You are what you read
Wednesday, February 22, 2012 at 1:09PM 
“Every reader finds himself. The writer's work is merely a kind of optical instrument that makes it possible for the reader to discern what, without this book, he would perhaps never have seen in himself.”
- Marcel Proust
Flat surfaces in my home inevitably become cluttered with three things, decks of cards, coffee cups and books. I always have multiple books started, today I gathered some to share, some I'm reading for the first time, some I reread every year, some are consistently checked and referenced. I love this Proust quote because it reminds me that I'm not a blank slate waiting to be filled I'm a person with interests and tastes just waiting to be woken up.
What are some books that you have read that had a dramatic influence on your life? Do you think that they shaped you or or held up a mirror to show you your shape? Influential books of mine not pictured here include
"Eat, Pray Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert
"The Artists Way" by Julia Cameron
"What the Dog Saw" by Malcom Gladwell
and "The Giving Tree" by Shel Silverstein
Books in the photo
"Parisian Chic: A Style Guide" by Ines de la Fressange
“What Would Audrey Do?” Pamela Keogh
“The Fabulous Girls Guide to Decorum” by Kim Izzo & Ceri Marsh
“Fifth Avenue, 5 a.m.” by Sam Wasson
“The Official CIA Manual of Trickery and Deception” by H. Keith Melton & Robert Wallace
“Women, Work & the Art of Savoir Faire” by Mireille Guiliano
“Women in Comedy” by Martin and Segrave
“A Celebration of All Things Lucy” by Edwards
“The little Book of Etiquette” by Dorothea Johnson
Reader Comments (1)
I love "The Artists Way" by Julia Cameron and also other books by Julia Cameron.
Some of my all time favorites are
Circle of Stones - Woman's Journey to Herself - "How might your life have been different if there had been a place for you?"
The Alphabet Versus the Goddess - The Conflict Between Word & Image
Anything at all by Erika Lopez (please don't judge me!)