books that make you realize that there is no shortage of beauty in living

i think that books, even novels are capable of encoding not only an author's lived experiences, but also encoding the beauty and awe that in the lived experiences which are otherwise lost to time. i think that literature is great for this reason. but usually, these books don't get as 'famous' or popular; but i need to find MORE!!! 

let's create a collection of books that are this important. i'll start :)

ishmael (daniel quinn)
giovanni's room (james baldwin)
looking for alaska (john green) (!!!)
the grapes of wrath (john steinbeck)
siddartha (hermann hesse)
the diving bell and the butterfly (jean-dominique bauby)
the anthropocene, reviewed (john green)