A Peek Inside My Bookshelf

I was inspired by this really great idea over at Red House Books. Emily is asking her readers to send in photos of their bookshelves to be featured on her blog. (Update: My bookshelf has been featured!) I'm going to participate in this, but also wanted to share my bookshelf with my readers.

I have one tiny bookshelf in my house, which for someone who enjoys reading as much as I do, doesn't really seem like a lot. This bookshelf has some history behind it. It belonged to my grandmother, or at least to someone in the household, and dates from the early 20th century. It's been painted pink. It's been painted black. It is now a shabby chic (read: chipped, peeling and grubby looking) shade of white:

 Its home at my grandmother's house was in a little bedroom in the attic. As far as I can remember, it held some old trophies and memorabilia that belonged to my uncle. When my grandmother moved in with us at my mom's house, it found a new home in her bedroom. When she passed away, it was claimed by me, and has
been moving around with me since. It is now missing a handle, the top door continuously falls off its track, the drawer in the bottom refuses to budge, and it is in desperate need of a new paint job, but I wouldn't trade it in for anything.

The books that I do have on my shelves are some of my favorites from over the years. Most of the books that I read now have been borrowed from my local library. (Strong supporter of small-town libraries. Go support yours now!) In fact, I haven't purchased a book for myself in years. I also have a collection of old, as in vintage, books that were handed down to me from my grandmother and great-aunt. Take a look:

Seen here are (from left to right):

1. A Child's Book of Poems Pictures by Gyo Fujikawa (1979)

2. Dean's A Book of Fairy Tales Illustrated by Janet and Anne Grahame Johnstone (1977)

3. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte and Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte (1943)

4. Don Quixote de la Mancha by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (1941)

5. The Riverside Anthology of Children's Literature by Judith Saltman (1984)-from college

6. The Modern Gift Book for Children Odhams Press Ltd. (1948)

7. Jo's Boys by Louisa May Alcott (1949)

8. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (1930)

9. Women's Institute Library of Cookery 5 volumes (1927)
10. Mother Goose Illustrated by John Hassall (1909?)

11.Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (1947)

12. Grimms' Fairy Tales Illustrated by Fritz Kredel (1945)

13. Heidi by Johanna Spyri (1915?)

14. The Red Fairy Book by Andrew Lang (Unknown-early 1900s?)

15. Fairy Prince and Other Stories by Eleanor Hallowell Abbott (1922)

I also have a collection of more modern novels, and ones that I have read for classes in college and enjoyed. One of my favorite genres has always been ancient mythology, specifically Greek. I have a small collection of my favorites:

Seen here: (from left to right):

16. The Odyssey by Homer

17. The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco

18. Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw

19. Three Tragedies by Euripides V

20. The Aeneid by Virgil

21. Nicolas Nickleby by Charles Dickens*

22. The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens*

23. Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery (1935)

24. The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America by Erik Larson

25. Twenty Years After by Alexandre Dumas**

26. The Princess Bride by William Goldman

27. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

28. David Copperfield by Charles Dickens*

29. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll

30. Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya

31. Mythology by Edith Hamilton

32. The Tale of Beatrix Potter: A Biography by Margaret Lane**

Another favorite genre is historical fiction, specifically stories pertaining to Henry VIII and those around him. I have many books on this subject, as well as several that I have been collecting for my own classroom (one day!).

Seen here (from left to right):

33. The Lord of the Rings trilogy set by J.R.R. Tolkien

34. The Thinker's Thesaurus by Peter E. Meltzer

35. The Rule of Four by Ian Caldwell and Dustin Thomason

36. The Constant Princess by Philippa Gregory

37. The Virgin's Lover by Philippa Gregory

 38. Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier

39. Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire

40. Complete Stories and Poems of Edgar Allen Poe

41. Comma Sense: A Fun-damental Guide to Punctuation by Richard Lederer and John Shore

42. Who's Whose: A Nonsense Guide to Easily Confused Words by Philip Gooden

43. The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory

44. The Queen's Fool by Philippa Gregory

45. Earthly Joys by Philippa Gregory

46. Virgin Earth by Philippa Gregory

47. In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez

48. The Rose Without a Thorn: The Wives of Henry VIII by Jean Plaidy

49. The Thistle and the Rose: The Tudor Princesses by Jean Plaidy

50. Mary, Queen of France: The Tudor Princesses by Jean Plaidy

51. Queen of this Realm by Jean Plaidy

52. The Lady in the Tower: The Wives of Henry VIII by Jean Plaidy

53. In the Shadow of the Crown: The Tudor Queens by Jean Plaidy

54. The Virgin Blue: A Novel by Tracy Chevalier

55. Never Let a Fool Kiss You or a Kiss Fool You by Mardy Grothe

56. What in the Word? Wordplay, Word Lore, and Answers to Your Peskiest Questions About Language by Charles Harrinton Elster

57. Accomodating Brocolli in the Cemetary: Or Why Can't Anybody Spell by Vivian Cook

58. Viva la Repartee: Clever Comebacks and Witty Retorts from History's Great Wits and Wordsmiths by Mardy Grothe

Missing from this collection are a million other books that have yet to find a home, including the entire Harry Potter series. One day I will have another bookcase to house those as well, but for now, my hand-me-down will have to suffice.

Anyone else care to share their bookshelves?


*Borrowed from one of my sisters and have yet to read. I find Dickens to be quite a struggle to get into.
** Also have yet to read.


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