Shelfies | M. Suzanne Terry

Archive for the ‘Shelfies’ Category

Language

Posted in 31 Days, Fun, Shelfies on October 29, 2015| Leave a Comment »

I have always been told that I’m good at languages.

I’m not sure exactly what that means, but hey – it’s something I’m good at – I’ll take it.

I took a couple of years of Spanish in high school, four semesters of Latin in undergrad, and three semesters of German in grad school. Of course, I still have all the books.

I’ve also added to them. I will often buy books in one of the languages I’ve taken to practice my skills. I will also purchase books in languages I have absolutely no training in, because I like the title (In Praise of Yiddish) or because I recently read a book (by Murakami) and thought, “That was a nice paragraph. I bet that was beautiful in its original language” (and thus had to buy a book of Japanese phrases). I have several books on Portuguese because I want to travel someday to Brazil, and I am trying to learn Italian (and they said the Latin was a waste of time!) because I not only want to travel there but also because I found a cookbook that I need to read.

I’m obsessed with Duolingo.

I know that I will probably only become marginally proficient (I can ask for the bathroom and order coffee in at least five languages), but it’s a fun pursuit.

I’m writing 31 Days of Shelfies.

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The Play’s the Thing

Posted in 31 Days, Shelfies on October 28, 2015| Leave a Comment »

It is odd how few plays I own considering my theater experience. I guess most of them are in scripts.

But it does highlight pretty clearly who my favorite playwright is.

I love Neil Simon. I love his wit and his characters. Any time I had to choose a monologue to give, it was almost always Neil Simon.

Barefoot in the Park is my favorite. I even managed to work it into a conflict management assignment in grad school. I analyzed one of Paul and Corie’s many arguments and made the class watch it during my presentation. They know they loved it.

His most famous play is probably The Odd Couple. I love Felix. He is one of my top five favorite TV/movie characters.

Who is your favorite playwright? What’s your favorite play?

I’m Writing 31 Days of Shelfies.

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Read This Next

Posted in 31 Days, Books, Shelfies on October 27, 2015| 2 Comments »

There are books stacked everywhere in my house. The corner of my desk is no exception.

This is where books go when they don’t really go anywhere else. I have a general organization system, but there isn’t really a Feminist Ryan Gosling section. I suppose it could go in the feminist theory section, but it seems dwarfed by those texts. Nor is there a Coffee: The Bean of My Existence section. Maybe if I started collecting graphic novels. It’s almost a graphic…short story?

My most used Bible also lives here. I know I could look up verses online, but my fingers are faster than my iPhone.

Read This Next is a great book to have if you’re starting a book club or have a book club. The questions in the book should only guide your discussion if a lot of drinking is involved or if you’ve known the people in your group a long time. Then again, having people answer these questions – much like playing Cards Against Humanity – is a quick way to get to know the people in your group. At any rate, they’re hilarious.

Sadly, this is also where books go when I’m “working” on them but have decided to take a “break.” Translation: I found ten other books I’d rather read, and it got put aside. I may never actually read this book. Also, I may have borrowed it from someone and forgot who that was. The Evolution of Adam, anyone?

A friend once said, “Oh, it’s like your junk drawer. It’s a junk shelf.” Rude.

Tell me you have a shelf like this in your house. You know you do.

I’m writing 31 Days of Shelfies.

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Friends of the Library – Fort Worth

Posted in 31 Days, Shelfies on October 26, 2015| 2 Comments »

One of us is clearly more excited to be taking a shelfie than the other.

Twice a year, the Fort Worth Friends of the Library hosts a huge sale of excess books. I don’t always make the spring sale, but I usually make the one in the fall.

Margarett likes to go on the first day, when there is a better selection. She’s even found some first editions. I prefer the $15-a-box day, though, and she is happy to go on that day, too.

In years past, they have had two rooms. The smaller room hosted lots of nonfiction, poetry, and classic literature. The larger room was filled with fiction, DVDs, and books on tape. This year, they didn’t have the larger room. It was taken over by a kitsch store. I like kitsch as much as the next person, but I am (not-so-)secretly hoping for the store’s demise over the course of the year, because cramming all those books into that one tiny room (and an even tinier one next to it) created a very stressful situation for me. At one point, I was trapped in a pocket of four other people, to whom I exclaimed, “LetmeoutIhavetogorightnow.” They totally understood.

But I still came away with a pretty nice haul. My box wasn’t full (because I was not going back in there), so we consolidated and saved even more money.

Even if they don’t get the big room back next time, I know I’ll return. The stress will fade from my memory and will be replaced by a longing to support libraries and acquire new treasures.

I’m writing 31 Days of Shelfies.

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Reformation Sunday

Posted in 31 Days, Food, Shelfies on October 26, 2015| 2 Comments »

Most days, I really love my introversion. I appreciate that I can enjoy my solitude (a useful skill, as I am single and thus get a lot of it). I like being able to restore my own well of energy without needing others to do that for me.

But my particular brand of introversion is not without its problems, one of them being a certain measure of social anxiety. Like in our church building when 1) it’s Reformation Sunday and 2) there’s a baptism (and the extra people who came to see it). Many, many people – tiny, tiny space. Add to this that I’m in the choir, so I couldn’t just sit in a corner and hide – I had to be up and moving around and part of the service – and this leaves me counting the moments until I can escape. I’m really proud of myself that I did not run screaming from the building afterwards.

Then I drove to Fort Worth in construction that I’m pretty sure has been going on for at least the 22 years I’ve lived in the area, and that didn’t help. I went to the Friends of the Library book sale, which was also crowded. At one point, I texted my friend, “I’m going to go stand outside and breathe deeply.”

But then we went to eat Ethiopian food at Samson’s, and it was so relaxing.

I’m gonna learn to make injera. That’s one of my food goals.

Margarett and I split the vegetarian sampler, as is our habit. As soon as I folded the first piece of injera over the miser wat, all the stress of the day faded. Margarett enjoyed it, too:

“My fingers smell delicious.”

Then I had coffee. For me, Ethiopian coffee is half the reason to go.

Little shelf-ish (were you wondering when the shelf would appear?) coffee tray

I normally drink my coffee black with no sugar, but I enjoyed a little sweetness with this one.

CUTE.

We stuck around while I sipped my coffee and ate until we were beyond full, and we got to talk to the owners. We had a nice chat about children and the ethics of responsibility and capitalism and systems that perpetuate abuse. Good times.

I was so content by the time we left that the drive back to Denton didn’t stress me out at all.

I’m writing 31 Days of Shelfies.

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Memories and Inspiration

Posted in 31 Days, Shelfies on October 26, 2015| 1 Comment »

A collection of memories and inspiration sit on top of my library shelf in my bedroom. Like all memories, it has both gained and lost some things over the years. Like all inspirations, it has meant different things at different times.

There is the picture of us from my sister’s wedding. What a beautiful day that was! Also, my hair and dress were fantastic.

There are the trinkets from my sister’s travels – the Peabody duck, the castanets, the decorative fan, and the nesting dolls. They make me want to be less of a homebody and see more of the world.

A teacup from a spiritual retreat that fed my soul holds jewelry that reveals my taste.

A book featuring outlandish shoes inspires me to love and art and reminds me of the magic that happens when they collide.

Old perfume bottles are remnants of my collection of pretty, shiny things, and they’re also remnants of my MeMaw’s collection of things that made her feel beautiful.

And last, the Ty Nant bottle and Lex action figure remind me of my first and best experience with fandom – the community, the inspiration, the laughs, and the lessons.

It’s a small shelf, but it holds so much.

I’m writing 31 Days of Shelfies.

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Friday Five – Five Voices that Shaped Me

Posted in 31 Days, Books, Shelfies on October 23, 2015| Leave a Comment »

This Friday has been busy, so this post will be quick. Do not mistake its brevity for a lack of interest on my part, though. Today, I am bringing you some of the voices that made me the person I am today.

Audre Lorde – My first exposure to Audre Lorde was through her poetry, but I also love her essays and speeches, such as the ones found in Sister Outsider.
Simone de Beauvoir – I recommend reading The Second Sex alongside Simone Weil’s Oppression and Liberty. It will be an interesting experience (and will explain a lot about me).
Margaret Atwood – I blame/thank Atwood for my love of dystopian literature. The Handmaid’s Tale is chilling and cautionary.
Julia Alvarez – How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents. Just read it.
Virginia Woolf – Everyone talks about A Room of One’s Own, but I think Mrs. Dalloway is actually my favorite of hers.

What books have helped shape you?

I’m writing 31 Days of Shelfies.

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For the Love of Libraries

Posted in 31 Days, Shelfies on October 22, 2015| Leave a Comment »

My library shelf is a snapshot of my mind at the moment. This picture was taken during August, and almost all of those books have gone back to the library by now. A few that I’m cooking through or really savoring remain, but the shelf looks mostly different.

This shelf is the last thing I see before I go to sleep and the first thing I see when I wake up, and there are very few sights I would rather see at either time.

Our public library has three branches, but I mainly go to the one nearest downtown. The north branch is where they host their book sales, and it’s on the way to my sister’s house, so if I just have things to drop off, I can slide them through the drive-through depository. The south branch is on my way to one of my book clubs and in one of my favorite Denton neighborhoods. I visit it occasionally when I want to dream of the day I live nearer to it.

What do you love about your library?

I’m writing 31 Days of Shelfies.

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Schooling

Posted in 31 Days, Feminism, Shelfies on October 21, 2015| 2 Comments »

Shiny.

I still have all my old textbooks from grad school. I suppose I will as long as I still refer to them from time to time. Or until I decide with absolute certainty that I’m not going back to grad school.

Some things are never certain.

As I toy with the idea of getting the PhD, I find myself thumbing through these particular books more than the other more general tomes (although who doesn’t love a Saturday night picking through quantitative methodologies?). So if I do go back, at least I’ve finally picked a field. Baby steps.

I subscribed to the journal Feminist Theory the first couple of years after I graduated. I wanted to make sure that I kept up.

Then I discovered blogging.

You know what feminists – particularly emerging feminists – are really good at? Blogging. As a medium, it lends itself well to flushing out concepts and working through identities and ideologies.

I know this month is supposed to be about shelves and books, but my reading life would not be as rich without many of the blogs I read.

Here are some of my favorite feminist blogs:

Hollaback – committed to ending street harassment

Bitch media – media analysis and critique

Feministe – some great pieces on intersectionality – they’ve had some structural changes recently – be patient

Black Girl Dangerous – Mia McKenzie, y’all

Feministing – what the next wave of feminism will be talking about

TransGriot – trans news

The Pursuit of Harpyness – come on – that name alone – poetry and progress news

There are so many more, but these are the ones that make me want to get that degree and be a professional feminist.

I’m writing 31 Days of Shelfies.

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Virtual Shelfie

Posted in 31 Days, Shelfies on October 20, 2015| Leave a Comment »

I love real books. I love the way they smell. I love the way they feel in my hands. I love sliding my bookmark in to hold my place when I can’t keep my eyes open any longer, and I love using the bookmark to gauge how much longer I have left.

I didn’t expect to love my e-reader.

But I do.

I love that I can travel – whether to another state or just to a coffee shop – with hundreds of books, and I don’t have to pack an extra bag just to accommodate them.

I love that I can buy a book online and start reading it immediately.

I love how much easier it is to clean chocolate off my cell phone when I use the Kindle app to view a cookbook than it is to clean it out of a bound cookbook.

I don’t see myself ever giving up my traditional book collection, but I’ve got a pretty nice e-collection going, too.

I’m writing 31 Days of Shelfies.