Books on the Shelf
I believe that books are amazing. They have the power to transport you to different worlds, and think differently. The really good ones having you asking questions you didn’t know you had. Or wondering what’s possible. For at least ten minutes every day, I give words the chance to carry me to unexpected places.
Growing up, I’m not sure if I loved reading. But the ritual of reading books runs in the family. I don’t remember a single overnight trip where I haven’t packed at least one book. Not since I learned how to read anyway.
I used to keep all my books, lining tall bookcases with hundreds of titles. Then, you move enough times and you realize how heavy boxes and boxes of books are. So I started donating books. Letting go of them slowly at first, then faster. Now, most of my used books end up on the shelves of little libraries in lower income neighborhoods. Because everyone should have access to books, and the worlds and questions inside their pages.
Books are meant to be enjoyed, not collected. They are not meant to grow stale on a shelf. No matter how good a book is, I pass it on to a new home when I’m done with it. So someone else can read it, and the book can tell its story again.
These days I only have one bookshelf. It houses only books I’m not finished with yet. They are all books I’ve read at least once. And they are all books I plan on reading at least one more time. Some are likely lifers on my shelf, but others are just living there for now. They’ll move on to new homes eventually. When I move on to new books.
Recently someone asked me what books are on my shelf. So, I thought I’d share the titles that currently have a home on my bookshelf. Some of my choices could probably use an explanation. But honestly, it is not a requirement for any of us to justify why we like certain books. So I will not provide any justifications or explanations.
Plenty of wise people have said it is better to read what you like and not what you think you are supposed to like. Those words are some of the best advice out there. I think everyone would enjoy reading more if they weren’t embarrassed about the books they actually find interesting.
If that’s how you feel, I hope the titles below make you feel brave enough to pick up a book and not worry about judgement. If the book exists, you aren’t the only person who finds it worth reading.
In no particular order, the books on my shelf:
- Creativity, Inc. by Ed Catmull
- Atomic Habits by James Clear
- Ignore Everybody by Hugh MacLeod
- The Practice & All Marketers are Liars by Seth Godin
- Untamed by Glennon Doyle
- Girl, Stop Apologizing by Rachel Hollis
- Leave Your Mark by Aliza Licht
- Love Her Wild & The Truth About Magic by Atticus
- Everything That Remains, Minimalism & Essential by the Minimalists
- Elixir, Devoted & True by Hilary Duff
- The Speed of Light by Ron Carlson
- If Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things by Jon McGregor
- Once a Runner by John L. Parker
- Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom
- Anxious People by Fredrik Backman
- The World of Pooh by A.A. Milne
- Columbine by Dave Cullen
- This is Water by David Foster Wallace
- The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling
- The Gossip Girl Series by Cecily von Ziegesar
- Own Your Weird by Jason Zook
- Anything You Want by Derek Sivers
- Winnie-the-Pooh on Management by Roger E. Allen
- Give and Take & Originals by Adam Grant
- Grit by Angela Duckworth
- The Go-Giver by Bob Burg and John D. Mann
- The War of Art by Steven Pressfield
- Ego is the Enemy, The Obstacle is the Way & Stillness is the Key by Ryan Holiday
Roughly 50 books make up my personal library these days. It’s taken a lot of reading, and a lot of honesty with myself about what I will read again.
In full transparency, there is one other place I keep books beyond my shelf. My nightstand is a wooden milk crate, and there is where I keep the books I own but I haven’t read yet. It’s about a dozen books. Maybe some will make the shelf after I read them. Most probably won’t though.
These books are essentially my already purchased reading list. Those ones, plus a short list on a post-it are the “books to read” stack. I’ll read them all soon enough. One [or two] at a time, living for the duration of their stories on my coffee table, a bookmark tucked in their pages.
