Shelfies #62: Lindsay Straube

I feel obligated to begin by addressing the obvious: this is not a picture of a shelf. That is because there are no shelves in my entire apartment. All my books (and there are many) are stacked along the walls, piled in my kitchen, and even arranged into a makeshift bedside table. The books you see in the photo are underneath my actual bedside table (which incidentally I found on the side of the street), and they are some of the only books in my apartment that are turned spine-out, making their titles readable. The rest of my books are turned spine-in, meaning that there are stacks and stacks of books that are impossible to identify. Is this a ridiculous way to store books? Of course it is. Why do I store them this way? Because I like the way the paper edges look. It’s aesthetically beautiful and utterly useless. But enough about my decorating quirks. 

This “shelf” is a hodgepodge of books, some well-read, some never cracked open. On the top left you’ll see a well-worn copy of The Hobbit that I’ve been toting around since childhood. I call it my “journey book” because it’s the perfect book to read if you’re going on a journey. The descriptions of food are also excellent and make me hungry every time. 

I have a (slightly concerning) obsession with Hollywood and am currently in the process of hoovering up as much information about it as possible. Hence the presence of Tinseltown, Hollywood Vampires, A Story Lately Told, and The Castle on Sunset. That last one contributed directly to my dream of staying at the Chateau Marmont someday. 

My other niche interests include true crime (The Devil in the White City, In Cold Blood), the Roman empire (SPQR), spooky season (Dracula, The Exorcist, Your Favorite Scary Movie), and the book I only bought because I saw a cute guy reading it at a bar (The Largesse of the Sea Maiden). Do I take that book to that same bar every time I go just in case he’s there reading it again? I sure do. If we get married someday you heard it here first!

You’ll find quite a few classics on my shelf; I’ve been attempting to read Moby Dick for the last six years. There was a brief period of my life when I read one page of it per day, but even that was too much for me. Crime and Punishment is one of my favorite books of all time. It’s claustrophobic and overwhelming and I remember reading it five times in a row when it was assigned in AP English class in high school. Tender is the Night is one of the most boring books I’ve ever read, although I respect the effort and am envious of anyone who can afford to lounge around the French Riviera. 

I’ve probably rambled a bit too much already, but I just want to end with an honorable mention: The Dictionary of Legal Terms is from my brief stint as a legal assistant, which is the last job I held before I became a full-time author. I remember my most productive day at work was spent hiding in my cubicle reading Spare by Prince Harry. Did I mention I’m also obsessed with the royals? What can I say—I contain multitudes. 

Lindsay Straube is a writer living in Portland, OR. She drinks tequila with lemon and watches TV with subtitles on. On any given Tuesday, you can find her at the movies. Come say hi: @oxfordlemon.

(Editors’ note: Her latest book is hot off the press! US / UK)

Shelfies is edited by Lavie Tidhar and Jared Shurin.
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