Your book collection: a reflection of type?

[wolfy]

Biax I's Shelf - Shelfari

Nice collection! Mas Oyama's book is great. I wish I'd bought when I saw it.

 

[Valiant]

These are some... I'm adding new ones every day as they pop into my mind.
I've read every day since I was six, and my parents read to me from like age zero.
Obviously, I won't add a bunch of swedish children's books.
My first real book that I read myself was The Count of Monte Cristo when I was seven.

Gustaf P's Shelf - Shelfari

 

[tinkerbell]

goog greif, we'd be here all day if you wanted to see my book shelf.... It's full on eclectic... If we go in pods....

Art books, many picture boks, about the artist, or about painting or sketching.

Cooking books, lots of old and new mixed in including the god himself Ramsey, but also some recent includiong, Robuchon, Larousse gastronmiquw and River cottage.

A pod of astrology text books, and other esotiric subject (actually more than one pod).

Poetry, random fiction trash, random fiction classical, conteporary, cult etc

I could go on all day I've got loads of books

 

[Biaxident]

Nice non-fiction section you've got going there! I love the whole Japanese warrior theme -- the duality of strength and destruction (bodybuilding/martial arts) / fragility and preservation (bonsai).

It's by no means complete. Those are just the ones that stand out in my head.

I figure if you learn to hurt/destroy, you should learn to heal/build, to balance things out. Being able to build/heal is infinitely more useful than just being able to break/destroy things.

 

[Colors]

I don't include textbooks, mostly cause I never read them straight through. I don't read really much of *any* nonfiction, beyond! It seems like a waste of time, from most of the nonfiction I've read. I'd rather go straight to the correct article/encyclopedia/textbook for the info, rather that plod my way through a bunch of (poorly research) and onesided opinion stuff first.

Anyway, my goodreads covers "read" list (here's it with ratings instead, cause how much the person liked the novel is more informational, I'm guessing). I also have a librarything, but am limited to 200 books, so don't update it much. I've been trying to write reviews of everything I read, but it's hard work trying to pare my thoughts down to logical words.

I guess I mostly read contemporary fiction, lately in particular "international fiction". I don't know. I have an inordinate fondness for the fantasy books I loved as a child. I like to try new genres and hyped things but I often don't find them very satisfying. I enjoy realistic fiction and low fantasy. Humorous touches rather than melodrama. Some graphic novels and manga. A very very occasional nonfiction book about a topic I find fascinating. Never: self-help books, memoirs, religious texts. I'm trying to learn about poetry.

I am often reading several books at once, though don't have much time to indulge while classes are in session:
Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea by Charles Seife
Selected Poems by ee cummings (edited by Richard S. Kennedy)
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
(and rereading) The Door In The Wall by Marguerite DeAngeli

 

[disregard]

disregard's Shelf - Shelfari

 

[cafe]

I don't see a strong type correlation. Am I missing something?

 

[JTG1984]

Does my shelf relfect my type?

 

[KDude]

I haven't actually read much in awhile, but I don't think there's much to say about the books I read.

 

[Venom]

Does my shelf relfect my type?

you're an ISFJ female (guerrilla marketing), ISTJ male (all the biography books) and an INTJ psychotic socio-path (ayn rand)?????

 

[Charmed Justice]

Also, I just want to mention that I'm seriously perplexed by how much fiction is in everyone's collections. I feel like I always have to be working on something, hence the out-of-control number of self-help and relationship-improvement books in my collection (as well as the language, crested gecko and craft books). Is there anyone else who relates to this?

I completely relate to that. So much of what's in my head reads like an endless fantasy; anymore, and I'd be lost. Non-fiction helps me to pull it all together and put into words all that's going on in there. I almost feel like I'm overindulging when I read fiction; like there's something to be done, more to know, and that I'm wasting my time. I spent enormous amounts of time reading fiction prior to discovering psychology and sociology text at around age 11. I mostly read horror and mystery: The Boxcar Children, The Hardy Boys, and a series featuring attractive teenage girl friends who off'ed each other in jealous rages(wish I remembered the name!).

 

[Venom]

I completely relate to that. So much of what's in my head reads like an endless fantasy; anymore, and I'd be lost. Non-fiction helps me to pull it all together and put into words all that's going on in there. I almost feel like I'm overindulging when I read fiction; like there's something to be done, more to know, and that I'm wasting my time. I spent enormous amounts of time reading fiction prior to discovering psychology and sociology text at around age 11. I mostly read horror and mystery: The Boxcar Children, The Hardy Boys, and a series featuring attractive teenage girl friends who off'ed each other in jealous rages(wish I remembered the name!).

from ages 12 to 14 I read about 40 "Penguin Classics" fiction novels... I definitely relate to the idea of "spending too much time in fantasy land". Its sort of why I cant seriously play video games anymore (ill get done, look at the clock and think: i just wasted 4 hours in fantasy land...Do I really want to waste another 4 hours doing the equivalent of day dreaming???")

 

[Anabel]

a snapshot of my recent reads, a few of my all time favourites and a couple sitting on my shelf waiting to be read:

Anabel G's Shelf - Shelfari

 

[The Outsider]

As I child I only read encyclopedias, a whole lot of them. Nowadays I read fiction exclusively, preferably Science Fiction or something psychologically enthralling.

 

[miss fortune]

As I child I only read encyclopedias, a whole lot of them. Nowadays I read fiction exclusively, preferably Science Fiction or something psychologically enthralling.

I read only encyclopedias, dictionaries and books on space and such as a kid and lately have been stuck on Terry Pratchett and Niel Gaiman!

 

[King sns]

Bumped! (Sits in front of my book shelf)
Lots of nursing books- science, on-floor stuff, management, theory.

And- (Bolded are my favorites)

Left Behind, the Godfather, Language of letting Go, Water for Elephants, Kite Runner, Unless, The Imperfectionists, Mountains beyond mountains, Audacity of hope, Fabric of the Cosmos, Notes on Nursing by Florence Nightingale, Emperor of all Maladies, Couple of A.J. Jacobs, (The year of living Biblically, and The Know it All) 4 or 5 audience-friendly neuroscience books- (My favorite is Incognito- secret life of the brain- makes a good case against free will- check it out!) , Brief history of Time, Wally Lamb's "I know this much is true, A Harry Potter (book 6 I think) that I will continue someday, The World is Flat, An Enneagram book, Tuesdays With Morrie, The Little Prince (in English- I don't know where the French version went) and "confident voices"- a book about nursing communications written by a friend- she gave it to me. I had borrowed 1984 but think I gave it back without finishing it. I think I would like to get that one going again. I've got a Kurt Vonnegaut one laying around on my computer waiting to be read- I hear I might like it.

Oh and Louise Hayes- "Experience your good now!" My mom gave that one to me- her entire book shelf is PACKED with self-help and I made a joke about reading all the titles off to her one day. "Be Happy now" "Find your inner confidence" type books that went on and on for miles. I go- "mom! ya happy yet???!" (She also gave me the Language of Letting Go.)

I'm sure I got a few more laying around the house but don't care to go investigate them.

Previous favorite books, (Gone now/ Given away- because I don't tend to read books twice or keep them hanging around) Were Memoirs of a Geisha and Catcher in the Rye.

 

[KDude]

I doubt my books reflect anything about type. Last I checked, I don't have any dog eared copies of "Chilton's Complete Guide to Overhauling a 1976 Chevy Camaro". I have rock biographies, fantasy novels, books about pirates and French revolutionaries, Alice in Wonderland, and "academic" studies about the Three Wise Men.

 

[Jaguar]

If I used all my books to reflect a type, I'm no type or every type.

 

[Randomnity]

I own lots of books scattered throughout the house, in boxes, on common bookshelves in shared space, and on my own bookshelves. Listing would be impractical. I can tell you the types of books I own:

-textbooks I was too lazy to sell, or wanted to keep
-a few nonfiction popular science type of books - biology or physics, occasionally psychology
-a few gifted books - usually nothing I like all that much, since apparently people think "oh she reads a lot, I'll buy a random book and she'll like it!"
-lots of used paperbacks picked up for a dollar or two - mostly fantasy by authors I like (so rereadable) or on occasion, anatomy/biology/nature/psychology books
-some new pulp fantasy paperbacks - the 8-10$ ones - impulse buys or ones the library doesn't have

I think that's all.

 

[Qlip]

My books go through cycles of purging, so I don't have a proper shelf. If you put together everything I read, it would be a massive amount of Science Fiction, with some Fantasy, and a smattering of non genre. A sizable collection of how-to and art books, and a smattering of non-fiction with only a few biographies included.