What does your Bookcase/shelf say about you?

[Larry.]

Is 75% 'almost exclusively?' I'll let it go. It's fair, I suppose. I read genre quite a lot. I don't hate paperbacks. I have hundreds and hundreds. I just don't have room on my shelves for them. :D

I was going only by the titles I could make out, which is why I wasn't for certain what to make of it. Sounds like you approach shelving MMPBs like I do - I don't. Then again, I've purged about 1/3 of my collection over the past four months to clear out space and have largely stopped accepting review copies due to the low number being read/reviewed.

I still want to see the collector's editions in close-up, though :D

[drawkcabi]

You tell me. Please.

Loves reading, takes pride in his book collection, prone to stomach ulcers.

[Spider From Mars]

Floor-to-ceiling and wall-to-wall Brian Jacques, Jean Auel and Terry Goodkind.

[Stego]

Floor-to-ceiling and wall-to-wall Brian Jacques, Jean Auel and Terry Goodkind.

I would say:

1. You have a small home. Those authors haven't published enough to fill a very large wall.

2. You really like rape fiction.

[Spider From Mars]

I would say:

1. You have a small home. Those authors haven't published enough to fill a very large wall.

2. You really like rape fiction.

1) I was only counting the office in my estimation of how much space is occupied by my book collection… and I buy every version of each book I can find, including ones written in foreign language so I can ship them to my non-English speaking friends as presents.

2) Bingo. You correctly surmised all that even though I forgot to mention my growing collection of literary masterpieces by John Ringo.

[Stego]

1) I was only counting the office in my estimation of how much space is occupied by my book collection… and I buy every version of each book I can find, including ones written in foreign language so I can ship them to my non-English speaking friends as presents.

2) Bingo. You correctly surmised all that even though I forgot to mention my growing collection of literary masterpieces by John Ringo.

I wasn't insulting you. I have at least one book from all three of those authors on my shelves. :D

[Spider From Mars]

I wasn't insulting you. I have at least one book from all three of those authors on my shelves. :D

I knew you weren’t and my initial post was tongue-in-cheek because I actually do have a few books from those authors in my library :)

I actually enjoyed a few of the book by Brian Jacques, particularly Salamandastron, and still think of them fondly despite the hate I see them get. People forget that were rather novel at the time they first came out, especially when the other popular fantasy books available were Dragonlance and Forgotten Realms.

I have four Auel books that I picked up at a garage sale, but haven’t actually read any of them. They are getting donated in the next move.

I read the first four Goodkind books before I got tired of them. They are also on the donation list.

As for Ringo, a friend recently recommended one of his books to me. The overarching story was that it was perfectly natural for women who have been raped to get aroused by fantasies of rape. And that if they get pregnant from it, they should definitely keep the baby. All in all, I was disgusted, even by the parts of the book that weren’t directly pointing to the topic of rape. I am still trying to find an appropriate book to loan my friend as an act of vengeance. I had considered the Auel or Goodkind books, but he has already read them, so they are out.

[Xray the Enforcer]

As for Ringo, a friend recently recommended one of his books to me. The overarching story was that it was perfectly natural for women who have been raped to get aroused by fantasies of rape. And that if they get pregnant from it, they should definitely keep the baby. All in all, I was disgusted, even by the parts of the book that weren't directly pointing to the topic of rape. I am still trying to find an appropriate book to loan my friend as an act of vengeance. I had considered the Auel or Goodkind books, but he has already read them, so they are out.

You've come to the right place. Make him read The Fifth Sorceress by Robert Newcomb.

[Stego]

You've come to the right place. Make him read The Fifth Sorceress by Robert Newcomb.

lols, I've read those, too.

[Stego]

I was going only by the titles I could make out, which is why I wasn't for certain what to make of it. Sounds like you approach shelving MMPBs like I do - I don't. Then again, I've purged about 1/3 of my collection over the past four months to clear out space and have largely stopped accepting review copies due to the low number being read/reviewed.

I still want to see the collector's editions in close-up, though :D

It sounds like your purge is much like my recent one was -- thorough. It was painful, but my back required it previous to moving house. :D

Larry, come to Boskone any year and you're welcome to come over.

[Tears of Lys]

Small but choice. :D

[Grack21]

Ohhh he made you read a Ringo? The only answer to that is to Stanek his ass!

I should get new pics of my shelves up. I just did a reorganization a few days ago.

[Stego]

Ohhh he made you read a Ringo? The only answer to that is to Stanek his ass!

'Stanek His Ass' belongs on a tshirt.

[mashiara]

Mash,

We have a spare room you can crash in, but dal'Thor might have something to say about it.

I'm sure he'd enjoy the quiet time, when no-one would harp on him to get off the computer and go do one of the million things on his to-do list. :)

I thought of one more thing our bookshelves say about me specifically. I don't buy any books in Greek anymore -well, except for school stuff. Almost all of my original Greek book collection has either been donated or resides in my siblings' bookcases and I'm left with very few Greek titles here.

[Ser Scot A Ellison]

That my wife and I desperately need an addition to the house to use as a dedicated library and a lot more shelf space.

[Spider From Mars]

I’ll put anything by Stanek and The Fifth Sorceress by Newcomb at the top of the list. The only real problem in planning literary vengeance is that I must read the book before recommending it. I think I may need a strategic stockpile of brain and eye bleach.

[jdiddyesquire]

This is the best thing about eReaders. No more awkward questions about freaky fantasy cover art.

[Astra]

I have gotten rid of all paperbacks when I moved house a couple of years ago.

Now I have 2 book cases with hardbacks. Half of them should go when I get energy to start selling them on ebay.

Only the best of the best will stay, special editions etc.

Sony Readers replaced the rest. Completely.

eInk rocks!

[Nearly Headless Ned]

Tall books at the edges, shorter ones towards the middle. Also sorted by author when possible.

Lots of sff,historical,Pinter,Shakespeare and some horror.

[shadow catlady]

After looking at the dignified collection that Stego posted, I have to be honest: I'm pretty sure that my bookshelves say, I'm cheap and easy and past my prime. And a little sloppy.

Cheap: worn-out paperbacks, re-read and broken-spined. old hardcovers. gift books that are somehow still on the shelves despite the likelihood I'll never read them. shelves that do not match in the same room.

Easy: masses of YA lit and picturebooks. no obvious theme or taste.

Past my prime: 1990's era (and earlier) feminist nonfiction. no musician biographies of anyone who began recording later than the 1970's. college textbooks that reveal my own age.

A little sloppy: some dust on books and pictures. random toys beside books. several stacking directions within shelves and sets of shelves.

Of course, I don't really believe this about myself, though I am willing to accept that I may be cheaper, easier, sloppier, and more past my prime than Stego.