Life & fun · alternatives · 2026

24 alternatives to If the Oceans Were Ink: An Unlikely Friendship and a Journey to the Heart of the Quran

National Book Award nomination for Nonfiction 2015

Below are 24 products that do a similar job, ranked by how close each is in meaning and then by launch-day votes. If the Oceans Were Ink: An Unlikely Friendship and a Journey to the Heart of the Quran launched in 2015; newer entries below may have overtaken it.

1. 1
   Hold Still: A Memoir with Photographs▲70

   National Book Award nomination for Nonfiction 2015

   2015 · its alternatives →

2. 2
   The Soul of an Octopus▲4

   National Book Award nomination for Nonfiction 2015

   2015 · its alternatives →

3. 3
   The Kite Runner▲70

   unforgettable, heartbreaking story of an unlikely bond

   2015 · its alternatives →

4. 4
   The Thing About Jellyfish▲59

   National Book Award nomination for YA Literature 2015

   2015 · its alternatives →

5. 5
   Lost Ocean▲73

   An inky adventure & coloring book for adults

   2015 · its alternatives →

6. 6
   Meaningful▲69

   The story of ideas that fly

   2016 · its alternatives →

7. 7
   Ordinary Light▲5

   National Book Award nomination for Nonfiction 2015

   2015 · its alternatives →

8. 8
   Deep▲64

   Freediving, renegade science, + the secrets of the ocean

   2016 · its alternatives →

9. 9
   Making Ideas Happen▲75

   Overcoming the obstacles between vision and reality

   2015 · its alternatives →

10. 10
    Black Swan▲80

    The impact of the highly improbable

    2015 · its alternatives →

11. 11
    Startup Rising▲60

    Inspiring stories from unlikely sources in the Arab world

    2015 · its alternatives →

12. 12
    The Art of Possibility▲58

    Transforming Professional and Personal Life

    2016 · its alternatives →

13. 13
    Life at Sea▲62

    Observations of a Modern Mariner

    2015 · its alternatives →

14. 14
    In the Heart of the Sea▲61

    Its story inspired Moby Dick

    2015 · its alternatives →

15. 15
    A Little Life▲71

    An epic about love + friendship in the 21st century

    2015 · its alternatives →

16. 16
    Letters to a Young Poet▲60

    A collection of letters on art, love and solitude

    2015 · its alternatives →

17. 17
    The Path Between the Seas▲55

    Stunning account of a major undertaking at great cost

    2015 · its alternatives →

18. 18
    How Humans Learned to Cross the Ocean▲115

    A new story from Hardbound

    2016 · its alternatives →

19. 19
    The Undoing Project▲72

    A friendship that changed our minds

    2016 · its alternatives →

20. 20
    Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude▲2

    National Book Award nomination for Poetry 2015

    2015 · its alternatives →

21. 21
    Fates and Furies▲71

    National Book Award nomination for Fiction 2015

    2015 · its alternatives →

22. 22
    Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War▲60

    National Book Award nomination for YA Literature 2015

    2015 · its alternatives →

23. 23
    If You Want To Write▲56

    A book about art, independence and spirit

    2015 · its alternatives →

24. 24
    Let Me Tell You A Story▲80

    A new approach to healing through the art of storytelling

    2015 · its alternatives →

Ranked by how close each launch is in meaning, then by votes. Prices were read from each product’s own site when checked and can change. Refine with your own description →