Re-reading: "How To Read & Why by Harold Bloom” reminded me of the obvious answer to why we read. “Because it matters” came to mind, but Professor Bloom offered more than this. He states that the reader should read for the purest reasons: to discover and augment the self.

George R.R. Martin — 'A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one.'

Many book lovers write about their lifelong love of books. I didn’t start my love affair with books until I finished college. I remember a family of one of my Uncles and what seemed to be an absolute devotion to books when the cousins were growing up. The books I saw in the girl’s rooms during our visits over the years impressed me.  

I recall seeing an interview conducted by Prince Harry with President Obama. He asked him a lot of questions. Some questions needed to be more significant. Briefs of boxers? Obama said that was off-limits. Good for him. Who cares?  Questions about the Royal Wedding were probably attractive to many.

Wouldn't it be interesting to know what books had been essential and of interest to either Obama or Prince Harry? What books influenced Gandhi, Lincoln, Putin, and maybe my father and his father?

The books with the most significant impact on our lives change and evolve, but so do we. Some books may always make our top list. Some new ones have come.

These over the last few years are noteworthy.   "American Wolf, Nothing to Envy, Ordinary Lives in North Korea, The Graveyard Book, The Heart,” and Fairy Tale, a Novel by Stephen King, came to mind and impacted me, but many others did too.