I've been an insatiable bookworm since I first learned to read (not surprising, considering that I started reading Tolkien at age six; once you get hooked on his work, you are doomed to bibliophilia for life). I also unreasonably believe that getting siblings, friends, and random strangers to read Eric Frank Russell should be counted among what few virtues might be ascribed to me.
Most of my book collection is part of my father's and my shared library: our tastes are similar, although I have my own interests, and he has his. We do have an actual library at home, with books on practically every subject known to man, in an assortment of languages (mostly English and German). However, due to the sheer number of books, more than half have found their ways into various bedrooms and onto shelves or bedside tables (mine is definitely a monster: I must have at least 30 "currently reading" books on it! *sheepish*). I buy books every other weekend, often at this secondhand bookshop where I find titles not available in the bigger chains at the malls. A lot of the books I want are extremely difficult to find in the country where I live, so when I do find them, I go overboard...and then some.
NOTE: people tend to give me books by default, so some of the books on my shelf are definitely not "me" at all. Why little old ladies think I would enjoy poorly-written thrillers and mind-numbing "romance" novels is beyond me.
Oddly enough, I've never attempted--or even BEGUN to attempt--to catalogue our collection; after all, now that I think on it, 'twould be a bloody nuisance, what with new books being added constantly. My posterity (if I will have one) will be welcome to attempt the task.This is my own--admittedly feeble--attempt; and I'm far from halfway-done, so please bear with it. :)
NOTES:
Books I'm perusing and am going to read in the immediate future are filed under "READING NOW"; whereas "I PLAN TO READ" encompasses books I intend to eventually read, but with no special hurry. The latter also includes partially-read books which I haven't finished due to (a) not owning them, or (b) having lost interest in them or found them dull.
Incidentally, I dislike that Shelfari includes items on one's wishlist in the total books on one's shelf. It seems incongruous, considering one usually 'wishes' for what one does not possess (yet). ;p
Also, changed screen name from "enCHANTress", although that actually IS one of the nicknames by which people call me (more to do with my name than with any spell-casting abilities); I just realized that it made me sound full of myself--not that I'm not. ];P
It's now "redinkforblood" because, growing up, I've been told too many times that I have red ink running through my veins. Not entirely accurate, but all the better.
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