Through the Looking Glass

A Little Peek Into The Wenches' Lives

Unfortunately, we don't have these shelves
(much to Wench Barb's disappointment).

We've been around for a while now, and we have some great readers whom we love as much as the books that brought us together. So we thought it was time we shared more of ourselves with you. And what better way than to give you a peek into our lives... or, more importantly, our bookshelves!

You know how there are doorways to different dimensions/worlds/realms in sci-fi or fantasy stories? A phone booth, a fairy circle, a wardrobe, a fireplace, a mirror, or a rabbit hole? THAT is what I think our bookshelves and e-readers are: Doorways to so, so many different worlds. They might seem inconspicuous, well camouflaged in our everyday lives as just another piece of furniture or just another hand-held gadget, but they are so much more. They hold some of the most precious things in our lives, books. The stories that have consumed us completely, given us characters we would root for on their worst days, authors we love, and friends we connected with because of them, who became much more than "book friends". 

So you see, this is how much we adore you, Saucy Readers. We want to share this very dear part of our lives with you! Our shelves, our e-readers, the doorways through which we embark on our epic, literary journeys.

READ ON AFTER THE JUMP TO GET A GLIMPSE OF OUR LIVES!

I asked the Wenches to share pictures of their bookshelves, nightstands, e-readers — whatever they wanted to share — and I will be posting some of them on our Facebook page too! And I want you, Saucy Reader, to share photos of your books, if you feel so inclined. We would love a peek at your bookshelves, too! So share your pictures with us on our Facebook wall or on our Twitter feed! They say so much about who we are, don't you think? The many journeys we've taken, the lives we've lived, the mysteries we've solved, and the men and women we've loved. All our secret loves and lives assembled on a shelf or e-reader. A real modern-day treasure chest, with memories money can't buy.

My own photography skills leave much to be desired, but some of the Wenches have taken absolutely amazing pictures of this part of their lives! 

Barb

The first picture shows my favorite corner of my bookshelves. These are my author-signed books (I saw this corner of her shelf, and I BURN with envy.) Since my first book-signing event, where the fabulous Jeaniene Frost signed my copy of One Grave at a Time, I've been developing a bit of an addiction to signed books. I love them. I have met all of these authors, except Chloe Neill. And while her personalization in my copy of House Rules is the best autograph ever, I am still plotting to try and meet her soon. I will admit, though, that none of these copies have actually been read. That's what my Nook Books are for!

This second picture shows a small glimpse of my books. I have them stashed all over the house, but my favorites, the most important ones, always have a place on my shelves. I used to teach fifth grade, so at one point I had three complete sets of Harry Potter. This set contains my personal copies, read only by me. I bought that copy of The Godfather at a library sale for 50 cents, unsure of whether I would like it. It turned out that I LOVED it, and read it again and again. Dean Koontz was my go-to author for years. I've loved most of what he has written, and for a while I bought all his books as soon as they came out. He still has a special place, and takes up lots of room, on my shelves.

Beta

Here you can see a part of my only bookcase in the house. Most of my books are still in boxes waiting for me to buy another bookcase so they can have a place of their own. On the top shelf, in the middle, I have books called Sturlunga saga and also 3 books from the Icelandic Sagas or the Sagas of Icelanders (in Icelandic: Íslendingasögur.)

I haven‘t read them all and it‘s been a long time since I read anything from them but I‘m pretty fond of these books. This is the only bookshelf I don‘t change, but I often move my books around in the other shelves, when I either get new books or I‘m just in the mood to do so. I‘m weird like that.

I usually don‘t keep my e-reader on the shelf, but wanted to include it there for this post 'cause it‘s my favorite "book" ever and it has more books than my actual bookcase and you should be able to see the "bookshelves" in it... see what I did there? And next to the e-reader is my newest paperback book, Hexbound, which is one of my favorites for three reasons: It was a gift from my awesomesauce friend Head Wench Barb, it‘s by Chloe Neill, AND it‘s a signed copy!

Natalie

So the first picture is of my only book shelf (hope to have more some day), and it contains most of the series I read over and over again. It also contains a few personal items of a spiritual nature for me, as books and faith are at times twined together. 




The other pictures below show the first spot for overflow from the bookshelves and overflow spot two (overflow for the overflow!). Also that last spot is where any library books go when I check out mass quantities. Currently, none are library books.

Merit

“A bookshelf is as particular to its owner as are his or her clothes.”
~ Alan Bennet

The bookshelves in the photos on the right are in my closet, next to my clothes. I have no room for books anymore. The books in the photo on the left are older, from different eras in my life.

Angela

This photograph is a very true-to-life representation of what my bookshelf looks like. Crammed full of kids' books and mine. I've probably read the kids' books around 10 x each (some of them I'm sure are nearer the 100 x mark). Any adults book on my shelf I've read minimum of 2 times if not more. My most treasured are my books from the Southern Vampire Mystery (predating the DEA release and all that followed) and A Song of Ice and Fire series. Love them to bits.

Shau

These three pics are my favorite book sources in the house. The biggest picture is actually my "everything" bookshelf. I have my professional literature together with recreational reading. These book are all important to me, so I can't really choose a favorite, but "Tom Jones" has a special place in my heart.

The pic on the bottom is my "little" shelf. The classics are mixing it up with Sookie and some other books.
And then in the corner we have my giant collection in a REALLY small format.

Olga

I don't have that many books here with me. Most of my books are at my mom's house and even more on Kindle. That should count for something, right? Right??

All the blue books you see on the bottom of my shelf are my Disney books. No (before you ask), I don't have children. Yes, I love them.

Kat

These are an accumulation of books I've collected throughout my life. Some are my husband's, most are mine. I used to have them organized by genres, but somehow they are all scrambled now, and taking these pictures has made me realize how much work I have to do to get my library back in order. These are only some of what we have. I still have about 5 crates of books at my parents' place. Thanks for motivating me to get organized!

Amanda

Thanks to my beloved Kindle, I have very few paper copies of books anymore. One series I did buy all in hardcover is Charlaine Harris's Southern Vampire Mysteries (Sookie Stackhouse Novels). The SVM/SSN have a lot of sentimental value to me because I met a lot of my favorite people through our love (predating DEA) of that series. Also, the covers are gorgeous! One odd little thing about the books on my nightstand...I fall asleep with my hand on Anne Rice's The Vampire Chronicles.

Donna

Here is a cubby on my stairs where I keep some books. I have a bunch more in boxes, on bookcases in the basement, in my bedroom, and on my iPad. As you can see, it's an eclectic mix with no order. For the past couple of years, the majority of the books I've read have been from Kindle or Kobo. I think it's funny how Kobo keeps sending me emails about books they think I'll like...and of course, I've already read them. Can you guess which book on this shelf is my favorite? Haha—I just realized it's not on this shelf, it's next to my bed. I'll have to take another picture.

This is not my original copy, I loaned it out to a friend and didn't get it back. I think I've read this novel about eight times, and I'll be reading it again very soon.

Anne

The first picture is just my bookshelf straight on. (Which Anne's dad made for her! Aw!!)

The second is my signed books! They have their own place on top of the bookshelf. (I'm not jealous.. really...)

This picture is just to illustrate that all of my shelves are double lined with books. So, the books you see in the first pic all have a row of books behind them.

Kathi

I've acquired a LOT of books over the years, that I read as a kid, in high school, as an English Lit major, as I joined book clubs and found new hobbies. I've also moved around the U.S. a few times. But I never gave away books before I moved; I simply weeded a few out all along whenever I ran out of space for more bookshelves. 

Since the advent of cool things like e-books and the Internet, and especially since I now read most books on my Nook, I have seriously tried to purge my books. But I still have 7 tall bookshelves scattered (or hidden) all over my house, upstairs and down.


The shelves in my room hold mementos and autographs, photos, and current books. The guest room shelves have my lit from college, classics and antiques, and large books that are very pretty to look at — books that might impress our guests with what I read!! The shelves in the basement house the odds and ends and the books I keep to myself: phases over the years, new age interests (note the Fever Tarot deck, shown above!), and classic sci-fi and fantasy from high school and college that are just about worn to pieces.

Zee

So my cat is kind of a permanent fixture on my bookshelf; figured I'd include her too! Since I take pretty crappy pictures, I figured a collage or two might be the way to go! I have moved around a lot, but have always managed to lug my books around with me. Who knew a $19 Ikea bookshelf could hold so much happiness? Most of my favorite books have been around almost as long as I have, beloved copies I have carried around with me for decades.

Like Olga, a lot of my books are also at my parents' house. And like Anne, I have double rows (mostly because I tried to stick 'em all on one tiny shelf!) The second picture is mostly the back rows. You can see some of my favorites from my early teens (Christopher Pikes!). Yes, I still reread them! I have another shelf with my career-related books, religious books, graphic novels, and TRASHY mags! I forgot to include my beloved Kindle, which was a gift from my beloved bff. Can't live without either of 'em!

So, Saucy readers, what did you think? Any of the shelves remind you of yours? A lot of us have the Harry Potter books! And the Fever series! Do you see any of your books here? Would you be willing to share some of your shelves with us? I hope you enjoyed this glimpse into our homes and hearts! 

*  all pictures in this post belong to the Wenches and cannot be used without their permission. 
** gifs from tumblr.