The Ideal Bookshelf

I think these paintings by Jane Mount are fascinating.  Kind of like portraits of people's souls.  Jane paints people's ideal bookshelves---their favorite books, books that inspired them, that changed their lives, books that made them think. 

I've been trying hard to think of what would be on my ideal bookshelf.  It's actually a really hard exercise.  There are so many books that have meant a lot to me over the years.  To boil it down to just a handful is no small task.  Here are some I couldn't leave off the list: 

--Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery 

--Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

--The Secret in the Old Attic by Carolyn Keene

--Style: Lessons in Clarity and Grace by Joseph M. Williams

--East of Eden by John Steinbeck

--The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook by Ina Garten

--The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner

--"B" is for Betsy by Carolyn Haywood

--Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides

What would be on your list?

Find the whole collection and ordering information on The Ideal Bookshelf website.