I got this from Eva at A Striped Armchair. The books I’m using for this meme are only the ones in my current apartment.
The Bookshelf Meme
It quickly becomes apparent from reading book blogs that books are not only a collection of words on paper, but also physical objects that we treasure. With that in mind, here’s a brief glimpse onto my bookshelves!
The Rules
1. Tag 3-5 people, so the fun keeps going!
2. Leave a comment at the original post at A Striped Armchair, so that Eva can collect everyone’s answers.
3. If you leave a comment and link back to Eva as the meme’s creator, she will enter you in a book giveaway contest! She has a whole shelf devoted to giveaway books that you’ll be able to choose from, or a bookmooch point if you prefer.
4. Remember that this is all about enjoying books as physical objects, so feel free to describe the exact book you’re talking about, down to that warping from being dropped in the bath water…
5. Make the meme more fun with visuals! Covers of the specific edition you’re talking about, photos of your bookshelves, etc.
And now, tell me about…
The book that’s been on your shelves the longest: Hmmm… well, a mass market paperback copy of Rebecca that I’ve had for at least a dozen years. It’s the one with the red cover that essentially looks like that of a romance novel. I wouldn’t have picked it up, except for the fact that my mom bought it for me and practically opened the front cover for me to begin reading. I also have a copy of The Mousetrap and Other Plays I’ve had since middle school when I went on an Agatha Christie kick. It was also around that time that I acquired a copy of Barbara Vine’s The House of Stairs that some idiot on Amazon.com was selling for a song. Other books that have been around for a long time include them and One Hundred Years of Solitude (10th grade), and Sister Carrie and The House of Mirth (11th grade).
A book that reminds you of something specific in your life (a person, a place, a time, etc.). Great Expectations. I read it in tenth grade and I remember reading it on the bus after school when we went to field hockey games. I’m on my second copy of that book now, but the original has underlines and comments in the margin that our English teacher *made* us make, so that we could interact more with our reading. My copy of The Great Mortality reminds me both of my sister (who gave it to me) and my senior year in college, when I was working on my thesis on the bubonic plague.
A book you acquired in some interesting way (gift, serendipity in a used bookstore, prize, etc.): In 2004, I was in the airport on my way to Italy for a study-abroad thing, when I stumbled across a reprint edition of Katherine while killing time waiting for a flight. Totally an impulse kind of purchase, but one of the best books ever I’ve ever read.
The most recent addition to your shelves: MM Kaye’s The Far Pavilions (bought on Saturday)). People keep saying over and over again that I should read it, so I am. It’s one of those great, epic, winter-esque reads that should keep me occupied for a week or two. I’m essentially done with my ARC reading for the year (though I should probably get cracking on that stack of books that are coming out in January and February), so this book is also a welcome respite from the boring/ fair-to-middling ARCs I’ve been reading lately.
The book whose loss would traumatize you the most. How to choose just one? I would say my Bantam Classics edition of Pride and Prejudice (I’m on my third copy of it now), but copies of that book are available everywhere books are sold, so I could just go out and buy a new copy if I lost mine. It’s one of my all-time favorites. The House of Stairs is a book that I’d be especially heartbroken about if my 1988 copy was lost/ stolen/ destroyed, since it's a pretty unique book (I really wish my camera was working, otherwise I'd show you the cover in all its tacky glory).
A book that’s been with you to the most places: For the number of places, a UK edition of Bridget Jones: Edge of Reason that I bought in an English-language bookstore in Spain, took it back to its place of origin, and then to the US. For sheer distance: One Hundred Years of Solitude has been to Egypt; and Sister Carrie and The House of Mirth have been to Antarctica.
A bonus book that you want to talk about but doesn’t fit into the other questions:
The Bookshelf Meme
It quickly becomes apparent from reading book blogs that books are not only a collection of words on paper, but also physical objects that we treasure. With that in mind, here’s a brief glimpse onto my bookshelves!
The Rules
1. Tag 3-5 people, so the fun keeps going!
2. Leave a comment at the original post at A Striped Armchair, so that Eva can collect everyone’s answers.
3. If you leave a comment and link back to Eva as the meme’s creator, she will enter you in a book giveaway contest! She has a whole shelf devoted to giveaway books that you’ll be able to choose from, or a bookmooch point if you prefer.
4. Remember that this is all about enjoying books as physical objects, so feel free to describe the exact book you’re talking about, down to that warping from being dropped in the bath water…
5. Make the meme more fun with visuals! Covers of the specific edition you’re talking about, photos of your bookshelves, etc.
And now, tell me about…
The book that’s been on your shelves the longest: Hmmm… well, a mass market paperback copy of Rebecca that I’ve had for at least a dozen years. It’s the one with the red cover that essentially looks like that of a romance novel. I wouldn’t have picked it up, except for the fact that my mom bought it for me and practically opened the front cover for me to begin reading. I also have a copy of The Mousetrap and Other Plays I’ve had since middle school when I went on an Agatha Christie kick. It was also around that time that I acquired a copy of Barbara Vine’s The House of Stairs that some idiot on Amazon.com was selling for a song. Other books that have been around for a long time include them and One Hundred Years of Solitude (10th grade), and Sister Carrie and The House of Mirth (11th grade).
A book that reminds you of something specific in your life (a person, a place, a time, etc.). Great Expectations. I read it in tenth grade and I remember reading it on the bus after school when we went to field hockey games. I’m on my second copy of that book now, but the original has underlines and comments in the margin that our English teacher *made* us make, so that we could interact more with our reading. My copy of The Great Mortality reminds me both of my sister (who gave it to me) and my senior year in college, when I was working on my thesis on the bubonic plague.
A book you acquired in some interesting way (gift, serendipity in a used bookstore, prize, etc.): In 2004, I was in the airport on my way to Italy for a study-abroad thing, when I stumbled across a reprint edition of Katherine while killing time waiting for a flight. Totally an impulse kind of purchase, but one of the best books ever I’ve ever read.
The most recent addition to your shelves: MM Kaye’s The Far Pavilions (bought on Saturday)). People keep saying over and over again that I should read it, so I am. It’s one of those great, epic, winter-esque reads that should keep me occupied for a week or two. I’m essentially done with my ARC reading for the year (though I should probably get cracking on that stack of books that are coming out in January and February), so this book is also a welcome respite from the boring/ fair-to-middling ARCs I’ve been reading lately.
The book whose loss would traumatize you the most. How to choose just one? I would say my Bantam Classics edition of Pride and Prejudice (I’m on my third copy of it now), but copies of that book are available everywhere books are sold, so I could just go out and buy a new copy if I lost mine. It’s one of my all-time favorites. The House of Stairs is a book that I’d be especially heartbroken about if my 1988 copy was lost/ stolen/ destroyed, since it's a pretty unique book (I really wish my camera was working, otherwise I'd show you the cover in all its tacky glory).
A book that’s been with you to the most places: For the number of places, a UK edition of Bridget Jones: Edge of Reason that I bought in an English-language bookstore in Spain, took it back to its place of origin, and then to the US. For sheer distance: One Hundred Years of Solitude has been to Egypt; and Sister Carrie and The House of Mirth have been to Antarctica.
A bonus book that you want to talk about but doesn’t fit into the other questions:
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Andi