Welcome to a world where fate flips a coin, destiny dances on the knife’s edge, and luck is the unseen hand guiding our journeys. If you’ve ever marveled at the uncertainty of life’s twists and turns or pondered the role of chance in the stories we tell and live, you’re in for a treat. In this post, we’ll dive into an eclectic selection of books about luck, exploring how this elusive force shapes narratives, characters, and outcomes.
From tales celebrating the notion of lucky meets to examining the darker undercurrents of luck’s influence, we’re about to go on a literary adventure proving luck is far more than just a roll of the dice. So, cross your fingers, make a wish, and let’s discover the books where luck plays a starring role, reminding us that sometimes, the most extraordinary things happen in the most unexpected ways.
5 Books About Luck
Luck holds significant cultural significance in societies worldwide, influencing beliefs, traditions, and superstitions. It has played a significant role in history, shaping the outcomes of wars, conquests, and revolutions. Books about luck provide historical perspectives on luck, examining pivotal moments where luck played a decisive role in shaping the course of events.
These books offer insights into how luck has influenced the rise and fall of civilizations, the fates of individuals and nations, the unfolding of human history, and how it shapes individual and collective behavior, decision-making, and social interactions. Here are five such books for you. Let’s discover the luck!
| Name | Key Focus | Rating (Goodreads) |
|---|---|---|
| The Luck Factor by Richard Wiseman | The author focuses on some principles of psychological trees to unlock luck. | 3.8/5 |
| Thirteen Steps to Bloody Good Luck by Ashwin Sanghi | The book breaks down the myth about luck and helps to make luck by following 13 steps. | 3.8/5 |
| Success and Luck by Robert H. Frank | The author describes three principles of a lucky person. | 3.6/5 |
| Great by Choice by Jim Collins | A book of research on several companies to become an effective leader. | 4/5 |
| Hard Luck by Jeff Kinney | A boy is trying to change his luck in many circumstances. | 4.2/5 |
1. The Luck Factor: Changing Your Luck, Changing Your Life – The Four Essential Principles
The general idea behind this book is that luck is not some random event that happens to some people and not to others. Luck is a psychological construct. That’s something that we do have a certain amount of influence over. Most people believe that luck is something we don’t have any control over. But author Richard Wiseman disagrees with that.
Richard believes that luck has some principles or certain psychological trees. You can become much luckier by understanding these principles and using specific techniques. Principle number one is about maximizing chance opportunities. So this is the idea that lucky people have more opportunities but are also very good at seizing those opportunities.
The book is efficient. Each of the different principles has a range of very simple exercises you can practice immediately. There are some case studies, and then it’s mixed with techniques and exercises. So it’s a balanced book, making it accessible to know more about luck.
Author: Richard Wiseman
Publisher: Miramax Books
Average Rating: 4.2/5
Tropes: Self-Help, Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Philosophy, Spirituality, Science
Number Of Pages: 238
Item Weight: 8 ounces
Dimensions: 5.75 x 0.5 x 9 inches
Available: Audiobook | Paperback | Kindle | Audio CD
2. Thirteen Steps to Bloody Good Luck
The book tries to tell us that luck is not a superficial thing and is not predetermined. Some people are born lucky! The author tries to know that this is a wrong notion, and it tries to tell people that you can get lucky through your actions. Luck has got a bad rap due to superstitions associated with superstitions. But it is possible that you can get lucky by working towards it.
I particularly love this book because it tells us the difference between the people we think got lucky and us. We see a lot of people around us who are successful. What was the difference between their approach to life and your life? Which led them to success?
The author tells 13 things that successful people do differently or not successful people do, which ordinary people who are not successful do not. The best thing is that these points are backed by reason and logic.
Author: Ashwin Sanghi
Publisher: Westland
Average Rating: 4.1/5
Tropes: Success, Motivation, Personal Development, Management
Number Of Pages: 184
Item Weight: 4.6 ounces
Dimensions: 5.08 x 0.46 x 7.8 inches
Available: Paperback | Mass Market Paperback
3. Success and Luck: Good Fortune and the Myth of Meritocracy
This book was published on 19th April 2006. Author Frank discusses how vital the role of luck is in someone’s successful career. He uses examples from many successful people, businesses, and brands with some experience to justify his points. So it is essential as it shows that success in careers comes from hard work, but it also depends on luck. Therefore, people need to be more grateful for what they have and if they’re lucky enough to succeed.
There are three central ideas that I would like to highlight from this book. The first one is The Winner Takes All. Interestingly, Frank explained this idea a lot in this book, and he had written a book about this in 1995. The examples of this theory are people who have similar skills and put the similar effort in a workplace can have a huge salary gap.
The second idea that I want to highlight is to pay taxes. According to Frank, people who resist paying taxes do not acknowledge the role of luck in their success. So the government can invest the money from tax for better infrastructure and technology. As an improvement, successful people tend to have more responsibility.
You might be lucky when you take some opportunities, but you don’t know. So, for the third one, learn from your failure and be successful. After you take the possibilities, if you fail, that’s okay. But you need to learn from the failure and try to be successful. Overall, the book is illuminating, even if it fails some steam towards the end.
Author: Robert H. Frank
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Average Rating: 4/5
Tropes: Political Science, Politics, Psychology, Philosophy
Number Of Pages: 200
Available: Audiobook | Paperback | Hardcover | Kindle | Audio CD
4. Great by Choice: Uncertainty, Chaos, and Luck
Author James Collins has over 25 years of experience in leadership. He had authored two previous books before Grape by Choice. Another author, Morten Hansen, is a management professor at the University of California and the Center for Corporate Transformation founder.
The book’s purpose is to show the principles of what it takes to build a great enterprise in a time of uncertainty. It focuses on leadership in extreme environments, luck, and what separates them from other companies.
This book is written for those looking to build a lasting enterprise. The authors conducted extensive research on several companies that they call 10X. They did achieve their objectives by giving specific examples of the companies they researched and information about their stock and profit growth.
I would recommend this book to those who want to know how to become effective leaders and different leadership styles. The paperback is not good enough in quality, but the hardcover is best for color combination, font size, and cover.
Author/Narrator: Jim Collins
Publisher: HarperAudio
Average Rating: 4.6/5
Tropes: Entrepreneurship, Personal Development, Business, Economics
Number Of Pages: 183
Available: Audiobook | Hardcover | Kindle | Audio CD
5. Hard Luck
Hard Luck is the eighth book in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. The USA Today, Publishers Weekly, Wall Street Journal, and number-one New York Times have labeled this a best seller. We follow Greg Heffley, who finds new friends in middle school, proving a challenging task to change his fortunes. He decides to leap of faith and turn his decisions over to chance.
Is Greg’s life destined to be another hard-luck story? In this book, we get a picture of Greg using an umbrella to avoid the magic eight-ball storm. You get an orange cover and a little belt drawing when you open the book, which is an essential part of the story. I would recommend it to all gendered pre-teens and teenagers.
Author: Jeff Kinney
Narrator: Ramon De Ocampo
Publisher: Recorded Books
Average Rating: 4.8/5
Tropes: Comics & Graphic Novels, Comedy
Number Of Pages: 217
Available: Audiobook | Paperback | Hardcover | Kindle | Mass Market Paperback
5 Romance Books About Luck
- “Lucky’s Choice” by Jamie Begley
Part of “The Last Riders” series, this novel focuses on Lucky, a motorcycle club member, who finds himself at a crossroads between loyalty to his club and his love for Willa, a woman who represents everything he should avoid. Their relationship, sparked by a series of fortunate and unfortunate events, tests the boundaries of luck, love, and loyalty. Begley crafts a compelling story exploring how luck can change one’s life unexpectedly.
- “Lucky Suit” by Lauren Blakely
This charming novella follows Kristen, who, tired of the dating scene, allows her grandmother to set her up with a potential match. Unbeknownst to her, the connection is made through a series of lucky coincidences involving a lucky suit. Blakely delivers a light-hearted, sweet romance that emphasizes how sometimes luck—and a little bit of meddling—can lead to love.
- “Get Lucky” by Lila Monroe
In this romantic comedy, Julia is a wedding planner who’s all about making her luck—until her life unravels, leading her to cross paths with a sexy Irishman named Liam. Their meetup, sparked by a mix-up and a lucky charm, sets them on a path filled with laughter, mishaps, and romance. Monroe’s story is a delightful exploration of how luck can bring two people together in the most hilarious and heartwarming ways.
- “Just My Luck” by Jennifer Honeybourn
This YA romance tells the story of Marty, a girl cursed with perpetual bad luck on her birthday, coinciding with the town’s big festival. When a series of disastrous events leads her to cross paths with a boy who seems to be her opposite—lucky in everything—the two go on an adventure to break her curse. Honeybourn crafts a sweet tale about luck, love, and finding happiness where you least expect it.
- “Good Luck with That” by Kristan Higgins
This novel centers on three friends who make a pact to start living their best lives despite their struggles with self-esteem, love, and personal goals. As they face their paths, the concept of luck—both good and bad—plays a significant role in their journeys towards self-acceptance and finding love. Higgins delivers a touching and empowering story, reminding readers that sometimes, the best kind of luck is the kind you make for yourself.
5 Fiction books about luck
- “The Luck Factor” by Richard Wiseman
While not a novel, “The Luck Factor” is a fascinating exploration of the nature of luck through the lens of psychology. Wiseman presents his research on why some people are luckier than others and how you can increase your luck. The book combines real-life stories with practical advice, making it an engaging read for those interested in the science behind luck and how it affects our lives.
- “The Dice Man” by Luke Rhinehart
This novel is a cult classic focusing on themes of chance, choice, and the nature of human existence. The protagonist, a psychiatrist disillusioned with his life, decides to make decisions based on the roll of a die, leading him to unpredictable and often shocking adventures. “The Dice Man” challenges us to consider the role of randomness in our lives and the allure of surrendering to chance.
- “Good Omens” by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett
In this comedic fantasy, the fates of Heaven, Hell, and humanity hinge on the actions of an unlikely duo: a fussy angel and a fast-living demon who’ve grown rather fond of the world. Though not about luck in the traditional sense, the novel plays with the idea of chance events and unlikely alliances influencing the course of history, wrapped up in Gaiman and Pratchett’s signature wit and wisdom.
- “Just My Luck” by Cammie McGovern
This young adult novel explores the life of a young boy dealing with family issues, personal insecurities, and the complexities of growing up. When a sudden event throws his family into disarray, he begins to understand the nuances of good and bad luck. He learns important lessons about resilience, empathy, and the capacity to adapt and find happiness in adversity.
- “Lucky You” by Carl Hiaasen
Set in Florida, this novel combines satire, crime, and a bit of the absurd as it follows a group of characters involved in a dispute over a winning lottery ticket. Hiaasen’s sharp wit and keen observation of human nature shine through as the story explores the concepts of luck, greed, and the unpredictable ripple effects of fortune. It’s a humorous and critical look at what happens when a stroke of luck turns life upside down.
Last Words
These narratives have taken us on a journey through the unpredictable, showcasing luck as both a blessing and a curse, a source of comedy and tragedy, and, ultimately, a universal thread that connects the dots of human experience. Whether you’ve found inspiration in the happy accidents, solace in the twists of fate, or simply enjoyed the thrill of the unpredictable, we hope this collection of tales has enriched your understanding of how luck can define, disrupt, and deliver the most compelling stories.
As you step back into the world, may you carry with you a sense of wonder at the role luck plays in our lives and stories, and may fortune smile upon your next literary adventure. Until then, happy reading, and remember—sometimes, the best luck is finding a good book at just the right moment.
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