After years of Pinterest boards, I have finally built my dream home library. It is not perfect – the next one will be. But it’s a good reason to show anyone interested in what the bookshelf of a bookseller and book layout artist looks like and how I got here. But before we get to my new creation, let’s take a look back at the shelf in my last apartment.
Anna Karenina and Madame Bovary
Some time ago I stumbled upon a book called Top Ten: The Best Books According to 125 Writers. As the name suggests, it listed the top 10 books of 125 authors and from that created the ultimate top 10 list. I thought it would be good reading inspiration, mostly for classics. And so in September, I started from the top – with Anna Karenina and from there to Madame Bovary.
A Bookseller’s Bookshelf. Part 1: Sorting and Assambling
As I just finished a major renovation and built a bookshelf in my new apartment, it feels fitting to share the origin story of my home library and the very conscious process of sorting my books and other belongings with the help of Marie Kondo and Döstädning (Swedish Death Cleaning).
Four Very Different Poetry Books
I have been renovating my apartment since January and failing my reading goals because of that. To help a bit, I have grabbed every poetry book I could […]
Middlemarch by George Eliot
Somewhere in the back of my head I always have the wish to read more of the classics. But I rarely get around to doing it, with all the contemporary books waiting on my to-read list. But in April I finally took on the nearly 800-page challenge of Middlemarch.
The World Without (Half the) People
I’m not particularly a fan of people and their actions that destroy each other and the world. That’s one of the reasons why I especially like to escape our world by reading science fiction and watching superhero movies. Additionally, I enjoy reading and listening to scientific and philosophical books, which show what people are capable of when all that brain mass is put to good use.
The Expanse by James S.A. Corey
I remember the time I bought the first book in the Expanse series. It was in Tartu, in Tasku Center Rahva Raamat. I was looking for a sci-fi book series. I had done my research and all signs pointed to The Expanse. …
About Loss and Life Beyond It …
It wasn’t my intention to read three memoirs dealing with death and loss in January this year. The death of a husband, a mother and a father. All by very different people and written in quite different styles but all quite depressing. …
Book or E-reader – That is the Question
A few years ago I had the great honour to write an environmental column for Müürileht– “an advocate of Estonian modern culture and contemporary thought currents, working for an open and diversity-supporting society.” One of the posts was about paper books vs. e-readers – a perfect fit for this little second-hand loving blog.
My Love Story by Tina Turner
I think most people know something about the life of Tina Turner. Maybe only that she was in an abusive relationship and started a solo career after that. Some have maybe seen the biopic with Angela Bassett. But there was so much more.
The Sellout by Paul Beatty
I read this book a while ago, in three days. Loved it. Wanted to write something deep, or at least coherent about it. But well, it is not happening. So, just a few words …
Manual for Cleaning Women – short stories by Lucia Berlin
This book was absolutely f*cking fantastic! And I loudly join the choir of people preaching the gospel of Lucia Berlin.
City Lights Pocket Poets
I had an unconventional, but definitely not unique way to City Lights poetry books – through Rory Gilmore. Or, let’s be honest, though Jess Mariano, who picked the […]
Mukiwa – A White Boy in Africa by Peter Godwin
I have never been to the African continent, but somehow I have come to be deeply fascinated by it and very much hope to get the chance to […]
The Wayfarers books by Becky Chambers
In 2018, I was on a European solo trip (as usual). So, I had a lot of time for reading on park benches between sightseeing. This is why […]
A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan
Okay, so this was something. From the description: “In a breathtaking array of styles and tones ranging from tragedy to satire to PowerPoint, Egan captures the undertow of […]
Educated by Tara Westover
I am always late to reading the super popular books because my to-read list is just too long and it is way easier to find classics in second-hand […]
Modern Romance by Aziz Ansari and Eric Klinenberg
I am extremely bad at relationships. In my almost 20 years of grown-up life, I have managed to spend a staggering 4 years in something you could kind […]