Wednesday 16 February 2011

on my (modest) bookshelf


sadly, books just like pretty clothes are a luxury, & so i have modest means & modest amounts of these things i really love... of course, nothing beats my well used library card, doesn't mean i can't hope to have wall to wall books one day.  thought i would still share just some of my favorite books that i've kept over the years, some of these books i've had over two decades, from my very modest bookshelf (hope i ahven't embarrassed myself too much). i admit, i have a hard time holding onto books, because i lend out too many in the past & forget where they went. so, i cringe to lend out books these days.
whats on your bookshelf these days, library books included?















19 comments:

  1. awesome collection! I have a few from that list. Funny that the one I'm reading now and the one I just read before are together in the picture: sexus and lady chatterley :)

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  2. books are so beautiful, I hope they never stop doing them

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  3. You are hard on yourself! What a nice selection of books you have. I am a library person too, by choice as well as finances. I have whittled my books down to one bookshelf and I aim to whittle it down more.

    While I'm generally all about new-ish releases from the library (lately reading writer Siri Hustvedt), I'm currently reading an oldie from the bookshelf - Possession (A.S. Byatt).

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  4. That's a good collection! We have quite a few titles in common.

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  5. Oh girl, please don't be down on yourself about your books! You have so many important classics and the best part is that you have obviously READ them! Very few people who have wall to wall books have actually read them -- I have hundreds of books because of years of working in bookstores and the damned shame of it is that I've only read maybe 1/4th of them. There just isn't enough time in one lifetime to read all the books one wants to read.

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  6. I have a couple of your books, eh heh heh, cough cough. Don't worry, they are safe and are next to my bed in my "TO READ" pile.

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  7. I was happy to see Anais Nin among your readings. Since I spotted her in my dad's shelf when I was ten or eleven, I have been a major reader of hers, collecting and devouring everything I can get my hands on.

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  8. So much Anais Nin! I haven't read anything by her yet, but am always so tempted. I just don't know where to start. You also have a couple of the Plath's I've been looking for. Such a lovely collection.

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  9. Another person who sorts her books on colour!
    You have a beautiful collection, it's much nicer to have a comparatively small but connected amount of books than a large random collection.

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  10. That's a nice collection! I haven't read most of them (yet) though. I wish I had more time...
    I'm reading Women in Love by D.H. Lawrence at the moment.

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  11. What a beautiful collection, you've inspired me to track down quite afew of these that I haven't had the chance to read! Made me all giddy to see a few Bukowski's in there... he is one of my very favourites x Katie-Louise

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  12. We have a lot of the same books; mine are even arranged by color as well.

    My cat's name is Charles Bukowski! We call him Hank, of course. He doesn't have a drinking problem though, that I know of.

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  13. I am inspired so I wrote a few of your books down that I will check out at my local library once I am done reading The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie ( It is the third one that I am reading by Agatha, previously I read The Body in the library) and the Nannies Diaries that I am planning to read by Emma mcLaughlin (hope it is a good one, not too cheesy). Have a good day! Take care. Jlee comment made me laugh.

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  14. Don't be ashamed. You have a lovely book collection and you've reminded me of some books to had to my to read pile. I've been reading Anna Kavan and crime book writers like Agatha Christie, Patricia Highsmith and Ruth Rendell recently. Oh, and I hate that I haven't figured out a way to read and knit at the same time.

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  15. I love the excerpts about beautiful clothes. What book are they from?

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  16. I have that exact copy of the Anne Sexton book (from a discard sale at the library!), but I haven't read it yet.
    I've banned myself from the library and book stores until I've read at least 5 of the books I own.

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  17. Jean Rhys! That section is so moving (well, all of her work is...).

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  18. I love the first capture from the book about clothes.

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  19. Goodness, we have a lot of the same books. Women of the Left Bank is next on my reading list. I've read a lot of Anais' Nin's diaries, but not a lot of her erotica. I recently became acquainted with Erskine Caldwell, a Southern writer. he's totally amazing. really funny & unique. It's dark, absurdist, humor. well worth a read. Last week, I read "Soiled Doves", a nonfictional book about turn of the century prostitutes. Thanks for sharing your books with us.

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