Virginia's Friday



Alison Can Read Feature & FollowToday is my last Friday as a 19 year old, which is hard to believe. In 5 years I'll be a quarter century old, which is just a really strange and strangely awesome idea! Anyway, let's get to the memes and the books.

Follow Friday is hosted by Alison Can Read and Parajunkee.
Bookshelf Tour. Gives us a tour of your bookshelf!

I only picked up my books yesterday from where I had stored them over the summer, so I haven't put them on my bookshelves yet. But here's a picture anyway, so I can at least partially show you. Most of my books are still at home, hiding under my bed and stealing space in my sisters bookcase.

I'd say there's about a 100 books in those two bags and I carried/pulled them through the heat yesterday. I have bruises on my legs from where the edges of the books pushed through the bags, but it was all worth it to have my babies back home with me. In the white bag there's mainly academic books. The two you can see are 'An Introduction to Middle English' and 'The Greatness and Decline of the Celts', the latter of which I have only partially read. I love these kind of books that are just full of wisdom and knowledge that I can soak up or be inspired by when I myself write.

The brown bag mainly has fiction books in them, apart from the obvious 'The Writer's Presence'. Shakespeare is in there of course, he'll always have a prominent position on my shelves. The Bronte's are in there as well, as is Jane Austen, Tolkien, etc. Some of my antique books are also there, carefully hidden away between newer paperbacks for padding.

Maybe I'll upload another picture when I have them all on their shelves.

Book Blogger Hop is hosted by Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer.
What got you started as a blogger? Everyone has a story/reason, what's yours?


What gave me the final push was my English teacher who told us that keeping up a book blog would help us process our thoughts about the books we were studying. Because I had only just moved to England, I figured I could use any help I could get and started this blog. I had tried before, but sometimes it's like trying to keep up with a diary, there's just no pull. But something was different this time and I absolutely loved it. There was just so much more to blogging about books that I knew and before I realized it I had become part of the book blogosphere and knew what our memes were.

I've decided to give Virginia Woolf another shot after I completely failed at enjoying and understanding 'To The Lighthouse'. So I'm using 'Night and Day' for Book Beginnings (Rose City Reader) and Friday 56 (Freda's Voice).
BB:
'It was a Sunday evening in October, and in common with many other young ladies of her class, Katharine Hilbery was pouring out tea. Perhaps a fifth part of her mind was thus occupied, and the remaining parts leapt over the little barrier of day which interposed between Monday morning and this rather subdued moment, and played with the things one does voluntarily and normally in the daylight.'
One of the things I like about Virginia Woolf is how she seems to understand people and can find words for little every day things we do. Although I don't spend a lot of time pouring tea, my mind is always all over the place.

F56:
“I’m often on the point of going myself. And then I know I couldn’t live without this”—and he waved his hand towards the City of London, which wore, at this moment, the appearance of a town cut out of gray-blue cardboard, and pasted flat against the sky, which was of a deeper blue.“There are one or two people I’m fond of, and there’s a little good music, and a few pictures, now and then— just enough to keep one dangling about here. Ah, but I couldn’t live with savages! Are you fond of books? Music? Pictures? D’you care at all for first editions? I’ve got a few nice things up here, things I pick up cheap, for I can’t afford to give what they ask.”
This is quite a long "sentence" but I saw it and just loved it. I love being in London and one of my favourite views is from Waterloo Bridge, when you can just look both ways and see Parliament, the London Eye, St Paul's Cathedral and if I strain I can pretend I can see my favourite building: the Shakespeare's Globe. And the second part just described me, really.

 So, how does your book shelves work? And when did you start blogging? Leave a link or answer in the comments and I'll come check your blog out!

Comments

  1. I need to move Virginia Woolf's work up on my To Read list. Night and Day sounds like a great start! Thanks for visiting me @ The Key to the Gate.
    Happy Reading,
    Rebecca

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  2. Interesting opening! I haven't read any of Virginia Woolf's books though I do have A Room of One's Own sitting on my eReader. Happy reading :)

    - Lianne @ caffeinatedlife.net

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  3. I enjoyed reading your book hauling experience and admire you taking on Virginia Woolf! Thanks for visiting my blog.

    Catherine @ Book Club Librarian

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  4. I tried a couple of Woolf books, one of which was To the Lighthouse...epic fail. I couldn't connect to it...But this one sounds like it has possibilities. Thanks for sharing...and for visiting my blog.

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  5. Oh, carrying books is so not fun! But it is fun deciding how to organize them in your shelves when you get around to it :) Happy Friday :)

    Here's my FF!

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  6. Looks like you've got a lot of books to shelve --- but I always think that's fun. :)

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  7. Nice :) Thanks for sharing!

    Happy Friday!

    http://www.itchingforbooks.com/2013/09/feature-and-follow-63.html

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  8. Wow! Go you building muscles! ;)

    Here's my Follow Friday

    Have a GREAT weekend!

    Old Follower :)

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  9. Good luck putting them on shelves! And no collection is complete with Bronte and Austen :)

    New follower. My FF:
    http://booksojourner.blogspot.com/2013/09/feature-follow-17-my-bookshelves.html

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  10. Great your teacher got you started. Blogging is the best, and the people are the best.

    Happy Hopping!!
    Elizabeth
    Silver's Reviews
    My Blog Hop Answer

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  11. I am very fond of music, picture books and photos. Your 56 is a fun read because of its length. How inspiring to be in London. I like blogging and you meet the nicest people online from all over. Enjoy the weekend!

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  12. That is a great story! And your right it's just like a journal.

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  13. I should read something of Virginia's one day soon. I've not read a word yet and have always wanted to.
    Happy weekend!

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  14. I haven't read this yet, but it sounds excellent!

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  15. Blogging definitely helps process the books read. :-) Thanks for sharing!

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  16. Looks like you'll be busy shelving books :) New GFC and Google+ follower.

    Kimber Leigh @ Once Upon a YA Book

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  17. My bookshelves are double- and triple-stacked and I have some in a separate cupboard, too.

    Yes, book blogging definitely helps o a more focused reading process. Not to mention it's a good reference for what you've read in the past. I wish I had started sooner while I was in high school or even in primary school. Or at least keep a reading journal (because blogging didn't exist back then, hey the internet hardy existed). I read so many book I can't even remember the titles.

    And Happy upcoming Birthday! Btw, I always thought you were older, like in mid-twenties, I guess you come across so mature. :)

    Jo K aka Pepca

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  18. Okay. Putting under your books under the bed is certainly creative. Keeps the bed monsters away. :D

    New follower on bloglovin and Twitter.

    Here's my Thoughts and Pens FF.

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