Exercise 5: Books

You can tell a lot about someone by the books they read. Books have always been a part of my life and I literally cannot live without them. Books show a history of our interests. I am not a book collector like some of my literary friends. I don’t have bookshelves loaded with novels. I find novels are like movies most of the time. I read them and then move on. That is why I am such a patron of the library. But nonfiction is another story. There are some non fiction books that I hang on to and you can see it on my bookshelf. 

Exercise 5 in Shooting with Soul was to photograph books. I took the lazy way out and used my ipad instead of the Canon. I think that is defeating the purpose of getting the book but I wanted to do the exercise. But I need to put a lot more effort into it. 

But this does give you a glimpse of the kinds of books I am interested in. I love Alexandra Stoddard who taught me that no matter the small thing you are doing you can make it luxurious. 

On my shelf are entertaining books, photography reference books, a pillow given to me by my sister and a postcard with a special meaning that was given to me by my other sister. In the postcard you can see roosters and a French farmhouse. My sister, niece and I traveled to Germany to meet up with a friend of Linda’s who was working there. We drove all around Germany and France touring and found ourselves one night at a Bed and Breakfast in a little town named Betchdorf which was famous for its salt glazed pottery. Linda’s friend thought we were booked for two nights but found out we were only there for one. So the lady who owned the house ( a sixth generation potter’s home) directed us to another bed and breakfast out in the country. It was a happy accident because this place was somewhere that regular American tourists would never get to see. As we drove into this century old farmhouse/b and b there was a rooster standing right in the driveway. We needed to enter through an arch and the rooster was determined that we were not going to disturb him and his scratching. We inched the car forward slowly. He did not move. Again we tried but he stood his ground. It was a standoff. Finally he must have gotten tired of the game and permitted us entry. We still laugh at the scene. When I got the postcard it couldn’t have been more perfect to bring that memory to my mind every time I look at it. The experience of staying one night in this very old, but very modern farm was delightful. There was a restaurant right on the premises where we enjoyed a lovely dinner. Our beds were fluffy and soft and we were so happy to have discovered it. 

What is on your bookshelves?