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bookshelf-tall

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Last week I asked if you liked to check out Other People’s Bookshelves. You responded by saying: 1. Of course! and 2. Let’s check out each other’s bookshelves.

So today, you’re invited to share what’s on YOUR bookshelf.

Write a post on your blog, link up an instagram photo, or email me your info at modern mrs darcy at gmail dot com.

There are no rules; share your shelves however you’d like:

1. Take a picture (or a dozen).
2. Write up a list of your favorite titles.
3. Describe where you store your books.
4. Anything else you can think of.

Now on to my bookshelves: despite being a huge bookworm, my bookshelves aren’t amazing. My current reads ( there might be 30 of them at any given time) and the favorites I refer to often live in haphazard stacks by my bed, the staircase, and our coffee tables. But my largest and best-maintained bookshelf is in my living room.

Viewing these shelves through the camera lens this week, I was reminded just how many children’s books are on it. This is by design: we want our kids to be readers, and we keep these books within easy reach. (I rotate them fairly often–there are a lot more where these came from.)

Most of my books live in the basement, but I still claimed about half the space here for my books.

bookshelves-top-left-2

This top shelf includes recent reads I loved, books I refer to often, and books I’d like to re-read. I like the visual reminder that I could read German once (I’m not so sure I could today) from the yellow lit books and Bridget Jones, and besides, they fit on this short shelf.

bookshelves-top-left

This shelf holds more of the same: recent(ish) reads and ones I’ve referred to lately, plus a few of my favorites: Dallas Willard’s The Divine Conspiracy, Jane Austen, Richard Foster’s Prayer, Buechner, Oscar Wilde, and my collection of out-of print 1950s devotionals. I stick books I’ve been meaning to read here so I (hopefully) remember to actually read them.

bookshelves-cookbooks

These are my oft-referred to cookbooks: including Ina Garten, Pam Anderson, Well Fed 1 and 2, a splattered and stained Joy of Cooking. We adore The Food Lover’s Companion–it’s the reference book up top–and pull it off the shelf at least twice a week during dinner conversations.

bookshelves-reference

This shelf holds stacks of library books, the Narnia collection we’re reading aloud as a family, and a few reference books. That skinny blue one is The Elements of Style, and it always reminds me how much I’d love a whole shelf devoted to writing books.

bookshelves-wilder

This shelf holds chapter books: Winnie the Pooh, Betsy-Tacy, Little House, the Shoe Books, and American Girl all live here (when they don’t migrate to my kids’ bookshelves).

bookshelves-bonsoir-lune

Here we have books for beginning readers–Frog and Toad, Alexander, Maisy, Curious George, Caps for Sale–books my youngest two can flip through independently or read aloud with a parent or older sibling. (My parents brought Bonsoir Lune back from Paris–it’s my favorite.) The stack on the right is for 3-year-old Silas: we keep his Thomas books here, at his eye level, for easy access.

bookshelves-bottom-left

Here we have tall hardback favorites and family photo albums that my kids love to flip through.

bookshelves-bottom-right

The last shelf holds more kids’ books and my Cook’s Illustrated collection, which doesn’t fit anywhere else.

bookshelves-cooks

That’s what’s on my bookshelf. I’m sure one day I’ll share pictures of my cluttered stacks, which are a lot more interesting. To see the bookshelves I’m dreaming of, check out my book storage and display board on Pinterest.

It’s your turn: what’s on YOUR bookshelf? The link-up will be open until November 19 at midnight EST.

84 comments

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    • Anne says:

      Whistling in the Dark is the one that I’ve held on to, but I’ve only read a handful by him–it doesn’t seem fair to pick a favorite based on only that!

  1. Stacey says:

    I love this idea! I had fun with this post…my husband saw me snapping pictures of my bookshelf (which currently lives in his office) and asked, “Do I even want to know what this is about?”
    I also absolutely adore the color of your shelf!

  2. I’m kind of in awe of your bookshelf – makes me want to do a better job with my shelves and get something on display in our main living areas besides the kids’ books- but then at my kids’ ages, if it’s on display it’s fair game – thus why they currently live where little hands don’t reach!

    • Anne says:

      I absolutely get that! When I was straightening these up I was struck anew at how different our bookshelves look now that our youngest is three instead of two or under!

  3. Breanne says:

    I love the colour of your bookshelf! And it looks so nice and neat, love the French version of Goodnight Moon.
    Love the kids books and your books all together. =)

  4. Allie says:

    Love the color of your bookshelf! I have some more cookbooks to add to my collection on my Christmas list this year. I want a Barefoot Contessa book, but not sure which one. Thanks for hosting the link up!

  5. I’ve always been so impressed with the wide variety of books you read! I feel like I’m kind of a picky reader, and have been trying to broaden my horizons. I had way more fun that I probably should have writing my post about my bookshelves! 🙂

  6. Jeannie says:

    This is so great! I got my camera out to take some shots and read this: “WARNING! BATTERY EXHAUSTED!” Sigh. Maybe later today … but in the meantime I’ll enjoy these links.

    I love your Little House books and all the other kids’ books. Ooh, Mike Mulligan — how many times did my brothers & I read that as kids!

  7. Tim says:

    I told Adriana (Classical Quest) that I was going to take a picture of a dictionary and explain that since it has all the words used in all the books, every book I have is contained in it. No need for any other pictures, right? Yeah, she wasn’t all that impressed with the idea either.

  8. Oh Anne I love the Cook’s Illustrated! And all of the children’s books – so refreshing. My children age one and nearly three are notorious for shredding books. Sigh. So our bookshelf is in our bedroom, but I really want it to be in the living room. We keep the board books available to them at any time and a select few picture books are available to the nearly three year old, in her room, out of baby reach.
    I imagine pinterest has ideas for bookshelves for the living room but out of reach of book shredders! Just gotta do the research 🙂
    I really enjoyed this! Thanks!

  9. Katie says:

    “Kleine Geschichte der deutschen” what? I can’t read the titles of the German ones. Those little yellow books are SO SILLY, except since they’re basically student editions, it makes sense for them to be small and cheap.

    Loving all the children’s books, too. I spy Shel Silverstein! And all the Cook’s Illustrated…swoon.

    I’m working on my own pictures but it is so much fun to see everyone else’s. 🙂

      • Katie says:

        Literatur! Of course. I could make out the L but kept thinking it said Lehrer which just didn’t make sense.

        Mine are all in miraculously good shape. But yes, I definitely used them! In Germany those actually are the editions uni students use for their literature classes. I included a pic just of those in my linked post. 😉

  10. Amy E Patton says:

    Anne, Writing this post came at a perfect time for me. Spending time with my books is so healing for me and I honestly needed a little soul joy. Also, this was quite possibly the favorite post I have ever written, and I am excited to keep it going a bit as about 10 of my friends and family members who don’t blog but read like crazy sent me pictures of their bookshelves to put up in another post on Friday. So, thank you, thank you, thank you!
    I enjoyed seeing your bookshelves, and yes I want to see all your other stacks of books someday. Children’s books are such a joy. I miss having them around all the time. I love that you have The Chronicles of Narnia series on your shelves. Literally every bookshelf in our house has a copy of the Narnia series on it. Have a wonderful week, Amy

  11. Callie Moon says:

    Thanks for sharing all your books! I think books on bookshelves can tell a lot about the person that owns and displays them. So fun to see your shelves and all of those that linked up!

  12. Dianna says:

    Ohhhhh, you knocked this out of the park! I’m enjoying reading through your shelves, and taking a peep at folks who’ve linked up.

    What a wonderful, personal glimpse of you! 🙂

  13. Nancy B says:

    Isn’t it funny how more than one of us describe our books as “living” somewhere? Mine “live” in the basement. Yours “live” beside your bed. Books do live in a way, don’t they? The really great ones grow and change with us.

  14. Tuija says:

    Anne, that’s a beautiful bookcase.
    I put up a link to ours.
    (This was so inspiring that I actually started a blog. Something I have been thinking about for a while. I’m not aspiring to have lots of readers etc. – I just have some things I’d like to write. And maybe share in pictures, too.)

  15. Thanks, Anne, for hosting this link-up. I visited a lot of bookshelves over the last few days, and though I only commented on a few blogs, I just wanted to say that it is still amazing and wonderful that people still read books! As one blogger mentioned, this does not even account for how many books are on her Kindle, too. So, keep on reading!!

  16. Madeline says:

    What a fun idea! I have been meaning to put my Cook’s Illustrated collection into magazine holders FOREVER. I just can’t seem to find ones I love…maybe I’ll hit Pinterest and just make my own!

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