The Reading Lounge: Shelf Life
It's a read-my-shelves summer! Sharing a peek at eight books from my shelves that hooked me from the first line
I have a confession to make. The type of reader you know me to be today—avid audiobooker and Kindle lover—is quite different from the reader I was up until about 12 years ago.
Prior to 2013, I was a print only reader. I used to love the feel a floppy paperback. I (mistakenly) thought that it was “harder” to read on a Kindle. And audiobooks weren’t on my radar at all.
I distinctly remember taking a trip to Las Vegas with my mom, who’s also an avid reader, and her pulling out her Kindle by the pool (RIP The Mirage) and me taking out three different paperbacks (I’ve always been a mood reader who samples:). I remember asking her how she read on that all the time1 and she said it was easier because she could increase the font for her eyes. I remember saying I didn’t think I’d ever give up print books. Oh how things change.
Fast forward a few years. I now cannot read print/text without reading glasses and do almost all of my reading on my Kindle, so I too can increase the font. I also listen to tons of audiobooks. Both bring me a lot of joy. However, lately I’ve been feeling the pull to return to print reading.
Funny enough, even though I’ve barely been reading print books over the past few years, I haven’t stopped accumulating them. Stocking my own shelves over the years has also brought me joy. I’ve enjoyed collecting such a wide variety of reading possibilities. I love seeing them when I walk into or by the room. These books contain places I’ve never been and characters I don’t know, but who might become so memorable to me I’ll never forget them.
You might be wondering where I got all these books?
A couple were sent to me by publishers. Many have been gifts for Christmas and my birthday over the years and the rest I’ve bought and/or found in my little free library. I’ve bought many of these books from Blackwell’s, Thrift Books, my local Barnes and Noble stores, and library sales.
This summer, the time has come to actually start reading these books that have waited patiently to be chosen. I know I’m not alone in saying that I’m feeling the need to slow down. My mind and attention have felt scattered for quite some time. I think a return to print reading is one way I can slow down, reset, and calm my mind.
I know many of you might feel similar to me, but aren’t able or don’t have a desire to read print books and that’s ok! We all have a “shelf” of to be read books even if it’s in the form of a list of audiobooks we’ve been meaning to listen to, books that have gotten lost on our Kindles, books that are unread on a Netgalley shelf…. you can “read” from any type of shelf:)
These days, there’s a particular kind of anticipation I feel when I look at my to be read shelves.
It’s not the rush of starting a buzzy new release or the pressure of a looming library due date—it’s just the quiet nudge of books I once picked up for reasons I may or may not remember.
So last week I spent a couple hours organizing my print shelves which included removing books that aren’t calling to me at this time (they were relegated to the cabinet underneath)2. What remains is six shelves of books I’m excited about that are organized by height (visually seeing books arranged from tallest to shortest makes me happy:)
I then started randomly pulling books off the shelves and reading the first sentence to see what sparked my interest. What made me say wow that’s good I must know more.
First sentences are their own kind of magic.
A voice, mid-thought.
A moment, already unfolding.
A great first sentence can "cast an immediate spell, grab your attention like a starter's gun, set the tone and even foreshadow what is to come" Penguin Books
Here are eight books from my shelves that called to me the loudest—and the first lines that reminded me why I held on to them.
The Books 📚
Anoxia by Miguel Angel Hernandez - translated from the Spanish by Adrian Nathan West
She tries to look at the dead man through the viewfinder alone.
The Stranding by Kate Sawyer
Tell me something you miss, from Before.
Liar’s Beach by Katie Cotugno
Ten days before the police cars cruised silently down the driveway at August House and we all became a national news story, Jasper picked me up at the ferry in Vineyard Haven.
The Birthday Party by Laurent Mauvignier - translated from the French by Daniel Levin Becker. **ok this opening sentence is the longest I’ve ever read! It goes on for an ENTIRE page…I’m sharing the opening part which for me is the most interesting part of this very detailed opening sentence
She watches him through the window and what she sees in the parking lot, despite the reflections of the sun that blinds her and prevents her from seeing him as she’d like, leaning against that old Renault Kangoo he’s going to have to get around to trading in one of these days—as though by watching him she can guess what he’s thinking, when maybe he’s just waiting for her to come out of the police station where he’s brought her for the how many times now, two or three in two weeks, she can’t remember—what she sees, in any case….
The Mystery Guest: A True Story by Gregoire Boullier - translated from the French by Ben Truman
It was the day Michael Leiris died.
Sheepdogs by Elliott Ackerman (releasing Aug 6)
Everyone at the office winds up with at least four names.
Lost on Me by Veronica Raimo - translated from the Italian by Leah Janeczko
My brother dies several times a month.
Are You Afraid of the Dark by Sidney Sheldon
Sonja Verbrugge had no idea that this was going to be her last day on earth.
After putting together this list of eight books, I realized four are translated! That was unintentional, but also indicative of my desire to read translated fiction in the summer. Crazy how our reading intuition works isn’t it?!!
If you're doing a little shelf reading of your own this summer, I’d love to know what you’re reaching for—and if the first line grabbed you, feel free to share it!
-Renee
Little did I know a few years later, 80% of my reading would be on my Kindle
I often swap out books on my shelf with those in the cabinet underneath, especially if they are clearly seasonal reads
I am doing well with my summer reading project to read my shelves. I have read a few backlists and am now reading a new release that was my recent BOTM selection. I am adding titles I want to read but am not purchasing anything, which is feeling good. I just pick a book at random and trusting my old self who bought them, ha.
I LOVE this focus on first lines, I’m writing a piece about that topic as well! Katie Cotugno is so so criminally underrated it makes me mad! What a line!