Books, Books, and More Books: Musings of a New Old Reader

"Sometimes you can learn a lot about a person by looking at their bookshelves." - Walt Longmire

Longmire (A&E/Netflix) Season 1, Episode 5 “The Dog Soldier”

Here is a picture of a bookshelf. What does it say about the owner of the books? I love looking at the books on a person’s shelf. I’ve done that since I was a kid. It’s always so interesting to me to see the different kinds of books different people keep and display. Oh yes, some people don’t keep books. Some people don’t buy books. They check them out of the library (it’s cheaper) or they get them on their digital device (it’s convenient) and they lose access after a period of time, hopefully after they have read it. I’m told that books are “always a good gift idea! Especially coffee table ones that are fun to flip through.” The source of that quote will remain anonymous, but I’ll tell you they practically said “hint hint” in their email to me. I love it!

That brings up another good point; reading the books you have. Some people have read every book in their personal library. Others of us, who shall remain nameless, have read parts of all of the books on the shelf. And then don’t forget the people that read them “cover and cover.”

Back to the idea of giving books away. That’s hard for me. What if I need to reference it someday? It’s likely I won’t need to, especially if I give the

right books away and keep the right books. I have sold books on Amazon. I guess I made a little money. It’s been a while. They were mainly Reference books that I could access for free on the internet. Which I now need to tell you, some of the reference books that were free I now have to pay for. UGH!

I recently discovered Google Books. The first sentence I read when I did a Google search of “Google Books” was, “Search the world's most comprehensive index of full-text books.” But are they free? Google says the free books are public-domain works. However, I have found that is not strictly the case. Well, not exactly. I got 193 pages into a book I was reading. Luckily, I have the physical copy of that book so I could finish it. I saw 35 of 159 pages of one of my favorite books. So I guess you won’t get every page for free. But let’s just say you need an exact quote that you recall was in the first part of a book you’ve read. Look it up. You may find it.

Now some people will have to give you the password to their Goodreads website or invite you to it or whatever one does to do what you do on Goodreads in order for you to learn more about them from their reading habits. Here is what the website says about itself.

A Few Things You Can Do On Goodreads

- See what books your friends are reading.

- Track the books you're reading, have read, and want to read.

- Check out your personalized book recommendations. Our recommendation engine analyzes 20 billion data points to give suggestions tailored to your literary tastes.

- Find out if a book is a good fit for you from our community’s reviews.

I’ve read parts of too many books to spend time building my database so my mom and my wife (my readership) can see what I’ve not read all the way through. Care to share your Goodreads info in the comments?

Now “Coffee Table” books say something about you. But do people still have coffee tables? We don’t. But only half of the people in my house drink coffee and probably only a quarter of the people in my house would have interest in a coffee table book. I like them, but they’re on the shelf with my non-coffee table-worthy selections.

When looking at a bookshelf one must also take into account who or how many people contributed to what is there. "Does she really like Aerospace all that much? Which person is the musician; the history buff? I guess everyone likes a good biography or at least part of a biography. Did they buy all those or were they given to them?" I was prompted and will likely be buying some Disney books soon. I’m not clear as to whether they should be coffee table books or of the regular shelf variety.

Here are 4 titles on leadership that are a must-read.

The Art of Followership by Riggio, Chaleff, Lipman-Blumen - This is a great book. You are a better leader if you know how to follow also. Every leader should read this one.

Excellence in Leadership by White – This is an interesting book on leadership based on Nehemiah and the building of the temple in the Old Testament.

The Way of The Shepherd by Leman and Pentak - This is an excellent book on leadership that pulls principles of leadership from the simple life of a shepherd.

To Sell Is Human by Daniel Pink - This is an excellent book on sales, which we all do, regardless of our profession. And if you sell, you lead. And if you don't think you sell or lead, it's likely you do. You just don't know it.

 Here are a few inspirational titles:

You Gotta Keep Dancin' by Tim Hansel – This book is full of stories and a message that no matter your circumstances, you can choose to be joyful. I have used this book more than any other apart from the Bible. If you can find it, you should read it. By the way, I don't loan my copy out. It's that valuable to me.

All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten by Robert Fulghum – This book has short little snippets to inspire you and others. I’ve shared many a story from this book over the years.

Dare to Dream by John Maxwell - Maxwell is known as America's expert on leadership and is a motivational speaker and former pastor in San Diego. Everyone’s inspirational section of their library needs at least one book by Maxwell.

My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers – This book is the bestselling devotional of all time. This daily devotion and scripture come in a classic edition or updated language edition. Each entry is dated so you can use it any time. 

I can’t forget some regular old fiction suggestions:

Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers – This was probably the first fiction book I read post-college. It had a cover that looked like a romance novel so I covered it with an old school paper bag book cover. It is a historical romance set in the 1850’s Gold Rush and is inspired by the Book of Hosea from the Bible. I read it in one weekend, and I was not a reader. A movie version is currently in production.

Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry – This is a 1985 Western novel and is the first in a series of 4. When I recently decided to become a reader again, this is what I chose to start with. It is 945 pages. It was made into a 4 episode television mini-series in 1989 on CBS.

The Cold Dish by Craig Johnson – This 2004 modern western mystery novel inspired the A&E/Netflix series, Longmire (2012-2017). It is the first in an extended series of novels. His 17^th novel in the series, Daughter of the Morning Star is set to be released in September of this year. 

By the way, I have several more shelves of books, some of them belong to my wife. You’ll find books on caring for newborns and raising kids. I have more church hymnals than any family needs and those count as books. I have biographies of presidents, athletes, musicians, and others. One of my favorite books is all about Gilligan's Island, written by the Professor, Russell Johnson. I've got a book on how to barefoot water ski and many other self-help books. There are the Bathroom Readers and other books to just make you laugh. And don't forget the kid’s section down low, where they can reach them. Just wait ‘til she’s old enough to visit.

Thanks for reading (my blog, I mean),