[A WORK-IN-PROGRESS]

On an early date with the man who I would marry, I said that I didn't care who was king of the world as long as I got to be in charge of all the libraries. Now he and I share many bookshelves. Here are some of the titles I recommend without hesitation.


BOOKS I’M READING NOW 

Poverty, By America
by Matthew Desmond

All the Colors of the Dark
by Chris Whitaker

Next Level
by Stacey T. Sims

 
 

A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving

This is my favorite novel: a story—and character—that just shouldn’t work, but does. Owen Meany has a permanent place in my heart and on my bookshelf.


LINCHPIN BY SETH GODIN

Whether you love your job or not, this book will remind you how important it is that you are YOU. There’s no need for permission or praise from anyone but yourself to be a star.


THE LIKENESS BY TANA FRENCH

As much as I enjoy good mysteries, I’m rarely surprised by them. I promise you won’t be disappointed by this one.


FOUR THOUSAND WEEKS: TIME MANAGEMENT FOR MORTALS
BY OLIVER BURKEMAN

This perspective on time and how we wrangle it (or the impossibility of that goal) is liberating. Why do I feel at the end of a lot of days that I haven’t done enough? Burkeman asks us to rethink “enough.” For me? Life-changing.


THE No. 1 LADIES’ DETECTIVE AGENCY
BY ALEXANDER MCCALL SMITH

This (and the next 19 in the series) I recommend to you on one condition: I beg you to hear them read aloud by Lisette Lecat. They are delightful stories, but Lecat’s pace and character voices make them the equivalent of high-quality comfort food. And, yes, you should hear them in their proper order.


IN COLD BLOOD
BY Truman capote

I love that the crime is complicated, and so is the author.