Come Browse the Last of My Shelves!

One of the things I've done this summer is to take you all on a tour of my bookshelves. If any of you missed out, you can find links to all the posts on Come Browse My TBR Shelves and It's Time to Browse My Keeper Cases. As I said at the end of the last tour, I still had shelves here in the office but any browsing would just have to wait until I'd finished sorting and sifting through everything in the closet.

The closet is sorted and sifted (or is that sifted and sorted?), and I've condensed the contents of my bookshelves and removed one tall bookcase unit. It's been a long time since I've seen that section of wall, and I have to admit that I'm enjoying the empty space.

Now it's time to let you take a look at the last of my shelves here in the office where I sit and do all the work on my blog. There are two two-shelf bookcases under the window that looks out over the pool and backyard, and I have some books on the shelf above my monitors.

I've left the file sizes of the photos intentionally large so you can manipulate them to see titles because that's what we book lovers love to do-- do that head-on-the-side thing to read the spines. Here we go!

This is the shelf for all my knitting and needlepoint books. Many of the pattern books are so skinny that you're not going to be able to read the spines. Sorry 'bout that!

Then there's the shelf for wildlife and plant identification as well as dictionaries. The tall, thin, spiral bound book is a guide to making your own envelopes. The glass Planters Peanut jar holds plastic grocery bags. They breed well in captivity.

This shelf is for art and history books that I can't part with. If you think you see two white nooses on top of the books on the right side of the shelf, you've been reading too many mysteries!

More treasured books about horses, England, ballet, and art. Oh-- and my camera bag.

This is the shelf above my monitors. Books I want to read soon, more plant and wildlife identification reference works, a giveaway book, and some odds and ends.

And that's it! Now you've seen all my bookshelves. Perhaps I should do this series of posts every five years or so just to see how much things change (or don't change). What do you think?

It's Time to Browse My Keeper Cases! (Part Four)

Let's face it. Last week's look at the left side of my non-fiction keeper case was a bit boring even if you do like non-fiction. 98% of the books were about Arizona, and if you're not as enamored of this state as I am, those shelves were a big yawn.

You can see the entire bookcase in the "Keeper Case 2" photo, complete with my shelving stool in front of it. There's nothing quite like rolling up and down my row of To-Be-Read shelves to choose something to read or to shelve new acquisitions. (Must be the former librarian in me, although I never had a cool wheeled stool like that in the Moweaqua Public Library.)

This week, we're taking a look at the right side of the bookcase, but if you missed the left side, you can always backtrack to Part Three.

I've intentionally left the file sizes of the shelf photos large so you can manipulate them to see the book titles. (There's nothing worse than finding intriguing "shelfie" photos on a blog and discovering that you can't see the covers or titles because the photos are too small, right?)

Enough of this intro! Let's get to those shelves!

Shelf 1-- Mostly biographies.

Shelf 2-- Women's history and biographies.

Shelf 3-- Still mostly women's history with an oddball or two thrown in.

Shelf 4-- History and some Travel.

Shelf 5-- Architecture, Interior Design, Travel.

Shelf 6-- Histories of ancestral places and some "strays".

I think it's probably easy to tell which books are Denis's keepers, isn't it? To be completely honest, I still have three shelves here in the office that I haven't shared with you yet, but I'm planning a major reorganization, and any sharing will be off in the future.

What do you think? Did any of the books here surprise you? Did you see any that you'd like to read? Which ones? You know that inquiring minds are dying to find out!

It's Time to Browse My Keeper Cases! (Part Three)

We have now arrived at the second (and final) "keeper case" in my living room. It houses non-fiction books whether they be history, biography, travel, or reference. It may or may not surprise you, since I don't do a lot of talking about non-fiction here on the blog. One shelf has a few of Denis's keepers, and I wonder if you'll be able to spot that shelf when you see it.

Apologies to any librarians among us-- these are not shelved in alphabetical order or any other order but my own, which is a loose grouping by topic. The photo that you see shows this keeper case after it was tidied up. The wheeled stool in front of it is quite handy for shelving books-- especially rolling up and down my row of To-Be-Read shelves.

Before I start showing you the shelves on the left side of the bookcase, I'll treat you to a little Before & After. Heaven forbid that you think my bookcases are ready for an Architectural Digest photo shoot 24/7!

As in my other "shelfie" posts, I've kept the file sizes large on the photos so you can manipulate them in order to see book titles, etc.  As you can see in the Before & After photo above, I did tidy up a little bit, but not as much as when I went through the books in my fiction keeper case. I have a tendency to hold on to non-fiction books even more tightly than I do fiction. I'm not quite sure why. Anyway-- it's time to start looking shelf-by-shelf at the books on the left side of the bookcase!

Shelf One

Shelf Two

Shelf Three

Shelf Four

Shelf Five

Shelf Six

With the exception of the top shelf, the left side of Keeper Case 2 is All Arizona All the Time, isn't it? From its history to its flora and fauna to its wide variety of breathtaking scenery, I love this state, and the bottom shelf in particular represents thousands of miles traveled both on and off paved roads and thousands of photos taken within its borders.

If you have any questions about any of the books, I've numbered the shelves, so just leave a comment and I'll get back to you.

What do you think? Do you think I own enough books about Arizona?

It's Time to Browse My Keeper Cases! (Part Two)

I left you hanging with my fiction keeper case, didn't I? You've only seen one side of it, so I definitely have to take care of that oversight.

In Part One, I explained that I did some tidying up before I took the photos and as a result, I decided to donate some of the books that had been on there for quite some time. This is a good thing due to the way some of my favorite authors just keep adding to their series. Gotta have room for them, right?

I've deliberately left the file sizes large on each shelf photo so you can manipulate them to see the titles of the books. If you have any trouble deciphering any of them, just ask in the comments. That's why I've numbered the shelves.

Now it's time to shut up and show the shelves!

Shelf One

This shelf is devoted to one author: Cynthia Harrod-Eagles and her Morland Dynasty series. I love this series. It's a multi-generational saga that begins during the time of Richard III. Currently I'm in its World War I phase. The author takes one family living outside the town of York in England generation by generation. She even shows the changes the family makes to their country home over the centuries. She can bring history to life, and-- like real life-- the people in some generations aren't quite as interesting as those in other generations, but what an achievement! Now you can see why I left that big gap on the bottom shelf of the lefthand side of the bookcase in Part One!

Shelf Two

Another shelf devoted almost exclusively to one author. I love J.A. Jance's Sheriff Joanna Brady series set in Bisbee, Arizona. Jance grew up in Bisbee, and after reading these books, Denis and I have spent quite a bit of time down in Cochise County.

Shelf Three

I doubt this particular shelf is going to be a surprise to any of my longtime readers!

Shelf Four

These books by Harnett T. Kane were my mother's. She was fascinated by the plantation houses down South. I learned a lot from reading these books, but they do give a rather romanticized, sanitized view of the Old South. The next time I go through the books in this bookcase, Mr. Kane is going to go even though these books remind me so much of my mother.

Shelf Five

A little bit of everything on this shelf, including one of my favorite historical mystery series by Fidelis Morgan.

Shelf Six

And another wide-ranging number of books on the shelf. There's a lot of room between the comedy and mystery of Kathleen Taylor and the nature writing of Thoreau!

Well? Did you see any old favorites of yours? Any new-to-you books that you want to read? Inquiring minds would love to know!

It's Time to Browse My Keeper Cases! (Part One)

Since you finished taking a look at my To-Be-Read shelves a few weeks ago, I had to follow through on my promise to show you my Keeper Cases. There are two of them, one on either side of the big picture window in the living room. The one you see in the photo is my Fiction Keeper Case. Looks nice and tidy, doesn't it? For any of you eagle-eyed readers who spotted the Target bags behind the dining room table, those bags hold the books I weeded from that bookcase.

Yes, I can and do change my mind about what books I keep. In this reorganization, two series bit the dust and will be donated so others can enjoy them. Which ones? Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series (although I did keep the first book) and J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series. Both contained pretty hefty volumes, so their absence is the main reason why there are two large gaps on the shelves.

Several of you have probably also noticed the two flag cases on top. They hold the flag my mother was given at my father's funeral, and the flag I was given at my grandfather's funeral.

Enough backstory! In this post, I'm going to share photos of the six shelves on the left side of the bookcase. I've purposely left the file sizes large so you can do whatever you need to do in order to see the titles of the books. Next week, I'll share the right side of the bookcase. (I still haven't touched the other Keeper Case. I'm waiting for inspiration to strike. Or is that energy?)

Shelf 1

This shelf should be proof that, yes, I do like poetry!

Shelf 2

More poetry and some of my favorite books when I was a child and just starting out on this lifelong pleasure journey.

Shelf 3

Three of my favorite college textbooks. Favorite anthologies. Worn childhood favorites.

Shelf 4

Now we're getting into the adult fiction! Those six elderly books written by Dora Aydelotte I will never get rid of. Ever. No one's heard of her now, but back in the 1930s or so, she was rather popular and compared to Willa Cather-- and she once lived in my little farm village in central Illinois. In fact, Moweaqua is the setting for some of those books. After my mother and I left town, the people running the library allowed something that Mom never would: they allowed the big city library to have a say in what books stayed on the shelves. A big book sale ensued, and my dear friend rescued Dora Aydelotte's books from the sale and sent them to me. Even when he told them who Aydelotte was, they didn't care. Well, one thing's certain-- I care!

The other books are favorites. Some of them are autographed. Some have a blurb from one of my reviews. Some might even be dedicated to me.

Shelf 5

More favorites. Someone once offered me a large sum of money for that skinny paperback, Joshua Son of None. It's obvious that I said "No Sale!"

Shelf 6

More favorites... and room for more. When you see next week's post dealing with the other side of the bookcase, you'll know why I left this empty space here on the bottom shelf!

As in the case of my TBR bookcase posts (one, two, three, four, five), feel free to ask me to identify any titles you can't decipher and want to know about. (That's why I've numbered the shelves.)

Do we share some DNA when it comes to the books we keep? Favorite childhood books? Favorite textbooks? Favorite adult fiction? Oh! I'd also like to extend my apologies to any librarians who peruse these shelves. I know they're not in strict alphabetical order. Shame on me!

Come Browse My TBR Shelves-- Bookcase #5

Even if you don't have cabin fever-- like I do-- feel free to browse my fifth and final To-Be-Read (TBR) bookcase. If you've missed the others, never fear! Here are the links to bookcase one, bookcase two, bookcase three, and bookcase four.

I've purposely left all the file sizes large so you'll be able to manipulate them to see all the book titles. If you're having trouble with any of them, just ask for more information in the comments section. (That's why I've numbered all the shelves.)

With this fifth and final TBR bookcase, you just might be wondering if that's all there is here in Casa Kittling? Or... do you have the feeling that there might be more? In that case, you would be right, but more on that later.

Right now, it's time to take a look at those shelves!

Shelf #1-- from Linda Rodriguez to Mark Seal

Shelf #2-- from Deborah Sharp to Frank Tallis

Shelf #3-- from Andrew Taylor to Simone van der Vlugt

Shelf #4-- from Luca Veste to Anne Zouroudi

Did you see any old friends? Any that you hadn't heard of? Any that you've been meaning to read for a while? Inquiring minds would love to know!

As for the presence of more bookshelves here in Casa Kittling, here's an old photo of one of the two tall, double-wide bookcases I have on either side of the picture window in the living room. I call them my Keeper Cases. Denis and I purchased them at Costco over ten years ago, and they were so big that we had to rent a truck to bring them home. This time, I'm glad I had a partner to help assemble them!

Both of my Keeper Cases need some TLC, but I have the feeling that none of you would be averse to seeing just what's on these two bookcases, too.

Am I right?

If I am, I've got some sorting to do first before I even think of taking any sort of photos!

Come Browse My TBR Shelves-- Bookcase #4

The powers-that-be seem to want to reopen everything and return to normal. I think "normal" has deserted us for the time being, and pardon me if I err on the side of caution. There are too many people roaming around who seem to think that they never get sick, so they should be allowed to do whatever they feel like doing. I certainly hope their assumptions are correct; however, you and I both know what can happen when one assumes.

But what better way to pass the time than by looking at someone's bookshelves? In this instance, I'm the someone and the bookcases are my To-Be-Read (TBR) shelves. I have five bookcases devoted to my TBR books, and we've been going through them one at a time. If you've missed any of the installments, here is bookcase one, bookcase two, and bookcase three.

I've purposely left all the file sizes large so you'll be able to manipulate them to see all the book titles. If you're having trouble with any of them, just ask for more information in the comments section. (That's why I've numbered all the shelves.)

Now it's time to take a look at those shelves!

Shelf #1-- from Stuart MacBride to Val McDermid

Shelf #2-- from David McCallum to Amy Myers

Shelf #3-- from Magdalen Nabb to Matthew Pearl

Shelf #4-- from Justine Picardie to Michael Robotham

Did you see any old friends? How about ones you'd like to make the acquaintance of? Inquiring minds would love to know!

Come Browse My TBR Shelves-- Bookcase #3

Welcome! I'm happy to see that you're back to take another look at my To-Be-Read (TBR) shelves. I have to admit that I did a little bit of tidying up before I took the photos of the individual shelves. I just had to take care of the occasional misshelved book or a book lying on top of the others. It's the librarian in me!

If this is your first visit, you also might want to take a look at Bookcase #1 and Bookcase #2.

You might wonder how I acquire my books. A lot of them are from Paperback Swap, which can be one way for you to lessen the load on your own shelves and another way to add even more. I've also been known to haunt Book Outlet as well as Book Depository. I only buy eBooks from Amazon, since I own a Kindle, and that leaves The Poisoned Pen (the best for last) for most of my physical books.

But that's enough yakking. Let's get to those shelves!

Shelf #1-- from Cynthia Harrod-Eagles to Kaye Hill

Shelf #2-- from Reginald Hill to Sarah Jio

Shelf #3-- from Matti Joensuu to Jane Kirkpatrick

Shelf #4-- from Henry Kisor to Peter Lovesey

Remember, if you can't decipher one of the titles, just ask. That's why I've numbered the shelves.

What do you think? See any old favorites? See any that you've always meant to read? Inquiring minds would love to know!