Describe a book that you enjoyed reading

A book I thoroughly enjoyed is The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. I read it two summers ago on the recommendation of a colleague who said it had changed the way she thought about her career, and I'm glad I took her advice.

The story follows a young shepherd called Santiago who travels from Spain to Egypt in search of treasure he has seen in a recurring dream. On the way, he meets a series of interesting characters, including an old king, a merchant and an alchemist, and each of them teaches him something about listening to his heart and following his personal destiny. It's quite a short book, only about 200 pages, so I finished it in three days during a long train journey.

I enjoyed it for a few reasons. Firstly, it has a simple, almost fairy-tale style, which makes it easy to read, but underneath there are some very thought-provoking ideas about fear, dreams and perseverance. One line that stuck in my mind says that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself. Secondly, the plot is gripping, because you never know what obstacle will appear next, and I really couldn't put it down once Santiago reached the desert. Finally, it came at a good moment for me. I was trying to decide whether to leave a stable job to study again, and the book gave me the courage to take that risk. I've since lent my copy to at least four friends, and each of them has told me they found it inspiring.