Review: Shelf Respect

Title: Shelf Respect

Author: Annie Austen

Publisher: 24th October 2019 by Hachette Australia/Sphere

Pages: 192 pages
How I Read It: ARC book
Genre: books about books

My Rating: 5 cups

Synopsis:

There's no such thing as too many books, simply not enough places to put them

Decluttering is all the rage, but what do you do when your preferred interior decor is miles of overstuffed bookshelves? If you can't bring yourself to clear your collection, SHELF RESPECT will validate your life choices.

Do you alphabetise your books or organise by genre... or (heaven forbid) colour? Have you merged your collection with your other half's? (And do you write your name inside the cover, just in case?) Do you keep all the books you've read, or only the most cherished? Is there such a thing as too many books? (No.)

Bound to provoke (good-natured) debate between Bibliophiles, SHELF RESPECT is a charmingly illustrated book in defence of towering TBR piles and overflowing shelves... no matter how you choose to organise them.

My Thoughts

"Your bookshelves are not just a place where you keep your books. They are a physical manifestation of the inner you. Your library is also your autobiography.”

It is without doubt that a bibliophile loves everything about books. So it was with great delight that I got my hands on this wonderful little gem. Annie Austen has put together such a range of interesting facts and humourous musings to entice any book lover to open this cover.

From chapters ranging on what your books say about you, to great non/fictional collections around the world, to ‘death by bookcase’ there is sure to be something for everyone. I appreciated the wide coverage of topics discussed pertaining to all things bookish: bookshelves, book facts, books in film - the list is long and inviting. Interspersed throughout are sketches and quotes that bring variety of style to the overall pleasure that is ‘Shelf Respect’.

I particularly appreciated the sections on pure book love - whether it be as an individual or as a collective. Problem is, of course, what you treasure, someone else may not. Books truly are a part of your soul and sharing them - literally or figuratively - truly opens you up in what is otherwise a very personal past time. 

" Your stomach goes cold: you know what’s coming. ‘Here, borrow it,’ they say, holding the well-thumbed volume out towards you. ‘I’d love to know what you think.’ There’s a terrible thought swirling round your head: what if I don’t like it? And have I really earned the right to read this? I mean, look at it, this is clearly more than just a book, it’s a piece of a personality, a part of their very soul.  On the other side of the exchange, they watched you walk away carrying this small slab of themselves, this insight into what makes them the joyous, warm human being you’ve identified them to be. ....

 What if you don’t like it?”

All up I highly recommend this little escape to all things bibliophilia ... "the time has come -  indeed it is long overdue - to restore to our literary legacies a bit of shelf respect." For I could not agree more that as a brief portal allowing escapism within alluring pages, to  acquisitions you long to hold and smell as they become a part of you, we are indeed just the ‘custodians’ of all that is the humble book.

“These discoveries serve only to enhance the enjoyment of our bibliophilia, the evidence and realisation that every book has a story separate from the one on its pages and that, for all our often jealously guarded protection of our own books, we are just their temporary custodians.”

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher Hachette Australia.