EXPLAIN YOUR SHELF

Explain Your Shelf features the bookshelf beside my desk today. I am a sucker for this kind of thing: nosing into other people's desks or shelves. When I watch TV or films, or see photos of people in mags with bookshelves behind, I am constantly peering over shoulders to see what they read/collect. Explain Your Shelf is a simple concept, well executed. It's nice to be featured.

THE BOOKS ARRIVED!

BOOKS OF THE YEAR 2010 - IRISH TIMES

I was asked to contribute to this annual round-up, The Books We Loved Reading in 2010, in the Irish Times. These were my choices here. I have now been asked to do two more of these but I can't use the same books, can I?! No, I guess not. Luckily, many books impacted on me this year and each place only wants me to name three or so. The next Best Books features are at the Anti-Room and Horizon. Soon!

KENNY'S BOOK SHOP RE-OPENS

OK, before we get too excited, yes, Galway's other* favourite bookshop has re-opened but, no, they are not back on High Street. Rather, they have converted the ground floor of their Liosbán Retail Park premises on the Tuam Road.

Des Kenny says: ‘While online bookselling worldwide continues to grow apace, there is no substitute for taking a book in your hand and flicking through the pages. We were overwhelmed by the reaction when we closed the Bookshop in High St in 2006. Since then people have continually asked us if we might reconsider opening a bookshop in Galway. We moved into our existing premises in Liosbán over a year ago. Although we haven’t been open to the public until now, former customers and browsers call to the premises daily asking to look through the shelves.’

More here.

*The other other favourite being Charlie Byrne's of course!

MY BOOKSHELF: THE STUDY

I can't blog about what I want to blog about today, because it would get me into trouble. It's work related and it's making me grumpy.

So, instead, I browsed around and found under the title An Almost Meme over on Nik's Blog, writer Nik Perring posts pictures of his bookshelf.

He encourages others to do the same. You're not allowed to tidy your shelf and, as my camera is on my desk, and my shelf is a foot away, I just turned and snapped.

And I made a discovery: The missing Garden State DVD is there. Yay! Viewing fodder for Saturday night. (Moral: never send a man to find an AWOL DVD...)

When I saw that, it struck me how little I look at - never mind choose things to read from - this particular shelf. The tub of red glitter gets more use than some of the books, I reckon. Hearteningly, though, I have actually read most of the books at some point. So, it'd be mostly a case of re-reading. Click on the pic to see the titles more clearly, if you wish.