Shelf Indulgence

Books for book lovers!

Updated June 30, 2025
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The well-educated mind : a guide to the classical education you never had
Bauer, S. Wise.
Paper Book
Have you lost the art of reading for pleasure? Are there books you know you should read but haven't because they seem too daunting? In The Well-Educated Mind, Susan Wise Bauer provides a welcome and encouraging antidote to the distractions of our age, electronic and otherwise. In her previous 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...
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...
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...
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
100 writers, designers, chefs, artists, musicians, and other creatives share the books that have inspired and shaped their lives, to collectively form the ultimate reading list.  The books that we choose to keep and read can say a lot about who we are and how...
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...
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...
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...
The catalogue of shipwrecked books : Christopher Columbus, his son, and the quest to build the world's greatest library
Wilson-Lee, Edward
Paper Book
This impeccably researched and "adventure-packed" (The Washington Post) account of the obsessive quest by Christopher Columbus's son to create the greatest library in the world is "the stuff of Hollywood blockbusters" (NPR) and offers a vivid picture of Europe on the verge of becoming...

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