My bookshelf is small but mighty (and always growing beyond what it should actually be able to handle). Almost every single one of these books have a story attached to them, but let me attempt to distill them to just the essentials.
The top of my bookshelf is actually vaguely in order, at least (or, really, especially) in comparison to the rest of the shelf. The upper most shelf begins on the left with school books and my reference books—a girl should never go anywhere with an AP Style Guide, The Copy-editor’s Handbook, or The Chicago Manual of Style—but moves quickly on to books from different franchises I enjoy, including Supernatural, Welcome to Night Vale, Alien, Dragon Heart, Being Human (UK, definitively not the US version), Red Dwarf, and, of course, Star Wars.
The second shelf is also mostly organized. A few newer books lay in spill over territory, but for the most part the shelf is reserved for science fiction and poetry (plus literary magazines—mostly those I’ve been on staff with). Favorites of mine on this shelf are: my father’s copy of Foundation by Isaac Asimov, Octavia’s Brood on social justice-related science fiction from Bitch Media, Shrill by Lindy West, and all the poetry books I’ve ever truly loved. The journals that I worked with on this shelf include Etchings from my undergraduate institution, Ploughshares, and now Redivider, who I recently joined as production editor.
The third and fourth shelf are much more haphazard; books are placed more or less in an order, though not necessarily discernable. Authors and series are placed together while genres are generally together but much less obviously. Many of these books are very important to me or are not yet read but deemed probably going to be enjoyed immensely. The standout of these shelves are my childhood copy of Treasure Island, the first book I remember reading on my own and another book snared from my father’s collection. Also worth pointing out on this shelf is a Korean philosophy (maybe, I’ve yet to actually try to translate any of it) book I bought to start helping me really learn the language as well as a gift novel from a book-swap party between myself and other graduate students from the publishing department in December. The book looks great, but it remains unread as of right now. (It will be read soon, Tanya, I promise.)
The bottom shelves are all too-big books or books that aren’t referenced as often or books waiting to be read. Books that are important to me on this shelf include the hard-to-see bind up of the His Dark Materials series by Pullman. Also important are the much more obvious Pit Dragon Chronicles by Jane Yolen and the Feed series by Mira Grant. These shelves also contain my small but deeply loved collection of romance novels (mostly paranormal because, well, I love werewolves, okay).
The last shelf I have at the moment is at my bedside. These three small shelves include the newest acquisitions, books I’ve recently taken off the big bookshelf for one reason or another, and books I’m actually currently reading. The second shelf does not include any actual reading material, but houses most of my Korean pop albums (mostly from GOT7 because I adore them). The bottom shelf has a large pile of journals ready to be used, a couple of spill over Kpop albums, and my Korean language learning books.
Tierney Bailey is a Libra, a lover of science fiction and poetry, and studies Korean in her spare time. Amongst her pursuits, Tierney is currently the production editor at Redivider Magazine and a copyeditor at Strange Horizons. As a graduate student at Emerson College, Tierney is studying publishing in the Writing and Publishing program. True to her Midwesterner roots, Tierney still smiles upon the slightest bit of eye contact, makes small talk in lines and elevators, and exclaims “ope!” with barely any provocation at all. If you can’t find her on a train somewhere between Providence and Boston, she can easily be found screaming into the void on Twitter as @ergotierney.
- Sundress Reads: Review of No Spare People - September 28, 2023
- 2023 E-Chapbook Contest Winner Announced - September 28, 2023
- The Wardrobe’s Best Dressed: Dearest Water by Nancy Takacs - September 28, 2023