Spreading the Word: The Open Book Bookshelf

What are you favourite books in the world? Which books would you always, now and forevermore, recommend to people? What is it about them that makes them so special to you? Last week, I had to ask myself these questions. I was forced to do so because I was asked to have my very own temporary bookshelf at the local library. Want to know which books I picked? Read on!

Every month, my library (cinema/museum/restaurant/overall good place) picks a local Booktoker (not me) or Bookstagrammer (me) to show them what their social media is about. It’s a great way to get more exposure, of course, but for me it was the perfect opportunity to tell everyone what my specific page is about: how every book teaches us something about the world and about ourselves. In order to have the perfect bookshelf, I had to think long and hard on which books would convey that message very clearly. My shelf is located quite prominently, so I hope many people will pass it, look at my picture and the books lying there, and looking me up on Instagram and on my blog. Let’s hope they’ll start thinking about their favourite books, too, and telling me all about them.

There’s only one problem: I have no idea what my favourite book is, let alone picking the twenty-five most influential book on my life. I started with the usual suspects: Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials, Virginia Woolf’s Mrs Dalloway, and Kazuo Ishiguro’s The Remains of the Day (I can’t believe I haven’t written a blog post about that one yet). But then there were twenty-two other books. I decided to go for a mix between classics and modern novels, between female and male writers, between all sorts of genres. That’s because I don’t want to limit myself to one corner of the immense world of literature.

I won’t give you the entire list just yet. I will spend the next post on it, including my reasons for picking specific books. So stay tuned, and let me know what you think of it! Did I forget some absolute classics? Should I have omitted some which are on the list? Please, please let me know in the comments! Also, don’t forget to follow me for more book-related (and library-related, and lecture-related, and otherwise bookish) posts!