Bookshelf Tag

What book-lovers don’t like to talk about their books, their own personal collection that they can pick up whenever they have a hankering for their stories, or sort them with rapt and dreamy attention in stacks or on shelves? This one sure likes to. And what book-lovers don’t like studying other people’s shelves? (Marielle does this at Mrs. Parker’s house in England Adventure as a matter of fact.) So when I saw “Bookshelf Tag” on Elisabeth Grace Foley’s blog, The Second Sentence, I wanted to participate myself and share it with my blogging friends. It originated from Natalie on Raindrops on Roses & Whiskers on Kittens. And also, because of time constraints, I’m not including all the questions … so please, check out Natalie’s blog to find the whole list! Without further ado:

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 (you can include a picture if you wish):

I consider four bookshelves as mine. Two match: tall, brown, with sliding doors concealing two shelves of books on the bottom; those are in my bedroom and decorated with knickknacks. Two others, in the library/study/craft/old school room, are also the same size, with three shelves each, but one is brown and the other is maple-ish. The two tall, brown shelves have been in my family longer than I have; the small ones came from Walmart, I think.

Do you have any special or different way of organizing your books?

Probably not in any way no one has thought of before … I try to organize by subject, author, and size.

What’s the thickest (most amount of pages) book on your shelf?

An old Bible—1712 pages!

What’s the thinnest (least amount of pages) book on your shelf?

That’s hard to say because I keep a lot of children’s picture books behind the doors in my tall shelves. But I think the winner may be one of a tiny boxed set of Beatrix Potter tales … topping out at ten pages.

Is there a book you received as a birthday gift or a Christmas gift?

Probably quite a few of them I received that way … such as my Anne of Green Gables boxed set, Chronicles of Narnia, Jesus Freaks, Dear Princess, Queen Victoria’s Sketchbook …

What’s the smallest (height and width wise) book on your shelf?

Any one of my miniature Little Golden books. They measure 2 ¾ by 2 ¾ inches—so cute!

What’s the biggest (height and width wise) book on your shelf?

The Jews in Their Land, conceived and edited by David Ben Gurion. It measures 12 inches tall by 8 ½ inches wide and barely squeezes onto its shelf.

Is there a book from a friend on your shelf?

Yes! In two different ways: some have been published by friends, and some have been given to me by friends, like Queen Victoria’s Sketchbook mentioned above.

Most expensive book?

Not sure … I buy most of my books secondhand.

The last book you read on your shelf?

A Secret Gift, a book about stories of the Great Depression, by Ted Gup; I read it in January.

Do you have more than one copy of a book?

I do, actually. Treasures of the Snow by Patricia St. John. One is a vintage hardback from 1950 and was given to my aunt when she was a little girl and the other, a white paperback, is from the 1990s (I’m estimating).

Do you have the complete series of any book series?

Several. Anne of Green Gables, most of the American Girl six-book series, the History Mysteries series, Little House, the Royal Diaries … and perhaps more. I love having whole series.

What’s the newest addition to your shelf?

I think Little Hood is one of them, illustrated by my friend E. Kaiser Writes!

The oldest book on your shelf (as in, the actual copy is old)?

A beautiful edition of Under the Lilacs by Louisa May Alcott, which seems to date from 1888.

A book you won?

The Experiment, by Morgan Huneke.

A book with a special/different cover (e.g. leather bound, soft fuzzy cover, etc.)?

A leather-bound Bible that was my dad’s from the 1960s.

A book that is your favorite color?

There are several that are blue, so I’ll go with Emily Climbs, because that has the prettiest cover of all the blue ones, I think.

Any signed books?

At least seven! In Search of Adventure, From the Dark to the Dawn, and Remembering the Alamo by Alicia A. Willis; The Experiment by Morgan Huneke; The Sparrow Found a House by Jason McIntire; Journeys of Faithfulness by Sarah Clarkson; and Behind the Stories by Diane Eble—signed by Bodie Thoene, whose story is included in the collection.

If you would like to participate, consider yourself tagged! And don’t forget: if you want the complete list of questions, check out Raindrops on Roses & Whiskers on Kittens.