Great books don't just describe the world; they change how we perceive it.
Sometimes the greatness of literature lies in its ability to shake us out of our comfort zones.
Justin's Bookshelf
What criteria do you personally use when reviewing a book?
Justin: Situational, depending on where I am physically and mentally. I need to be in the right headspace to read books. Typically, I don’t like to read light-hearted, fluffy books, once that are feel good books. They’d have to be thought provoking. I like well-written fiction with a meaning or moral. Historical fiction is also appealing. Primarily, I read nonfiction because I want to learn vs solely reading for entertainment. I like to read books that are obviously smarter than me, that challenge me. Rooted in fact but with strong philosophical arguments. I like to read books that sink in deeply so that I remember the main messaging vs the overall story. This is a list of books that are meaningful and challenging. I wouldn’t recommend them to everybody as it may not be everyone’s cup of tea.
If books and how you feel about them were a person, who would it be and why?
Justin: Al D’Andrea, my high school economics teacher because I used to love he’d speak – he told very good stories, he was intelligent. Anytime he told a story, personal or professional, I would listen with full attention.
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N O N F I C T I O N
1.The Dancing Wu Li Masters — Gary Zukav explores modern physics through Eastern philosophy, showing how scientific discoveries challenge traditional ideas of reality and consciousness.
•In one word: Elevated
•In one sentence: There’s a lot to explore and connect with in this universe that most of us normally do not think about or comprehend but we should try.
2.The Seat of the Soul — Gary Zukav argues that human evolution is moving toward spiritual awareness, emphasizing intention, responsibility, and inner growth.
•In one word: Inspirational
•In one sentence: Human evolution is a much longer game and timespan than what we see and perceive on a daily basis.
3.Where Good Ideas Come From — Steven Johnson explains how innovation emerges from networks, collaboration, and slow-building ideas rather than sudden inspiration.
•In one word: Accessible
•In one sentence: What we think we know about those people and invention that have defined humanity is incorrect.
4.The Siege of Shkodra — This historical account recounts the Ottoman siege of the Albanian city, emphasizing resistance, sacrifice, and national identity.
•In one word: Epic
•In one sentence: The toughness and resilience of the Albanian people goes back as far as has been recorded.
5.The Art of Peace — Morihei Ueshiba presents aikido as a philosophy of harmony, teaching that true strength comes from compassion and nonviolence.
•In one word: Sad
•In one sentence: If more people read and followed this, the world would be a better place.
6.Sapiens — Yuval Noah Harari surveys human history from early ancestors to modern societies, examining how biology, culture, and belief systems shape humanity.
•In one word: Important
•In one sentence: Humans are unique and we owe ourselves and the earth, the responsibility to not take that for granted and to be responsible and accountable with it.
7.A Place of My Own — Michael Pollan reflects on designing and building a small writing house, blending architecture, creativity, and the meaning of personal space.
•In one word: Cozy
•In one sentence: Take your time to do things well.
8.The Century of the Common Man — Henry A. Wallace argues for democracy, economic fairness, and global cooperation as defining forces of the modern era.
•In one word: Forgotten
•In one sentence: History is littered with the carcasses of beautiful and harmonious ideas and movements.
9.The Next 100 Years — George Friedman offers geopolitical predictions for the 21st century, suggesting global power will shift through recurring historical patterns.
•In one word: Smart
•In one sentence: If we continue to be okay with saying ‘humans just do human things’ then this terrifying book will continue to be correct (which talks about the constant battle for power and viewing the world as a fixed pie of resources).
F I C T I O N
10.The Bridge on the Drina — Ivo Andrić traces centuries of Balkan history through the life of a single bridge, revealing how personal lives are shaped by political and cultural upheaval.
•In one word: Genius
•In one sentence: There’s no such thing as the ‘good-old-days’.
11.Infinite Jest — David Foster Wallace’s novel interweaves addiction, entertainment, and ambition in a fractured future where pleasure becomes a form of control.
•In one word: Crazy
•In one sentence: Life is not fair.
12.Revolutionary Road — Richard Yates depicts a suburban couple whose dreams of escape collapse under conformity, disillusionment, and emotional isolation.
•In one word: Inevitable
•In one sentence: No person is an island. Much of our culture is more communal than we think, sometimes.
13.The History of Sound — This work explores memory, love, and loss, often focusing on how sound and storytelling preserve human connection across time.
•In one word: Cerebral
•In one sentence: Great story telling takes skill, patience, and forethought.
14.Chronicles in Stone — Ismail Kadare’s memoir portrays his childhood in wartime Albania, blending personal memory with the weight of history and myth.
•In one word: Personal
•In one sentence: We should all try to see things through children’s eyes and use that as our moral compass and guide.
That is part of the beauty of all literature. You discover that your longings are universal longings, that you're not lonely and isolated from anyone. You belong. - F. Scott Fitzgerald
Reading is the sole means by which we slip, involuntarily, often helplessly, into another's skin, another's voice, another's soul.
- Joyce Carol Oates
Great literature is simply language charged with meaning to the utmost possible degree.
- Ezra Pound
A book must be the axe for the frozen sea within us.
- Franz Kafka
Writing is perhaps the greatest of human inventions, binding together people who never knew each other, citizens of distant epochs. Books break the shackles of time. A book is proof that humans are capable of working magic.
- Carl Sagan
A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one.
- George R.R. Martin
Literature adds to reality, it does not simply describe it. It enriches the necessary competencies that daily life requires and provides; and in this respect, it irrigates the deserts that our lives have already become.
- C.S. Lewis
Literature always anticipates life. It does not copy it but molds it to its purpose.
- Oscar Wilde
Literature... isn't a hiding place. It is a finding place.
- Jeanette Winterson
Literature is a luxury; fiction is a necessity.
-G.K. Chesterton
Without literature, life is hell.
- Charles Bukowski
Books are a uniquely portable magic.
- Stephen King
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