TGIF: Bookshelf Tour

It's Friday! It's Bookshelf Tour Friday, the day in which I take y'all on a tour of my surprisingly small bookshelf!  *does bookshelf tour Friday dance* 

Told you! Surprisingly tiny, right? Just two shelves. Technically I have MANY, MANY more books than this, but when I moved from Arkansas to Syracuse I only brought a few select things, and then when I moved from Syracuse to NYC, I brought even fewer things. So, the majority of my books (e.g., all of my Harry Potter books and all of my childhood/high school faves) still live in Arkansas. 

So what you see on those two measly little shelves are the books that I've bought/traded/inherited since moving to the fine state of New York. 

Top Shelf!

As you can see, there's not a super complicated shelving system in use here—it is in height order and series order. Since most series are the same trim size, this makes this process VERY easy. Also, you might notice that most of the things on Shelf 1 are YA books. There are a couple notable exceptions (American Gods and Save the Cat!, as well as my various etymological dictionaries and style guides . . . OH Journalism school and your crazy dictionaries and style guides.)

 

The Bottom Shelf, although called the Bottom Shelf, does not follow the same rules as shelves at bars—just because it's on a lower shelf doesn't mean it is cheaper/lacking in quality. In essence, the Bottom Shelf follows the same madness as the Top Shelf, but also includes my compendium of Jane Austen novels, my Buffy comics, and my sorority's alumni directory. It also has a peppermint. Hmm. 

So there you have it! My surprisingly tiny bookshelf. I am SO looking forward to the day that I have a lovely home with built in bookshelves. *daydreams*

TGIF is a weekly meme hosted by the wonderfully lovely Ginger at GReadsBooks. 

TGIF: And I Quote

For this sort of disgusting, humid, rainy Friday in New York, Ginger over at GReads! has asked:


What are some of your favorite book quotes?

Oh, boy. Do I like book quotes. I'm the crazy girl who is constantly trying to find a scrap of paper or typing furiously on her iPhone whilst reading because I love writing down and keeping quotes that I find from books. But that makes this particular question a little hard because I have SO MANY.

So I will limit myself and only choose four. :)

"They danced down the streets like dingledodies, and I shambled after as I've been doing all my life after people who interest me, because the only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones that never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn... —Jack Kerouac, On the Road

I'm a little obsessed with the Beat generation writers—in fact I wrote my undergraduate thesis on them—and this particular quote gives me chill-bumps every single time I read it. Obsessed. But not as much as these people.

"Run mad as often as you choose but do not faint."—Jane Austen, Mansfield Park

So, apparently I really like the word "mad." Who knew?! But of Austen's works, I really, really love Mansfield Park. I love Fanny Price and her wit, and I love the political ramifications of the novel, and I just love it. And I love this quote.

"If I don't shut down my brain soon, my imagination will take off so far about what could be with this guy, that nothing will ever just be."—Rachel Cohn & David Levithan, Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist


Holy cow THIS QUOTE. I'm such a planner, but I also have the tendency to get ahead of myself, especially when it comes to relationships. When I read this quote y'all, it was like a freaking siren went off in my room. I felt like it was directed at me, and just so resonated with me. And now, every time I meet a guy, I think of this quote so that I don't let my imagination get ahead of reality.

"One must always be careful of books," said Tessa, "and what is inside them, for words have the power to change us."—Cassandra Clare, Clockwork Angel

Hooray bookish quotes! :)

Alright, so them's my quotes. Since I am a quote collector of sorts, feel free to share your faves with me in comments!

I hope y'all have all had a fantastic week and are looking forward to a bright, shiny weekend full of FUN!