About
Welcome to Picking books
Books Made Us
Hi! I’m Laura, the one in the picture below, stuffing my face with a fancy version of s’mores. The sensible looking woman in the other picture is my sister Sam, and we’re the creators of Picking Books. Picking Books is an editorial book site that helps you pick books with the intention of leveling up your life.
Does that mean we only review self-improvement books? NO!
Sam and I were born readers. Books of all genres not only made us who we are, but also got us through the most difficult parts of our lives, the times when it would have been easier to throw up our hands, proclaim life has no meaning, and spend the rest of our days wallowing in our own self-pity.
During those times, we picked up Meditations by Marcus Aurelius and cultivated some mental toughness, we binged Sophie Kinsella’s books because they’re sweet and fun and showed us a little bit of light when we were surrounded by darkness, and we read How to Stop Losing Your Sh*t with Your Kids when we let our problems spill out of us onto the little people who did nothing to deserve our ire (except for, you know, painting their entire arms purple right before we needed to leave the house).
How Fiction Helps us Grow
It’s easy to see how nonfiction like Meditations and How to Stop Losing Your Sh*t with Your Kids could improve your life, but most people underestimate the utility of fiction. We want to change that. Happily-ever-after romances can inspire date ideas or, better yet, inspire you to connect more meaningfully with your partner. Mysteries exercise your brain, and fiction often includes nuggets of wisdom for life. Fiction also makes your mind a breeding ground for empathy and compassion. Further, fictional characters can serve as role models when there’s no one around you worth emulating. Finally, fiction can help you figure out how to deal with specific life situations or at least make you feel less alone in whatever you’re going through.
Picking Books with Purpose
That said, Sam and I are not implying that a book’s value should be measured by how much readers can profit from it. If that were the case this would just be a “bro business” book review blog. We are, however, advocating for an intentional approach to reading that acknowledges and leverages the fact that we become what we consume, including books. So, why wouldn’t we pick books with purpose?
Sam and I use books every day to become a little bit better than we were the day before. Life for us, is lighter and more joyful than it used to be thanks to our intentional reading practices. We want life to be lighter and more joyful for you too. That’s why we created this site.
