DISCLAIMER: THE 30-DAY BOOK CHALLENGE IS CREATED BY PROFESSIONAL BOOK NERDS. I’M MERELY RESPONDING TO THEIR PROMPTS FOR MY OWN WRITING CHALLENGE.

I rarely give books since from the few people I can call friends, fewer like to read. The probability that they have already bought books that I can give them is also pretty high. When giving them books, I usually ask them upfront what they want. Why? To that I say, why not?

The best book to give anyone is what they are interested in. There’s nothing sadder than giving a book that, eventually, would be left collecting dust on a bookshelf (well, there might be something sadder than this but you get what I mean). We can always assume what a person likes to read based on the physical copies they carry and the books they review on Goodreads but the same people have backlogs of TBR on their desks or in a digital file folder. Asking the recipients what they want to read or have, in my not-so-humble opinion, is way better to avoid giving duplicates

However, given that the prompt asks for a specific title to provide, here are my recommendations. These are the books I want to receive for myself (even when I get duplicates).

Richard Bach’s Illusion

This brilliant work was one of the books my college Duo gave me. When all self-help books failed to entice me (I’m looking at you, Secret and A Purpose Driven Life), Illusion gave me that much-needed drive during that tumultuous period of practice teaching, translations, occasional paper, and student government activities. Rebellion could have been an easy escape but reading a book that helped give my small world meaning was a lot easier. That was dramatic but until now, I can still count the number of things I regret doing with my fingers. If Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist was one inspiring book many people swear by, this is mine.

Jostein Gaarder’s Sophie’s World

This is one of the novels on my re-read list. To me, it’s an indication of wanting to understand the book even further or I simply like it (Hi, Harry Potter!). Sophie’s World has too much to offer as it condenses philosophical theories into one literary material. Remembering who said who doesn’t matter to me as much as why something has been said. It’s entertaining and educational. Who doesn’t like that?

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These two novels are worth reading- one is a lot easier to read since it’s only a few pages long, one is more thrilling but both provide key takeaways that help shape a person’s perspective. In my book, that’s the kind worth giving.