But first, Let Me Take a Shelfie. What's on your Bookshelf?

Today, I'm going to springboard off slogans and sayings—those little sayings that stick it in your head, and if they’re really good, leave a lasting impression. They serve a very important purpose and many of them hold a lot of weight and truth. Take for example the saying: “You are what you eat.” True enough if you regularly eat poorly, then feel poorly as a result. What about Capital One’s coined slogan: “What’s in your wallet?” Well, if you want the most out of your credit card, you better evaluate what’s in there, right?

Well, in the world of Writing, let me ask you this: “What’s on your bookshelf?” And more importantly, what does it say about you? After all, we could say: “You write what you read.” Hmm. So this got me thinking about my own bookshelves and I decided to take a snapshot of a random shelf. The results were quite interesting.

It would appear my variety of books rather accurately represents of course my interests, but also my path as a writer.

So we've got a couple Roget’s Thesaurus’, J. Rodale’s Synonym Finder (an EXCELLENT reference book, might I add!), a few journals (I’m an avid note taker), some mythical and folkloric studies (vampires and mythology—two loves of mine), Strunk and White’s classic Elements of Style (a must-have for ANY writer worth their salt, aspiring or seasoned), some volumes covering Freud, and the proverbial outdated edition of the Writer’s Market (which makes a fine paperweight these days), some religious  study books, and a couple motivational books (yes, even a weight loss one) for good measure. What does this say about me? I’m an out of shape, psychology-minded, religious/occult obsessed writer who enjoys thumbing through thesauruses in her spare time. 

Not quite! 

Each of these books are a reflection of my greatest interests which happen to be: Religion, mythology, psychology, and the mechanics of writing. Put all that together and you have what I am: a supernatural fiction writer who does her research. Pretty much all my book shelves look like this one, except for my fiction shelf, which houses all my favorite mystery, romance, and crime paperbacks. :)

Bookshelves are more than just a place to store your reads. They are a unique snapshot of who you are, be it the building blocks of knowledge and accomplishments you have accumulated throughout your life or a plethora of interests and passions that are currently guiding you to where you want to be. So I ask everyone today, what’s on your bookshelf? Feel free to share below with a “Shelfie” of your collection! And if it’s worthy of being on your shelf, share why that is.  

Carolyn