Anythink recently added a new book to its collection titled My Ideal Bookshelf by Thessaly LaForce and Jane Mount. When I first saw this book on the New and Notable shelf, I snatched it up quick! I LOVE books about books! It's not enough that I have stacks and stacks of unread books at home or a wish list of to-read books a mile long - I simply cannot resist books about books.  

The first sentence on the inside cover jacket reads, "The books that we choose to keep and display – let alone read – can say a lot about who we are and how we see ourselves." With this idea in mind, the creators of My Ideal Bookshelf asked over 100 leading cultural figures what titles they would display on their own ideal bookshelf. People like authors James Patterson, Stephanie Meyer and Michael Chabon; chefs Hugh Acheson and Thomas Keller; athlete Tony Hawk; librarian Nancy Pearl and many more. Cool, huh? Each contributor was interviewed about their ideal bookshelf titles. The highlights from those interviews are insightful and intriguing. I found myself looking at a previously read book through a new lens and added many new titles to my to-read list. Next to the interview highlights, displayed on the adjacent page, is a beautifully painted illustration by Jane Mount of each contributor's "ideal bookshelf," making this book interesting to read and look through.

I enjoyed seeing whose bookshelf is most like mine (Stephanie Meyer - interesting since I haven't read any of her books), which books were mentioned several times (or enough that I am ashamed I haven't read them, like The Catcher in the Rye), and being introduced to books I never knew existed. 

Another unique feature to this book is the bonus page at the back to help you create your own ideal bookshelf. A few titles that would make it onto my ideal bookshelf are: To Kill a Mockingbird, The Lost Dogs, A Walk to Remember, The Giver, The Heavenly Man, Where the Red Fern Grows, The Sweet Touch, Pride and Prejudice, The Holy Bible, Memoirs of a Geisha, and The Mammy (which is probably the funniest book I've ever read), just to name a few.

So what titles would you display on your ideal bookshelf?