One of the benefits of remote work is the chance to see people in their homes. We don’t often get to see co-workers in spaces of their own choosing as part of our work lives. Sure, maybe we’ve been in work environments where it’s okay to have some personal design choices. But those are usually limited to framed photos of family and maybe some college or sports memorabilia.
Now as we log into Zoom or Skype meetings, we’re able to have a window into how others have designed and organized their personal workspaces. This has included reporters and entertainers too, giving all of us a chance to see them or their desk with their bookshelves behind them.
This delights me. I’m always curious to see people’s bookshelves when invited to an event in their homes. It fascinates me what people have read and what books they treasure enough to keep.
Here are some shelves I’ve noticed:
Tulsa Oklahoma Mayor G.T. Bynum:
- “Benjamin Franklin” by Walter Isaacson
- “Millie’s Book” by Barbara Bush
- Ryan Holiday’s “Ego is the Enemy” and “Stillness is the Key”
- “Senator Mansfield: The Extraordinary Life of a Great Statesman and Diplomat” by Don Oberdorfer
- “Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln” by Doris Kearns Goodwin
- “Truman” by David McCullough
- “President Reagan” by Lou Cannon
Comedian Stephen Colbert
- “The Quest: Energy, Security, and the Remaking of the Modern World” by Daniel Yergin
- “No Easy Day” by Mark Owen
- “Over Time: My Life as a Sportswriter” by Frank Deford
- “Ike’s Bluff” by Evan Thomas
- “Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln” by Doris Kearns Goodwin
- “Game Change” by John Heilemann and Mark Halperin
- “Tip and The Gipper” by Chris Matthews
NPR Reporter Yamiche Alcindor
- “Between the World and Me” by Ta-Nehisi Coates
- “Presidents of War” by Michael Beschloss
- “A Mercy” by Toni Morrison
- “Elements of Style” by William Strunk and E.B. White
Kishore Mahbubani, former Senior Singaporean Diplomat – (He had copies of his own book “Has China Won” outward facing to his left and right.)
Some bookshelves showed research interests, as with Howell Raines, former New York Times Executive Editor, who had books on the Civil War and the Underground Railroad.
Elise Jordan, Former Aide to George Bush White House and State Department
- “Genius in Disguise” by Thomas Kunkell
- “Parkland” by Dave Cullen
- “Sisters First” by Jenna Bush Hager and Barbara Pierce Bush
- “Code Girls”by Liza Mundy
- “Girls of Riyaldh”by Rajaa Alsanea
And I loved that Jordan had board games in the first shelf. Seeing Parcheesi made me smile.
Just as I was finalizing my list, I watched the Mother’s Day SNL over the weekend and saw Tina Fey’s bookshelf during her skit. Among the splash of books with a color combination that alone was stylish were titles I had never heard of but now want to check out:
- “Pierre Cardin” by Jean-Pascal Hesse
- “David Bowie Is Inside” by Victoria Broakes and Geoffrey Marsh
- “New York in the 70s” by Allan Tannenbaum
Fey shows support of her fellow comedians with Steve Martin’s “Born Standing Up” and her friend Amy Poehler’s “Yes Please,” in addition to books from Martin Short and Amy Schumer.
All this bookshelf surfing has made me take a second look at the books on my shelves. What should be my forward facing books .. the ones I would want people to notice and read and be as inspired by their words as I was. Here’s my short list:
- “New Earth” by Eckhart Tolle
- “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn” by Betty Smith
- “A Thousand Splendid Suns” by Khaled Hosseini
- “The Power of Positive Thinking” by Norman Vincent Peale
- “Elements of Style” by William Strunk and E.B. White
As we’re organizing our workspaces, take time to review your bookshelf. What books would you hope to encourage others to read? Make sure they are on your shelf.