I like this one because it is so random. EM Forster and Fisher Price. And a wolf-carved stone that I bought at some new agey shop. Why these objects all together? No reason. No reason whatsoever.
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These pics are like porn for book-lovers…
I just finished Japrisot’s A Very Long Engagement and really liked it. (It’s always funny to see “your” books on someone else’s bookshelf.)
i laughed when i read what Diana wrote — but it’s so true.
Ha! I feel like a pornographer as I zoom in on these book titles … I really do!!
And Diana, I agree – I really liked the Japrisot book.
The color on these photos is just gorgeous! Did you tweak it or is it just your camera? Either way, it’s so awesome.
I love looking at your photos!
Curly – No tweaking here … my only issue was trying to get close enough so that it was slightly abstract (which I like) – and still having stuff come out clear. I would take photos with the flash, without – and see which one I liked best. I’m kind of into NOT using the flash … but I’m just learning what exposure I need for that, etc.
It’s so fun!!!
The majority of my books are in storage right now and these photos make me ache with desire for them.
I think my favorite photo above is the Atwood photo. I love the worn spines.
There’s something ominous about the Joyce photo. This is going to sound so dorky, but I was looking at that photo and it made me think of someone on a journey, like the books were forming a creaky staircase in a dark, Lord-of-the-Rings cave. And then I noticed that sliver on the left side of the photo where you can see “The Odyssey” peaking out, and that made me feel justified in my fantasy.
Your Irving shelf makes me want to pick up all four of those books again. Those are definitely his best.
Semi non-sequitor: have you read much Graham Greene?
Erik – hey you!!! Hello!
I love that you saw “The Odyssey” peeking out … hahahaha I don’t mess around. You wanna read Ulysses, then you better have The Odyssey nearby. hee hee
And no – I haven’t read much Graham Greene – which is silly, because from what I understand I would DIG him. what do you recommend??
1. His absolute *must read* is The End of the Affair. Which, if you haven’t read it, don’t read anything about it–the less known, the better. And stay away from the terrible movie adaptation. I’ve read The End of the Affair about a dozen times, usually in one sitting. It’s one of those books that you want to devour.
2. I think you would majorly dig The Power and the Glory.
3. And of course you have to read The Heart of the Matter.
4. The above three books are kind of obvious recommendations because they’re probably his three most read. If you’re in the mood for some pure pulpy fun, read Our Man in Havana. Greene considered all of his books to fall into one of two categories: “serious novels,” most of which dealt with Catholicism, and “entertainments,” which, um, didn’t deal with Catholicism. Our Man in Havana is one of his “entertainments,” about a man who inadvertantly becomes a spy, and it’s a lot of fun.
5. The Tenth Man, a novella.
Okay, that’s where I’d start, to get you into Graham Greene. Seriously, you’ll love him. Oh my god the thought of being able to discover him all over again is one of those goose-pimply feelings.
Erik – you are so awesome. Your passion is catching. I have already seen the movie of the end of the affair – and loooooooooved the story itself, although I was not wacky about the movie. Uhm, I’m not a huge ralph fiennes fan. Is that heresy to say? I like him when he plays evil and fucked up – but when he has to be a leading man, I flat out do not buy it. He seems too much like an underdeveloped mamma’s boy. So when he plays someone emotionally stunted – that works. But I just didn’t buy him in that part.
However, that is neither here nor there. Greene is a fascinating guy – Christopher Hitchens wrote an enormous article about him for Atlantic Monthly, which was marvelous – I remember it vividly, and I remember thinking: Okay, gotta rectify this HOLE in my reading history.
Thanks for the recs!!
Ya know, I was too old for those Fisher Price charaters, but my little brother had all of them.
That said, I HATED that little brat! (I think officially his name was Buster or Butch)… As a small kid in school I actually knew this FP equivalent character in my school; always angry, ready to bully kids like me. I made sure that when we play acted with the “Fisher Price House Boat” which my little brother had, that he set up “Butch” as the Robert Mitchum character in Cape Fear (which, ironically, was broadcast on Philippines just earlier that year).
My brother and I made sure that he was “dispatched” at the end of each episode by the Fisher Price family that lived on the houseboat. There was a diving board that you could pull out and had a fitted spot for a FP diver. At the end of our stories, “Butch” would be walked out on the plank, placed in the fitted spot and launched into the bath water with an effective pull and release of the diving board.
A good launch would create a double flip in the air for Butch, which I explained to my young protege was certain death for the evil, evil, Butch…
Yes, he haunts me to this day, and it really bothers me that he’s haunting your apartment, Sheila; don’t turn your back on him!!
JFH – hahahahahaha that was a BRILLIANT comment. You made him walk the plank!! And yes, I think he deserved it. The frown, the freckles, the backwards cap … that kid is BAD. NEWS.
Here;s the amusing tale of WHY that random dude is in my apartment: it was Thanksgiving this past year. I was home at my parents – and my uncle Tom and aunt Betsy with their two beautiful kids were staying over. Daughter Grace is a PISTOL – love that girl. To occupy her, we pulled out this old box of our old toys – it was all fisher price.
Meanwhile: I was staying in the room across from Betsy, Tom and Grace and Henry …. my suitcase was open, and on the floor.
I enjoyed thanksgiving, packed up my bags and traveled back to my apartment. 2 or 3 days later, I pulled out a pair of shoes that had been in my suitcase – I went to put my foot in one of the shoes and felt some kind of weird obstruction. Curious – I reached into my own shoe – and pulled out ….
BUTCH/BUSTER.
hahahaha I knew immediately what had happened – that Grace had stashed him there. Either because he freaked her out – but I don’t think much freaks her out. I believe that she stashed it there because she knew it was funny and she knew it would be funny that I would eventually find him.
And yes, dear little Grace – I BURST into laughter when I saw what was in my shoe.
So there he is. Glowering at me!!!
You’re right, though, JFH – I should get rid of him. He kind of has a bad vibe.
Oh, Sheila, I’m so sad that you’ve seen the film version of The End of the Affair. I wish I could remember exactly what my problems were with the movie, but I remember that it significantly simplified a few elements of the story and I was so pissed off that I tried to erase the experience of seeing the movie from my memories and apparently I did pretty well erasing it. I am a huge indie Julianne Moore fan (as in, she’s great if the movie cost less than 5 million dollars, or thereabouts, but watch out if it cost more than that!) and I enjoy Ralph Fiennes enough. He’s okay. I’m not as passionately against him his leading man turns as you are. Though I agree that he’s best when playing amoral, i.e. in Schindler’s. But back to the movie itself: I just remember being really mad about how much they’d left out.
The book is set up like a mystery and it sucks you in in the most gut wrenching way. Way better than the movie. Read it!
I love pictures of books. Nicely done! Great way to start a week!
Erik – thank you thank you. I will definitely get on the Graham Greene train. It’s about time, I say!
I see those pictures and I think: home.
i forgot to mention, sheila, that one of the things i love about these pictures is your books look *lived with*. nothing saddens me quite like seeing someone’s house, and seeing a glorious collection of books with not. one. spine. cracked. sure, maybe they read them but carefully so as not to damage the books at all, but a] it adds character, and b] if you read like that, you haven’t really *lived* the book, have you??
so bless you for that. ^_^