Starting Your Nowbrary

Nowbrary 2 of 5 - How to begin gathering the books actively shaping your thinking

The nowbrary doesn’t need to be perfect. It needs to be honest.

Begin With What’s Already There

Clear a shelf - any shelf. Walk through your home collecting books that meet these criteria:

  • Books you’ve quoted recently
  • Books you keep within arm’s reach
  • Books you’ve reread in the past year
  • Books you find yourself recommending
  • Books you’re actively wrestling with

Don’t overthink this first pass. Just gather them.

The Observation Phase

Place these books on your shelf. Don’t organize them yet. Just let them sit together.

Spend a day with this collection. Notice:

  • Which books naturally cluster together
  • Which ones feel essential
  • Which ones don’t quite belong yet
  • Where the gaps are

This observation phase is more important than it seems. You’re not just looking at books - you’re noticing patterns in your thinking.

Three Categories Emerge

Once you’ve sat with your collection, sort them into three roles:

Foundation Stones - Books that ground you. The ones you return to for wisdom, the texts you quote naturally, the works that have become part of how you think.

Current Catalysts - Books actively reshaping your perspective right now. The ones creating those moments where you have to put the book down and stare into space while processing.

Horizon Markers - Books suggesting new possibilities. They might be uncomfortable, challenging, or simply showing you territories you haven’t explored yet.

These categories aren’t rigid. Books move between them as your intellectual seasons change. That’s the point.

Your Video Call Backdrop

Here’s a practical test: If you’re on video calls, what books would you want visible behind you? Not to impress anyone, but as an authentic presence - a window into your current thinking.

My own backdrop started as happenstance - whatever books fit the shelf behind my desk. But as I became more aware of which books were visible during calls, it became another way to think about my nowbrary. Not as performance, but as presence.

Start Small, Stay Authentic

Your first nowbrary might be 10 books. That’s fine. It might be 30. Also fine. The number matters less than the honesty.

What you’re building isn’t a showpiece. It’s a recognition of the ongoing dialogue between you and your books. Let that dialogue be visible, messy, real.

Begin modestly. Maintain authenticity. Permit the collection to develop organically.

Next: Understanding Your Nowbrary’s Architecture

The Nowbrary Series

  1. Starting Your Nowbrary (you are here)
  2. Understanding Your Nowbrary’s Architecture
  3. Notes on What a Nowbrary Isn’t
  4. Sharing your Nowbrary