My Bookshelf, Part 1

It is a testament, I think, to how little I care for Chamber of Secrets that I can't go two consecutive days writing about it. Reading back over my previous blog post, I think my frustration with the book is pretty clear.

For that reason, and in keeping with my promise of writing about books, I have opted to start a multi-part segment about the contents of my bookshelf.

Reading a physical book is such a great experience. Having a Kindle is certainly useful when going on holiday as it saves space, and listening to an audiobook is also fun but my preferred mode of enjoying literature is by actually holding the book in my hands.

I don't know about any of you, but I am also a very picky reader. I want to keep my books in pristine condition, which is why I rarely lend them to people and when I do, it is with strict instructions. There can be no writing inside my books, food and drink should be kept at a distance and most importantly, DO NOT BEND THE SPINE! Creased spines of books are a pet peeve of mine and if you asked me why, I honestly couldn't tell you.

It is also crucial that, when reading a series, all of the books be from the same publisher and the same edition. The books should also, preferably, be in paperback. These restrictions did not ring true when I was buying my Harry Potter books, which is why from Prisoner of Azkaban onwards I have hardback copies. With those books I was not willing to wait an additional six months after release to buy the paperbacks. Now, I am older and wiser and more patient, so I am waiting until next year to get the new Cormoran Strike novel.

The lovely boyfriend and I recently went to visit his brother, who lives with his girlfriend in Southampton. While there I noticed that they only have one bookcase and that it is filled entirely with folders and textbooks (his girlfriend is studying medicine). I'm always a bit jealous when we stay with them, because they lie in a very nice flat and I always leave feeling like I need to somehow upgrade the flat that we live in. During this particular visit I came away with the need to buy more bookcases.

Our current bookscases

I work/live in a student hall of residence and our flat is already quite full, so I had to get creative about where to put the new bookcases. There will need to be some shuffling around of furniture, but I am sure we will manage. The plan for this weekend is to go to IKEA and buy two new bookcases - one 80cm x 202cm and the other 40cm x 202cm, to fit in an alcove in the bedroom. The one that is currently in the bedroom will be moved into the living room. I am also hoping that we will manage to assemble the bookcases because I am keen next week to start properly organizing the books that we have.

I'm actually getting quite giddy thinking about it! I've been perusing our collection and trying to come up with some categories. So far I have:

1. Fantasy
2. Crime
3. Classics
4. Modern Classics
5. History
6. Philosophy
7. Science
8. Textbooks
9. Art
10. Other

It is my intention to blog about the books we have within each category, as part of this new series. In the meantime, tomorrow it's back to Chamber of Secrets as I look at Chapters 3 and 4 spanning Harry's time at the Burrow.

Until next time,

Lucia