Bookshelf Tour, Pt. 26 | Art Books

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:

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Book Haul #54: HUGE Haul from ALA Conference

Back in June, I got to attend the American Library Association Conference in Washington, D.C., with a bunch of other locally based bookstagrammers. It was a wonderful event and a book lover’s paradise because in addition to various sessions for the librarians, there were loads of publishers in attendance showing off upcoming books and giving away ARCs of them. We were all excited.

I was stunned and a little overwhelmed on the first day, so although I attended on the Saturday and Sunday and got bags so full of books that I felt as if I was lifting weights all weekend, I didn’t get as much as other attendees, some whom carried along small suitcases for their books. It was a great event, and I’m so glad that I attended.

Well, anyway, here’s what I got:

(I totally just screenshot my own photos off IG. Does anyone know how to download your pics from IG when they are bunched together in one post?)

Books

Book Haul #53: The Prelude

I haven’t done a book haul since May, so I have a ton of stuff to share with you. It’s not because I bought loads of books — I did purchase a few — but because I attended the American Library Association Conference that was held in Washington, D.C., and was able to fill several bags with books while there. It was a great event. 🙂

But before I show those books, let’s take a look at the ones that aren’t from the conference.

Purchases

Physical

Book Haul #52: A Lot of Stuff

Can you tell that I couldn’t think of a name for this book haul? I haven’t published one of these posts in a while so, yea, I have a lot of stuff to show you.

Purchases

Physical

Book Haul #51: Birthday Haul…kinda

I’m considering this my birthday haul, though some books were bought before it and none were bought on my birthday.

I bought a good bit of books, so now I’m worrying about shelf space again. I’ve ran out.

Purchases

Physical

Book Haul #50: Wow!

Wow! It’s my 50th book haul post! 😀 I think I should celebrate this. Maybe buy myself another book or something.

Anyway, here’s what I got since last time.

Purchases

Physical

Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James

Marlon James is one of my favorite authors, though I’ve only read one of his now four books. But the one I read — The Book of Night Women, a historical fiction novel set on a plantation in Jamaica, — is one of my favorite books; so I was beyond excited when it was announced couple years back that he would write a fantasy novel.

Book Haul #49: Old to New

**Deep breath in** Ahh…the first book haul of the year. Who isn’t excited for that.

So in this haul are two books that I bought in the old year, hence the title of this post — “Old to New.” Anywho, to the books! 😀

Purchases

Bought last year

Last Stop on the Reindeer Express by Maudie Powell-Tuck, illus. by Karl James Mountford

I immediately fell in love with the cover of this children’s picture book when I saw it in the bookstore over the Christmas holidays. I love the illustrations and the design of the cover as well as the pages within. It’s so beautiful. I HAD to buy it.

Shelf Control #6: “The Rise” and “50 Psychology Classics”

Shelf Control is a weekly meme created by Lisa at Book Shelf Fantasies where bloggers feature books they own and would like read. It’s a way for readers to take stock of what they own and get excited about the books on their shelves and devices.

It’s been a while since I’ve done one of these posts, so I’ve decided to feature 2 books instead of just one. I chose the books at random and was surprised to see that both books are based in psychology.

…I guess this is a sign that I should start reading the nonfiction books I own.

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My first pick of the week

Title: The Rise: Creativity, the Gift of Failure, and the Search for Mastery

Author: Sarah Lewis

Genre/Subject: Nonfiction; psychology

Published: 2014

Length: 259 pages

Goodreads summary:

From celebrated art historian, curator, and teacher Sarah Lewis, a fascinating examination of how our most iconic creative endeavors — from innovation to the arts — are not achievements but conversions, corrections after failed attempts.

…Written over the course of four years, this exquisite biography of an idea is about the improbable foundations of a creative human endeavor. Each chapter focuses on the inestimable value of often ignored ideas — the power of surrender, how play is essential for innovation, the near win — can help propel you on the road to mastery, the importance of grit and creative practice. The Rise shares narratives about figures past and present that range from choreographers, writers, painters, inventors, and entrepreneurs; Frederick Douglass, Samuel F.B. Morse, Diane Arbus, and J.K. Rowling, for example, feature alongside choreographer Paul Taylor, Nobel Prize winning physicists Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov, and Arctic explorer Ben Saunders. (Goodreads)

Where I got it: Book Outlet

When I got it: Last year

Why I got it: I was inspired by her TED Talk on how the idea of failure can motivate us.

Exploring My Bookshelves: Stacks of My Favorite Nonfiction Books

“Exploring My Bookshelves” is a weekly meme created by Victoria at Addlepates and Book Nerds. Since Victoria is on vacation, I’m following along with Shannon at For the Love of Words since she has created her own topics.

How it works:

1. Take a “shelfie” (a picture of your bookshelf). Preferably literal, but e-shelves work too.
2. Write something on the day’s prompt.
3. Give the blurb and the cover of the book (and what you thought of it if you’ve read it).
4. Link back to Victoria’s post.

“Dataclysm” by Christian Rudder

I received an ARC from Random House. I was excited when I got it in the mail. Thanks Random House!

Christian Rudder, a Harvard grad and co-founder and president of the dating site OkCupid, has written an engaging book in which he uses data to analyze human behavior. Most of the data is taken from OkCupid’s user base, and is presented as an aggregate so no one is singled out. According to Rudder, he is telling the story of the masses.

Dataclysm is a wonderful read. It’s funny, light, and relatable with a few narratives thrown in. The book looks thick but it can be a quick read if you have the time for it. It also helps that the text and graphs are visually appealing. If you’re interested in graphic design, I suggest taking a look at Rudder’s graphs and tables. He presents a variety of them in a clean manner that makes them easy to understand.

Rudder draws surprising conclusions from his data though some were more of a confirmation for what I already know. A few points Rudder uncovers include: older men are more attracted to younger women (a glance at the TV show Millionaire Matchmaker proves this); using Twitter may actually improve one’s writing than hurt it; the more followers a person has on Twitter, the more that person sounds like a corporation. He also includes his opinions on his findings, some of which I disagree with, but I like reading them. He doesn’t try to ignore the subjectivity of his research.

One problem I have with his data, though, is that he takes it for granted that people on OkCupid are being entirely honest on their profiles. People do lie on the internet and often try to present themselves in a favorable light. I think Rudder should have taken that into consideration even if OkCupid does ask a bunch of questions to weed out the fakes. It makes me question the stats in his data even though his conclusions ring true.