a personal hierarchy of books

I made a personal hierarchy to help me reflect on my different relationships to books.

I will tell you how it happened. I’m in the process of emptying my apartment and getting rid of most of my things before leaving for my travels. Last night, I spent four hours staring at a pile of books I put on my bed, wondering why it was so hard to part with (nearly all) of them. Half of them I haven’t read, but I liked the idea of the book, or someone maybe gave it to me.

So I made a diagram. A hierarchical list. I started with the few books that I would carry around the world with me. Then the books I treasured enough to put into a suitcase to move to a new city. Then I got to the books that I read and enjoyed, the books I wanted to keep as visual reference, books I felt lukewarm about, and books I read three pages of and never touched again.

Here’s my organized book hierarchy.

Tier 1: Books worth carrying

These are books worth owning a physical copy of, which means worth continually referencing, remembering, rereading, digesting slowly, making margin notes, and reviewing them. These are my bible books; my permanent collection. They give me comfort and solace. The criteria is: is this book a deep part of who I am, or who I want to be?

Tier 2: Books worth reading

These are books I’d recommend to my friends. Books that are memorable to me, but don’t need a physical spot on my bookshelf. Sometimes great knowledge-based nonfiction books go here. I like to buy digital copies of these books, or audiobooks if the author is the one reading them. The criteria for this category is: do I want to take notes on this book?

Tier 3: Sentimental books

These are books that were given to me as gifts (with messages written in them) or books that my friends and past teachers wrote.

Tier 4: Books I didn’t need to read

These are books I feel vaguely disappointed by for falling short of my expectations or hopes.

Tier 5: Books I never finished or started

These are books I happened to own before I implemented this system (otherwise I would not own them; I would borrow them from the library), or books that did not capture my attention long enough for me to finish reading them.

Here is my permanent collection of 13 books.

I think this list captures pretty well where I’m at in my life. Most of these are poetry books and books about spirituality. Bible books I’ll carry with me during my long term travels. Cherished books have long history, comfort, and sentimentality to me (I’ve owned them since teenage years). Essential study books are part of my collection of books I continually review, or seek inspiration and solace in.

1. Bible books (3)

   • Women who run with wolves (spirituality)

   • Rumi: The book of love (poetry)

   • The Prophet (poetry/spirituality)

2. Cherished books (3)

   • Risking everything (poetry)

   • Multitude: cross cultural readings for writers (writings)

   • Modern American & British poetry (poetry)

3. Essential study books (7)

   • bird by bird (on writing)

   • the city in which I love you (poetry)

   • a book of luminous things (poetry)

   • nonviolent communication (relationships)

   • the power of now (spirituality)

   • eastern body, western mind (spirituality)

   • ayurvedic cookbook (cookbook)

A more deliberate way of relating to knowledge and wisdom.

That’s what I’m gaining out of this. I tend to read fast, but I get easily distracted and rarely finish books consistently. Part of my aspiration is to read more consistently, more deeply, and to continually integrate what I read into my life. I’ve always longed for a more intimate and personal relationship to my books, which is really a more intimate relationship to my inner world. It is a kind of self-education. So here I’m beginning, again.