Reading a book is an intimate act. The author opens himself, bares his soul, and exposes his feelings to the eyes of the reader. Readers respond to this intimate offering in a variety of ways from delightedness to disgust. If the book is truly good, it leads us to resonate in such a way that we feel the author is talking directly to us.
"Books for Living" shares with readers the Will Schwalbe's experiences and remembrances from some of the books he has read. In many cases, the books he offers remain with him because they stirred strong emotions, united him with experiences he was having at the time, or revealed a universal truth in a way that only books can do.
I had read many of the books Schwalbe shared in "Books for Living", am interested in reading some that he discussed that I have not read, and will pass on some he liked. Because of this, reading "Books for Living" was like sharing reading suggestions with a trusted friend. I am still not tempted to read the verbous writing of Dickens, will try out "Giovanni's Room" by James Baldwin, and shared Schwalbe's impression of "Lateral Thinking" by Edward de Bono, a book I used extensively in many training programs I used to offer when I was a consultant/trainer.
Books like "Books for Living" help us to get out of our ruts, find new things that might appeal to us, and even expand our horizons, sometimes to moving us out of our comfort zones. I appreciate the open and intimate offering of anyone who forthrightly shares his feeling about books that have meant something to him. Thank you, Will Schwalbe, for offering up this great book.
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I truly enjoyed this book and I would to read his other one about book clubs. Schwalbe was charming and vulnerable, all good traits for an author. ( )

Beautiful, life-affirming. If you love to read its a slam dunk. If you wish you had more time or desire to read, it will save your life. ( )

A nice follow-up to The End-of-Life Book Club that Schwalbe compiled with his dying mother. Here he looks at books that have impacted his life or simply accompanied a particular stand-out moment. His premise is that "Every book changes your life." some in profound ways and some in almost imperceptible ways. He believes the question we should be asking each other is not "where are you from?" or "what do you do?" but "what are you reading?" Each chapter looks at a book and a condition or state of being: "Wonder" and Choosing Kindness; "The Odyssey" and Embracing Mediocrity; "The Girl on the Train" and Trusting; "Rebecca" and Betraying -- some are well-known and so are rather esoteric and probably out of print, but each is a well-examined way to make a connection. Some commemorate major events/epiphanies in Schwalbe's personal life and others are just thoughtful reflections on our common society. It was interesting to intersect on a book I've read, but find a totally different reaction or understanding. Dozens of other titles and authors are peppered throughout and a complete list is provided at the end for those who like to be methodical and thorough. Perfect book for a bibliophile. ( )

Will Schwalbe presents a useful handful of valuable books to aid in living a good life.
I made many notes as I progressed through the book.
Conversational style, easy reading.
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