Books have always been a guilty pleasure of mine. I grew up spending my allowance and babysitting money on books, pens and notebooks. (I should have seen the signs…) Now that I’m a writer, books are even more important to me. My shelves are packed not only with my favorite pleasure reads, but with plenty of resources.

Of all the books on my shelves, I find a few to be extremely important to my writing career. Here are my top five picks for books every writer should own (and refer to regularly):

1. The Elements of Style by William Strunk, Jr. and E.B. White

You hear this all the time, but this classic pocket-sized guide is one that I reference at least once a week. It’s a fantastic resource if you’re looking for specific information on usage, composition or style. Every writer should own a copy and the best writers will study it, dog-ear it, highlight it and take notes. Open it to any page and you’ll find advice that will make you a better writer. I promise.

2. On Writing Well by William K. Zinsser

Another writing classic, if you don’t have this one on your shelf, head straight to your nearest bookstore and get it. You won’t regret it. Mr. Zinsser takes The Elements of Style one step further, helping writers to apply the “rules” of Strunk and White to their own writing. Unlike many instruction books, On Writing Well isn’t dry or hard to digest. Zinsser boils down the skills of writing well into chapters that read like essays, with humor, effective examples and personal anecdotes. You’ll find yourself returning to this book over and over again for tips on tightening your paragraphs, improving clarity and making your writing stronger.

3. Writer’s Market

If you plan on submitting your work for publication, Writer’s Market is the volume to have. Writer’s Market is updated and released yearly to include a comprehensive list of book publishers and agents, as well as other paying fiction and nonfiction markets (e.g., consumer magazines, literary journals, trade journals, etc.). You can find everything from editor names and contact information to the types of works a market accepts and how much they pay. If you’d rather have access to this information online, Writer’s Market has an online database, as well, that includes even more markets, articles and information for writers.

4. Dictionary and Thesaurus

This probably seems old-school, but I’d be lost without my dictionary and thesaurus. I have Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary and Thesaurus on my desks at work and at home, but any official edition will do. I don’t use them every day, but when I’m at a loss for that perfect adjective or when my brain just isn’t producing the exact verb I’m looking for, my dictionary and thesaurus come to the rescue every time.

5. Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott

This book fell into my hands when I first started seriously considering writing as more than a hobby. I was just finishing up my first creative writing class as a continuing ed student at a local community college and one of the older women in the class gave it to me as a gift. It was a time when my confidence and writer’s ego were very fragile, and Bird by Bird built me up. If you ever feel like your writing sucks, you don’t know where to start, you can’t seem to find your muse or you’re running into a plot wall, this book will inspire you to keep going. Each chapter has a gem of advice, and Lamott’s humor helps give even the most beat-down author a lift of spirit. Pull this one off your shelf and read a chapter every now and then to remind yourself why (and how) you should write.

What books do you have on your shelves that you couldn’t live without? Share your own list in the comments.