My Bookshelf: How I Choose Books

Digital or physical? New or used? Impulse buys?

The view from my living room

Who doesn’t love beautiful books? Many of us could easily spend thousands of dollars buying up books with gorgeous photography, entertaining topics, or special interests that catch our eye. But who has time to really read and enjoy so many books? And where would you even put them? Unless you are a wealthy person with a huge library and plenty of leisure time, we have to make choices about which books are really worth our time and money.

So I take my book choices very seriously, and I try to follow a few guidelines as I decide which ones make it into my personal library.

Public library. If a book is available from the public library (like a classic novel), that’s always my first choice. Classics like Jane Eyre, or even popular newer books like My Brilliant Friend, are great to return to every so often, but you don’t necessarily need to keep them on your shelf at home. You know that whenever you need them they will be available from your local library. I prefer to save money and space in my house by borrowing books whenever possible (or reading through the library’s ebook service).

Kindle/E-reader. Of course, since my interests are rather specialized, the titles I want are often not available from the local library. My next stop is usually Kindle. This includes books that I’ll probably only read once as well as books I plan to write about. It’s very useful to highlight and take notes electronically, since I can easily download my notes and refer to them as I write about the book. It’s also easy to search for words, concepts, or notes that I’ve taken. And best of all, they don’t take up any room on a shelf, so I don’t have to worry about storing and organizing them. I can easily search my Kindle for a title and pull it up whenever I need it. I also like that ebooks are more environmentally friendly, so I feel like this is often a win-win-win.

Hard copies. But there are some books that I find worth buying in hard copy. For books that I suspect I will return to again and again (most of my books on philosophy, for example), it’s worth making a purchase and keeping them on my bookshelf. If I keep reaching for them repeatedly, they earn a spot on my center shelf (my copy of Epictetus’ Discourses is so well worn it’s almost falling apart).

I normally buy hard copies of books that I think will be worth savoring and pondering, such as Viktor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning or Sarah Bakewell’s How to Live, or A Life of Montaigne in One Question and Twenty Attempts at an Answer. I find it much more pleasant to sit in a cozy corner paging through an actual book rather than tapping on a small screen. Maybe it’s because I grew up turning pages, or maybe there’s just something about the tactile experience of feeling, seeing, and smelling real paper and ink. (Plus I find it easier to keep track of where I am while reading, seeing the pages shift from mostly ahead of me to mostly behind me.) In any case, if it’s a book I’ll want to sit and be with for a while, I often buy a physical copy.

And there’s one other category of books I usually choose to have and to hold: the beautiful ones. If I’m buying a book with spectacular photos or illustrations, the Kindle experience is so second-rate it’s not even worth it. Obviously this includes books of art and photography, but also history books with good illustrations or illustrated plates (some of my favorites are The Age of Conversation by Benedetta Craveri, Ravenna: Capital of Empire, Crucible of Europe by Judith Herrin, and How to Live Like a Monk: Medieval Wisdom for Modern Life by Danièle Cybulskie). It’s a much richer experience to see the images up close and in color, and I find that it helps me remember the reading material better and in a more personal way.

New or used? I’ve gotten pickier over the years about the quality of used books I purchase. I don’t mind a bit of shelf wear, but I don’t like books that look grungy. Choosing used books is especially tricky online, when you rely on sellers’ descriptions of a book’s condition. I have purchased books before that were described as “very good” only to find the outer edges smeared with dirt and the cover dog-eared. So in a way, shopping for pre-loved books online is a game of chance—but one I’m usually willing to take in order to save money and reduce environmental impact. If I can find a good copy that’s at least a few dollars less than the new one or the Kindle version, then I take the plunge.

No impulse buys. Every book lover knows how easy it would be to just go around buying any book that strikes your fancy. Therefore a strategy is required to reduce temptation and impulse buys. (On the other hand, if you’re looking for inspiration, then wandering around a bookstore is just the right thing!)

My personal strategy involves mainly buying books online, because actually going into a bookstore increases my risk of buying things that won’t add value to my life long-term. I’m standing there with the book already in my hand, and it’s so tempting to just buy it so I can continue reading at home. Also, I feel pressure that if I don’t buy it right then, it won’t be available later, or somehow I won’t be able to find another copy. Better get it before it’s gone!

So I usually buy online where I can be disciplined and methodical. If I find a book that looks good, I add it to my wish list and wait. Most of the time my initial enthusiasm subsides after a few days or a few weeks, and I realize that book doesn’t actually appeal to me as much as I thought. Sometimes I’ll leave titles on my list for years, just in case I change my mind later. Occasionally I do come back and purchase a book I added a year before, but usually I eventually delete them. It’s the classic trick of putting some distance between you and your impulse for as long as possible. Most of the time the impulse fades and you find your life filled up with something else.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this brief tour of my book selection strategy. As you can see, my goals are to purchase only books that I will enrich my life for a long time. This keeps my mind and my home clutter-free, is more sustainable for the planet, and is less expensive than impulse-buying books that I don’t really need. And best of all, it allows me to focus my time on books that I really love. I wish the same for you!

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