamental beliefs of Christianity as we know it, they are supported by the latest biblical research.

Not only is this novel about death and dying (10,000 times, to be exact), but it also features Death as a main character. So it gets bonus points for hitting both of those marks when it comes to my love of dark comedies about death. But it’s also a story about finding a reason for living, that reason being the aforementioned Death, who just so happens to be the main character’s love interest. It’s complicated. At turns both thought-provoking and laugh-out-loud funny. Reincarnation stories have always intrigued me and this one does it in a fashion unlike any other.

This is another tale that starts with a fortune-teller—but this time it’s teenage Jo who gets her future told. The clairvoyant tells her that there is only one true love for her—but the last time Jo saw him was in a past life! Now she needs to find him in this life. Jo doesn’t believe a word of this, but events start to unsettle her. Could reincarnation possibly be true? But what if she can’t recognize her soul-mate when she finds him again in this life? I love the suspense elements in this book as well as the romance.

I am a great fan of the sensational xianxia drama The Untamed, which is why I love this novel from which the drama is adapted.

One thing that I really like about the novel is the character Wen Qing. My heart is captured by her quiet ways of going about her practice of medicine, her deep but understated affection for her brother Wen Ning, and her unwavering loyalty to her good friend Wei Wuxian after facing adversities together with him. She actually saves him twice, the second time with her own life.

What also strikes me as outstanding is the way the novel constantly asks the thought-provoking questions: what is good and what is evil, and why are unorthodox ways deemed as evil?