There are books I barely remember reading.

I could not tell you the plot twists, side characters, or how they ended if my life depended on it.

And then some books quietly attached themselves to the architecture of my life.

• Books that changed conversations.
• Books that strengthened relationships.
• Books that arrived at exactly the right moment.
• Books that somehow became bookmarks in my own story.

When I started working through The Intentional Reader Reset, I realized something interesting:

My most meaningful books were not always my “best” books.

They were the books that changed something in me.

That realization eventually led me to create a personal reading canon.

Creating your own personal reading canon can help you make more meaningful choices about which books to read. The Intentional Reader Reset workbook guides you through the steps. The following is my own personal canon.

My personal canon is not necessarily a list of the “best books ever written.”

It is a list of books that shifted something in me.

Some changed how I think.

Some changed relationships.

Some changed the direction of my reading life entirely.

• Outlander by Diana Gabaldon reintroduced me to a love of reading as an adult. Suggested by a new friend, I not only devoured the series starter (and the following books) but also developed a group of reading friends and started sharing my love of stories.
• Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett opened pathways for communication with my then-boyfriend now-husband of multiple decades. It was a book that I had read, and he borrowed. Our reading preferences hadn’t crossed before this point. The story gave us new things to talk about and something that we, very opposite in so many ways, both loved.
• Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus shone as an example of a woman fully embracing her truest self without wavering. It inspires me to be who I am unapologetically. This and other characters like Elizabeth Zott call me back to myself whenever I feel myself bending to fit some mold.
• A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas took the reading world by storm. Everyone was talking about it. So, naturally, I gave it a read. What surprised me? It wasn’t the reading of it that changed me. It was the doors that opened into conversations with other book lovers. The sense of community and connection that those conversations created evolved into my desire to start a book blog.
• I read the Harry Potter Series as an adult, and when my children read it, we shared a love of the characters and the setting and the story. While I disagree with the author’s views regarding trans people, excluding the impact this series had on my life would not be honest. These stories helped create shared experiences within my family that still matter deeply to me.

What themes connect these impactful books?

From a bird ‘s-eye view, this list is about the connections with other people that books have made possible. Shared stories are powerful. Literature can be a gateway to meaningful conversations and a cornerstone for fledgling communities.

What emotional atmosphere do they share?

These stories all contain love, friendship, and hope. They have strong female characters. They are well-written and widely known. Most have been adapted for TV or film. This makes them widely accessible and easy starter topics for conversations.

What do they reveal about my values?

This selection reveals that I value good storytelling, strong self-reliant characters, emotional resonance, and interesting interpersonal relationships.

Once you can see the themes and patterns emerge from your book canon, you can look for other stories that align. Finding new titles that reinforce your reading values (and personal values) helps you to have a more joyful reading experience. As a caveat, I do believe that reading books that challenge you helps you to grow, but even these can be intentionally selected once you know your type.

Having this reading selection compass allows you to gauge whether you are genuinely curious about a book’s content or if your impulse to pick it up is just awareness (marketing has put it in front of you enough that you think you want to read it).

The goal of a personal canon is not to build a perfect reading identity.

It is important to notice the patterns that already exist.

Because sometimes what you love has been trying to tell you who you are all along.