The Noggle Library – Musings from Brian J. Noggle

I indicated in a previous post, one of the next things we’ll need for Honormoor’s replacement (that’s the name of the Noggle manor, donchaknow?) is a library. Why, you ask? Let’s take a look.

	Brian’s Main Library These three bookcases are double-stacked with hardbacks and trade paperbacks. I’ll be honest, though, the bookcase on the right contains the unread portion of my library. Unfortunately, it contains a lot of scholarly work, like Jean-Paul Sartre, Simon De Beaviour, Jane Austen, John Steinbeck, and other assorted literary figures (as well as Tolkien, sorry) and a pile of nonfiction. Whenever I get a new genre piece, I tend to read it before these masterworks, which would explain why some of these things have gone unread for a decade. But I am working on it. The left bookcase contains what used to be my altar for the authors Robert B. Parker and Ayn Rand, but the space crunch has led me to start double stacking before even them. Also, please note that these are my books, not Heather’s. I consider each book I have read a trophy, so I get agitated whenever she puts a book on my shelves and dilutes my pride.
	Brian’s Reference Library These two bookshelves have my reference library, which includes books on computers, electronics, home repair, and writing. The bookshelves are in my office, which wouldn’t seem to make sense–until you realize that’s where I go to hide when there’s any work to be done.
	Brian’s Nightstand I’ve started these books, but haven’t finished them, yet. Watch for a book review of that book on the origins of the English civil war coming soon, though. Is that a book by Victor David Hanson under the complete works of Shakespeare? Yes. And I’ll probably finish it before the Shakespeare, too. Expect the reviews by 2010.
	Our Mass-Market Paperbacks Here’s the closest Heather’s and my books come to conmingling. The shelf on the right is mass market paperbacks I have read, and the one on the left is Heather’s. Of course, this is the total except for the two or three boxes we’ve not opened since we moved into Honormoor three years ago. One more reason for a library: we’re running out of room for bookshelves in our existing domicile.
	Heather’s Hardbacks Heather’s got her own collection of hardbacks, but she’s only got a single bookshelf. I attribute this to the fact that her boyfriend/fiance was not kind enough to give her a new set of bookshelves for Christmas each year of their relationship. Hey, check out the rare quadraped Jawa without the cloak. Obviously, this cohabitant of the household could never count as a cat in the Casinoport accounting.
	Heather’s Kitchen Stash Heather has a bookshelf in the kitchen dedicated to: Cookbooks. Rhetoric textbooks (for mastering dinner conversation, of course) Cat care books (not because we eat cats, but hopefully so we can learn their psychology and keep them off the table when we’re trying to converse at dinner.
	The Piano Atop the piano, Heather stores a number of: Music books. Hymnals. Cat care books. Exercise books. Library books which are months overdue.

So there you have it. Our motley collection of bookshelves aren’t as cool as built-in shelves like Mr. or Mrs. du Toit got, but they ain’t too shabby.