Bookshelves, again.

While I was writing my two most recent book reviews (check them out over at my book blog, or link to them from my sidebar), I realized that I always start my reviews with the story of how I came to read the book in the first place, and that this is my favorite part of writing about the books I read.

Of all the blog posts I've written, one of my favorites is a post about my bookshelf from a few years ago. It's sort of a reflection on the same theme. Everything I read has a back story, and sometimes it's hard to give up books because those back stories, more than the books themselves, say a lot about who I am. I began writing the reviews because I wanted to force myself to articulate what I like or don't like about the books I read, rather than to just read them and stack them on my shelf. But my book blog is also a way of sharing not just the books (which anyone who visits my apartment can see) but the stories behind them.

I love looking at other people's bookshelves, too, because a glance at a bookshelf can tell you a lot about the person. But it would be a much different picture if it were filtered through the stories of how those books came to be there in the first place. I love talking about books because those back stories emerge. When I talk with people about reading, it's not just about the books themselves (that's what you do in an English class) but about our experiences with the books and what they mean in our lives and how we relate to those experiences.

I guess the same thing happens with other forms of media as well - music, television, movies. I often thought about television as an isolating activity, until I realized that all my favorite television shows were social experiences, whether or not I actually watched them with people. Music, too, which I have always loved, took on a whole new meaning when I began talking about it with friends. And movies I might not otherwise have cared for become a lot more fun to watch if I'm watching them with someone who already loves the movie. Even if I still can't admit to loving it myself afterward (sorry, Jessica...).

Anyway, glance at my book blog if you get a chance. I don't get a lot of viewers over there, and that's fine - it's more of a personal project than anything. But I hope at least a few of you read and enjoy it, and maybe leave some comments and recommendations and back stories yourself :).