As I abandon my physical library for a more minimalist approach to life, I’ve missed seeing my favorite books on the shelf. Seeing the spines of those works that have touched my heart, thumbing through to my favorite passages, and revisiting the characters that became my friends and enemies was a delightful pleasure.
To that end, this regularly updated post will serve as my desert island library, the books I don’t want to forget. While serving my purposes, I hope the following will also provide you with worthy recommendations. I’ve separated the lists into four categories: fiction, non-fiction, self-development, and writing. For the benefit of anyone landing on this page, please comment below with books you love.
Fiction:
Body and Soul by Frank Conroy
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
The History of Love by Nicole Krauss
Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walters
Beach Music by Pat Conroy
Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy
A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway
Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese
Beartown by Fredrik Backman
Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
The Godfather by Mario Puzo
Marathon Man by William Goldman
A Million Little Pieces by James Frey
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel
The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel
Bright, Shiny Morning by James Frey
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Mystic River by Dennis Lehane
Live by Night by Dennis Lehane
Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Kane and Abel by Jeffrey Archer
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer
Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts
Plum Island by Nelson Demille
The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
Iron House by John Hart
House of Sand and Fog by Andrea Dubus III
The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin
We Begin at the End by Chris Whitaker
All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North
I’d be remiss not to mention the authors whose books I consumed in my early reading life as one might tear through Doritos: John D. Mcdonald, Nelson Demille, John Grisham, Harlan Coben, Stuart Woods, and Daniel Silva.
Self-Development
Mind Magic by James R. Doty
The Power of Now by Eckart Tolle
A New Earth by Eckart Tolle
The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself by Michael A. Singer
The Seat of the Soul by Gary Zukav
Psycho-Cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz, MD
Good Energy by Dr. Casey Means
You Are the Placebo by Dr. Joe Dispenza
Stop Thinking, Start Living by Richard Carlson
The Music Lesson by Victor Wooten
Awaken the Giant Within by Tony Robbins
How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey
The Way of the Wizard by Deepak Chopra
Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
Unfu*k Yourself by Gary John Bishop
Into the Magic Shop by Dr. James Doty
How to Do the Work by Dr. Nicole LaPera
Non-Fiction:
Warrior Soul: The Memoir of a Navy SEAL by Chuck Pfarrer
Radical Evolution: The Promise and Peril of Enhancing Our Minds, Our Bodies-and What It Means to Be Human by Joel Garreau
Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer
Open by Andre Agasse
The Accidental Connoisseur: An Irreverant Journey Through the Wine World by Lawrence Osborne
Adventures on the Wine Route: A Wine Buyer’s Tour of France by Kermit Lynch
Medic!: The Story of a Conscientious Objector in the Vietnam War by Ben Sherman
Writing:
Writing 21st Century Fiction: High Impact Techniques for Exceptional Storytelling by Donald Maass
The War of Art by Steven Pressfield
Turning Pro by Steven Pressfield
Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert
The Anatomy of Story: 22 Steps to Becoming a Master Storyteller by John Truby
Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott
On Becoming a Novelist by John Gardner
Writing Tools: 55 Essential Strategies for Every Writer by Roy Peter Clark
On Writing by Stephen King
GMC: Goal, Motivation, and Conflict by Debra Dixon
Save the Cat! by Blake Snyder
Save the Cat! Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody
Story: Style, Structure, Substance, and the Principles of Screenwriting by Robert Mckee
2k to 10k: Writing Faster, Writing Better, and Writing More of What You Love by Rachel Aaron
Writing the Breakout Novel by Donald Maass
Intuitive Editing: A Creative and Practical Guide to Revising Your Writing by Tiffany Yates Martin
Screenplay by Syd Field
Story Genius by Lisa Cron
Creating Character Arcs by K.M. Weiland
Damn Fine Story by Chuck Wendig
Gentle Writing Advice by Chuck Wendig