Ana and Kelly / 24 / Cincinnati, OH
“Our book case is composed of wine crates that Kelly brings home from work. It’s assembly took hours of careful stacking and lots of hope that physics would be on our side and not send the crates crashing down.
When confronted with the question of our favorite book, we both had mini-existential crises, so we narrowed it down to our favorite books that we’ve read in 2017. Kelly’s favorite is Alyssa Mastramonaco’s Who Thought This Was a Good Idea?: And Other Questions You Should Have Answers to When You Work in the White House. It’s full of anecdotes, like the excerpt about Obama telling Mastramonaco that he saw her cat’s spirit soaring over a mountain in an attempt to comfort her over the loss of said cat, that offer some political comfort and laughs that are desperately needed in order to face and resist the current administration. Ana’s favorite book in Spanish is Las cosas que perdimos en el fuego by Mariana EnrÃquez, and her favorite in English is The Tsar of Love and Techno; Stories by Anthony Marra. She likes these books because they are like snow globes: brutal, honest, and sometimes violent. But still gives you some type of semi-satisfied acquiescence in the end  when you look at it after the shaking has occurred.
Ana’s books are organized by genre and author. Kelly’s books are organized in Netflix-esque categories (e.g. nonfiction about women in rock and roll organized by the amount of Joan Jett featured). Our bookcase showcases our mutual loves. Our biggest mutual love is the Harry Potter series, and the bookcase includes our wands from the theme park, a Harry plush (yes, we know we need a Hermione), a pygmy puff, and the illustrated Chamber of Secrets cracked open to one of our favorite pages. Ana’s running medals are on display under her Slytherin banner. Kelly’s movie tickets are in a jar that constantly sees new additions. We also have a scarf and a foam sword from FC Cincinnati soccer games, the only team we both get excited about. Finally, we have the sheet music of the Everything in Transit album, the perfect album to obnoxiously sing along to on late-night drives.”
Emily / 20 / Davis, CA
“Right now my bookshelf is not a bookshelf at all; it’s a pile on the floor because I live in a shared bedroom in a small apartment and never got around to finding a bookshelf that fits. It used to be organized by author’s last name, but now it’s organized by whatever won’t tip over. My favorite book in the stack is Mrs. Dalloway. David Foster Wallace said that “You find certain writers who when they write, it makes your own brain voice like a tuning fork, and you just resonate with them”; Virginia Woolf was that writer for me, and Clarissa’s brief musing on loving women made me go “oh. OH.” and everything fell into place. It’s forever a watershed moment in my life and I will keep that 99-cent paperback that made me realize I’m gay until the day I die.”
Ari / 20 / St. Louis, MO
“I just moved to St. Louis and until I have the time and energy and motivation to assemble my bookcase, my schoolbooks are on a shelf in the kitchen and my personal books are on the bottom level of my nightstand. I am a complete disorganized mess but I brought all my most important books to St Louis: Fun Home and Are You My Mother? by Alison Bechdel, The Art Of Asking by Amanda Palmer, and Mastering the Art of Soviet Cooking by Anya von Bremzen.”
Hannah / 25 / Oslo, Norway
“I used to have a proper system, now its mostly sorted into I can probably manage to fit another book in here if I just squeeze it in. It’s a problem I don’t want to fix in any other way than buying more shelves. Choosing one favorite is too hard, but I must admit I have a soft spot for my old Harry Potter books.”
Linsey / 28 / Madison, WI
“I don’t really have a “favorite bookshelf” because I have too many books and not enough bookshelves, so I have books sitting around in some fashion (in a stack or on a shelf or in a cabinet or on a table or any other way they can look semi-organized) all around my house. This isn’t really my favorite bookshelf, but it is my favorite reading spot because when I saw this house I knew immediately this would be the perfect place for a book nook. I love that the sun comes in so bright through the little window, and that it’s tucked away from everything else.”
Emma / 26 / Viroqua, WI
“My favorite books in this queer section of my bookshelf are books of poetry by Valerie Wetlaufer, a friend I met at A-Camp 7.5. Framed on top of the shelf are the lyrics to my favorite song: Over the Bow by Jenny Owen Youngs, from the illustrated companion book for her Slack Tide EP.”
Sarah / 30 / Madison, WI
“This is my library! I can’t really pick a favorite book, but I’ve downsized my library significantly over the past year and these are the favorites that remain, organized by color. Memoirs, poetry, Harry Potter, higher education (my field), and children’s books figure prominently. The bookends on top of the shelf are carved wooden elephants from a trip to India. Also my dog Henry is here!”
Esmé / 23 / Dublin, Ireland
“I don’t believe in organising my books in any big fashion. I have poetry and plays on a different shelf to my Terry Pratchett’s, but really I just find my books end up in the right place for me on their own. I own so many books at this point that I just don’t have shelf space for them all.”
Candice/ 25 / Indianapolis, IN
“I’ve recently settled into a new apartment and set up my living room bookcase. When I’m relaxing on the couch with my girlfriend (who was awesome and helped me stage this photo), I can take in my Harry Potter and manga collections. Best part of my HP collection is my Goblet of Fire, which is in Thai script! Currently re-reading: Interview with a Vampire, by Anne Rice. Other items displayed: sheet music for viola, a giant stuffed lamb, various figurines (Ron, Harry, Hermione, Sailor Moon, Sailor Jupiter, Inuyasha, Mikasa Ackerman).”
Isabella / IL
“My coffee table, where I keep all of my art books (I’m an aspiring art historian), my couch and record player, my clock, a Monet print that I’m absolutely obsessed with, my makeup mirror, an end table I’ve been trying to get rid of, and of course my bookshelf; which I have organized (from top-down, left to right) into non-fiction, fantasy, classic 20th century books, comic books, classic pre-20th century books, kids books, and foreign language books; with candles, some framed prints my mom got me when I was little, and three bins of stuff I didn’t have anywhere else to put — as well as me, sporting a look I call “little boy on the way to his piano lesson.”
Not Pictured:Â My huge dog getting in the way of every other photo, the dirty clothes all over my floor.”
