my ideal bookshelf

First things first- I love the public library. I still remember the first time I went to the library in the new town we had moved to when I was five. I checked out so many books. I think it's the best thing ever. There was an amazing library in the town I grew up and in Chicago, so there has never really been a need for me to buy a ton of books. Nonetheless, besides traveling, I think books (okay, and food) are my favorite way to spend money. I checked this book out at the library awhile ago but eventually it was due, and then it was overdue, and I still hadn't finished reading it.

This book asks a bunch of people what books would be on their ideal bookshelf. Even though there are quite a few people (mostly designers) I haven't heard of, the explanations (on the opposing page) are so great for every single one. Some of the books people chose aren't favorites, but books that had been significant to them at one point or another. Or, they are the books that are consuming them now.

So a few weeks ago, I decided to make the trek up north to the Book Cellar and buy this book for myself as a late birthday gift. This is Atul Gawande's bookshelf and a little bit of his reasoning:

"Writing is about speaking to others who may be confused about the same kinds of things that I'm confused about, and ho are willing to follow along as I explore what's interesting to me. How else would I end up writing about itching? I just wanted to tell a story. And I hoped it would make people feel really itchy."