There was another thread that discussed how we can get judgemental over bookshelves, I said something about it just being a shelf for my books, and it got me thinking.
I’ve really got no reason to be acting aloof. I’m actually just as bad. I recently moved all my books to another room, and didn’t really have time to arrange them properly, but I still didn’t just throw them on the shelf randomly.
All my dog eared philosophy books from college are in a prominent place. I feel they nicely offset the groaning shelves of Warhammer 40k books. Look at the spine on *Discipline and Punish*, just bask in that living proof that I have read Foucault! That one spine covers up for around 10 space marine books on its own.
I’ve also got the entire Malazan series right at eye level. They look good all lined up, and I am somewhat proud of having gotten through the whole series as it’s notoriously dense. Plus it’s a bit of a trap, some unsuspecting fool may ask me “What are all these books?” And then I get to bore them to tears by discussing aspects of the series for an interminably long time.
But once I had everything up on the shelves, I did spot a Jeremy Clarkson book and quickly whisked it away to a bottom corner somewhere. It was “I know you got soul”, and it’s a garish yellow colour with his name in a huge font on the spine. It’s not a bad book, to be honest. I got it for Christmas once, and I had to read it because I always feel guilty when someone buys me a book and I never even open it. I’m not sure it’s fair to say I’m exactly embarrassed about It, but it just doesn’t really belong with the rest of the books. It’s clearly our of place.
So what’s your embarrassing/out of place book that gets relegated to the bottom shelf?
by SinisterDexter83
6 Comments
“If I Did It” by OJ Simpson is my hideaway book
“Collected Short Stories of the World” is pretty prominent.
I was curious what mein kampf said so i got my hands on one and read it. It was what youd expect and cringe whining. I used to have it in the historical section of my library but people that came over and saw it would give me looks as if owning the book meant i agreed with it. After several arguments ive hid it behind the others to avoid it.
The Count of Monte Cristo is placed in the spot of honor.
My top shelf are my top ten reads that i wont loan out. Second is childhood and comfort reads then other good books. Than anither shelf for nonfiction
when i had all my books on display i would feel a bit weird about how two shelves were filled entirely by Jack Reacher books but it’s only because I notice them at thrift stores and am trying to get the full collection that way
now what i’m actually embarrassed about is my inability to toss tech books from school and training like how to use SalesForce and Excel as if those books aren’t already wildly out of date lol
idk why i can’t let go, but i’ve solved my problems by only using the library. can’t have too many books if you don’t own any of them *taps temple with finger*
What’s the digital equivalent of this? I don’t keep many physical books because braille books are huge, heavy, and a real pain to deal with. I have precisely one, and it’s on the bottom shelf because that’s the only place it will fit. The rest of my shelf is taken up with my figure/doll collection.
No embarrassment, my taste is impeccable. Only my fanfic taste is cringe.
I don’t think there’s a room in our house without books, from cookbooks to history to loads of sf/f to gardening to nature to movie history and on and on. Anyone who judges us on what they find, they are welcome to walk right back out the door.