The bookshelf project #45

And we have another submission from one of the blog's readers! This week's photos of bookshelves are from Jouel. Let's see what books he has at home, shall we?

Click the picture to enlarge.

From what I can see, Jouel is a huge thriller fan. The top shelf has Stephen King, Jeffrey Archer, Ed McBain, and those Trese graphic novels by Budgette Tan and Kajo Baldisimo. I also spot one of my favorite novels—Bernhard Schlink's The Reader! Woot!

Looking at the rest of his shelves, we see more thrillers: novels by Ted Dekker, Greg Iles, Scott Turow, Robin Cook, Patricia Cornwell, Dean Koontz, Len Deighton, and Thomas Harris, to name a few. There are also the occasional YA (Will Grayson, Will Grayson by David Levithan and John Green) and a few classics (East of Eden by John Steinbeck).

I love hardcovers, so I love how most of Jouel's hardcovers are arranged at the bottom shelf. Hardcovers do pose a challenge in terms of portability, but they look awesome on one's shelf, yes?

And there's spillover! See below.

Click the picture to enlarge.

I guess this is the trade paperback and the mass market paperback section, no? Again, more thrillers, but we do get a glimpse of a couple of Oscar Wildes. And Iain Banks! And Cormac McCarthy!

Looking at Jouel's collection makes me want to head to the nearest book and get the latest suspense novel. Come to think of it, it's been a while since I read a really good thriller. Give me murders, police procedurals, legal battles, and medical mysteries now!

The bookshelf project #44

Well, it has been a while since I last posted another bibliophile's bookshelf. But while I was on Facebook hiatus, I got tagged in a photo by a fellow member of a book club, Chloe.

We don't see much of Chloe during our book discussions, as she's based away from Manila. (Cebu is about an hour's plane ride from the capital.) But we do get to interact with her online.

Chloe said that this wooden bookcase is a new home for her books. Although, she did say that there are still a lot of her books stored in boxes. Happy problem IMHO!

I love anything in wood, so I'm green with envy just looking at Chloe's shelf. Oh, and I noticed that the books stored in this shelf have been covered in plastic. Clap, clap, clap!

Hey, do you have a picture of your bookshelf, dear reader? Why not send them over to me! Email me at peter[dot]sandico[at]gmail[dot]com.

The bookshelf project #43

I think it must've been early this year since I last made a post about bookshelves. So I think it's just about time. But this bookshelf project post isn't your usual, as the books are not technically in a shelf. But we book lovers know that any place that has a stack of books becomes a bookshelf, no?

Anyway, this week's picture of books in a "bookshelf" was taken by R. in Commune, which is a very hip place to hang around in. I now have a place to go to to while away the rush hour traffic. It has a tranquil ambience that's perfect for reading. The food's good too—comforting and filling.

What caught my attention was the eclectic collection of the few books that the owner decided to display. Short books on Philippine history, a travel memoir, a book about coffee, a manifesto on socialism, and a self-help volume. I'm not so sure what cool green stuff is about though. I don't think it's about veggies, caterpillars, algae, or alien slime.

Click to enlarge.

Adam Gopnik's Paris to the Moon is absolute joy. It's Gopnik's account of having to relocate to Paris because of his job, with him having to bring along his wife and their baby. I've never read anything about Paris that made me really want to pack everything and just leave for the city of lights. (I don't mind the dog poop on Parisian streets.)

I have a theory as to the apparent non-thematic collection of these books. Probably they were just collected organically. I imagine the owner of Commune reading each book and, instead of taking the book home, just leaving it in his restaurant. A charming way to grow your bookshelf, yes?

The bookshelf project #42

I'm currently reading the latest novel by Dan Brown—Inferno. I just want to get it over with and find out what all the fuss is about. It features Florence, Italy! My review of that novel is coming up soon.

And speaking of Italy, my friend's sister once stayed at a hotel in Piemonte in Turin and was happily pleased to see books. Now there's one reason to pack and just leave for Italy—some of their hotels have books for their guests! I can imagine locking myself in the hotel room and just whiling away the hours reading.

Graphic novels,
which apparently have very scary content.

Life of Pi!
And Harry Potter!
In Italian!
I die.

In case you didn't know, I'm taking up a language class in Italian. A lot of my friends ask, "Why Italian? Isn't Italian spoken only in, ummmm, Italy?" Well, true that. But Italian is such a language that's very pleasing to the ears, yes? Besides, a foreign language will surely come in handy one day, I hope.

I read somewhere that one of the most effective ways to learn a foreign language is to read books written in that language. It doesn't matter if you don't understand it, just as long as you get familiar with all the words. So the next time I'm in a bookstore, I might as well get a novel written in Italian. Who knows, maybe one day I'll be able to read Dante Alighieri's The Divine Comedy in Italian!

(All photos are courtesy of my friend's sister, Socorro Manguiat. Thank you!)

The bookshelf project #41

And we have our first set of bookshelf pictures for 2013! Woot woot! These awesome pictures come from a blog reader named Jon. Let's look closely at Jon's shelves, shall we?

The 2 pictures below are bookshelves made out of bricks! How cool is that? I think they're very utilitarian (and I imagine sturdy), and Jon mentioned that these were quite cheap to make.

Brick lovin'

More brick lovin'

Jon is big on chess. He has a whole bookcase devoted to this fine sport. (Wait, chess is a sport, right?) I remember my dad having lots and lots of chess books too.

Jon's chess books somehow inspire me to
take up chess again as a hobby.

Below is a picture showing most of Jon's books. Topmost books are on poker. Below that, 2 rows of classics follow. In the left bookshelf are mostly nonfiction titles (e.g., science, history, and general knowledge).

The uber-thick book at the leftmost corner is
The Complete Illustrated Shakespeare
edited by Howard Staunton and illustrated by Sir John Gilbert.

Jon's cozy corner
If you look closely, the web page shown
on the monitor is KyusiReader!

Thank you, Jon, for sending these pictures. I hope you're having a wonderful start to 2013 in terms of reading!

The bookshelf project #40

I eat out a lot. And having been to quite a number of restaurants in the metro, I noticed that there are very few eating places that have actual books. Why oh why? Books are perfect in restaurants, especially if you're dining alone and couldn't care less about people spotting.

Waiting for your companion to arrive? Read a book. What to do while the food that you ordered is being prepared? Get a book from the resto's bookshelf. Other diners seem uninteresting? Just go and read 10 pages or so. Finished with your entrees? Enjoy a cup of coffee with a book.

So let's call this The Bookshelf Project: The Restaurant Edition. Now I must admit that I haven't taken pictures of books in some restaurants that I've been to. (Must be more vigilant in using my phone's camera!) But 2 weekends ago, when I went to a gift-wrapping workshop held at a pizza place, I was amused to find beautiful books about food.

Books about pizza, pasta, desserts, and Italian food!

I die. 

Here's another resto that we went to 

a couple of years ago.

Don't you just love how the books make for 

interesting interior design pieces?

(Photo courtesy of R.)

I wonder why restaurant owners aren't too keen on putting up bookshelves in their places? Perhaps they're thinking that the pages might be soiled by the food? Ummmm... That's what napkins are for.

Addendum:
Kaz of Books Anonymous, one of the blogs that I follow, has made a great follow-up post on her blog about books in eating places. You can read her post here. The cafe that she features, with its cozy atmosphere and loads and loads of books, is so awesome that I want to book a flight to Sydney now! 

The bookshelf project #39

So how was your Halloween, dear readers? Have you been to any costumed parties during the last few days? I did, and it certainly was fun. A blog post about it will be posted soon!

Anyway, I've received a lovely set of bookshelf pictures from another reader. They're perfect for my bookshelf project! These pictures are from Neal, whom I met recently during the discussion for Howl's Moving Castle.

Let's take a look at Neal's books, shall we?

Neal's bookshelf!

Don't you just love it when you see a shelf

that's brimming with books?

Lots of Fforde, Riordan, and Stroud here. 

I haven't read The Bartimaeus trilogy yet.

These books must be good considering how 

well-thumbed Neal's copies are.

Agatha Christie galore!

I remember my Christie phase when I was younger.

All I read were her mysteries.

Of course, the Harry Potter must be at the very top!

 Magazines, Christopher Pike, and R. L. Stine 

dominate this corner.

I've never Pike nor Stine, even though our school library 

had lots of these books. Hmmmm...

Now I'm wondering why. 

The bookshelf project #38

Hello, dear reader! It's time for another peek at a fellow reader's bookshelves. This week, the pictures are from a good friend, Ajie, who's one of the most artistically inclined persons I know.

Ajie was the one who made the book tote that I was raving about last month. See it here. And she also does wonderful caricatures, which she draws on shirts and even on shoes! So let's take a peek at her shelves, shall we?

I love that her shelves aren't all about books.

She's into crafts, so I'm guessing that those plastic holders 

contain crafts-y thingies. 

Don't you just love that vintage sharpener?

Sigh. If only my books were as orderly as these. 

And most of her books are lovingly covered in plastic!

Here's another great reason to collect books in the same editions.

Don't they just look beautiful on the shelf? 

There are two things I love in this shot:

George Eliot and Elizabeth Kostova. 

And of course, one's shelf wouldn't be complete 

without at least one work by Ray Bradbury. Woot!

So, dear reader, what do you think of Ajie's bookshelves? Do you love it as much as I do?

The bookshelf project #37

I do my very own happy dance every time I receive a bookshelf photo from an author. This week's pictures are from a wonderful author who's also a member of the book club—Raissa Falgui.

The photo below is just one of the bookshelves Raissa has in her house. I believe this shelf contains mostly books for adults. Raissa, being an author of a young adult novel, has lots of YA books located in another shelf.

I love the rustic feel of the shelf. Well, I'm partial to anything made of wood, so I just love this shelf. Also, the vintage reading chair is lovely. Let me tell you that even without cushions, this chair is very comfortable.

Recently, Raissa wrote an essay about how BookMooch helped rebuild her library. It's a beautifully written essay that is currently a finalist at the United Planet Day contest. Let's vote for her so that she wins! Click here to vote.

Raissa's YA novel is entitled Woman in a Frame. I'm really intrigued about this novel, as it has mystery, art, and Philippine colonial history elements. You can get Woman in a Frame from Flipreads and Amazon.

The bookshelf project #36

Sometimes, we all have to make do with what little shelf space that we have at home. That's the case with my good friend and former officemate, Melchie.

There's something about seeing well-thumbed, spine-creased paperbacks on somebody else's shelf. It makes you think that Melchie's books have been much loved.

So let's take a closer look at Melchie's books, shall we?

I can see lots of thrillers. Grisham, Sheldon, King, Cook, Baldacci—I've read and enjoyed them too! And there's a few self-help books thrown in as well.

Thanks, Melchie, for sending these pictures. Seeing the books that you have made me suddenly want to read a thriller.

The bookshelf project #35

It seems that I haven't done a post on my bookshelf project lately. And I was scouring through my inbox when I remember the pictures my good friend Don sent me. How could I have missed these pictures!

Don sent me a picture of his workspace at home, which incorporates bookshelves. The rolling bookcases are just brilliant, don't you think? You can always do a quick redesign!

Don's workspace

If this were my workspace, I wouldn't mind working all day! (Not!) 

And the wood panels on the floor are just too beautiful.

A closer look

As Don is one heck of a finance guy, it's but natural to see lots of business books in his shelves.

I spy some good titles here.

Woot woot for The Hunger Games trilogy!

That novel by Matt Beaumont, e², is one of the funniest novels ever.

What do you think of Don's workspace, dear reader? I haven't even been to his flat in San Francisco, and yet I think that I would feel right at home there.

Also, if you do have pictures of your bookshelves, then why not throw them my way?

The bookshelf project #34

Hello, dear readers! For the first time ever, somebody sent me pictures of her bookshelves that are labeled! How cool is that?

This week's awesome pictures of bookshelves are from one of the admins of the book club, Sana. You can click on the pictures to enlarge them.

Aside from reading a variety of genres, Sana travels a lot. And I'm guessing that's why she has a whole section devoted to travel books. Some of those little knick knacks that you see in her shelves come from her travels.

Sana just recently redecorated her room, and she mentioned that these bookshelves actually were his father's originally. I just love the idea of bookshelves being used from one generation to another!

So what do you think of Sana's bookshelves, dear reader?

The bookshelf project #33

This week's pictures of bookshelves are from a fellow blogger Kaz at Books Anonymous. Aside from blogging about books, Kaz is also a writer, singer, and artist! Let's check out her fascinating bookshelves, shall we?

I just love the matching bookcases that Kaz has in her living area. Apparently, these are just a fraction of her books! (Some of her books are still in storage. Gasp!) Kaz has a very big collection of art books in her shelves.

I think that this room is too cool for words, no? If I had this living room, I wouldn't even bother turning on the TV. :-)

Kaz has two interesting characters amid her shelves which she calls the Book Bears. Below are Guz and Wilbur nestled at the tail end of the kids lit section.

Of course, I am green with envy at these shelves. I certainly could use that much space in my room. How about you, dear reader? What do you think of Kaz's bookshelves?

The bookshelf project #32

This week's pictures of bookshelves are from Jack, one of the readers of this blog, whose comments I always find really interesting and insightful.

As Jack's bookshelves almost cover an entire hallway, it was difficult to get a complete picture of everything. But Jack did attempt to capture overviews. When I first saw the pictures, I drooled.

So let's look at Jack's bookshelves in more detail, shall we, dear reader?

Figuring prominently in his shelves is a space devoted to items from Jack's days at the navy.

Cool games at the left side

A stereo with a wonderful steampunk feel to it

More games and books at the left side

Jack's extensive jazz and blues music collection

Jack's collection of the works of Salvatore.

He mentioned that he doesn't ever loan these. :-)

So what do you think of Jack's bookshelves and collection, dear reader? I am so envious of the wooden bookcases! They're very classy!

The bookshelf project #31

This week's picture of a bookshelf is from, ta-dah, my mom. And the picture below, with its modest but growing collection of books, was taken in our other house in Antipolo.



My mom loves her paperbacks. She's a fan of suspense novels and thrillers -- John Saul, Karin Slaughter, Ken Follett, and David Baldacci. She's the person who introduced me to Stephen King. My first Stephen King read, The Dead Zone, I read when I was 11.

Recently, I introduced her to the Pendergast novels of Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. She can't have enough of this enigmatic hero!

What do you think of my mom's books, dear reader?

The bookshelf project #30

This week's pictures of bookshelves are from Joko, a good friend and a fellow member of the book club. Joko's interests lie in a lot of things -- she's a surfer, a big fan of the paranormal romance genre, and a foodie!

Joko went to culinary school, so we all go to her for restaurant recommendations and for food prep tips. It's but natural for one of her shelves to be occupied solely by books about food. Just look at this wonderful shelf!


Let's look closely at her shelf, shall we? In top shelf, I see two books from one of my favorite food writers, Jeffrey Steingarten: The Man Who Ate Everything and It Must Have Been Something I Ate. Both books are wonderful essays about all things foodie -- from the simple table salt to the caviar at your fine dining table. (I'm not so sure about the dieting book though. Ho hum.)


In the middle shelf, there are cookbooks written by famous chef (Oliver, Emeril, etc.) and the , Larousse Gastronomique. I've always wanted one, but I'm still on the hunt for the first edition.


At the bottom shelf are more books written by chefs. And I see Anthony Bourdain's now classic A Cook's Tour!


Just looking at Joko's books is enough to haul my lazy ass out of bed and head to the nearest deli. How about you, dear reader? What do you think of Joko's "culinary" bookshelf?

The bookshelf project #29

This week's pictures of bookshelves are from Tina, a fellow Filipino book blogger. Tina usually writes about young adult books. Check out her awesome blog entries here.

I always make it a point to visit Tina's blog when I'm craving for YA fiction. Her reviews are really helpful and quite insightful. Let's check out Tina's shelves, shall we?

To enlarge the pictures, press the Ctrl key and then click on the pictures. The enlarged versions will open in a new window.


Wow! I definitely need a ladder to reach the topmost books. Let's see the shelves in closeup.


Here are Tina's nonfiction books. Tina is deeply spiritual and she went to Spain last year for World Youth Day. See the loads of books with religious themes. Tina's also a writer, by the way.


The non-YA shelf. Lots of Peretti and Dekker. And those gritty Trese graphic novels are such a joy to get lost into.


The YA shelf. I notice a lot of romantic YA fiction by Dessen, as well as fantasy titles by Yancey, Cashore, and Turner. And, woot woot, Ness's Chaos Walking books! I love those!


And of course, the sacred TBR pile, which every true blue bibliophile learns to live with. So Tina still has to sink her teeth into The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and A Game of Thrones. I'm sure she'll be a fan. Hey, I see The Wednesday Wars! It's my favorite book last year!

I have shelf envy just looking at these pictures. How about you, dear reader? What do you think of Tina's shelves?