Hey CreativeMornings: What's a book that you re-read or gift to others?

Last week we introduced Hey CreativeMornings!, our new experiment for swapping recommendations and know-how with you, our people. Every other week, we’ll continue to pose a question in our Weekly Highlights newsletter and here on the CreativeMornings blog, and we’ll invite you to email us with your answer.

After we called on you to answer the first question in the series — What’s a book you re-read or gift to others? — you absolutely blew us away with your responses. The magnitude of our collective brain power! The meaningful insights! With more than 500 responses, our mailbox is overflowing with so much book love. We are elated. (If you didn’t get a chance to email us with your book picks, it’s not too late! Share your go-to books in the comments section below.)

Having combed through each of your emails one by one, we noticed some interesting patterns emerging. We’ve compiled our findings here and added many of your picks to our new CreativeMornings Bookshop.org collection for easy browsing. You might even discover some new favorite books with the power to move and shape you, sourced straight from the bookish hivemind of our fellow CreativeMornings community members.

The books you suggested span a sprawling variety of genres and topics and authors, forming a beautiful, eclectic rainbow of personal taste. Your recommendations included novels and nonfiction, picture books and poetry, books published decades ago and books published last year. Popular topics included creativity, careers, personal growth, healing, self-discovery, and inspiration.

Some recurring recommendations clustered together into a clear most-popular list. Other books came with notes about how they made a big impression on individuals. We picked up on a subtle and sort of circular trend, too: books authored by CreativeMornings speakers. Here’s a peek at the books that are dear to our community.

Some of the most popular picks

The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron

“I know it’s already a cliché suggestion for creatives, and I, too, was kind of skeptical before reading it the first time. But the exercises in the book really work and have changed my creative life for the best in so many ways!” — Daniela D.

The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz

“Especially the audiobook — it’s a short listen, and Peter Coyote’s performance makes it feel like a meditation. The truth behind the words is clear in a different way every time I read the book.” — Tara S.

Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer

“Weaving together sincere and poetic (but never cliché) personal narrative with botanic knowledge and indigenous stories and perspective, Kimmerer gives juicy scientific insights and asks us to confront how our words affect our relationship with the natural world.” — K. Angel H.

My Grandmother’s Hands by Resmaa Menaken

“Listening to the author speak on an episode of the On Being podcast stopped me in my tracks and moved me to my core. I knew I had to read his book, too. Each chapter is packed with deep wisdom rooted in neuroscience and body-based healing methods.” — Julie S.

Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert

“When I’m feeling stuck, unconfident or uninspired I know this book will never fail to lift me up. So many golden nuggets.” — Jen L.

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

“Such a fantastic read, and perfect for people trying to search for meaning.” — Kristen L.

Life-changing books of wisdom and beauty

How To Love by Thich Nhat Hahn

“It is the kind of book I will return to read again endlessly. A small, succinct, sage collection of mindful techniques. I would consider this book a path to happiness.” — Marek Matthew G.

Becoming by Michelle Obama

“I’m an architecture student in Bangalore. One book that has been my anchor since it’s release, which gave me a whole new dimension to view life, is Becoming by Michelle Obama. It’s a beautiful book. It’s a book that lets you ponder. A book that puts you in a thinking box and helps you become. Multitudes of life lessons and stirring stories. It’s a definite read.” — Vajjrashri A.

Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott

“One of my favorites to pick up, open to any page, and find wisdom. And it’s definitely my most gifted.” — Ariadne D.

Sula by Toni Morrison

“I re-read Toni Morrison’s Sula every few years and have done so since I read it for a Comparative Lit class during my final year at uni. I frequently gift it to people.” — Kristin L.

Looking for Alaska by John Green

“I read it years ago and I still remember how much I loved it. I always gift it to my younger cousins or people I mentor because it’s a great fiction story and [it] helps people get back into reading if they haven’t read in a while and want to re-build the habit.” — Nabiha K.

Sum: Forty Tales from the Afterlives by David Eagleman

“I’ve read it several times and gifted it twice. I simply can’t imagine what my life would be like if I didn’t read it.” — Shaunte Shayde L.

The Body Is Not an Apology by Sonya Renee Taylor

“This book has radically changed the way I think about my body, my power, and the world around me. I share it with everyone because Sonya’s wisdom offers so much to any and every body.” — Alexa K.

Lucy by Jamaica Kincaid

“No writer has a voice anything like Jamaica Kincaid’s. Her sentences are each works of art that are so delicious, I have to roll them over on my tongue every time I read them. Semi-autobiographical, this is a book about a young immigrant girl from the island of Antigua who comes to New York to work for a family as she makes her life in this new American world.” — Stacey A.

Books written by CreativeMornings speakers

The Poetry Pharmacy by William Sieghart

“Tried-and-true prescriptions for the heart, mind, and soul. Thank you to the London chapter, who hosted a session with William Sieghart a couple of years ago.” — Andrea O.

The Crossroads of Should and Must by Elle Luna

“It is a beautiful and powerful short book. Always gives me a kick.” — Darya S.

Watch the author’s CreativeMornings/San Francisco talk.

Steal Like an Artist and other titles by Austin Kleon

“I’ve re-read and gifted Austin Kleon’s books Steal Like an Artist, Show Your Work, and Keep Going. They’re fantastic books for creative folks… and that’s all of us!” — Lou P.

Watch the author’s CreativeMornings/Austin talk.

The Desire Map by Danielle LaPorte

“It presents a different way to set goals and it has worked for me for years!” — Carolina Segura R.

Watch the author’s CreativeMornings/Vancouver talk.

Linchpin and other titles by Seth Godin

“It’s a great book to read when starting out on your career or even when you’re in the middle of it. It’s a call to doing your best work and remembering that everything you do can be art. No job is too small.” — Glen L.

Watch the author’s CreativeMornings/New York City talk.

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We’ll be back next week with a brand new question, so be sure to subscribe to our Weekly Highlights newsletter to receive it and future questions straight into your inbox.

In the meantime, if you didn’t get a chance to email us with your book picks, it’s not too late! Share the books you like to re-read or gift to others in the comments section.

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