How do you curate your reading list?

Going to a bookstore is both an exhilarating and depressing experience for me.?I am always exuberant at the thought of the new books I am going to get to read but depressed at the realization that I will never be able to read everything that interests me.?Somehow a bookstore simultaneously represents both a celebration of living and a realization of life’s brevity.

With no offense to the big bookstores (which I also frequent), I am a sucker for the small independent bookstore.?One of my favorites is The Book Loft in Fernandina Beach, FL.?It is a self-described “old fashioned bookstore.”?The owners lovingly curate the selection in their small space and they know how to cater to their audience. In fact, one of the biggest sections right up front is filled with “Adult Pirate.”

Faced with the limits that time will place on my reading, I am forced to curate, as well; to carefully scrutinize and prioritize the types of books I choose.

So how do I choose?

I keep a list of the books that people recommend to me on my phone, so that when it is time for me to purchase a new book, I have a reference list from people I respect.?They help me curate my collection.

I read reviews.?I follow authors that I enjoy.?And I can spend hours just going up and down the rows of books in a store reading every jacket.

I also ask how I am going to spend those few precious hours I have to read??What information am I going to take in??What is consistent with my purpose and will help me live the life I want to live??What would just be a distraction?

That’s a lot of pressure on a $15 purchase.?And I may be slightly over analyzing this, but not by much.?I have referenced the Harvey MacKay quote on these pages before, “Our lives change in two ways: through the people we meet and the books we read.”?

“Our lives change in two ways: through the people we meet and the books we read.”?

Yep, choosing our books is important.

So how do you choose your books? Anyone have a system??Do you put much thought into it?

Oh, and anybody got a good book they would recommend??Here are a few I’ve read recently that I would suggest:

Red Notice by Bill Browder – I brought this to the beach this summer and couldn’t put it down.?Its' a fascinating book about doing business in Russia that concludes with a true story that sounds like it could have been written by David Baldacci. I have recommended this book to more friends this year than any other and they have all thanked me for it.

The Bomber Mafia and Talking to Strangers by Malcom Gladwell – These two books were created as audio books and then converted to print.?I recommend audio as they are in a unique format that is more like an extended length podcast than a book.?Bomber Mafia is fascinating history about how we got to the urban bombing in WWII and Strangers is an incredible insight into some of the current challenges facing our society.?If you can only listen to one, pick Strangers.

The Orphan Master’s Son by Adam Johnson – Hands down, the most beautiful piece of literature I read this year.?Deserving of the 2013 Pulitzer it won.

Unsettled: What Climate Science Tells Us, What It Doesn’t, and Why It Matters by Steve Koonin – This is an incredibly informative and balanced view of climate science.

Bottle of Lies: The Inside Story of the Generic Drug Boom by Katherine Eban – Given to me this year during my first meeting with our amazing VP of Quality at USAntibiotics, this book is a fascinating read but comes with a warning: after you read this you will forever think differently about the medications you take.

Nothing Like It In the World: The Men Who Built the Transcontinental Railroad 1863-1869 by Stephen Ambrose – An oldie but goldie by the legendary Ambrose about the building of the transcontinental railroad.?This book is so entertaining and telling about how much in the past 150 years has changed -- and stayed the same -- in business and in politics.

By the way, I've linked the books I recommend through Bookshop.org, where you can choose which bookstore gets credit (in other words, commission) for the books you purchase. It's a great way to support local and independent booksellers.