When it comes to the books we read, the authors become our friendly travel companions whose influence endures long after we’ve closed the book or clicked off the Kindle.  And their words — assuming they’re good ones — change us  — hopefully for the better.

Predictably, every year I discover that my Amazon purchases are my biggest deduction on my Schedule C. (Lucky for me, I was never that much into shoes. Whatever is under the bed is fine.)

Here are some of my favorite reads on my own life's journey — for so many different reasons, there’s no point in putting them in any order at all: