Books for Living

by Will Schwalbe

[Beth C.]

As a prolific reader, I often wonder what books I would pick as a top-ten list. Occasionally, I will even try to put one together, but with no particular reason for doing so, I am free to change it as often as I like - so I often do. Will Schwalbe has taken that challenge, and added a new dimension to it. These are all books that have been meaningful to him for the ways in which they have taught him how to live a better life. Bearing in mind that "a better life" means something different for everyone, it was interesting to read about his choices and their meaning to him nonetheless.

The books range drastically in scope, from a children's classic ("Stuart Little") to a current best-selling novel ("The Girl on the Train"), to an obscure book that will get mentioned in several places throughout the remainder of this one ("The Importance of Living"). Each book has it's own small chapter (subtitled by the reason it was chosen - reasons like "Trusting", "Remembering", and "Disconnecting"), where he discusses the book, author, and reason for the meaning. Many chapters include memories and stories that help to paint a picture of the way the book proves helpful for living.

Overall, it's sort of like chatting about books over tea - one book per visit - then compiling them into this as a sort of journal to help you remember. It doesn't have to be read in order - a specific topic can be picked, or one can just open the book to a chapter and begin reading. It's a lovely book, and would make a good gift for a favorite bibliophile, or even as a suggestion for book club reads.