Intro to My Top Shelf

So many books to read, so little time.
Time is such a valuable thing that when I begin a book, I hope it's worth the investment. Usually a book is. I'm not a picky reader. Okay, maybe I am, just a little. But I can forgive a lot of writing flaws if someone will tell me a good story.
The books on my top shelf are all good stories. But they're much more than that. They're books I invest my time in over and over again because, for me, the return is so great. They might take me to place I love, one I want to return to like a favorite vacation spot. Or they have a voice that I love, and reading them is like spending an afternoon with a friend. Or they've taught me something and I need to be reminded.
I'm going to try to limit my top shelf to ten books (or series of books). But I wouldn't say these are the ten best books I've ever read. Just ones that are well used.
So in no specific order, here come the ten books on my top shelf.