My friend Dustin, a translator who shares my love of words and punctuation, recently asked if I could recommend a list of books about writing—style guides, references or anything that focuses on the craft of writing.

As I started putting together my list of the best books on writing (I also love making lists, so this was a fun project for me), I realized how long it has been since I have read any of these books… or any books on writing for that matter. For shame.

I’ve kept a few favorites over the years, moving them from city to city and pulling them out for reference every now and then: the American Heritage Dictionary I bought before I started college, The AP Stylebook, The Elements of Style. I also have a growing Goodreads queue of writing books that I have heard are excellent… and that I never quite get around to reading.

Instead of feeling guilty for being a lazy writer (and, somehow, a bad person), I made myself a reading list to dig into over the next few months and blog about—some oldies but goodies to revisit, some new-to-me discoveries to read for the first time. It’s the best kind of New Year’s resolution: I have to make time to read more. I also have to drink hot cocoa and eat cookies while reading… I don’t make the rules.

Here’s my list so far:

The Best Books on Writing (a Work in Progress)

• Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life, Anne Lamott
• On Writing, Stephen King
• The Copywriter’s Handbook, Robert Bly
• The Idea Writers, Teressa Iezzi
• The Elements of Style, William Strunk, Jr. and E.B. White
• On Writing Well, William Zinsser
• Writing Down the Bones, Natalie Goldberg
• Woe is I, Patricia O’Conner
• Eats, Shoots & Leaves, Lynne Truss
• Made to Stick, Chip Heath and Dan Heath
• The Artist’s Way, Julia Cameron
• A Room of One’s Own, Virginia Woolf
• Why I Write, George Orwell
• Zen in the Art of Writing, Ray Bradbury

What do you think are the best books on writing? What am I missing that I should add to my list? Add your suggestions in the comments - thanks!