The "Special" Shelf

[qos]

havah_prewett made a reference in a recent post about the "scripture shelf" in her movie collection. mam_adar also made reference recently to different shelves in her own library.

Since junior high, I have had a section in my own book collection called my "Select Library": shelves reserved for the books which have touched me deeply, have shaped me, and continue to resonate with me years, even decades, after I have read them.

A few months ago I was looking at those shelves and wondering if some of those books still belonged there. It had been so long since I'd last read them that I could scarcely remember the plots of one or two. In some cases there were spiritual themes I wasn't sure would still be meaningful to me. I took down a fantasy novel by Michael Moorcock (not an author I usually like) called The Warhound and the World's Pain, about a warrior jaded and exhausted by years of combat who ends up going on a quest on Satan's behalf to recover the Grail. It's a strange book in many ways, but -- to my surprise -- once again it moved me in a special way.

I'm thinking about doing a post about some of my favorite of these books. But in the meantime, I'm curious: do you have 'special shelves' or sub-collections in your book, movie, or musical libraries? If so, what is on them?

Comments

[qos.livejournal.com]

I keep the books that NOBODY EVER GETS TO BORROW EVER EVER EVER up there.

Exactly!
I'll buy copies for someone else to read, if necessary. But NO ONE gets to borrow them!

[stiobhanrune.livejournal.com]

*grins* Exactly.