Putting My Love Up on the Shelf: From Canada to Singapore With Detours in Between

That's right, Georgia Satellites, I'm putting what I love up on a shelf.  But then you're probably copacetic with that, as books aren't the same as a V-card.

For some time now, I've been on the hunt for a bookshelf for my craft room.  I wanted something sturdy yet unusual but sadly kept coming up empty.  Well, it turns out that the ideal piece was hiding in my own bedroom!  Unbeknownst to me, a regal relic of a crown molding-adorned shelf was tucked behind the dresser -- which is just the sort of surprise you get when you're married to a painter/contractor.  I loved it and had only one request: could the husband paint it yellow?  Not only did he oblige; he added a candy pink stripe!  The result is Greek revival meets Easter.  Which is to say wonderful.

Once the shelf was up, it was time for the best part: loading it with books!  I chose titles by authors ranging from L. M. Montgomery (O, Canada!) to Kevin Kwan (see you in Singapore), with a world of other worlds in between.  I've always found the L. M. Montgomerys to be especially beautiful, even if Anne of Ingleside has faded from yellow to cream.  But in a way, their careworn spines are even comelier now because they show how much I've loved them.  Kind of like The Velveteen Rabbit.  (Which is, ironically, not on this shelf.  Note to self: order from Amazon.)  Anyway, as I auditioned each book to add, I asked myself one simple question: Did I enjoy reading it?  This may sound like a no-brainer, but there's a huge difference between books I enjoy and books I tolerate.  Books I enjoy either support my worldview or turn it on its head, which is a fancy way of saying that they make an impression.  Books that I tolerate are more meh.  Yet like bad pizza, they have their value.  Because even mediocre books give the gift of escape, weaving a parallel universe with their albeit often subpar yet lulling word rhythms.

So, here's to books, the good, the bad, and the fugly.  And to my personal literary rainbow.  I love to look at it while I'm making things.

Which is more than I can say for the Satellites' mullets.