Sunday Afternoon Tea

It was somewhere in my very late teens that I took a course called Evangelism Explosion.  Some may remember it as the introduction to the late D. James Kennedy's ministry for many people.

Well, that has been over thirty years and I still remember one of the "truths" taught in that course as I look at my bookshelves and those in other homes.  That being... the contents of a bookshelf tells you a lot about that person.

I spent a lot of time on the sofa recently so my direct "line of sight" were the contents of a few shelves in a large bookshelf in my living room.  

The two tall sets of shelves... one on the left side of the TV stand and the other on the right... were originally purchased for a much larger home and there flanked the fireplace.

But when we sold the house, these shelves were among those stated as going with us after the sale. 

They hold a lot of heavy volumes!  I don't think they mind at all living in a smaller house this past eight years or so, smaller rooms only reflect their importance as they stand regal on each side of the small Vizio TV set.

Anyway, this past week as I was looking at the books straight ahead, I thought of that "truth" written by D. James Kennedy and what people would learn about me from my books.  Just perusing a few shelves made me smile...

For one thing, except for all my biographies of the Founding Fathers and Mothers... one would see names like Margaret Thatcher, Ronald Reagan, Barbara Bush, Robert Bork, Alexander Solzhenitsyn, Whittaker Chambers... well, you get the political scheme of things. 

Just a tad on the conservative side?  Except I do have friends who are as liberal as I am conservative.  We've been cancelling out each others votes for years.  But I digress...

If you were to judge who I am by the contents of my bookshelves, you would see a love of history... American and Israeli.  For both countries, if one would look at their infancy, even their detractors would have to admit the fact both exist today is miraculous.

There is one row taken up by the Schaeffers, both Edith and Francis... and that is after I have given away quite a few of their books.  A couple of books by their daughter, Susan, resides elsewhere.  A biography of Hans Rookmaaker is tucked in with the Schaeffers as it is in their writings I learned about their friend.

There are books by and about Jonathan Edwards, C. S. Lewis, Madam Curie, Golda Meir, the volumes of Anne Morrow Lindbergh's diaries, Anthony Trollope's autobiography, and a biography of Lilias Trotter.  Just to name a few...

Mind you, this is a partial list of a few shelves in one bookcase... among the numerous bookcases throughout the house.

If perusing other shelves, one would find favorite fiction, historical novels, and would probably get an idea that I have a special fondness for Gene Stratton-Porter, Jan Karon, James Herriot,  Elizabeth Goudge and D. E. Stevenson.... just to name a few fiction authors whose works bring me joy.

My husband went through a time when he read a lot of books by Irving Stone and Taylor Caldwell.  They reside near the Stratton-Porter books.

There are books about decorating and quilting and gardening and landscaping and needlework and so many volumes of cookbooks a person could cook something new each day for the remainder of a lifetime.

If one were to walk into my study (which is the name I finally decided upon for Christopher's former room) they would notice dozens of books about homemaking, Bible studies, tea time, homeschooling, reading, writing, and further books about decorating.

Of course, they may be confused by the large bookshelf in my study containing numerous books titled C+, C++, Calculus, The Advent of the Algorithm, Understanding the Linux Kernel, and GP-rated Japanese anime'.  Those were left behind by the previous occupant. 

Although our tastes do overlap in his many volumes of Churchill's writings about WWII and numerous classic children's novels.   But the only C+ I've ever known were my grades in math... in a good year.

Are these all of the bookshelves?  Oh, no... there are shelves in the family room and our bedroom which house many paperback favorites of fiction and nonfiction read in past years. 

This is where you will find our favorites by Randy Alcorn, Francine Rivers, Karen Kingsbury, Beverly Lewis, Grace Livingston Hill, Angela Hunt, Brock and Bodie Thoene, Terri Blackstock, Wanda Brunstetter, and Melanie Jeschke... off the top of my head, I'm certain there are many other wonderful authors I've forgotten.

Not to mention the bookshelf in the home office, full of Hubby's books about Forestry, Furniture Design, and Quality Assurance Engineering... and composting.

I guess we all have our own shelves except for Victoria.  I could see it now... The History of Kibble, The Cat Who Came in From the Cold, Advanced Mousing, The Autobiography of Morris the Cat... and many more.

What does your bookshelf say about you?  ;)

Artwork:  The Bookworm