It seems like a good day for a meme. I scooped this one up from Ella and Dorothy.
Here is what my bookcases say about me:
- “I’m immortal!” I must be, right? Because why else would I own what might be more books than can be read in a normal human lifetime? And not only that, but I keep adding to them!
- “I need help choosing books to read!” At least that’s what someone might think looking at the entire shelf I have dedicated to books like Book Lust by Nancy Pearl, 1001 Books to Read Before you Die and The New Lifetime Reading Plan. In reality I have no trouble finding books to read but this one ties in to the fact that I am immortal so really, all I want to do is make sure I never run out of ideas.
- “I’m self-centered!” This one was suggested by my Bookman due to the quantity of books I own about journal keeping. These fill a portion of a shelf and above that shelf are close to 30 journals that I have filled over the years. Does that make me self-centered or just an adherent to the ancient Greek aphorism to “know thyself?”
- “I’m pretentious!” That’s the only reason to have three bookcases in the living room filled only with poetry and classics. That’s not the only reason but someone who didn’t know me well might think that. When our basement library shelves were full to bursting and we bought three bookcases to fit into the living room, given our organizational scheme, it only made sense to move all our poetry and most of our classics to these shelves since they are the smallest distinct “collections” in our library. The good thing about this move was that we now read more poetry, both Bookman and I will pull a book from the shelf to regale the other with a poem or two. And our classics are no longer lost amongst the rest of the fiction so we can be frequently reminded by seeing the books, “oh yes I should get around to reading that one!”
- “I like poetry by 20th century women!” A good deal of the poetry on the shelves in the living room is by women authors from the 20th century. This is probably a result of my taking several graduate school classes on both poetry and women writers. Adrienne Rich is best represented since I wrote my thesis on her work and have all her books. There is also H.D., Muriel Rukeyser, Anne Sexton, Sylvia Plath, Anna Ahkmatova, Mary Oliver, Jane Kenyon, Edna St. Vincent Millay and many others.
- “I have a secret desire to be a scientist!” When I was a mere college freshman my declared major was biology. I was going to be a vet. Then I was going to be a biology teacher. Then when the full impact of the animals that I could look forward to dissecting hit me, I changed my mind and my major to English. Dissecting texts was much less disturbing than dissecting cats and piglets. I flirted briefly with trying botany but my allergies told me it wasn’t a good idea. So now I just like to read books about neuroscience and quantum physics and animals.
- “I’m also a wanna be philosopher!” I’ve not read a lot of philosophy but that hasn’t stopped me from accumulating philosophy books. Hannah Arendt, Simone Weil, Plato, Foucault, Nietzsche, several “history of” survey-type books. Oh, and of course there was my wonderful tour through all of Emerson. I’ve read enough philosophy to find it fascinating and challenging and always thought provoking and I think even though philosophy has been shuffled to the sidelines in our current culture, it is just as relevant, maybe more so, than ever.
- “I’m a witch!” Not really, but I have a little more than a shelf of history and psychology books on the European witchcraft craze, specifically in Germany. I’ve read almost all of them and have taken copious notes. You see, one day I plan on writing a novel. There is a small village near Trier (I have yet to discover the name of the village in spite of numerous references to it) that after a year of the witch craze had only one surviving woman in it. Don’t you think her story would be an interesting one?
Anyone else want to play?
You plan to write a novel about the witch craze? Really? I would SO read that novel! (And then my bookshelves would really talk!)
My shelves say something similar about me with regard to science and philosophy. Interesting point that someone who doesn’t know you well could make false assumptions. The bookshelves can be liars!
I’d love to look over your shelves, and the fact that it would take me a good long time just makes me want to do it even more
I would definitely go with the “know thyself” explanation, not the self-centered one. And I’d say those classics and poetry shelves indicate how well-read and discriminating you are, not how pretentious. I love the novel idea!
My shelves don’t say much about me. Most of the books i own I got second hand when I was a poor college student and they are falling apart. I read from the library these days. Some day my book shelves will be pretty with the books I want on them.
What a fun meme! I am going to go with “I am immortal” and ” I am pretentious” – and also “I only read what dead people wrote!” – most of my books are written by people in the early 20th and 19th century
I love this. I think mine would say, “I had to move and get rid of most of my books!” but the remaining ones probably have something important to say… I will try this later!
And I LOVE that idea for a novel. What a fascinating character that would be!
Good job! Right now, my bookshelves are saying I need to dust more than I do. I like this meme and will have to try it.
Ha,ha… Stefanie, I can totally relate to “I’m immortal,” “I need help choosing books to read,” and “I’m self-centered” — my shelves say the same exact thing too
I love this meme. I would definitely qualify to join you under the “I’m pretentious” heading – all of my most impressive, learned books are shelved at eye-level, with the trashier stuff close to the ground (or, horror, hidden in a second row) in hopes that visitors will think me terribly clever and be awed (even if only for a moment).
I must think I am immortal, too… And of course you’re not pretentious, but just really interested in lots of things. I like the idea of keeping classics close at hand and have a pile in my bedroom (for inspiration…). But my shelves would say ‘you don’t read much poetry, do you’. Fun meme.
How fun! Mine would probably say, this woman needs to stop buying so many books and actually read some more of these first!
Her story would be fascinating. Hurry up and write it.
Fun meme! If I ever blog again, I might play this one.
What a great collection! “I’m immortal!” made me laugh – I have a good chunk of unread books, but mine only grants me another 20 or 30 years. Also, I shelve my trashy books on the bottom too. Good strategy.
I don’t know what angle you’re going at the whole witch hunt thing from, but it’d be really ironic if you made her out to be the only actual witch in the town.
‘I’m immortal’ – hilarious! I so love this meme and yet can’t come up with any answers for it myself apart from ‘I like books’. And I am SO up for that witch novel – bring it on!
I love your first point about being immortal! I can so relate and try never to think of the number of books I have to read divided by the possible number of years of my life left!
“I’m immortal!” Yup. A lot of that going around. You’ve awfully brave to keep your journals on a shelf. Mine are hidden deep in the closet in boxes labelled “Biohazard!” and “Live Snakes!” Perhaps that comes from too may years living with roommates.
Imagine big gasp here! It WOULD be interesting, very interesting, please write it! Have you read ‘The Last Witchfinder’ – I cannot remember?! (Not your novel idea, but a novel about the crazy ideas behind witches and finding them and the opposition to the witch theory which was prevalent even as witches were killed)
My BA disertation was about the logical rhetoric that helped to create the witch craze and seeing that at the end of your post is like finally meeting a like minded person again, rather than the hordes who squint at you a bit funny when you talk about history and witches. I wonder if you have any part of the series on witches through history by my dissertation leader Stuart Clark?
Totally took you up on this challenge!! What a fun way to get to know other readers… or, well, myself.
That was a fascinating anecdote about the witch craze! Adding that subject to my ever growing list…
(Oh, and here’s where I posted this on my blog: http://drunkliterature.blogspot.com/2010/02/what-do-your-bookshelves-say-about-you.html)
Isabella, Yes, I hope to someday write a novel about the witch craze. I am flattered that you would want to read it. And I hadn’t quite thought about it that way, but you are right, bookshelves can be liars!
Dorothy, I would love to browse your shelves too. And thanks for you generosity in choosing the know thyself option over the I’m self-centered option
Rebecca, your second hand books say plenty about you. You’ve kept them after all so there must plenty of interesting books on your shelves!
Vipula, LOL, I love it, “I only read what dead people wrote.” Can you whisper in a creepy voice “I read dead people?” ala The Sixth Sense movie?
Daphne, I’m sure your remaining books are very talkative. Glad you like the idea for the novel. One day…
Grad, my bookshelves say dust me too but I’ve gotten pretty good at ignoring them.
Iliana, I would love to browse your shelves. I am sure your books and I would have much to talk about
Claire, heh, you are a girl after my own heart!
Danielle, I am certain that we are both immortal. And thanks for so generously interpreting my pretentiousness. As far as the lack of poetry on your shelves, well, since you are immortal, you have plenty of time. I know there must be an inner poetry lover just biding her time, waiting to be born.
Amused, it’s all in the way you interpret it. You can say you don’t need to buy so many books or you can call it your retirement savings
Carrie, I’m glad you think the story would be good. I’ll start working on it when I’ve finished school and have had a chance to recover. Please blog again! I miss you.
Ella, well if you only have enough books to grant you another 20 or 30 years, you might want to start haunting used bookstores to increase you longevity
Leonsagara, I’m going for more historical and factual but I like your idea!
Litlove, I’m sure you can come up with some good ones with this meme. Or barring that, let me peruse your shelves and I’ll help you
The book is gestating at the moment. Perhaps it will start to be reality in a couple of years.
Kathleen, you must be immortal too then. There is no other explanation for why we have so many books.
Sylvia, life before marriage the journals were hidden away but my dear husband has absolutely no interest in them, bless his heart. I love the labels you put on your boxes!
Jodie, you are so kind. I have not read The Last Witchfinder but I have it and am looking forward to reading it one of these days. Your BA dissertation sounds marvelous. I don’t talk about my witch interest much because you’re right, people do look at you a bit funny. I have somehow managed to miss Stuart Clark but I’ll be adding him to my list for further research. It’s really hard to get stuff when you aren’t affiliated with a university but now that I work in a library I’ll be able to do some good digging.
Rebecca, loved your answers. The witch craze is a truly fascinating subject. Salem was mild compared to what went on in Europe.