Project Bookshelf: Isabeau J. Belisle Dempsey

In my childhood home, I maintained two separate bookshelves: one for fiction, the other for non-fiction and poetry. It was easy to maintain this separation because I didn’t own many books—frugal by nature (I’m a middle child and a Capricorn), I was always more keen on borrowing from the library than buying books outright. I would only commit to buying a title if I had read it and absolutely loved it. For a long time, my shelves consisted only of these all-star picks, titles that had been gifted to me, and holdovers from my undergrad degree.

The danger came when I started working as a bookseller.

Part of a bookseller’s job is to read pre-publication versions of books (ARCs) in order to keep astride of what’s going to be for sale in the coming months, as well as to write and submit reviews to publishers so they know how their titles are being received. My bookstore had a bookshelf of ARCs in the break room for us to pick from as we pleased. Dangerous.

Before working as a bookseller, I primarily read fantasy and science fiction; Holly Black was my role model from young, Star Trek my favorite piece of media ever, so those were (and still are) my comfort genres. But between stacks of free ARCs and my 40% bookseller discount, my shelves exploded, flourishing with genres I had never before considered touching—like the broad-scope ‘literary fiction.’ Stoner by John Williams has become a pillar of my readership, a title that I will revisit time and again as I get older. I also began to include literary criticism, such as William Stoner and the Battle for the Inner Life, a commentary on Stoner. By virtue of being constantly surrounded by books and readers of all kinds, I was fostering a deeper, more holistic love and appreciation for literature.

Mid-way through my tenure at the bookstore, I moved out of my family home and into an apartment. I only brought one bookshelf with me—both for ease of travel, and in some silly attempt to keep my overflowing library in check.

“Once my bookshelf is full, then I’ll stop!” I’d foolishly promise myself. “That’s my sign to read what I have before getting new books!” Yeah, right.

Now, my shelves are not separated by genre, instead a mix of fiction and nonfiction and poetry whose only taxonomy is alphabetized by author. They are my point of pride in the apartment: a Mary Oliver collection that is the envy of my friends; five editions (and counting) of The Hobbit, a formative book for me; signed copies from when I had the incredible pleasure of meeting beloved authors—looking at my shelves fills me with unabashed joy.

I have a stack of “priority” books on my bedside table—Stone Butch Blues and Silencing the Past, Bardugo’s The Familiar and Orange’s Wandering Stars—though I’m largely a vibes-based reader and often ignore my long-suffering TBR. It’s just so nice knowing I now have my own personal library to patronize, shelves containing a spectrum of genres for me to choose from, whatever mood I find myself in.

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Isabeau J. Belisle Dempsey (they/them) is a proud Chicagoan, Belizean, Lesbian, and Capricorn. They hold a BA in International Studies & Spanish and are currently earning an MA in English Literature & Publishing, and they hope to eventually put their obsession with commas to good use as an in-house editor. History book co-author, amateur poet, freelance copyeditor, and generally just along for the ride, you can find Isabeau in your local bookstore surreptitiously fixing the shelves—they were once a bookseller and never quite broke the habit.