The Bookshelf Tag

Back in June, my blogging buddy Deborah O'Carroll did this Bookshelf Tag, and left it open to anyone who wanted to snag it. Being immensely fond of my growing collection, I filed it away in my memory with a mental post-it note reading DO THISSSSS. Besides, what booklover doesn't swell with pride when given the chance to show off his or her precious bookish possessions?

(Pictures are not a requirement for this tag, but I really couldn't resist.)
(Also, I apologize for the camera quality. My trusty digital has served me well for seven years, but it doesn't work as nicely as those expensive ones with uber long lenses . . .)


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:
I have a set of two bookcases in my room, each with a spot dedicated to books (and the rest of the shelves are full of CDs, craft supplies, notebooks, and general junk).

My desk's hutch holds close to forty volumes. All three come from Ashley's Furniture, if you really must know. But my older, less-read books have a spot in a family bookshelf in the basement. Oh, and some of my childhood reads are upstairs. So they're really all over the place. (If I had room, I'd love to put all my babies in one massive bookshelf.)

Do you have any special or different way of organizing your books?
Not . . . specifically. I don't organize alphabetically or by color or anything quite like that. I do of course keep series together, and generally keep each author's books together as well. My hutch holds a lot of my favorites, but that's overflowed into one of the shelves. The other shelf holds mostly used books purchased at book fairs.


What’s the thickest (most amount of pages) book on your shelf?
Not counting The Chronicles of Narnia (because that's technically seven books), it would be Brisingr by Christopher Paolini. I haven't read it yet, but it's a whopping 763 pages.

What’s the thinnest (least amount of pages) book on your shelf?
The Talking Snowman by Lois Gladys Leppard: 103 pages. I lived and breathed Mandie Shaw for a good portion of elementary school.

Is there a book you received as a birthday gift?
A number of them, but the one that springs to mind first is Raising Dragons by Bryan Davis. I received it from my parents on my 13th birthday, and have spent my teenage years growing up alongside Billy, Bonnie, Walter, Ashley, and the gang! These books also inspired my love of dragons. So that's a big thing.

What’s the smallest (height and width wise) book on your shelf?
Pocket Quips by Robert C. Savage. It's one of the books I was allowed to take from my grandpa's study when he passed away over a year and a half ago. The book's puns and life reflections, so very like his own sense of humor, remind me of him. Such as this excerpt: A hug is a roundabout way of expressing affection.

What’s the biggest (height and width wise) book on your shelf?
Oh, the Places You'll Go by Dr. Seuss. Gifted to me by my aunt on my graduation!


Is there a book from a friend on your shelf?
Probably a few, but most of my books (that I haven't bought myself) come from my parents or grandparents. So I'll feature this one, On the Shoulders of Hobbits by Louis Markos--a thoughtful gift from my grandma and grandpa (same one who passed way) a few years ago.

Most expensive book?
The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis, for $25.99. At least I think that's the most expensive . . .

The last book you read on your shelf?
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.

Of all the books on your shelf, which was the first you read?
Oh goodness, that's too far back to remember. An early one, though, was Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Montgomery. I remember reading it in first grade, as a wee child of six. A good number of those big words were way over my head, but I loved it anyway.

Do you have more than one copy of a book?
Only The Chronicles of Narnia! I have my big single volume, and then I have a lovely illustrated boxed set from my grandpa's study.

Do you have the complete series of any book series?
When I find a series I love, I set out to collect the entire thing. I simply must own it. So I'm in the process of gathering a number of series, but among the completed collections are . . .
Dragons in Our Midst and Oracles of Fire by Bryan Davis, as well as Dragons of Starlight and Echoes from the Edge.

 

The Cantral Chronicles by Amanda Davis.

The Berinfell Prophecies by Wayne Thomas Batson and Christopher Hopper.

(Some series I'm partway through collecting are The Solitary Tales by Travis Thrasher, Tales of Goldstone Wood by Anne Elisabeth Stengl, and Ranger's Apprentice by John Flanagan.)

What’s the newest addition to your shelf?
Books purchased on holidays: The Choosing by Rachelle Dekker, Illusionarium by Heather Dixon, and The Sorceror of the North by John Flanagan.

What book has been on your shelf FOREVER?
Again, too many to properly recall, but a classic from my childhood is Treasures of the Snow by Patricia St. John. Ah, fond memories . . .

What’s the most recently published book on your shelf?
I think it's The Choosing by Rachelle Dekker, published May 19, 2015.

The oldest book on your shelf (as in, the actual copy is old)?
Another treasure from my grandpa's study. The Poetical Works of Sir Walter Scott, published 1895. One of these days I will sit down, cradle this amazing thing in my hands, and begin reading it. There seem to be a lot of long, epic ballad-type poems in it. Potential story inspiration?

 

A book you won?
Umm. I don't think I've won any. Shocker, I know! There's probably something or other won during my childhood, but I can't recall what it is.

A book you’d hate to let out of your sight (aka a book you never let someone borrow)?
Any of my precious paperbacks! They're much more prone to mishaps than hardcovers, and it's painful to see any of those beautiful covers bend. But in truth, I have let people borrow them, even a couple of my favorites, but I always hint that I'd like them to treat the book very well. (Or maybe I tell them outright. Either way--they know I value the condition of my books!)

Most beat up book?
It's no surprise that my most beat up book was not beat up by me. It's another book fair find, Eldest by Christopher Paolini. And it's not even that bad.

Most pristine book?
As I've already explained, I try to keep all my favorites looking nice, and most of them are in identical condition. So I just pulled a random one from the shelf, one with an epic cover I felt like photographing: The Errant King by Wayne Thomas Batson.

A book from your childhood?
Two Jigsaw Jones mysteries. As with the Mandie books, I adored these as a kid . . . even to the point that I begged my mom for a mystery of my own to solve.

A book that’s not actually your book?
Mrs. Jeffries Defends Her Own by Emily Brightwell. It belongs to my grandmother, but being the thirtieth in the series (while I'm perhaps eight books in), I haven't yet gotten around to reading and returning it. Also The Princess Bride by William Goldman, which belongs to my aunt. And I'm not quite sure if she intended me to give it back once I read it, or keep it. HEY, AUNTIE ROXANE, IF YOU'RE READING THIS, WHAT DID YOU WANT ME TO DO WITH IT?

A book with a special/different cover (e.g. leather bound, soft fuzzy cover etc.)?
Alas, I have no special covers, leather or otherwise, unless you count the Scott poetry book, but I don't know what that's made of. The best I could come up with are these shiny gold letters on the cover of Isle of Fire by Wayne Thomas Batson.

A book that is your favorite color?
If We Survive by Andrew Klavan is slathered in the most beautiful greens and blues, which look even prettier in real life.

Book that’s been on your shelf the longest that you STILL haven’t read?
Heh, a whole bunch of those second-hand books you saw at the beginning of the post. There's about a dozen I haven't read yet, and some have sat patiently waiting for a few years already.

Any signed books?
Glad you asked! I had the privilege of meeting Bryan Davis a few years ago, and he signed ALL MY DAVIS BOOKS (well, all that I owned at the time). He even jokingly offered to sign books that weren't his.

I also have Asylum, written by a friend of mine who goes by Chantelle J.Z. Storm, and she signed my copy too! Isn't it sweet?

~*~

I hope you've enjoyed perusing my library as much as I've enjoyed showing it off! Seeing as I'm not entirely sure who's all been tagged for this and who hasn't, I won't tag anyone. Instead, if you want to purloin this fun thingamajig for yourself, please do! I would love to get a peek at your bookshelf! (And remember, pictures aren't a requirement.) Share all the book-love!