The best inspirational novels on the secret to changing your life and the world around you

Why am I passionate about this?

Although I’ve written over 50 books, the ones that have had the greatest impact are the novels that have been turned into movies. Through my books and the films based on them, I’ve had the privilege of sharing thought-provoking, life-changing stories with millions of people around the world. As a blind person, myself, I realize the absurdity of writing books I can’t read that are turned into movies I can’t watch, but a powerful story delivers life-changing lessons and endures forever. 


I wrote...

The Ultimate Gift

By Jim Stovall,

Book cover of The Ultimate Gift

What is my book about?

The Ultimate Gift is the first novel in a series of four books that has spawned a movie trilogy and a worldwide movement. Red Stevens is the quintessential self-made Texas billionaire. Throughout his long and eventful life, he has amassed a cattle and oil empire and has created success in everything he has touched except his family. His money and power have created spoiled and entitled children and grandchildren. As he approaches the end of this life, Red sees some promise in his grandson Jason and decides to make him the beneficiary of his multi-billion dollar will. Before Jason inherits a penny, he has to go through 12 trials his grandfather calls gifts. If he can master each task, he will receive the Ultimate Gift.

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of Acres of Diamonds

Jim Stovall Why did I love this book?

Acres of Diamonds is a timeless tale that has impacted generations of readers including me. It reminds us that before we begin searching throughout the world for the things we think we don’t have, we need to look inside of ourselves and explore what we really do have. As an African farmer leaves his home and everything he knows to begin a frantic search for diamonds, he discovers the eternal lesson that we get what we love when we learn to love what we have. 

By Russell H. Conwell,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Acres of Diamonds as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

This stirring manifesto shows how to discover everything you need to succeed-where you least expect it.

So begins one of the most famous speeches of the twentieth century, a talk that educator and minister Russell H. Conwell delivered before literally thousands of audiences before his death in 1925. In its printed version Acres of Diamonds reached millions of readers around the world. Conwell's great manifesto imparts one extraordinary lesson: All the wealth you could ever dream of, search for, or yearn after-in whatever form you wish for-exists right beneath your own feet. It is a message of determination, unconventional thinking,…


Book cover of Outwitting the Devil: The Secret to Freedom and Success

Jim Stovall Why did I love this book?

There has never been a more powerful and significant voice in the field of success and personal development than Napoleon Hill. I had become a student of his timeless classic, Think and Grow Rich, but had never read this novel until my friend, Sharon Lechter, edited a new edition of it, and my colleague Mark Victor Hansen wrote the foreword. I was only intending to read enough of it to tell Sharon and Mark I enjoyed it, but was drawn in by Napoleon Hill’s image of the devil which all of us have within our hearts, mind, and soul. This story teaches us that the devil is not a guy in a red suit with a pitchfork. The devil is our own apathy, lack of focus, and limited thinking.

By Napoleon Hill, Sharon L. Lechter (editor),

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Napoleon Hill’s Outwitting the Devil
The Secret to Freedom and Success
Secrets from the Vault, Written in 1938, Revealed Today
An Official Publication of The Napoleon Hill Foundation
 
“Napoleon Hill was one of America’s great, influential thinkers who continues to have an enormous impact today.” —Steve Forbes, editor-in-chief of Forbes magazine
 
Bestselling author Napoleon Hill reveals the seven principles of good that allow us to triumph over obstacles . . . and find success.
 
Using his legendary ability to get to the root of human potential, Napoleon Hill digs deep to reveal how fear, procrastination, anger, and jealousy prevent us…


Book cover of The Twelfth Angel

Jim Stovall Why did I love this book?

Among the 50 books I have written, eight of them have been turned into movies with a ninth currently in pre-production. For this reason, even as a blind person myself, whenever I read a novel—or in my case, listen to the audiobook—I see the story unfolding in my mind as a movie. Never have I read any novel that is more screen-worthy than The Twelfth Angel. In this story, Og Mandino teaches us that we all have talent, value, and worth. Even the most insignificant among us can create an impactful change in those around them and the world. You will feel that kind of impact as you meet The Twelfth Angel.

By Og Mandino,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Twelfth Angel as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

"A very special story about life and love and courage."
MERLIN OLSEN, SPORTSCASTER
John Harding had a high-powered career, a loving wife, and a beautiful son. He's lost it all and has returned to his home town of Boland, New Hampshire, teetering on the brink of suicide. But an old friend asks John to manage his old Little League team, the Angels. Reluctantly, he agrees, and meets a hopeless player who bears a striking resemblance to his dead son--and through their extroardinary relationship, John finds the wisdom in living that he thought had slipped beyond his grasp forever....
AN ALTERNATE…


Book cover of Three Feet from Gold

Jim Stovall Why did I love this book?

When Greg Reid asked me to co-author a novel with him that became our book, Passport to Success, I thought I would sample some of his previous collaborations. When I discovered he had written a book with my friend Sharon Lechter, I decided to give it a try. Three Feet from Gold is based on a classic story brought to light by Napoleon Hill. Many people fail because they are afraid to persevere, but once you read Three Feet from Gold, you’ll be afraid to quit. Success is your destiny and you’re closer than you think. 

By Sharon L. Lechter, Greg Reid,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Three Feet from Gold as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Updated and expanded anniversary edition of Three Feet from Gold
 
This remarkable business allegory tells a fascinating story in presenting the key principles of Napoleon Hill’s revolutionary bestseller, Think and Grow Rich. As you follow a struggling young entrepreneur through a life-changing series of encounters with some of today’s foremost business leaders and inspirational figures, you’ll find encouragement and motivation to believe in yourself, discover your own Personal Success Equation™, and never give up. You are just three feet from gold!
 
A century ago, Napoleon Hill began the research that ultimately resulted in his extraordinary bestseller, Think and Grow Rich.…


Book cover of The Old Man and the Sea

Jim Stovall Why did I love this book?

I am not sure what Mr. Hemingway would think of me including his novel in my list of motivational fiction, but The Old Man and the Sea can never be overlooked as classic literature as well as a life-changing tale. I’m convinced that the best way to learn or teach any concept is to tell a story, and there has never been a better storyteller than Ernest Hemingway. In his abrupt, minimalist style, Hemingway convinces readers that you can never catch anything you’re not willing to go after, and the big fish are only caught outside of our comfort zone. Whether you’re a successful reader or an aspiring writer, don’t miss this masterpiece from the master.

By Ernest Hemingway,

Why should I read it?

10 authors picked The Old Man and the Sea as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

This powerful and dignified story about a Cuban fisherman's struggle with a great fish has the universal appeal of a struggle between man and the elements, the hunter with the hunted. It earned Hemingway the Nobel prize and has been made into an acclaimed film. Age 13+


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Book cover of Dulcinea

Ana Veciana-Suarez Author Of Dulcinea

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

I became fascinated with 16th-century and 17th-century Europe after reading Don Quixote many years ago. Since then, every novel or nonfiction book about that era has felt both ancient and contemporary. I’m always struck by how much our environment has changed—transportation, communication, housing, government—but also how little we as people have changed when it comes to ambition, love, grief, and greed. I doubled down my reading on that time period when I researched my novel, Dulcinea. Many people read in the eras of the Renaissance, World War II, or ancient Greece, so I’m hoping to introduce them to the Baroque Age. 

Ana's book list on bringing to life the forgotten Baroque Age

What is my book about?

Dolça Llull Prat, a wealthy Barcelona woman, is only 15 when she falls in love with an impoverished poet-solder. Theirs is a forbidden relationship, one that overcomes many obstacles until the fledgling writer renders her as the lowly Dulcinea in his bestseller.

By doing so, he unwittingly exposes his muse to gossip. But when Dolça receives his deathbed note asking to see her, she races across Spain with the intention of unburdening herself of an old secret.

On the journey, she encounters bandits, the Inquisition, illness, and the choices she's made. At its heart, Dulcinea is about how we betray the people we love, what happens when we succumb to convention, and why we squander the few chances we get to change our lives.

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