The other day, I was going through my bookshelf, looking for something specific (I have no idea what it was). I ended up going down a lane of books, memories, and stories, and not coming out for a couple hours!
This is what it felt like. I picked up my copy of 17th and 18th Century British Literature and remembered how my teacher had brought some kind of scotch to class and gave the bottle to whoever who could answer his trivia questions about Robert Burns. This professor looooved Burns! He read his poems outloud in a Scottish accent. He was old, had a hump, and Einstein hair. He was great and I love that memory. We read Jonathan Swift in that class too. I read "A Modest Proposal" for the first time and loved it.
Then I picked up my tiny hardback version of Frankentstein. I haven't read that one. I have read Frankenstein and Jekyll and Hyde so many times! But I didn't have a hardback of Frankensein till recently. I had a paperback that I have nearly destroyed. I also finally got my hands on a hardback Jekyll and Hyde. I touched the silver pages of my prized monster book and put it back.
I looked through my old rhetoric book. A million tabs, bookmarks, hand written notes, inserted notes, highlights, and comments just littered the thing. I think we used it both years of my grad degree. So much animosity is written into those pages. I was upset at so much during those years. But I was trying. There were moments of light bulbs, enjoyment, and loving non-fiction writing. What a time!
My book shelf is not organized. I thought all writers had crazy bookshelves. But I was wrong! My publisher asked the question of how one organizes their bookshelves and it seems everyone does it by author last name...Oh, dear. The only things in order on my shelf are dozens of Sherlock Holmes novels, histories, companion books, and puzzle/quote books and my Arthurian books (paired with Celtic books and fairy books). Everything else is just two rows deep and stacked horizontal on top of vertical. I need more bookshelves...But I KNOW where each book is. Because I through them like this often. I take a trip down the book's memories. It's almost as good as reading them again because I remember what I felt, thought, or recall a vivid moment.
What's your bookshelf like?
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