I think that our shelves show some insight into who we are.
Our priorities, our interests, etc.
Our tolerance for clutter, piles, and dust.
Plus, it gives me another excuse to practice taking pictures and experimenting with lighting. Here’s my first shelf:
From left to right:
The Island Naturalist, by Kathie Fiveash (Amazon)
I have not read this book yet, but it’s a collection of articles about the Stonington/Isle Au Haut area of Maine, where my parents have a home. This was a gift from them.
Next is a picture of Rachel and Aly (not quite two years old at the time) taken in Siesta Key, FL during one of our trips there. Here’s the original picture:
Beach Music, by Pat Conroy (Amazon)
My favorite Conroy book, and one of my favorite books, period. It may not be high literature, but Conroy spins a riveting tale of life in the South with great characters.
It’s almost certainly an over-romanticized version of southern life, but I fell in love with it, and it started my looking towards Coastal Carolina as a relocation possibility. I’ve read it multiple times, but not since I moved down here, so I’m sure I’ll read it again soon.
The Plague, by Albert Camus (Amazon)
We had to read The Stranger in high school, and I was fascinated by the existential story. At some point years later, I mentioned this to my exceptionally well-read brother, and he suggested that I read this tale of bubonic plague as well.
On The Road, by Jack Kerouac (Amazon)
Several years ago, I got in the habit of buying classics that I had never read while traveling on business. I think it started in an airport bookstore somewhere while waiting for a return flight.
I hadn’t read this classic until a few years back, but loved it.
The Soul of a Chef, by Michael Ruhlman (Amazon)
I love food, and I also like chef culture, though I have never worked in a kitchen. My love affair with kitchen/chef books started with Anthony Bourdain’s Kitchen Confidential and continued with the Ruhlman series of books.
This particular book follows two young chefs who were on the way to stardom: Michael Symon (of Lola fame) and Thomas Keller (French Laundry). It also tells the tale of the brutal Master Chef exam at the Culinary Institute of America.
It’s a great read.
