by Tessa
I think most people are a little nosy when it comes to other people’s domiciles, (in western PA we call it being “nebby” or a “nebnose”). Maybe that’s just me trying to make myself feel like less of a creep. But there must be a reason that looking in someone’s medicine cabinet is such a well-worn cultural trope. In this spirit, I’d like to take you on a tour of my home library, so that you can know me better.
As a confirmed lover of cataloging and organization in general, my home library has many different sections. I once helped a friend organize her books by color, and it was lovely, but not something I’d want for myself. Here’s the main book hoard:
It’s true that I have run out of room, and it’s true that my cat refuses to play with that purple contraption in the bottom right corner.
What sections will you find on this bookshelf?
1. personal memoir
2. general adult-marketed fiction, mostly contemporary
3. books in spanish
4. children’s fiction
5. YA fiction
6. favorite fantasy series
7. fiction from college years (Thomas Hardy, mostly) and non-contemporary authors: Malory, etc.
8. graphic novels
10. picture books
11. short stories
12. art books
13. McSweeney’s publications
WHEW
Here, snoop closer:
But wait! I also have 3 other places where I store my books (not to mention the whole other bookcase in my childhood home)
I know, though, that this is NOTHING compared to Rebecca’s bookshelves, or other people I know. I had to make myself stop buying so many books, out of sheer practicality.
I’m kind of attached to my Norton Anthologies.
I bought many poetry anthologies in college, until I figured out that I prefer to read poetry in book form. So now I pre-screen any poetry books before buying.
I enjoy cooking from recipes. It makes it easy to shop – I can be easily distracted in the grocery store. The Mario Batali book has a bittersweet chocolate tart recipe you wouldn’t believe.
I subscribe to 2 magazines and regularly read one (The New Yorker). The other (The Believer) I save, not only because it’s pretty, smells like wonderful ink, and has collectible illustrations throughout, but because I have no time to read it and someday I hope to have that time.
Although I’ve weaned myself from used booksales, I still love to buy impractical and often outdated reference works. Piloting, Seamanship and Sailboat Handling is one of those books. Also, the book on Wall-ear Berlin, how to Haunt your House for Halloween, all those sewing books I’ll never use because sewing makes me cry, Freewheeling (road bicycling… I don’t even know). But How to Think Like A Cat proved to be extremely helpful when I found my cat and rescued him from certain death.
And why haven’t I read more of these books? Because I always have piles
and piles
of library books all around me.
What are your shelves like? Want to show us? Do a guest post! Judge my books in the comments!
VeganYANerds
/ June 29, 2012I love seeing photos of bookshelves, you have a lot of books!
I was drawn to your room mate’s cookbooks, I spy a few vegan ones! And you have Veganomicon and Plenty – awesome! Are you guys veg/vegan?
tessabarber
/ June 30, 2012My roommate cooks very vegan, and I cook mostly vegetarian, but neither of us are on strict diets of either persuasion.
Casey Barber (@GoodFoodStories)
/ June 28, 2012Oh good, you have Plenty! I love that cookbook, even if I mostly use it as a jumping-off point for other recipes. And I might have to take a look at How to Think Like a Cat.
And on the scavenger front, I see the embroidered fruits we found at that antiques store in the Strip District and a picture of meeeee!
tessabarber
/ June 28, 2012of course there’s a picture of you!
Plenty is so great! I checked it out from the library and didn’t have nearly enough time to make everything I wanted to, and the things I did make were very delicious, so I bought it. How to Think Like a Cat is good for first time cat-owners, but I don’t know how much it could teach you… you could probably write a book on how to put your cat on a feeding schedule yourself.
TV's Adam
/ June 28, 2012My bookshelf has a picture of you, me and Rebecca on it. Specifically it is a picture of us looking very intrigued by a magazine.
Jim
/ June 27, 2012Very interesting collection.
Em (Love YA Lit)
/ June 27, 2012Oh fun! I don’t snoop people’s medicine cabinets, but I love shelf gazing! So thanks for this! I felt like I was in a scavenger hunt (I found the dark horse!).
tessabarber
/ June 27, 2012good job! now you have to find the whale butter dish.
Karen
/ June 27, 2012OMG, as soon as I saw the word nebby I knew exactly what geographic region you were from. Pittsburgh suburbs ftw.
Also, I was totally creeping hard because I noticed that you have The Descent. Great movie.
tessabarber
/ June 27, 2012Yes! Pittsburgh reading friend! Yeah, the Descent is great; it’s one of the movies I always make people watch.
TV's Adam
/ June 27, 2012I thought you were making “nebnose” up.
That Wikipedia entry seems to equate “neb” with “nose”, which in turn equates “nebnose” with “nosenose”, which is pretty great.
Also The Descent is awesome.
tessabarber
/ June 27, 2012nosenose is my new internet handle. thanks, adam!