Monday, October 10, 2022

[New post] For the Love of Reading: My Bookcase Collection, in Pictures

For the Love of Reading: My Bookcase Collection, in Pictures

melissamleddy

Oct 11

Each of us probably has a book collection at home, right? Whatever our interests—from history to horror to Harry Potter—and despite the popularity of e-readers and audiobooks, the majority of adults (65 percent, according to this 2022 Pew Research Center study) read print books compared to electronic ones. Even more interestingly, only 9 percent of the folks surveyed by Pew said they read e-books to the exclusion of others.

Go ahead and put me in the classic, hold-it-in-your-hands book camp. After a day of writing and editing on-screen, followed by an evening shift of computer-based library workflow, I'll reach for the physical version of "Carrie Soto Is Back" over the digital format every time.

On this topic, I'm totally old school. (What about you, friends?)

My love of reading, books and everything related to words began when I was a little girl growing up in the Wyoming Valley of Pennsylvania, near Scranton. My mom taught first grade at a local elementary school, and always had books for her students as well as my brothers, sister and me.

Two of my favorite childhood stomping grounds were the now-shuttered Tudor Book Shop and Café on Wyoming Avenue, and the Hoyt Library (still operating) a few blocks away. When I'd go to the regional mall with family or friends (back when malls were in their heyday), my meeting place wasn't the food court, or the fountain, or Auntie Anne's—it was Waldenbooks.

Whatever our interests—from history to horror to Harry Potter...

Years later as an adult, wherever in the world I happened to be, I continued to seek out books.

Living on my own for the first time in Richmond, Va., I spent many happy, quiet Friday evenings at the Barnes & Noble at Libbie and Broad, unwinding from the week over the latest issue of Us Weekly (and a huge chocolate-chip cookie from the café). As a frazzled first-time mom in San Antonio, I found peace and friendship at the Parman Library at Stone Oak, where a librarian named Carrie led a children's story time that my daughter Grace (age 1 at the time) totally loved, and where I met some wonderful mom friends.

Now as a more experienced (but still-sometimes-frazzled) mom of two daughters in upstate New York, life has come full circle: I work at the local public library, and am on a first-name basis with all the staff of I Love Books, the indie bookstore less than a mile from our home.

I bring books home with me from the library, all the time. I buy books. I find books: Our neighborhood hosts an abundance of Little Free Libraries.

What do I do, then, with all these books?

Well, friends, not only do I have a book collection, but I also have a bookcase collection. And I thought it might be fun to share some of my bookcases with you. (If you aren't a book or bookcase lover like me, please feel free to stop reading now—no worries!)

The first bookcase you'll see, upon entering our home, is this one:

*The first bookcase in our home, seen upon entering the family room*

A couple of years ago, I found myself (once again) in need of a bookcase to help hold our family's ever-growing collection of books and—let me be honest here—stuff. Puzzles, games, photo albums...stuff.

Thus, I turned to my go-to source for easy-to-obtain bookcases: Craigslist. Not long after, I found this Mission-style bookcase. I love its clean lines, which make it an easy fit beside the fireplace.

Here's another picture, up close, of this bookcase:

Because this bookcase is one of the first things someone sees in our home, I try to keep it somewhat uncluttered. The first shelf holds many of the books that have helped guide my professional writing life, from the AP Stylebook to "Handling the Truth: On the Writing of Memoir" by Beth Kephart to Stephen King's nonfiction insta-classic "On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft." The rest of the bookcase is a bit of a free-for-all—scented candles here, an unfinished painting by my younger daughter there—but again, the goal is "somewhat uncluttered."

The second bookcase in our family room, on the other hand...

*The second bookcase in the family room (behind my younger daughter's just-her-size Funshine Bear chair)*

Unlike the first family-room bookcase, this second bookcase is in regular use. My mom bought this bookcase for my older daughter when she was a baby. (Note to my younger daughter: You weren't born yet...again!)

Despite the original gift recipient of this bookcase (from The Land of Nod, now Crate & Kids), both my daughters store their paperbacks and hardcovers here. These bookshelves are absolutely stuffed with everything from Heidi Heckelbeck to picture books like "Miss Rumphius" and "Where's Waldo?" to puzzles galore on the bottom ledge.

Bookcases like these (that is...borderline disaster zone!) reveal that they're actually used. They are not artfully styled; they are not "for display purposes only." This is both a good thing and a can-drive-you-crazy thing.

Next up is the built-in bookcase in our breakfast nook:

*The built-in bookcase in the breakfast nook*

When our family of four first moved into our home five years ago, this built-in bookcase strongly resembled the second bookcase in the family room: stuffed with stuff, most of that stuff being the girls' toys. These days, the toys are now crammed into the bottom cabinet (can you see how the right cabinet door isn't quite closed, thanks to the mountain of American Girl dolls and accompany accessories behind it?).

The shelves you can see, meanwhile, project what I hope is a sense (facade?) of calm. Framed family photos, my favorite Dutch oven, and (of course) some library books.

My younger daughter, bless her heart, has no patience for facades. She's 100 percent happily and unabashedly real. Hence, the bookcase in her room, nestled alongside her "office space":

*The bookcase in my younger daughter's room*

Could I have tidied up this space before snapping this picture? (Should I have?) Possibly yes, to both questions. As is, though, this picture makes me smile.

Like the first bookcase in this post, I also discovered this one on Craigslist. It's hardwood, a little antique-y and truly perfect for my 7-year-old.

The second floor of our 1930s Cape Cod-style home has three rooms total: two bedrooms (one for each daughter) joined by a bathroom. At the top of the stairs to the second floor is a small landing, an excellent spot for—what else?!—a small bookcase:

*The bookcase at the top of the stairs to the second floor, in between my daughters' rooms*

I found this small bookcase at a nearby thrift shop several years ago, and I believe I paid $10 for it—an absolute steal, in my opinion, due to the vintage hardwood of this piece. Yes, it's a bit scratched, but this bookcase has history. Character.

I love "found" pieces like this bookcase. I especially love the stories behind the pieces. You know, the ones that begin like, "One Saturday I walked by a store I'd never seen before, and inside there was..."

The last bookcase I'll share here today, friends, is the newest one in my collection. It belongs in my older daughter's room, and she's still working on filling the shelves with exactly what she wants on them:

*The bookcase in my older daughter's room*

Of all the bookcases in my collection, this one is my favorite.

I saw this bookcase on Craiglist, listed for $50. Again...$50 is a steal for such a beautiful piece of real-wood furniture.

The older gentleman selling this bookcase said it had been his mother's. It's gorgeously constructed: The shelves are actually connected to the solid sides of the bookcase. I also love its rich dark color.

We have a few other bookcases in our home, but this feels like a good stopping point. Several family members (my sister...my children...) warned me this blog-post topic may be interesting only to, well, me, and I don't want to press my luck with too much additional personal-bookcase-collection navel-gazing...

One last thing, though. Something I recently realized, years too late.

Books, stories, words. Writing. They've always been a huge part of my life.

Do you know why, though?

In job interviews, in the "About" page of this website, all that stuff...I always talk about winning the Hoyt Library's annual short story contest at age 9. "Boris Takes Over." How my writing journey began. I've told this story so many times. So many times.

But all these years, I left out an important part.

I left out the part about how my mom was the one who took me to the library. To the Tudor Book Shop, to Waldenbooks. She read stories to me when I was young, signed me up for a writing camp when I was in high school.

My mom has loved me, believed in me and cheered me on my whole life, and like kids everywhere (even when they become adults), I gave myself a little too much credit...and/or not enough credit to my mom.

So, a bit belatedly...thanks for everything, Mom. Love you. Excited for the next time we see each other (and I can show you my newest bookcase).

Like what you just read? Then check out Melissa Leddy's e-books on Amazon.com. Short fiction and creative nonfiction writing that's engaging, witty and from the heart.

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