The Pacific Northwest likes to read, and what better way to get book suggestions than to ask around? In this monthly feature, we ask prominent Northwest residents what books they’re reading, rereading and recommending — and why.
This month: Mark Canlis, third-generation co-owner of Canlis — the stalwart of Seattle fine dining that wasn’t afraid to reinvent itself during the pandemic — gives us his reading picks.
What book are you reading now?
“Wind, Sand and Stars” by Antoine de Saint-Exupery; it’s so good.
What book have you reread the most times?
I don’t reread books, except for “Can You Drink the Cup?” by Henri J.M. Nouwen. It’s tiny and remarkable.
What book would you recommend everyone read and why?
Everyone should read a book that brings them joy and takes them away. I think there’s just two kinds of reading. There’s the reading that restores you and the reading that informs you. All my professional stuff is really informative. It’s reading about the world, what’s going on and how we can be actively and sensitively aware and apart of it. So, when I go home to crash, I need a true story. A novel, something beautifully and wonderfully written. Those books pour into us and teach us lessons that we need better than the ones that are informing us. I just reread with my kiddos Mark Twain’s “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.” If the whole world read that and learned those life lessons the world would be a better place. Mark Twain knew what was going on.
— compiled by Jackie Varriano
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The opinions expressed in reader comments are those of the author only and do not reflect the opinions of The Seattle Times.