Exploring My Bookshelves

Your choice of books may say a lot about who you are.  Let's see what we find on the bookshelves in my office.

Top shelf, between doors.

On the top shelf, right inside the office door, you can see the first of my writing-related reference books.
Style manuals, Spanish and German phrase books, a grammar text, (autographed by the author, who was one of my professors at Cal Poly, by the way), and a thesaurus.

Second Shelf, between doors.

Third Shelf, between doors.

 On the second shelf, you find various sorts of dictionaries, a Portable Dorothy Parker, a book of quotations, and books about the writing process.


On the third shelf, there are more grammar books, books on writing, exercise books for writers,  and a couple of musical notation dictionaries. 

Fourth Self, Between Doors

Fifth Shelf, Between doors.

 On the fourth shelf, more dicitonaries, more exercises,  and more books on the writing process.

Bottom Shelf, Between doors.

Top Shelf, Rattan bookcase.

Second Shelf, Rattan bookcase.

Third Shelf, Rattan bookcase.

Fourth Shelf, Rattan bookcase.

Bottom Shelf, Rattan bookcase.

The fifth shelf has my favorite book on poetry appreciation and writing,  Frances Mayes' The Discovery Of Poetry.   The bottom shelf also has books on the writing process. 


The rattan bookcase, next to the settee where I read most often, has many foreign language learning aids, including my Greek New Testaments and my copy of Chase and Phillips.  The second shelf is primarily poetry, and the third shelf has Shakespeare, Bullfinch, Bartlett's and some miscellaneous books on books and reading.

The fourth shelf holds some writing references, some literature guides, and some biographies and collections of letters.  The bottom shelf of this venerable bookcase holds an assortment of travel books, nonfiction books, and collections of quotations. 

Top Shelf, next to desk, front layer.

Top Shelf, next to desk, back layer.

The tall bookcase/cabinet next to my desk holds two double-stacked shelves of books.  The front layer of the top shelf had some dvds as well as my collection of Sorche NicLeodhas' Scottish story
 books.  All the Harry Potter books are here as well.

The back layer of that shelf holds my favorite translations of the Illiad and the Odyssey - the ones by Fagels.  Also, all the Bloom County books, some craft books, and Sew Easy To Kill, by Sarah J. Mason, who used my name for a character that does not actually appear in the story, and my nickname as the nickname for the student's of the school the story is set in.  Sarah and I were pen-friends for quite a while.  She also had Schipperke dogs, and we share a fondness for the breed in general. 

The second shelf on that cabinet, I did not separate for the photo.  The front layer has my collections of prayers, the Book of Common Prayer that I carried in our wedding.  (In it's protective blue box.  The book is white.)  The Anne Lamott books are here, as well as the Jan Karon Mitford books.  There is also a stack of various novels, some I have read, some not yet.  The majority of the back layer are herb books and gardening books. 

Second shelf, next to desk. 

 All those books on writing might lead one to believe that I actually write.  Well, I do sometimes.  I have been fascinated with the process of getting images and stories onto paper for years. I have spent a lot of time reading about how others get their ideas out, the advice they share with those who would also like to write. 
Folk stories, and tales based on them are a large part of my collection.  Sorche NicLeodhas wrote Scottish stories of the sort that are told and re-told over and over at Scottish family gatherings.  Some of these stories are very old, with versions going back for centuries, some are newer, being the inventions of more modern storytellers.  All are enchanting, filled with ghosts, and mysterious happenings.  
The language books come from the time I was a bilingual teacher, and from the need to learn German when we were PCS'ed to Rhein-Main.  I also have a French dictionary because I sometimes have to sing in French.  Italian seems to come fairly easily, so I don't have an Italian dictionary in my collection.  The Greek books are from the Elementary Ancient Greek class I took in college as a favor to the professor.  He needed enough bodies in the class to keep the section open, and I needed an upper division language elective.  He got it accepted by the Dean for me.  The Latin books are just for fun, and because we sing so many anthems in Latin at church.    If my closet were not such an awful disaster right now, I would post pictures of the books on the shelves in there.  There you find most of my children's literature, my music books (at least those not currently following me to and from lessons) and my books on dog training.  Also some text books from my grad school days on reading comprehension and computers in the schools.  There are a number of poetry collections on my rattan bookshelf (which followed Matthew home from the Philippines, by the way).  There is a collection of Burns and a copy of the Carmina Gadelica.  Both can be challenging to read.  I do have a complete works of Shakespeare, though I have not spent as much time with it as perhaps I ought.  One of my favorite books is the Letters of E.B.White.  They show his humor and his humanity and are a joy to read. 
Most of the series mysteries I read, I have on my Nook.  There are some copies of Dorothy L. Sayers and other series mysteries I like on the shelves in the living room and in my nightstand.  Both locations rather difficult to photograph. 
All in all, I guess these bookshelves tell us that I am an eclectic person.  Which is true.  Also eccentric, somewhat ego-centric, and at times erratic. 
As much as I enjoy my Nook, I find the presence of actual books necessary.  They make any room more comfortable to me.  As long as I am not responsible for checking them in and sorting them.  Then they can make me anxious. 
Look around you at the books and things you surround yourself with.  What do you think they say about you?