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The Books That Changed My Life with Billie Iveson
01/05/26
Author: RIISE Team
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RIISE continues The Books That Changed My Life, an editorial series where we explore the ideas, art and cultural influences that shape who we are and how we view the world. In each instalment, we invite creative voices from our community to share personal literary touchstones that have profoundly shaped or moved them.
Having built her career working creatively with brands across fashion and lifestyle, Billie Iveson draws on a deep well of inspiration to shape her work. In this edition of The Books That Changed My Life, she shares the titles that have shaped her outlook - from witty, sharply observed writing to reflections on love, creativity and the natural world.
Thoughtful and quietly revealing, her selections trace moments of humour, solace and inspiration, offering a glimpse into the ideas that continue to inform how she works, creates and lives.
01. When You Are Engulfed in Flames, David Sedaris
I find Sedaris divides people - they either love him or hate him. I’ve always loved his absurdly funny stories and return to them often. When I read one of his first books in my early twenties it made me realise that reading could make you laugh out loud, and be fun!
02. Conversations on Love, Natasha Lunn
I first read this after a breakup, which turned out to be the perfect moment for it. Lunn interviews a range of thinkers, from Esther Perel, to Alain de Botton and Lisa Taddeo, and I found some of the thoughts on the importance of platonic friendships really helped me reframe what I had been placing value on. In a time that felt quite dark, it was a balm.
03. Do/Design, Alan Moore
I just love the subheading of ‘why beauty is key to everything’. Working in the creative industries can sometimes mean getting lost in the decidedly unglamorous parts: the admin, the meetings, the endless back and forth. This book brought me back to why I fell in love with the creative process in the first place. I return to it constantly.
04. The Overstory, Richard Powers
Sometimes a tiny kernel of a novel will stick with you for years afterwards. Books on the wonders of nature always have a way of getting under my skin and the revelation in ‘The Overstory’ that trees communicate with each other just blew me away. I wanted to lend it to everyone I knew after reading.
05. A Waiter in Paris, Edward Chisholm
This book about the restaurant world of Paris was an amazing story about a city that holds so many memories for me. There are the friends I would meet up with on work trips, the shoots in the 1st arrondissement apartments and the fashion shows during fashion week. So while iʼve never worked in hospitality this memoir of Chisholmʼs time in Paris makes me think of my own.
06. I Feel Bad About My Neck, Nora Ephron
I first read this when I was far younger than some of the ages Ephron writes about, and yet she still had me laughing out loud. There's something about her wit that transcends the specifics. But it's her thoughts on reading that have stayed with me the longest. She articulates what books mean to me better than I ever have managed to myself. Fun, funny, and quietly profound.
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Documented By: BILLIE IVESON
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