I learned about this delightful tag for book lovers when
Elisabeth Grace Foley did it last week and knew I had to participate. Natalie at
Raindrops On Roses and Whiskers On Kittens originally created the tag and there are no rules about having to tag people- whoever wishes to do it can.
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: Well, some of my books are on five shelves of a six shelf bookshelf, my writing books are on the shelf on my desk, and the rest of them are stacked underneath my desk. I have five stacks underneath my desk. :) Both my bookshelf and my desk are from IKEA.
Do you have any special or different way of organizing your books? First, I have my nonfiction books on animals which transitions into books on plants. On the second shelf I have craft books, then art books, historical costume/fashion, travel/atlases, and the start of poetry. The third shelf houses the continuation of poetry, a book on synonyms, plays, non-fiction history books, and the beginning of my fiction books. The final two shelves also house fiction. As I said, my writing books are stored on my desk. Underneath my desk I have children's books, more travel, some Agatha Christies I did not have space for on my shelf, and more non-fiction. For simplicity I am going to focus more on the books on my actual bookshelf and the stack nearest it.
What's the thickest (most amount of pages) book on your shelf? The Complete Works of O.Henry Vol. II published by Doubleday in 1953 at 1,692 pages.
What's the thinnest (least amount of pages) book on your shelf? The Land Beyond the Setting Sun: The Story of Sacagewea by Trace Leininger Craven at 61 pages.
Is there a book you received as a birthday gift? I have received numerous books as gifts. Last year, I received The Mrs. Meade Mysteries Vol. I by Elisabeth Grace Foley and Revision and Self-Editing for Publication by James Scott Bell from my parents, while one of my sisters gave me Vienna Prelude and Prague Counterpoint by Bodie Thoene.
What's the smallest (height and width wise) book on your shelf? A book of poetry by Tennyson and Browning from 1925.
What's the biggest (height and width wise) book on your shelf? The largest book I own size-wise would have to be Birds of the World by Oliver L. Austin, Jr. It is massive.
Is there a book from a friend on your shelf? No, unless you count members of my family.
Most expensive book? I am guessing it might actually be the copy of Ernest Hemingway's The Old Man and Sea that I picked up for $2 at a book sale. I found an identical copy of the book (a Book-of-the-Month edition with the marking W) on Amazon being sold for $150.00. I guess I know what book to sell if I need money.
The last book you read on your shelf? Wanderlust Creek and Other Stories by Elisabeth Grace Foley.
Of all the books on your shelf, which was the first you read? Moses by Leonard Everett Fisher.
Do you have more than one copy of a book? Yes. I have doubles of a Miss Marple mystery: 4:50 From Paddington (aka What Mrs. McGillicuddy Saw!). I bought a single copy of the book and then it was also in a five-novels-in-one book I bought because I did not have the other four. I also have three individual copies of O.Henry (Strictly Business, Rolling Stones, and Options) that I need to take to a bookstore to sell because I now own a two volume set of his complete works.
Do you have the complete series of any book series? Yes, the complete Kathleen McKenzie Series by Tracy Leininger Craven.
What's the newest addition to your shelf? The two newest additions are Christopher Morley's Parnassus On Wheels and Henry Herbert Knibb's Sundown Slim.
What book has been on your shelf FOREVER? I am not sure. Maybe, Winnie-the-Pooh by A. A. Milne.
What's the most recently published book on your shelf? Wanderlust Creek and Other Stories.
The oldest book on your shelf (as in, the actual copy is old)? Cranford by Elisabeth Gaskell. My edition is from 1892.
A book you won? What a cruel question. I have never won a book in my life. Someday though ....
A book you'd hate to let out of your sight (aka a book you never let someone borrow)? Probably some of my older more fragile books and my edition of To Kill A Mockingbird. I payed more than I usually would for that book and it is one of the pricier reprints with the original cover.
Most beat up book? Events of the Great War, Volume VI: A.D. 1918 compiled by Charles F. Horne. The spine is coming off.
Most pristine book? All my books by Elisabeth Grace Foley, Fly Away Home by Rachel Heffington, To Kill A Mockingbird, Plenilune by Jennifer Freitag, and pretty much every other more modern book that I have bought in the past year.
A book from your childhood? Beatrix Potter: The Complete Tales by Beatrix Potter.
A book that's not actually your book? All the books on my shelf are mine. On my desk though are a few books I am borrowing from my parents.
A book with a special/different cover (e.g. leather bound, soft fuzzy cover etc.)? The cover of Cranford is gorgeous, so are the pages inside. The cover it a whitish color with gold colored swirls and designs on it with green flowers.
A book that is your favorite color? I am not entirely sure. My book of Winslow Homer watercolors has one of his paintings on the cover that includes some of my favorite shades of blue.
Book that's been on your shelf the longest that you STILL haven't read? The Island Stallion's Fury by Walter Farley.
Any signed books? Nope.
