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Quick answer: If you loved Matt Haig, read Fredrik Backman's A Man Called Ove and Anxious People, then Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist, then Susanna Clarke's Piranesi, and Gail Honeyman's Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine and Graeme Simsion's The Rosie Project. All are warm, thoughtful fiction about life and hope.
Matt Haig writes accessible novels about depression, choice and hope, such as The Midnight Library. These picks share his warmth.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Ages | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| A Man Called Ove | Fredrik Backman | Adult | readers who like grumpy heroes |
| The Alchemist | Paulo Coelho | Adult | readers who like fables |
| Piranesi | Susanna Clarke | Adult | readers who like puzzles |
| Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine | Gail Honeyman | Adult | readers who like quirky heroines |
| The Rosie Project | Graeme Simsion | Adult | readers who want a lighter romance |
| Tuesdays with Morrie | Mitch Albom | Adult | readers who want nonfiction |
| The Five People You Meet in Heaven | Mitch Albom | Adult | readers who like heartfelt fiction |
| Anxious People | Fredrik Backman | Adult | readers who like quirky ensembles |
| The Little Paris Bookshop | Nina George | Adult | healing by books |
| Legends & Lattes | Travis Baldree | Adult | readers who want low-stakes comfort |
| The Reading List | Sara Nisha Adams | Adult | readers who love libraries |
| Station Eleven | Emily St. John Mandel | Adult | readers who like quiet apocalypses |
| Lessons in Chemistry | Bonnie Garmus | Adult | readers who like strong heroines |
| Four Thousand Weeks | Oliver Burkeman | Adult | time and limits |
| The Book of Lost Things | John Connolly | Adult | readers who like dark fairy tales |
1. A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
Ove, a grumpy widower, plans to end his life, but his new neighbors keep interrupting. Funny and tender.
Best for: readers who like grumpy heroes.
2. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Santiago, a shepherd, follows his dream to Egypt. A short fable about purpose.
Best for: readers who like fables.
3. Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
A man lives in a vast house of statues and tides and slowly learns the truth about his world. Strange, quiet and brilliant.
Best for: readers who like puzzles.
4. Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
Eleanor, a lonely office worker, slowly opens up to a kind colleague. Funny, sad and healing.
Best for: readers who like quirky heroines.
5. The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion
Don Tillman, a professor, sets out to find a wife by a questionnaire. Funny and warm.
Best for: readers who want a lighter romance.
6. Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom
A journalist visits his former professor, who is dying of ALS, every Tuesday. A short, moving memoir.
Best for: readers who want nonfiction.
7. The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom
An old man dies and meets five people who explain his life. A short, gentle novel.
Best for: readers who like heartfelt fiction.
8. Anxious People by Fredrik Backman
A failed bank robbery leads to a hostage situation in an apartment viewing. Funny, warm and wise.
Best for: readers who like quirky ensembles.
9. The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George
A bookseller prescribes books to heal readers and sails down the Seine. Sweet and sentimental.
Best for: healing by books.
10. Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree
Viv, a retired orc mercenary, opens a coffee shop in a fantasy city. Small stakes, big heart.
Best for: readers who want low-stakes comfort.
11. The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams
A teenager and an older widower bond over a list of library books. Gentle and moving.
Best for: readers who love libraries.
12. Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
A traveling Shakespeare troupe wanders a world changed by a flu pandemic. Quiet, hopeful and beautifully written.
Best for: readers who like quiet apocalypses.
13. Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
Elizabeth Zott, a chemist in the 1960s, becomes a TV cooking star. Funny, angry and warm.
Best for: readers who like strong heroines.
14. Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman
Burkeman argues that we can never do everything, so we must choose. Wise and gentle.
Best for: time and limits.
15. The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly
David, a grieving boy, enters a world where fairy tales are twisted and dangerous. Dark and moving.
Best for: readers who like dark fairy tales.
How We Chose These Books
Every pick is a real, widely available book that shares something specific with Matt Haig: its tone, its themes, its pace or the kind of characters it puts at the center. We mixed well-known favorites with a few less obvious titles, and we noted who each book suits best so you can match it to the reader. Where a book belongs to a series, we list the first volume so you can start at the beginning.
If you are not sure where to begin, start with the first three picks in the table: they are the closest match to Matt Haig. The rest of the list moves further out, so it works well once you know which part of the original you liked most.
How to Choose
For second chances, read A Man Called Ove. For hope, try The Alchemist. For gentle wonder, pick Piranesi.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Matt Haig?
An English novelist and journalist.
What is his best-known book?
The Midnight Library.
Does he write nonfiction?
Yes, including Reasons to Stay Alive.
Which book here is best for readers who like dark fairy tales?
Try The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly, which suits readers looking for readers who like dark fairy tales.
Which book here is best for time and limits?
Try Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman, which suits readers looking for time and limits.