Wow! We’re on the last bookcase I’ll show for this Bookshelf Tour series. I didn’t expect to complete this tour this year so to be at the end now is surprising. I really thought this would extend into 2021, but, here we are even though I twice took a week off from the tour.
I started this series back in May when everything shut down due to corona and I began spending more time blogging to ignore the world falling apart around me. It was successful for a while in distracting me, but eventually I had to pop my head out of the blogging sand and engage in reality.
I was happy to do this tour, and I hope you all enjoyed it too. I’ve always wanted to do such a series of posts but figuring out how to do it on a blog (and not on video) was tricky. The format I chose worked for me, but it is detailed and it took time to prepare the posts. However, I’m glad I did it this way because I was able to accurately catalog my books as I went along. I use the Book Collectorz app to keep track of my books but had not been keeping up with it, so my numbers there are probably a bit skewed.
According to the app, I own 1,200 print and electronic books, including audio books. I still wonder if that’s correct. Although I include stats on my books at the end of each of these tour posts, they do not include books I bought since beginning this tour series in May or my e-books or audiobooks. So maybe I’ll do a separate post with the final stats to fully wrap up this series. Maybe…
Anyway, here’s the final bookcase we’ll tour. It doesn’t look like the previous ones because it’s just a short office furniture that I use as a bedside table and mini bookcase. Check it out:
I should mention that this post in the tour series will be shorter than the others because the majority of books in this photo are journals, planners, notebooks, sketchbooks, notepads, and art supplies, as well as the random, old electronic device (an old Nook — I think it is the Nook Color — I have NO idea what to do with it; CDs; an old iPod that still works).
Top Shelf
Goblins: The Other Realm by Danny Willis (illus.) ★★★★★
This is one of few books I actually remember buying at Borders when it was still around. It’s a children’s pop-up picture book about a fantastical place where goblins live and the types of goblins that live there. I enjoyed reading it and loved the art. I was hoping it was a series, but it seems that it’s not.
Alphonse Mucha: Masterworks by Rosalind Ormiston
Living With Art, 8th ed. by Mark Getlein
I had to read this for an art class in college and decided to keep it because I liked it as an introductory text to art history.
Masters of Art: Bosch by Carl Linfert
I’m considering to unhaul this. I got it for free. I don’t think I need it.
European Sculpture, 1400-1900 by Ian Wardropper, photos by Joseph Cosica Jr.
I got this for free and was keeping it because my plan was to try to draw the figures, but I think I’ll unhaul it instead… or maybe place it in the living room as a coffee table book.
The Unfeathered Bird by Katrina van Grouw
Sirens by Chris Achilléos (illus.) ★★★★☆
Another one from the Borders days. I’m counting this as read because of the many times I’ve looked through it and tried to copy Achilléos illustrations, lol! Achilléos is a very talented artist. As the title and cover hints, the book is filled with illustrations of women done for various projects.
After that are several calendars I’ve kept because I like the artists featured. They are mostly by Frank Morrison.
M.C. Escher: The Graphic Work by M.C. Escher ★★★★★
I love this book. Escher is my favorite artist. I love his work, and this book presents large copies of them that I’ve admired and tried to draw.
Bottom SHELF
I have so many journals and sketch pads on this shelf that you can’t even see the art books I have on it. I considered taking a closer picture but decided to spare y’all a close-up of that mess I have going on in the middle.
It’s so hard to let go of old journals. Maybe one of these days I’ll get rid of some. Anyway, here are the few art books on this shelf:
Drawing Made Easy: Color Pencils by Eileen Sorg (illus.)
Artist’s Library Series: Pencil Drawing by Gene Franks (illus.)
I consider these two (Zentangle and Sketch Fantasy Art) read. I’ve tried their exercises and was more successful at the zentangles than the elves and fairies I tried to draw. I didn’t even bother attempting a dragon.
The Art of Zentangle: 50 Inspiring Drawings, Designs & Ideas for the Meditative Artist, illus. by Margaret Bremner, Norma J. Burnell, Penny Raile, Lara Williams
Sketch Fantasy Art: A Draw-Inside Step-by-Step Sketchbook, illus. by Pui-Mun Law, Barbara Lanza, David Adams
On My Desk
So, I forgot my desk (lol) which has a few books on it. Well, it has A LOT of books on it at the moment, but there are a few books there that I didn’t mention elsewhere in this tour. And since I forgot to take a picture of the desk, let’s just go straight to the books!
The Best Punctuation Book, Period: A Comprehensive Guide for Every Writer, Editor, Student, and Businessperson by June Casagrande ★★★★★
I mostly use it for work, so this book has been living on my desk instead of my bookshelves since I’ve been working from home before I even started this bookshelf tour series. I’m so glad I got it.
Common Cents: A Budget Workbook by Meleah Bowles & Elise Williams
The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey
Spliced by Jon McGoran
I actually got this from a friend’s unhaul, but now I plan to unhaul it too. I haven’t read it. I grabbed it up thinking it was another book (Semiosis by Sue Burke) because the covers look so similar.
A Bond Undone by Jin Yong
I might unhaul this as well. I got an ARC of it that I think I won in a giveaway or something, but I didn’t realize it’s the second book in the series. I’d like to read the first book, but the reviews I’ve seen make me think it won’t be my sort of read.
I have a boxed set of the first three illustrated Harry Potter books and a copy of the illustrated fourth book in the series. I’ve only read the first one of these editions and half of the second one. The other ones I just flipped through to look at the pictures. I was a bit disappointed in them because they don’t contain as many illustrations as I thought (hoped) they would. I consider them all read since I look through them while listening to the audiobooks.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling, illus. by Jim Kay ★★★☆☆ ½
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling, illus. by Jim Kay
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling, illus. by Jim Kay
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling, illus. by Jim Kay
← Bookshelf Tour, Pt. 25 | Picture Books & Graphic Novels, Pt. 2
Bookshelf Tour, Pt. 27 | The Stats →
SOME STATS
Total books in this row(s) = 21
How many I completed = 11
How many I will unhaul = 4
Total shelves so far = 14
Total books so far = 987
How many completed = 430
How many I will unhaul = 35
Zezee with Books 
😍😍
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Yay, art books! This is always my favorite section haha. As much as I love Escher’s work, I don’t think I have a book of his art in my collection…. Or maybe I do. I’d have to look. (I have A LOT of art books…..)
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🤣🤣 well I look forward to you mentioning them in your shelf clean up post, if you plan to.
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Oh, they’re not actually in my TBR since I don’t always read my artbooks anyway, I like looking at the art more than anything. Although maybe I’ll do a post about them one day!
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I love M.C. Escher too. I think your tours have been fun! I sure seems like a labor of love to go through all your books and post about them:-)
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Thank you! 🙂 I’m glad you liked them.
Yup! A labor of love indeed lol. Now I need to actually take out the ones I’ll unhaul and hopefully be able to fit the overflow on the shelves 😀
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I really admire your dedication to this series because sometimes I think I could do a bookshelf tour, and then I think it’d take forever, and I don’t want to bother. I’m super impressed you got through all your books and did it all this year!
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Thanks! And I totally understand that. After the excitement about doing it wore off, I began to wonder why I decided to do this series of posts. It does take time, but I had fun with it and loved the part where I reorganized my books lol.
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I do love art books! Escher, for sure, but I’d love to have a solid Bosch coffee table edition with as big illustrations as humanly possible 😉 I’m afraid that once I started buying art books I’d never stop, though – there are so many great artists whose works I love! 😀
I remember this Achilleos book – I think he used airbrush techniques?
I really enjoyed this journey through your bookshelves, Zezee! Thank you! 😀
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Lol same here on buying art books! That’s why I have such few of them and the majority of them I got for free.
Yup, you’re right! He used some airbrushing on these. I really like his illustrations. Makes me wish I was good at drawing people.
Aww thanks Ola! 😀 I appreciate you following along with the series and am glad you enjoyed it.
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A friend once told me that she allowed herself two metres of books and no more. It seemed almost unimaginable to me. Recently I have found myself invading more of the shelves around the house for books. With so many bookshelves yourself, do you have a favourite shelf, and what would be your strategy if it came to picking just 2m of books?
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Yep, I do have a favorite shelf. It’s the one that has the majority of my fantasy books because that’s my favorite genre. I don’t know what I’d do if I had to choose a limited number of books. They would probably all be fantasy novels and comics. How about you? What would you do?
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My shelves are all out-of-order at the moment, so I don’t think I could pick one shelf, but if it’s just a case of choosing a selection I’m going to keep hold of the books that are least replaceable to me. I don’t really have special editions or signed copies, more just obscure out-of-print gems that I wouldn’t want to lose – I’m thinking particularly of my copy of Jan Mark’s “The Eclipse of the Century”, a fascinating book I salvaged from a library book sale and which very few others seem to have read. I’d also want to hold on to my copies of books by people I knew – my grandmother and one of my school teachers both had small print runs of their books. Then maybe also the book I wrote my MA thesis on – when something’s become so familiar, it seems wrong to let it go!
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Those are such great reasons to hold on to books. And that’s the first I’ve heard of The Eclipse of the Century.
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