"The books we gift are the ones that leave an impact — not only on us but on others too." — Tim Ferriss, Tribe of Mentors
On a recent long-haul flight, I couldn't put down Lost Connections by Johann Hari. For anyone who's ever struggled with depression, anxiety, or simply felt the weight of the world — this book offers an eye-opening perspective on what we really need to feel connected, fulfilled, and alive.
I wasn't even halfway through and I already had a list of people I wanted to gift it to. That feeling — of reading something so alive it makes you want to press it into someone's hands immediately — made me think of something Tim Ferriss writes about in Tribe of Mentors: asking people what book they've gifted most is often more revealing than asking about their favourites. Because the books we gift are the ones that left a mark — not just on us, but on someone else too.
That got me thinking. What if we started a chain of favours through book-gifting? Imagine a network of people passing along books that changed their lives, expecting nothing in return — just creating a ripple effect of shared wisdom.
So here's what I'm doing: I'll be gifting a copy of Lost Connections (or another book that's had a big impact on me) to the first people who join this chain. And I hope you'll feel inspired to pay it forward — gifting a book that transformed your life to someone who might need it.
— Nicole Skinner, London