I’ll admit… I am not much of a shelf person. Most of my books are stacked in corners of my bedroom, tucked away in cabinets, and hidden beneath scraps of paper on my desk.
Though, I do have this little friend which presents a thorough picture of my reading taste.
Let’s start from the top....
The Harry Potter series impacted my life in a colossal way. I was nine years old when I started the series, and I have distinct memories of spending hours in the school library hunched over a borrowed copy of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.
I shared many moments with Hogwarts and its students--moments of joy and devastation. Admittedly, I wrote my first fanfiction at ten years old because of Harry Potter. Yes, I did create an OC who happened to be Oliver Wood’s younger sister. We won’t discuss that much further.
The second row is an eclectic assortment. There are art books from favorite movies, gifts that I still have not read (Mom, I promise I’ll get to The Library Book), and a cherished series by Nigerian-American author Nnedi Okorafor entitled Binti.
These novellas were suggested to me during my first year of employment at the library, and it had been some time since a book captivated me so intensely. It is an absolutely breathtaking read, so if you dig Africanfuturism/Africanjujuism, Binti will not disappoint.
The bottom row encompasses my growing graphic novel collection. You will notice that I am a slight… ahem… Batman fan.
The earliest memories I have involve smashing my Catwoman figurine into enemies, befriending plants like Poison Ivy, and wearing ponytails like Harley Quinn. I would like to think these characters helped shape me into the person I am today… minus the crime, crime-fighting, and slick outfits.
Regardless, I adore the Batman universe and it shows. The Batman: Knightfall trilogy is especially sentimental because I picked it up as soon as the trailer dropped for The Dark Knight Rises. Yes, I did have a Bane period and you can thank Tom Hardy for it!
And that’s my shelf in all its assorted glory. Hopefully this inspired you to take a look at your own shelf and see the memories hidden within. It is super easy to pass pieces of furniture without a second thought, but I found this exercise to be insightful! Hey, maybe I’ll even finish The Library Book… eventually...
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