Meanwhile, Blessing Counter tagged me awhile ago with the Bookshelf Tag again, so now I’m very happily able to highlight some more of my favorites!
Describe your bookshelf (or wherever it is you keep your books-it doesn't actually have to be a shelf!) and where you got it from: A big summer project has been reorganizing our family shelves (and finding out we need to build some more ;)), so some of my books are currently in my closet, some are with other family books on shelves in the living room and music room and I now have an entire row all gathered in one place on the basement shelves! I tend to keep my “currently reading” stack on my hope chest near my bed and on my sister Éowyn’s sewing table and/or one of the chest freezers in the basement. :)
Do you have any special or different way of organizing your books? ~ Some are according to size and color and I like organizing most of the historical fiction by date, but otherwise I just switched everything over to being alphabetical by genre and author (but yet divided, so everyone has their own collection spot on the shelves).
What's the thickest (most amount of pages) book on your shelf? ~ Still Les Mis. :)
What's the thinnest (least amount of pages) book on your shelf? ~ The Persian Cinderella by Shirley Climo. (And definitely spilling over with story inspiration.)
Is there a book you received as a birthday gift? ~ North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell.
What's the smallest (height and width wise) book on your shelf? ~ A pocket size retelling of The Nutcracker.
What's the biggest (height and width wise) book on your shelf? ~ My three matching cookbooks of ethnic cuisine from Italy, Tuscany, and the Southwest.
Is there a book from a friend on your shelf? ~ Numerous titles actually... what a blessing! But one recent addition is the complete Lord Peter collection. (I’m soooo happy to have my own copy! Thank you, Hamlette! ;))
Most expensive book? ~ Of the ones I’ve bought myself, still Rider on a White Horse by Rosemary Sutcliff.
The last book you read on your shelf? ~ I’m currently reading Lark Rise to Candleford by Flora Thompson.
Of all the books on your shelf, which was the first you read? ~ Mirette on the High Wire by Emily Arnold McCully was probably pretty close to the first.
Do you have more than one copy of a book? ~ Yes, indeed. I believe the last double acquisition was my second copy of Howard Pyle's Men of Iron.
Do you have the complete series of any book series? ~ As far as I know thus far, I have the entire running sequence of Jean Bothwell’s stand-alone sequels to The Promise of the Rose set in India.
What's the newest addition to your shelf? ~ Laura by Vera Caspary.
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| (Note: it was supposed to look like this, but alas, when I opened the mailer it wasn't as advertised! Sigh.) |
What book has been on your shelf FOREVER? ~ Common to This Country by Munger and Thomas.
What's the most recently published book on your shelf? ~ Victoria’s The Princess and the Prince. :)
The oldest book on your shelf (as in, the actual copy is old)? ~ To Have and to Hold by Mary Johnston (1900).
A book you won? ~ Gunfighters of the Old West.
A book you'd hate to let out of your sight (aka a book you never let someone borrow)? ~ The Forgotten Daughter by Caroline Dale Snedeker.
Most beat up book? ~ One that came to me new and has been very loved, When Jessie Came Across the Sea by Amy Hest.
Most pristine book? ~ I tend to be a super careful reader (incidentally and especially with my favorites) so I have quite a few in fairly pristine condition.... but maybe Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment?
A book from your childhood? ~ Children of the Red King by Madeleine Polland.
A book that's not actually your book? ~ I'm reading my littlest sister's copy of Austen's Emma just at the moment. :)
A book with a special/different cover (e.g. leather bound, soft fuzzy cover etc.)? ~ No, I don’t think I have any—excepting my Bible, of course (a separate category).
A book that is your favorite color? ~ Yellowstone: like no other place on earth photographed by David Peterson.
Book that's been on your shelf the longest that you STILL haven't read? ~ The Scots Worthies by John Howie.
Any signed books? ~ Yes, I have one a friend wrote back when I was first working on Ellen!
Thank you so much for the tag, Blessing Counter, I thoroughly enjoyed it -- and I hope you all enjoyed as well and hopefully discovered something new and interesting!
Now.... There's a thunderstorm rolling in (and the air is fairly charged with electricity), so I think I'll get off the internet and see if I can do some writing on A Flame Shall Spring on the other computer before supper. (Actually, I can't believe the internet stayed up this long to get the post together! ;))
And more lightning!! Okay, I think I'll head inside.... :) I hope you all have a most lovely evening!
I used to LOVE Mirette on the High Wire when I was a wee one! :-)
ReplyDeleteAnd I'm still jealous that you won the Gunfighters of the Old West book and I didn't. ;-P
Emma,
DeleteI'm so happy you loved Mirette, too! (Come to think of it, she has a bit of a Les Mis sort of flavor, doesn't she? What with the strong French/Parisian stuff going on. ;)) And I think she's also probably part of the reason why I've loved the Edwardian era for so long. :) Those dresses!
And oh dear, the Gunfighters.... It's really Very Sad we don't live close enough to easily share, isn't it? ;P
You know, I tried reading Les Mis this summer (unabridged) and I actually liked it a lot . . . but I had to stop when I started my novel.
ReplyDeleteIn this world, Jeeves, you can do one of two things. You can write a novel, or you can read the unabridged version of Les Miserables. You cannot do both. :)
Maybe another summer I'll have time to try again!
jessica,
DeleteYes, I've only actually read Les Mis once straight through beginning to end and it took me pretty much an entire summer. (And about the same time I read Count of Monte Cristo in it's entirety! I was into the big French books that year.... ;))
And hee! Your Bertie quote made me laugh. One of my favorites! (In fact, anytime you feel like paraphrasing him I'll be thoroughly delighted. ;D)
I quote/paraphrase him and Jeeves ALL the time--it's one of my favorite things to do :)
DeleteHere's my newest favorite:
"Oh, my gosh!"
"Yes."
"Oh, my golly!"
"Quite."
"Oh, my sainted aunt!"
"ABSOLUTELY!"
It works for almost everything :)
jessica,
DeleteI just wanted to let you know I've been periodically laughing over your comment here ever since you left it.... and (this is frightful, I know ;P), but I've been trying to think of a suitable comeback. You've pretty much perfectly covered it! ;D (And more on Wodehouse coming soon on your other comment. :))
Oh my goodness! When Jessie Came Across the Sea was a favorite growing up!
ReplyDelete#homeschoolersuniteoverlittletalkedoverbooks ;)
Lois,
DeleteI'm so happy Jessie's a favorite of yours, too! (And btw, I am still thoroughly along on the Emma reading and heartily enjoying it! ;))
What a wonderful surprise that you did this again!!! :D
ReplyDeleteOoh, how is Lark Rise? I've seen the tv series, but have yet to read the book. Do you like it?
Aww, what a shame that your copy of Laura was different than what was advertising. :( That'd be so disappointing...I tend to be sometimes picky about what my copy of a book (if there's more than one copy) looks like, so I understand the frustration!
Hmm...by any chance, would the photographer of Yellowstone: Like No Place on Earth be any relation to you? I immediately wondered that when I saw the last name. ;)
Heehee, stay safe from the lighting! I do love rainstorms, though. :) As long as they don't occur in the middle of the night, when I'm trying to sleep! :D
Natalie,
DeleteI haven't seen the tv series for Lark Rise yet, so I'll have to get your notes! And yes, I'm thoroughly enjoying the book. It's gentle and rambling, but refreshing really -- like a soft spring breeze. :)
And Laura.... yes, I'm still rather annoyed. :P I'm extremely picky about my books (something I try to work on), but in this case it's worse than just a "I don't like it" problem. :-/ *sigh*
And hee! I thought of that when I wrote the Yellowstone title out, too. No, he isn't so far as I know, but it would be rather fun if he happened to be some sort of distant cousin of my dad's thrice removed. :) (I love that book -- it's so beautiful and always brings back the happy ache of wide spaces!)
And you will be happy to learn (obviously) that I'm quite safe from the lightning. ;) The storms/rain here are a lot different than what I grew up with in WA state -- very exciting generally, but yes, hard when they happen at night.... I can absolutely relate! ;D
This is such a great tag! I think my answers won't have changed much from when I did it, but maybe in a year or two I'll do it again!
ReplyDeleteSo glad you're glad to have the Lord Peter collection! I have it too, but a different edition, and I still haven't started reading it. I've read I think 2 of the books in it, but separately, gotten from the library, and I really want to read all of them In Order.
I can't wait to hear what you think of Lark Rise to Candleford -- it's on my TBR list!
Does your copy of Laura just have a plain brown hard cover? That's what mine has, and by the publishing info inside, it ought to have had a nifty dust jacket.
Hamlette,
DeleteIsn't it fun? I really enjoyed it both times and doing it every couple years is a great idea.
Yes, the Lord Peter collection contains (to date) several of my top favorites entirely, so getting it has inspired me to read the whole collection over again soon. :) It's on my TBR pile (thank you again)! ;)
And I'll definitely let you know about Lark Rise. So far I'm enjoying it!
And about Laura..... Noooo. It doesn't. That's what I would have LOVED to have (the brown cover) as it's what I read from the library and I got rather attached to it. (This probably sounds silly, but it's part of my problem in general with different copies. I get attached to where different paragraphs are on the page/the feel of the pages and binding, etc. :)) But if I like the new one I can get used to a different copy. This is just annoying, because (as you know) the whole idea is that Laura is a true-as-steel, genuinely beautiful, wholehearted woman (that's the whole POINT) and the publishers seem to like making her into this steamy, mysterious.... yes, well, you get the idea. I'll stop before I get run away with by my feelings. ;P (Oh! And it's of the paperback vintage where the edges of the pages are all died red, looking extremely cheap. *shiver* And the back cover summary's frightful. And it would cost just about as much to ship it back as I spent on it. And.... okay. I'll stop. ;P) Altogether I haven't decided yet whether I'll just try to hunt down a different copy or maybe just put some movie screen caps on the front somehow. :) We shall see....
Make your own dust jacket!!! I'm sure you could find printable templates that allow you to adjust the size, add your own pictures, etc.
DeleteBut I completely understand about being attached to where things are on the page and so on. I am so that way! I am a very visual learner, and often I'll be looking something up in a book going, "Okay, it was on the left page, about a third of the way down..."
Such a lovely post Heidi!! I adore that you shared "When Jessie Came Across the Sea" for it's one of our favorite classics! The cover of "Yellowstone Like No Other Place on Earth" is gorgeous - it literally took my breath away.
ReplyDeleteNow off to look some of these wonderful books up...*winks*
Sarah,
DeleteThank you!! And I'm so happy to find another "Jessie" kindred spirit! ;) Aren't the paintings in that book just beautiful? So incredibly deep and rich....
And the Yellowstone book.... happy sigh. It's one of my little perks I can turn to to just breath in the fill-you-up spreading overwhelming gorgeousness. (And it's an essential writing help for ODS! ;D)
I'm looking forward to hearing if you can find some of the books! ;)
So lovely to hear more about ypu book collection, Heidi!
ReplyDeleteIt must be quite a project you have going on, reorganising book shelves (did it earlier this summer - nothing beats looking at all my books perfectly displayed and in order).
You have the entire Lord Peter collection? I am so jealous - I love those books.
Rose,
DeleteThank you! And yes, it has been quite the project. I think we finally have things fairly well set up temporarily -- the remaining books sorted and packed into boxes and all the "important" ones on shelves of various sorts. And it'll definitely make it a lot easier having them out when it comes to measuring for building new shelves. :)
Actually, I don't have the entire collection of Lord Peter free-standing books, but I do have the complete collection of short stories. (And I do need some good traveling reading before long! Hmmmm. I'm just not sure if I want to read mysteries while traveling.... ;))
I love, love books so, so much. North and South is such an amazing book. I love it!!! I have read Men of Iron. Are there any good books that you can recommend to me? I'm always up for new books.
ReplyDeleteNorthbound Train,
DeleteI'm so glad! Yes, N&S is one of my top ten favorite books, too and it's been hugely formative in both my reading and writing. I love it!
And recommendations! Yes indeed, I'd be most happy. Hmmm... let me think. For starters, I have a favorite reading list I've put together with a tab under my header, but here's a direct link for it: http://ladyofanorien.blogspot.com/p/good-books-more.html
It's a broad spectrum of some of my top favorites (from picture books to some more "adult" titles), so I wouldn't recommend all of them for all ages without qualifications. I completely understand if you don't want to publish your age or anything, but if you gave a rough age range I could give you some more specific titles off the list. And feel absolutely free to ask questions about any of them!
BTW, I am so glad that I joined this blog. You are so cool! :D
ReplyDeleteNorthbound Train,
DeleteAwwww. Thank you so much!!! :) I'm so very happy to have you! ;)