Shelf Indulgence

Books for book lovers!

Updated June 30, 2025
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The book that changed my life : 71 remarkable writers celebrate the books that matter most to them
Coady, Roxanne J.
Paper Book
Here are 65 spirited testimonies to the transformative power of reading from 65 distinguished contributors. Books change lives and this one examines this phenomenon. With contributors from fields as disparate as journalism, cooking and the arts, these brief and lively essays tell of the single book...
Remarkable books : a celebration of the world's most beautiful and historic works
Collins, Michael
Paper Book
Imagine a world without Principia Mathematica, Rights of Man, the Bible, Shakespeare, or the Mahabharata.  Remarkable Books features 75 of the world's most momentous titles - from The Art of War to Anne...
Great short books : a year of reading--briefly
Davis, Kenneth C.
Paper Book
This entertaining guide to some of the best short novels of all time, from a bestselling historian, is the "perfect gift for busy bibliophiles" (BookPage). Experience the joys of literature with this this "exciting guide to all that the world of fiction has to offer" (...
Browsings : a year of reading, collecting, and living with books
Dirda, Michael
Paper Book
Journalist Michael Kinsley has described Michael Dirda as "the best-read person in America," then added "but he doesn't rub it in." Michael M. Thomas called him, in the New York Observer, "the best book critic in America." Nevertheless, no one named Michael was involved when Dirda was awarded the...
Bibliophile : diverse spines
Harper, Jamise
Paper Book
It's time to diversify your reading list. This richly illustrated and vastly inclusive collection uplifts the works of authors who are often underrepresented in the literary world. Using their keen knowledge and deep love for all things literary, coauthors Jamise Harper (founder...
Ex Libris
Kakutani, Michiko
Paper Book
Pulitzer Prize-winning literary critic Michiko Kakutani shares 100 personal, thought-provoking essays about books that have mattered to her and that help illuminate the world we live in today--with beautiful illustrations throughout. "A book tailormade for bibliophiles."--Oprah...
Speaking of books : the best things ever said about books and book collecting
Kaplan, Rob.
Paper Book
"What really knocks me out is a book that, when you're all done reading it, you wish the author that wrote it was a terrific friend of yours." -- J. D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye (1951) "I would rather be a poor man in a garret with plenty of books than a king who did not love reading." --...
Why I read : the serious pleasure of books
Lesser, Wendy.
Paper Book
"Wendy Lesser's extraordinary alertness, intelligence, and curiosity have made her one of America's most significant cultural critics," writes Stephen Greenblatt. In Why I Read, Lesser draws on a lifetime of pleasure reading and decades of editing one of the most distinguished literary magazines in...
Book smart : your essential reading list for becoming a literary genius in 365 days
Mallison, Jane.
Paper Book
Jane Mallison is the former head of the English department at New York's prestigious Trinity School More than five million Americans belong to a book club and members are always looking for new ideas Consumers spend more than a billion dollars on books each year Features "Book Smart Recommended...
Bibliophile : an illustrated miscellany
Mount, Jane
Paper Book
Searching for perfect book lovers gifts? Rejoice! Bibliophile: An Illustrated Miscellany, is a love letter to all things bookish. Author Jane Mount brings literary people, places, and things to life through her signature and vibrant illustrations. It's a must-have for every book...
My ideal bookshelf
Mount, Jane
Paper Book
The books that we choose to keep -- let alone read -- can say a lot about who we are and how we see ourselves. In My Ideal Bookshelf, dozens of leading cultural figures share the books that matter to them most; books that define their dreams and ambitions and in many cases helped them find...
The books that changed my life : reflections by 100 authors, actors, musicians, and other remarkable people
Patrick, Bethanne Kelly
Paper Book
One hundred of today's most prominent literary and cultural icons talk about the books that hold a special place in their hearts and made them who they are today. Leading authors, politicians, CEOs, actors, and other notables share the books that changed their life, why they love them, and their...
The book on the bookshelf
Petroski, Henry.
Paper Book
He has been called "the poet laureate of technology" and a writer who is "erudite, witty, thoughtful, and accessible." Now Henry Petroski turns to the subject of books and bookshelves, and wonders whether it was inevitable that books would come to be arranged vertically as they are today on...
What we talk about when we talk about books : the history and future of reading
Price, Leah
Paper Book
Reports of the death of reading are greatly exaggerated   Do you worry that you've lost patience for anything longer than a tweet? If so, you're not alone. Digital-age pundits warn that as our appetite for books dwindles, so too do the virtues...
Why we read : on bookworms, libraries and just one more page before lights out
Reed, Shannon
Paper Book
*NATIONAL BESTSELLER* *A WGN Radio Best Book of 2024* *A Good Housekeeping Reads pick* A hilarious and incisive exploration of the joys of reading from a "beloved and wonderful writer" (George Saunders), teacher, bibliophile, and Thurber...
River of Books
Seaman, Donna
Paper Book
A memoir of reading and working with books by the renowned Booklist editor. With the infectious curiosity of an inveterate bibliophile and the prose of a fine stylist, Donna Seaman charts the course of her early reading years in a book-by-book chronicle of the significance books have held...
Dear Fahrenheit 451 : love and heartbreak in the stacks : a librarian's love letters and breakup notes to the books in her life
Spence, Annie
Paper Book
A librarian's laugh-out-loud funny, deeply moving collection of love letters and breakup notes to the books in her life. If you love to read, and presumably you do since you've picked up this book (!), you know that some books affect you so profoundly they forever change the...
A well-read woman : the life, loves, and legacy of Ruth Rappaport
Stewart, Kate
Paper Book
The inspiring true story of an indomitable librarian's journey from Nazi Germany to Seattle to Vietnam--all for the love of books. Growing up under Fascist censorship in Nazi Germany, Ruth Rappaport absorbed a forbidden community of ideas in banned books. After fleeing her home in...
The catalogue of shipwrecked books : Christopher Columbus, his son, and the quest to build the world's greatest library
Wilson-Lee, Edward
Paper Book
"Like a Renaissance wonder cabinet, full of surprises and opening up into a lost world." --Stephen Greenblatt "A captivating adventure...For lovers of history, Wilson-Lee offers a thrill on almost every page...Magnificent." --The New York Times Book Review

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