You know how I ordered a new bookcase? Ta-da – here it is!
I love how the shelves have varying heights and widths.
It was supposed to be white but is ivory. I AM IN NO WAY TORMENTED BY THIS.
It arrived in a single piece with zero assembly. I offered to help the deliverers carry it in – they looked at me and then HOW WE LAUGHED.
If you’re someone who zooms in on pics of books (I am) you may notice my obsession with comedians’ memoirs. They are inevitably messed up and so honest, and I usually fall in love as I read and I marry many of them without their knowledge. Not all my husbands are represented here – notably missing are David Mitchell and Joe Lycett. (Ideally you should love all your spouses equally but secretly these are two of my favorites.)
My beloved Joan Didion and Nora Ephron are here but not the wonderful, adorable Carrie Fisher. I bawled my eyes out when each of these three writers died; I really felt I knew them through all their books.
I have a lot of Liane Moriarty (recently culled) as she was a friend when I used to do BodyCombat and I was captivated by her intimate third-person narrative style and briefly stalked her.
These books are mostly mine. Craig has a section on the bottom-left shelf but his large collection lives in his office at work. We rarely read the same books, although sometimes I peek into the living room as I suspect he’s secretly devouring a biography of Coco or Audrey.
I have books elsewhere too: a small bookshelf in my studio for current projects and a reading pile by my bedside.
For me it has to be physical books, with their smell and feel and spines I can look at. When watching TV I steal loving glances at them. They make me so happy! I’m a minimalist but when it comes to books, I always want more and constantly have to curate.
PS I recently learned the delicious Japanese word Tsundoku. This is the habit of buying books, of letting your to-read pile grow, of indulging in the sheer pleasure of unread books. After Wabi-sabi, this is now my second-most-loved Japanese concept (tempura is my third).
PPS Did you spot Arya? If you read about my best-ever quote you know why she is here.
Dear reader, will you share with me something about your books?
