There are a million reasons to read. We read to feel, to forget, and to remember. We read for fun, for joy, and for mystery. But we also read to learn.
In a good nonfiction book, in just 200 pages, we can understand what took someone else a lifetime and many painful lessons to fully comprehend.
There is, however, a caveat: If learning is one of your primary drivers to read, you must read widely, not just deeply. I love the Haruki Murakami quote that hits the nail on the head:
"If you only read the books that everyone else is reading, you can only think what everyone else is thinking."
Popular books are usually popular because they're agreeable. There's nothing wrong with reading them. They'll get you social credit and remind you of important lessons. But they shouldn't be the only ones you consume. Otherwise, you run the risk of becoming set in your ways — a rusty thinker.
If you want to stay creative and sharp, be fun to talk to, and to truly never stop learning, read what no one else is reading.
There is one more reason to read widely instead of just deeply: It indulges our natural curiosity — and only by satisfying our desire to learn can we sustain it. There is nothing worse than losing our curiosity, for with it, we will lose our lust for life altogether.
In that sense, I hope these books will make you a little curious. You might recognize a lot of the names on this list, but I'd be surprised if you recognized most of the titles. It is often an artist's lesser know work that turns out to be their greatest.
So here are 12 doors into unknown worlds full of wonder, insight, and inspiration. May you take them only to find thousands more.
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