Bookshelf Meme

It's been a while, but Carrie at Reading to Know tagged me in the Bookshelf Meme and I realized today that I never responded with a post. Well here it is!

Tell me about the book that has been on your shelf the longest.

This is a difficult one to answer as I have several books on my shelf that I carried with me from my previous home before I moved states away and got married. I think possibly the one set that has been on my shelf the longest would be The Betsy-Tacy series by Maud Hart Lovelace. I first learned about this series in my early teen years, they were favorites of my mothers when she was a teenager.

Two books from the series (Betsy Was Junior and Betsy And Joe) currently sit on my bookshelf. I stumbled upon them at a library book sale when I was 18. They were published in hardback during the 1940s and are in excellent condition. Later I added the rest of the series when they became available as new printing by Harper Collins, but unfortunately I've since managed to lose them in a box in my parent's attic. I've searched and searched but never been able to locate that box. I hope one day to find and add to my bookshelf the rest of my missing books.

Tell me about a book that reminds you of something specific in your life (i.e. a person, a place, a time, etc.)...


There are many memories linked to the books on my shelf, but to answer this I have chosen Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder. My first memory of this book, or rather the Little House series is as a young child. My dad used to read to my siblings and I each night in turn. On my turn I remember sitting on his lap in the rocking chair as he read through the Little House series. I remember especially The Long Winter being a loooong book.

I also remember my sister and I using our colored pencils to bring color to the black and white illustrations in the book.

Little House in the Big Woods is actually my daughter's book. It was given to me just before her birth and waits on my shelf for the day when my husband or I will read it aloud to her. I plan to to collect the rest of the books in the series as time and availability allow.

Tell me about a book you acquired in some interesting way (gift, serendipity in a used book store, prize, etc.)...

As I have mentioned this before, I obtained an entire collection of Shakespeare's plays and sonnets at a used bookstore when I was a teenager and living in New York. It was completely by accident that I even stumbled upon the set, but I was proud of my find because I obtained 40 books for $0.50 each and I thought that was an excellent deal. The books are in hardback and in fairly excellent condition. I am not a big reader of Shakespeare, but I do enjoy reading the plays from time to time and I love that I have my own copies.

Tell me about the most recent addition to your shelves...

Yesterday I used the last of a gift card to add two new books to my personal library. The first, A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens was on my 2009 Reading Projection list and the second, Anne of the Island by L. M. Montgomery is on my nightstand and one of my selections for the L. M. Montgomery challenge I joined. Until now I didn't own any of the Anne series and it might seem odd to buy book three alone, but I've recently read the first two books and figured I could go back and fill in with them at a later time.

Tell me about a book that has been with you to the most places...

The only book that has gone with me to the most places would be my Bible. Whenever I travel I take it with me.

The one book that has traveled the furthest with me was King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table by Roger Lancelyn Green which I was reading at the time of our trip to Oahu, Hawaii in 2007.

Tell me about a bonus book that doesn't fit any of the above questions...


Years ago I stumbled upon Mr. Popper's Penguins by Richard and Florence Atwater while browsing the local library. I remember I really enjoyed the story -- a great read aloud for kids, but also a fun read for adults, but what I remember most is the illustrations. Robert Lawson is one of my favorite illustrators. He has illustrated numerous books, most famous Ferdinand and Ben and Me. He also wrote and illustrated one of my favorite books of all time, Mr. Wilmer, which Carrie at Reading to Know read and reviewed recently.

It has been years since I've read Mr. Popper's Penguins, but having just remembered it is on my bookshelf I am tempted to re-read it this year.

The Rules:
1. Tag 3-5 people, so the fun keeps going!
2. Leave a comment at the original post at A Striped Armchair, so that Eva can collect everyone’s answers.
3. If you leave a comment and link back to Eva as the meme’s creator, she will enter you in a book giveaway contest! She has a whole shelf devoted to giveaway books that you’ll be able to choose from, or a bookmooch point if you prefer.
4. Remember that this is all about enjoying books as physical objects, so feel free to describe the exact book you’re talking about, down to that warping from being dropped in the bath water...
5. Make the meme more fun with visuals! Covers of the specific edition you’re talking about, photos of your bookshelves, etc.

I tag the hostesses of the following blogs:
Marie at Fireside Musings
Rebecca Reads
Noelle at Never Jam Today
Alicia at Confessions of a Bookaholic
Becky's Book Reviews

Have fun!