signed – The Not So Secret Life Of A Fan Girl

The Bridge to The Stars

“After nourishment, shelter and companionship, stories are the thing we need most in the world.”
– Philip Pullman

S’up internet?!
So, it’s been a week since we met.
And what a fun week it’s been thanks, in large part, to you.

Hopefully by now, some of you will have gotten to know a bit about myself. So, I thought for this weeks bookblog entry, I’d introduce you all to my humble, little bookshelf.
Seeing as I live in a teensy, tiny one bedroom flat with my boyfriend, I only really have space for one big bookshelf at the moment, much to my displeasure.
And what better way to introduce my shelfs than with a tag.
Here it is, The bookshelf tag.

Describe your bookshelf and where you got it from.

For the longest time, my books sat – hidden and unloved – in cupboards and crammed into tiny half shelves. A year ago, I decided enough was enough, my babies deserved a home of their own, so I hopped into the nearest department store and bought this. I now need many, many more. So many books, so little space.
How do you organise your books?

I like to change things up and re-arrange them every few months. Until a few weeks back I actually had them arranged into a Rainbow and it was flipping beautiful. But with my crazy book buying habit, it was too hard to maintain. I also got a little annoyed that my series weren’t in order any more, so I organised things by series. Other than that there is no real rhyme or reason to it, other than grouping all of one authors works together.
What’s the longest book on your shelves?

Easily has to be this monstrous illustrated edition of The Lord of The Rings. With roughly one thousand-two hundred pages, this beast is pretty dang hefty; good workout for your forearms if you’re reading it though.
What? When else am I supposed to fit in a workout between all this reading?
What’s the shortest book on your shelves?

Another easy one, it definitely has to be Kindred Spirits by Rainbow Rowell. I spotted this itty-bitty little babe on a supermarket shelf on the run up to World Book Day and couldn’t resist.
It only cost £1, bargain if I ever saw one, I couldn’t not buy it right?! Right?
Is there a book you received as a birthday gift?

Actually I don’t believe I’ve ever received a book as a birthday gift. I have gotten a few for Christmas and Valentines presents though. Most Recently these included: You’re Never Weird on The Internet (Almost); Winter; War of Ancients Archive: Fairest; Six of Crows; The Final Empire; Shadows of The Horde; and Carry On.
I was also given not one, but two copies of Harry Potter Illustrated for Christmas, but, in my mad rush to takes photos while I still had natural light, I forgot to add it to the pile.
Is there a book from a friend on your shelf?

On a random shopping trip into the city, I dragged my friend into my local Waterstones bookstore to browse…or, you know, spend ninety pounds. Don’t judge me!
Anyway, as I was perusing the shelves, said friend drifted away for a while. Somewhere between my shedding tears of pure joy from all the beautiful books I had found – and those of sorrow over the loss of my cash – she eventually caught up to me with this beautiful copy of Peter Pan claiming she had bought it for me.
I chose the right friends!
Most expensive book on your shelf?

It would have to be this hardback classics edition of Dracula.
Just look at it!
I have no regrets.
This book is stunningly, eye achingly beautiful . If you’ve ever seen any of the Waterstones/Barnes and Nobel classics collection, you’ll know what I mean.
Definitely worth that cash I forked out.
Last book you read on your shelf?

Seeing as I just finished it earlier today (and finally started A Court of Mist and Fury), it would be this beauty, Queen of Shadows.
It’s crazy thinking how far this series has come from the first book.
Aren’t the UK editions just, everything.
I love the contrast of the colour against the white.
More than one copy of a book?

Okay, there’s a story for this one
It all started with my purchasing the green edition of Fangirl a while back.
I read about two thirds of the way in to this book, and just gave up. Maybe I wasn’t in the right mood, but I just couldn’t get into this story. Skip forward a while and Carry On is released. I had no intention of picking this up, let alone reading it thanks to my absolute disinterest in Fangirl.
After receiving a copy as a christmas gift however, I decided to read the first chapter at least. And I fell utterly in love!
I then spotted the yellow edition of Fangirl with a sticker reading “Exclusive Carry On fanart inside”, and so I bought another edition of a book I hated, for one piece of fanart.
Two months pass. The obsession is still strong. I’m at the supermarket, buying food for the week, I end up in the book section (isn’t it funny how that just happens) and a blue paperback copy of Carry On (not pictured) just finds it’s way into my trolly.
One month later, the obsession hasn’t passed. I’m in Waterstones, sitting at a table drinking coffee with my boyfriend when, lo and behold, on the shelf next to me is a ‘Signed by the author, special colouring edition’ of Carry On. My eyes cloud over with need, a wanton smile tugging at the corners of my mouth.
You can guess what happened.
Any completed series on your shelf?

I’m awful for starting series and not finishing them.
I did have the entirety of The Lunar Chronicles until Star’s Above came out, but seeing as that’s a novella bind-up I’m going to count this as a whole series.
I also have all three books in the Wolves of Mercy Falls series, but I’m sure there’s also a spin off novel? Or a bind-up. Fudge it, I count this too.
Newest (most recently published) edition to your shelf?

Lady Midnight.
Cover goals!
‘Nuf said.
Oldest book on your shelf?

Seeing as this was my Mum’s childhood copy, this has to be the oldest on there. I couldn’t fully verify the date, but from what I can make out, this edition was printed in 1972.
Most beat up book?

My beloved old copy of The Hobbit. As you can see in the previous photo, the spine is pretty cracked up, and a large amount of the pages are falling away from the glue. But this was the one that started it all for me. It’s been well read and well loved these past 20 odd years.
Most pristine?

Since this was the most recent book I bought – not going to lie, it was mostly for the cover, just, wow! – I’d say this is the most pristine since it hasn’t been touched since I got it home.
Although, I’m sort of a crazy person about keeping my books in perfect condition, so most are pretty pristine.
A book from childhood?

Again it would be The Wishing Chair and The Hobbit.
A book that doesn’t belong to you?

The massive, illustrated editions of The Lord of The Rings and The Hobbit actually belong to my boyfriend.
A book with a unique cover?

I found this adorable little red, leather bound edition of Little Women in a charity shop. It really is like a treasure trove in those places.
A book thats your favourite colour?

Though I’m not much of a fan (I will give this another try), the colour of this book is just gorgeous.
The illustrations are really cute too.
A book thats been on your shelf forever that you haven’t read?

Although I read most of this way back when, I didn’t then, and haven’t since, finished this book, let alone this series. I remember it being so cool too.
Maybe I’ll make a point of reading these before the years up.
First book on your shelf you read?

As I’ve mentioned before in another post, the earliest book I remember being read is The Wishing Chair. And the earliest I read alone that’s on my shelf is, what a shock, The Hobbit again!
Any signed books?

My aforementioned Limited colouring edition, signed by the Author Carry On.
I’ve never actually been fortunate enough to attend an author signing or event. Sad Lisa is sad.